Vampire Weekend : Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend are one of those bands that you either love or loathe. They have charm about them, but also a preciousness that turns off curmudgeonly old hipsters that don’t think they’re actually hipsters. On the other hand the band has songwriting chops and intellectually inviting lyrics thanks to singer/songwriter Ezra Koenig. Koenig can make […]

Zombi : Direct Inject

The prog/synth duo Zombi, which consists of keyboardist/bassist/composer Steve Moore and percussionist/keyboardist AE Paterra, have notched out a very specific sonic corner in electronic music. Influenced/inspired by horror scores and films, as well as 70s prog and more thoughtful metal of the 70s and 80s, these two Pittsburgh-raised musicians have rewired the idea of the […]

The Black Crowes : Happiness Bastards

Sibling rivalry in rock bands is a long-standing tradition in the pantheon of rock and roll. The Kinks, The Jesus Mary Chain, Beach Boys, The Breeders and Oasis are just a few examples where siblings in a band had issues with each other from time to time. Something about that sibling rivalry, it would either […]

Kurt Vile : Back To Moon Beach

Leave it to Kurt Vile to release a 52-minute album and call it an EP. Vile never seems to be in a hurry to get to the end of a song. He rambles and sways through 7 or 8 minutes of jangly guitar riffs, slow motion vocals, and richly-layered compositions that live and die by […]

Ivan The Tolerable Returns With ‘Under Magnetic Mountain’, Out 10/6; Listen To “Three Of Pentacles”

Oli Heffernan, aka Ivan The Tolerable, is a force to be reckoned with. His brand of droning psych rock and hallucinatory vibes can be heard on a prolific discography that runs the gamut between psychedelic electronic swirls to hazy ambient to guitar-driven jams. Heffernan makes the kind of music you feel in a visceral kind […]

Feu Follet Returns With ‘Lost Locust’, Out 10/6; Listen To New Single “Fluid Bodies”

French multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Alban Blaising is readying a brand new Feu Follet album called Lost Locust, out on 10/6. The one-man electronic/post-punk project has been quite prolific, releasing 4 albums since 2019 on German label Blackjack Illuminist. Lost Locust will make number 5, and once again Blaising is releasing on Alexander Donat’s fantastic label. […]

Explosions In The Sky : End

Explosions in the Sky have long been one of the supreme purveyors of post rock, a genre of music that relies on mostly wordless exaltations through instrumentals. Sometimes the music is big, widescreen, and heavy with emotional intent. Sometimes the music is as quiet as a whisper, conveying the same emotional depths but through ambient […]

Sparklehorse : Bird Machine

When singer/songwriter Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse took his own life back in March of 2010 it was both an absolute shock and sadly not surprising. Linkous struggled with depression and addiction and you heard it in his music. Still, you hope someone as talented and heart-on-sleeve as Linkous would find their way out of the […]

Slowdive : Everything Is Alive

Slowdive are one of the premier OG shoegaze bands of the early 90s. Releasing their debut album Just For A Day in 1991, then following it up with Souvlaki in 1993. Their sophomore release got mixed reviews when it came out, but like most great things in hindsight was re-evaluated as a masterpiece. Slowdive released […]

The Hives : The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons

Do you remember the early 2000s indie music explosion? New York had become the epicenter of a music movement once again, this time with indifferent, arty kids revamping everything from Joy Division to Television to The Cars. The Strokes, Jonathan Fire Eater, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Juan McClean, LCD Soundsystem, and Interpol were at that […]