Single Reviews: 15 March 2023: girlfriend., Lauren Lakis, Antoine Duclos, St Catherine’s Child, Kamil Kowalczyk
Photo by Athena girlfriend. – Trust rock The music of Dublin outfit girlfriend. is as stylized as their lowercase and punctuated name. Their softly melodic verses are counterbalanced with extensively atmospheric rock composed of bendy chords, smashing drums, and ethereal vocals. A comparison to The Cranberries would be work-shy butContinue Reading
Abrasive Trees – Epocha (Album Review)
We might gather a few dozen epochs in our life, experiences bookended by the different perspectives of the human experience. These periods become essential to our identity, and relishing in our fond memories is the only retribution for the suffering of life; ultimately, all we have are our experiences. ApologiesContinue Reading
Hero Dog – mt.hood (Album Review)
Some people can’t understand why Seinfeld ended at the height of its popularity. The sitcom, widely regarded as the best of the ’90s, ended when its writers and producers decided it was best to bow out while still on top. Brevity is often underestimated and underutilized in artistic works. Perhaps this stemsContinue Reading
Klein and Jamison – Eight Paintings for Piano (Album Review)
British conductor Leopold Stokowski once opined, “A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” This oft-quoted nugget of wisdom describes music’s peculiar ability to occupy the physical world without being seen. However, it isn’t necessary to have synesthesia to witness Strauss’s pastoral world orContinue Reading
Single Reviews: 10 March 2023: corporeal, Ian Ellison, Kimi Djabaté, Zach Sprowls, Sudden Voices
Photo by Inga Seliverstova corporeal – more than me shoegaze Bostonian experimentalists corporeal create something delicate and special on “more than me”, a blisteringly lo-fi shoegaze experiment with MBV-style guitar manipulations and buried vocals. This is catchy and played with so much stylish irreverence that this loose-but-focused ensemble showcases theirContinue Reading
Nicole Saphos Band – Figure Eights (Album Review)
There’s something bittersweet about rummaging through old boxes in the attic. Artefacts from the past, like old photographs, love letters, and cultural knick-knacks, can inspire poignant trips down memory lane. In the case of Nicole Saphos, home-recorded VHS tapes were the source of inspiration for her third album, Figure Eights. AnContinue Reading
Dimitris Kakavoulis Quartet – Curves (Album Review)
The shortest distance between two places is a straight line. However, travelling on a curve can provide a more scenic view. The music of Athenian multi-instrumentalist Dimitris Kakavoulis combines elements of afro, funk, Latin, Brazilian and jazz music to create energized pieces full of improvisational skill and arrangments that alwaysContinue Reading
Katie Gerardine O’Neill – Into the Beyond (Album Review)
As an artist, musician and performer, Katie Gerardine O’Neill is perhaps best known for being a member of Dublin-based trio Alien She, whose mix of high-intensity pop, punk and indie – with an experimental bent – saw the band make a name for themselves on the Irish underground music scene. InContinue Reading
Single Reviews: 4 March 2023: Guy Blue, Cian Nugent, Melanie MacLaren, Mimesis, Wise Up
Photo by Scott Evans Guy Blue – No Other Life (Without You) alternative If you’re due a cry, “No Other Life (Without You)” by Milwaukeean indietronica musician Jack Ladd, AKA Guy Blue, might be able to open the floodgates. A simply gorgeous melody is given heightened meaning with lyrics thatContinue Reading
The Lonely Bell – Ghost Town Burning (Album Review)
As societal creatures, city living fulfils all of our modern-day needs. The interconnectivity of the masses undoubtedly occasions convenience. However, living on the peripheries of society, in small rural settlements, detached from the machines of big towns and cities, can supplement inconvenience with an advantaged perspective, though some moreContinue Reading