The Ballet School – The Dew Lasts An Hour (Bella Union)
Well, I won’t lie. When I plucked Ballet School out of the lineup, I thought for sure I’d singled out another case of all-men groups dubbing their bands with feminine names (see Woman’s Hour, Girl Band). I stand corrected. However. As we all know, having the prerequisite chick on vocals don’t getcha a free pass […]
Mosman Alder – Humdrum Star (Dew Process)
The whole music scene thing, it’s all a façade, really, said my landlord one morning, or something like that. He always says things like that whenever we meet in the kitchen. You know, that the government fabricated the war on drugs (the real one, not the band), that the students coming up seem dumber and […]
Millions – Max Relax (Stop/Start)
By the unwritten law of lazy-ass journalism (and trust me – for a sound as lazy as this, we’ll need to respond in kind), I’m obliged to point out that Glenn Tilbrook produced this, and that his kids are part o’ Millions. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, THOUGH? Glenn’s better known as one of the wordsmiths […]
5 Seconds of Summer – s/t (Capitol)
(And before you protest – “But Lee, how dare you bash pop music” – I direct you to this. Read it and weep, you smug little louts.) Any 20-something American probably recalls the irrepressible refrain from Fall Out Boy rebounding down their school halls – “down, down, in an earlier round, / sugar we’re going […]
I Know Why The Caged Grrrl Sings (Tuff Enuff)
This week – well, apart from stoking the forest fire that should spark on this post – we shall keep the good vibes rolling by hyping the hell out of the new compilation from Brighton saviors Tuff Enuff. The comp begins as if it might implode. SNAKESKIN! SNAKESKIN! Like actual snakeskin, the tune crackles and […]
White Fence – For The Recently Found Innocent (Drag City)
Yeah, I listened to that first Tame Impala record, front to back. And the entire time, I’m thinking, “OK, this is from Cream. This is from Revolver. And this one’s Derek and the Dominoes.” Ya think I remember any one of those tunes now? Ya think I ever listened to that Tame Impala LP again? […]
Guy and Marcus Blackman Experimentation Project – Country Pantry (Distort)
Ever sit and think a spell on dreamteam musical duos? Like, SuperHeavy should be enough to put any romance re: the supergroup completely of yer head, but there’s something always kinda thrilling about the idea of getting two disparate individuals in a room to see what sticks. Daniel Boone and D. Boon? Daniel Boone and […]
Tiny Ruins – Brightly Painted One (Spunk)
[READER ADVISORY WARNING: The following review does not reach a clear conclusion about the album in question and might disturb some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.] Why aren’t I crying? I ought to be. The writing’s on the wall. No, not because of this LP. Not at all. Tiny Ruins is so grey in its […]
Ela Stiles – Ela Stiles (Bedroom Suck)
What is ‘Ela Stiles’? Fleeting beauty, sunlight through a dense canopy. And the breathless darkness wrapping around you as the shards of illumination slip further out of reach. It is an artefact, as if uncovered by accident. Irregular in shape like it was worn by the passage of time, the first side comprising six songs […]
Ben Frost – A U R O R A (Bedroom Community/Mute | Create/Control)
A U R O R A aims directly, through its monolithic construction, at blinding luminescent alchemy; not with benign heavenly beauty but through decimating magnetic force. This is no pristine vision of digital music, it is a filthy, uncivilized offering of interrupted future time where emergency flares illuminate ruined nightclubs and the faith of the […]
