Tokyo Police Club's Champ is somehow weak because it is so well-constructed

How can an album be weak because it’s so well-made? It’s kind of weird to wrap your mind around, but Tokyo Police Club’s Champ manages it. The guitar riffs are appropriately angular, but the production is slick. The vocals — from Dave Monks’ drawl to the slightly hidden background chants that occasionally pop […]

Young Rival makes solid indie rock 'n' roll on eponymous debut

Ontario-based three-piece Young Rival know how to make some good-old fashioned indie rock ‘n’ roll. Since their 2008 EP, Young Rival, the band has opened for Born Ruffians, signed to Canadian label Sonic Unyon and toured the hell out of Canada. “Your Island,” a single from the EP, earned them some blog love […]

Born Ruffians struggle to mature on Say It

In 2008, Born Ruffians pleased and impressed us with an album called Red, Yellow and Blue, a raucous rock trip through a handful of genres, all wrapped up in the unifying force of what sounds like drunken pub tunes. It was maybe immature, sure, but it was great. Now, the Canadian group is […]

Beach Fossils' eponymous debut takes it easy this summer. Shouldn't you?

It’s summer time again, and just like last year the indie music world has taken a turn toward the chill. Although we’ve been hearing from Beach Fossils for a while now, we’re just now introduced to the Brooklyn band’s attempt at a full-length album. The eponymous record is pretty much everything one might […]

The Black Keys offer more solid blues rock on Brothers

I’ve always considered The Black Keys to be one of the most solid bands around. The band has released six studio albums in the past eight years, none of which are bad or even lacking very much. Since their humble garage/blues-rock beginnings, the band has gone through minor, yet noticeable phases. Rubber Factory was […]

Marching Band's Pop Cycle is more reserved than Spark Large

I don’t usually mention previous albums in the title of album reviews; I like to wait until the review to touch on context and from where the current album stems. However, Marching Band’s Spark Large, released in 2008, was a diamond in the rough for me – I hadn’t heard a thing about […]

The Dead Weather improve, make good rock music on Sea of Cowards

The Dead Weather have always looked great on paper. The group is made up of members of The Raconteurs and Queens of the Stone Age with The Kills’ Alison Mosshart and king of bluesey rock music Jack White himself. Even their first single, “Hang You From the Heavens” was pretty good! But their […]

Woods' At Echo Lake is pleasant but inconspicuous

Woods was one of the very first acts we posted about here on Knox Road, so they’ll always hold a special place in our hearts. Jamie described them as “eerie” and “sweet” at the same time, which totally confused him. Not that that’s a bad thing though; confusion is good! Woods have a unique […]

The National provide another stunning effort with High Violet

Good thing they’re consistent.

The fifth full-length album by The National, High Violet, is different from past releases, but it’s still unsurprisingly great. On 2007’s Boxer, the band managed to scale back its overt intensity and loudness, instead favoring the emotion in the subtlety of arrangements. Singer Matt Berninger stopped screaming some of his […]

The New Pornographers please with well-crafted pop tunes on Together

The New Pornographers don’t have a lot to prove. The powerhouse indie veterans have been around since 1997 and boast a catalogue of four previous albums that (aside from the most recent, Challengers) have been hailed by critics and gobbled up by indie fans everywhere. It’s with this cool confidence that the band struts […]