Strawflower – Greetings from the Stardust Motel (Album Review)
LA surf rockers Strawflower make a convincing argument for leaving it all behind in the name of debaucherous pleasures on their debut album “Greetings from the Stardust Motel”. Featuring a classy and mostly laid-back sound, the group flits between chillaxed beach vibes and darker forays into alternative rock, unanimously deliveredContinue Reading
pb – neither prose nor poetry (Album Review)
The dulcet folk stylings of British-American folk songwriter pb, stage name of Phoebe Workman, are on full display across her debut album neither prose nor poetry. Through personable writing, up-close-and-personal performances, and fully-fleshed-out arrangements replete with sweeping orchestral strings, classy percussion, and stellar production, the album features songs collected fromContinue Reading
Dying Habit – The Chaos Of Silence (Album Review)
British composer Leopold Stokowski once said “A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” On their sophomore album The Chaos of Silence, Welsh four-piece Dying Habit investigate the cathartic nature of music through songs that create images of tension with aggressive riffs, jerky rhythms, andContinue Reading
Single Reviews: 26 June 2024: Tez, Houston in the Blind, Yodashe, Akrobat, A Number From the Ghost
Photo by Cody Whear Tez – Feathers indie rock Canterbury four-piece Tez makes a compelling case for emotional vulnerability in their recent single “Feathers”. Touching on themes of “the recognition of spirits, good karma, and appreciation” the self-aware single sees frontman Owen Mellett wear his heart on his sleeve whileContinue Reading
Mountains of Jura – Mountains of Jura (Album Review)
Never judge a book by its cover unless it’s not a book but the second self-titled album from Californian hypnotists-cum-psychedelic-indie rockers Mountains of Jura. The cover art of their latest release is a brilliantly detailed drawing of a lynx by Paula Spence. This image perfectly depicts the group’s roaming, confident,Continue Reading
Mortal Prophets – Brian Eno In Heaven (EP Review)
New Yorker John Beckmann has had a productive few years. Since 2022, the genre-averse artist has released four albums (one of which was an opera titled HANUSSEN) and numerous EPS and singles. Going under the nome de plume Mortal Prophets, Beckmann incorporates experimental traditions and sensory indulgence into his cinematicContinue Reading
EP Reviews: Yea Big and Tatsu Aoki, Urhosson, Fractured Wrist, Night Gestalt, Kamil Kowalczyk
Photo by Valeriia Miller Yea Big and Tatsu Aoki – The Hand and The Moon, Part One When Bloomington, IL multi-instrumentalist Stefen Robinson, AKA Yea Big, first heard the work of Japenese traditional musician Tatsu Aoki, who primarily performs solo on the shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese instrument, he knew heContinue Reading
Single Reviews: 4 June 2024: Silent Mass, Duel Ferns, Model Living, Julia Logan, Em Pompa
Photo by Laura Alessia Silent Mass – The Great Chaos alternative Spearheaded by the lush vocals of Ammo Bankoff, New York-based Silent Mass seems driven to take the listener to the astral plan with the titular single to their forthcoming album, The Great Choas. In an intoxicating stew of eldritch keys, hazyContinue Reading
The Shining Tongues – This Body Of Mine Will Disintegrate (Album Review)
Nothing like a bit of nihilism to start the weekend. On The Shining Tongues’ second album, This Body Of Mine Will Disintegrate, the Londonites face life’s bleaker truths through spiritually searching and psychedelically leaning progressive folk-rock tunes. Spearheaded by songwriter Daniel Knowler and the idiosyncratic bass playing of Sam Mclaughlin,Continue Reading
Farewell Wise Man – Peace Lines (Album Review)
Sometimes, you have to start again. After playing in the post-punk band Sandcastle, the Toulon-based musician Thomas Ferrandes reinvisioned his musical language through Farewell Wise Man, an anything-goes instrumental musical project that touches on ambient, art rock, and industrial dance. His debut album, Peace Lines, is a transitory and succinctContinue Reading