New Release From Descendents
Few records in punk history have left as massive a footprint as Descendents’ Milo Goes to College. The 1982 debut fused the aggression of hardcore with catchy hooks, adolescent angst, and unmistakable personality — helping spark an entire genre now known as pop punk. Its influence remains undeniable over four decades later, earning spots on Rolling Stone’s […]
Vinyl District Calls Tav Falco A “True Artistic Treasure”
The Vinyl District has a review of Desire on Ice, from Tav Falco and ORG Music. The site writes, “Gustavo Antonio ‘Tav’ Falco is one of the true artistic treasures of the last 50 years, this distinction achieved through a personal style that’s flamboyant but never off-putting and an unusually high level of sensitivity toward the assorted genres that inform his […]
Stereogum Shares “Tear” From Venera
“Venera,” explains Stereogum, “is the duo of Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer and musician/filmmaker Chris Hunt… Exinfinite, the second Venera album, is coming in September via Berlin’s esteemed PAN label. It boasts an impressive guest list including FKA twigs, Dis Fig, and Chelsea Wolfe.” “But,” the site continues, “on lead single and opening track ‘Tear,’ Shaffer and Hunt show off how much the two of them can do […]
Patrick Watson Has “Found His Voice” On New LP Uh Oh, Writes Range
Range writes that Patrick Watson “turns fear and fragility into a breathtakingly collaborative statement” on new LP Uh Oh, which was inspired by “a three-month period where he lost his voice completely, unsure if he’d ever be able to sing again, [and] set out instead to find some of his favourite vocalists to set to his and his band’s […]
A Closer Listen Engages With Venera’s Exinfinite
A Closer Listen has a review of Exinfinite from Venera, which “has all the power of cinema, plus the energy of rock. Though the album is mostly instrumental, it is enhanced by a trio of guest vocalists… it’s fair to say that Venera doesn’t need a vocalist… [but] Chelsea Wolfe’s piece is the most accessible, while Dis Fig is the most […]
Silent Radio Says Patrick Watson’s New LP Is “Consistently Thrilling”
Silent Radio writes that Patrick Watson‘s Uh Oh is “a sophisticated set of eleven compositions that feel magically alive. An album with such a variety of vocalists and recorded in an array of locations (Montreal, LA, Paris, New Orleans, Mexico City) ought to struggle for unity yet its recording technique and a pitch-perfect sense of dynamic tension make Uh Oh a […]
KLOF Shares GECKØS’ “Compelling Introduction”
KLOF writes that GECKØS‘ single “El Techno” is “a compelling introduction to the trio’s distinctive sonic world, characterised by a loping groove and atmospheric textures. The track’s most striking feature is a career-first for M. Ward, who takes the vocal lead entirely in Spanish. A surprising and seamless fit for his distinctive croon, Ward, whose grandparents were from […]
The Bluegrass Situation Talks Baby Man With Fruit Bats’ Eric D. Johnson
The Bluegrass Situation has an interview with Fruit Bats’ Eric D. Johnson, who explains that new LP Baby Man “was the leftiest of all left turns you could possibly take, because the original plan was a very lo-fi hair-metal covers album. [It was] basically a midterm project between album cycles… This record turned into something that was me and Thom […]
Falter Enjoys Mary Halvorson’s Latest
Austrian site Falter recently reviewed Mary Halvorson‘s About Ghosts, which is currently sitting at #3 on the NACC Jazz chart after hitting #1 for a couple of weeks this summer. The site says, “As the colorful cover suggests, the titular ‘Ghosts’ are truly friendly spirits. Four wind instruments in this octet of spookily prolific US guitarists provide an almost […]
New Music From Tav Falco
Musician, filmmaker, performer, and cultural conjurer Tav Falco moves with ease between Memphis juke joints and Weimar cabarets while blending tango, vocal jazz, rockabilly, and noir Americana into a personal mythology with a wink and a streak of cultivated danger. He has been fronting Panther Burns – a loose vehicle for outcasts, hipsters, and other beautiful misfits […]
At The Barrier Compares Patrick Watson to Art-Folk Royalty
In a recent review, At The Barrier tells the story of Patrick Watson‘s Uh Oh, an album inspired by a period during which the much-awarded songwriter had lost his voice and reached out to a set of gifted collaborators to bring his new songs to life. According to the site, “For an album that must have felt a life […]
Stereogum Enjoys The “Detailed Quilt” of Geckøs’ Sound
“There’s a new folk supertrio in town,” according to Stereogum. The site explains that “Geckøs is the latest project from Americana musician M. Ward (known for his solo work and the She & Him project with Zooey Deschanel), Tucson-based songwriter Howe Gelb, and Irish multi-instrumentalist Mark McCausland aka McKowski.” The site recently premiered the trio’s track “El Techno,” describing the sound as “a detailed quilt of […]
Magnet Goes Track-By-Track With Fruit Bats
New Fruit Bats LP Baby Man, writes Magnet, “is an unadulterated portrait of an artist at the top of his game, alone with his thoughts, a few instruments and heaps of knee-jerk inspiration. Johnson’s singing has never sounded more vulnerable and alive, and the music—stripped back, disarmingly real and achingly beautiful—matches the revelatory mood.” The magazine breaks the album […]
Ink19 Reviews The Silver Snails’ “Lovingly Constructed” Sophomore LP
In a review, Ink19 says “the songs on The Silver Snails‘ Speed of Light are lovingly constructed pop songs that remind me of later period XTC. The band has a fine command of song structure… it sounds good on headphones… Overall, Speed of Light reminds me of pop/prog projects like Asia.” The site pegs “A Flagrant Display of Magic,” which “comes on with a […]
Folk Alley Recommends The Relentlessly Spare New Fruit Bats LP
“Unrelenting in its spareness,” writes Folk Alley, “Fruit Bats’ new album, Baby Man, strips away any pretense that the struggles of life can be addressed in glib cliches. Minimalist arrangements and introspective lyrics reveal the contours of Eric D. Johnson’s journeys in self-reflection. Every song features his searing vocals alone with a guitar or a piano.” Check out […]
The Mosh Network Shares Venera’s Chelsea Wolfe Collab
The Mosh Network has coverage of Exinfinite, the new album from Venera, which is a collaboration between composers Chris Hunt and James “Munky” Shaffer (best known as a founding member of Korn). The album features several guests, including FKA twigs, DJ Dis Fig, and Chelsea Wolfe, who is called a “goth rock icon” by the site. According to the Mosh Network, Wolfe lends her “signature dark, […]
Arts Fuse Plugs In With Mary Halvorson
Arts Fuse has a review of a recent performance by Mary Halvorson and her Amaryllis sextet in support of About Ghosts, “Over the course of her previous albums Amaryllis, Belladonna, and Cloudward, Halvorson’s writing has sharpened for small band,” the site writes. “Always beguiling — as rhythmically and harmonically knotty and form-bending as her guitar playing — the band’s music on About Ghosts seems to […]
New Music From Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson composes, performs, and records his albums with his long-time bandmates, collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Mishka Stein, and Olivier Fairfield. The Canadian artist reached gold and platinum status in over multiple countries, and his shows sell out around the world. Over the course of his career, Watson has retained the uncanny ability to coexist in mainstream pop-culture spaces […]
Ghettoblaster Gets Going With Geckøs
In its premiere of the new song “El Techno,” Ghettoblaster writes, “Can we consider Geckøs a supergroup of sorts? Possibly. Through the years, all three artists – M. Ward, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), and Mark McCausland (a.k.a. McKowski) – have collaborated individually and appeared on each other’s records on several occasions. But it wasn’t until they were all recently in Tucson […]
End Sessions Likes Letters Under Glass
End Sessions likes “Shimmer (Firefly)” by Letters Under Glass and recommends repeated listens of the track, which features a “slow, pulsating, and vibrant rhythm… Although at first listen it may sound like a simple song, it is not, and in each repetition you will come across something that will fascinate you.” Read the full review in its original […]
