Category: Album Reviews

Getting back to Balmorhea

You may remember Austin’s Balmorhea from a previous post several months ago. But with Smansmith graciously informing us of a remixed All Is Wild, All Is Silent, I thought now would be as good a time as ever to go into just how much I’ve grown to love the non-remixed All Is Wild, All Is… Continue reading Getting back to Balmorhea

Throw Me The Statue delivers an “almost” effort on Creaturesque

After hearing “Waving at the Shore”, the first track off Throw Me The Statue‘s sophomore album, Creaturesque (which, by the way, is really killing me to type every time), I was expecting nothing short of pure brilliance from Scott Reitherman and his Seattle crew. I’ll concede that I fell madly in love with Moonbeams so… Continue reading Throw Me The Statue delivers an “almost” effort on Creaturesque

Modest Mouse is still awesome on EP of rejects

Now is as good a time as any to mention this isn’t “new” Modest Mouse music. Of course it’s non-album material, but it’s not like the band just recently sat down and wrote the thing. In fact, No One’s First and You’re Next is comprised of songs written during the Good News For People Who… Continue reading Modest Mouse is still awesome on EP of rejects

Bear Hands @ Siren

Bear Hands was a pleasant surprise – musically. On stage they were nothing special, but certainly sounded nice. They were kind of funny to look at, as the lead guitarist, who actually added the necessary atmosphere to fill out the sound and bring together some of the dreamy, ambient parts of the songs, was soooo… Continue reading Bear Hands @ Siren

Tiny Masters of Today @ Siren

I really hate doing this to such young artists. And as much as I try to avoid excuses when reviewing music, it’s just way too difficult to throw out the age factor with Brooklyn’s Tiny Masters of Today. Because it was SO unavoidable at Siren. For those who are unaware, Tiny Masters of Today are,… Continue reading Tiny Masters of Today @ Siren

A Place To Bury Strangers @ Siren

Thus begins my string of negative reviews. We weren’t going to be pleased by all of these shows – so I might as well just let you know from the start: I did not like A Place To Bury Strangers. If you’re one of those folks who hate on people disagreeing with you and that… Continue reading A Place To Bury Strangers @ Siren

Grand Duchy @ Siren

Frank Black is easily one of the most influential musicians of the last two decades. From directly influencing grunge (see Kurt Cobain) to setting the stage for the 90s alternative scene and making music many new musicians today grew up spinning, he’s had a hand in making alternative and indie music what is today. On… Continue reading Grand Duchy @ Siren

Future of the Left @ Siren

Raging forth from the stage like the Kraken from the sea (1981’s Clash of the Titans anyone?) was the furious sound of Future of the Left. Playing by far the most angst-ridden set all day, the three boys from Wales delivered tight, crunching guitar rock made complete with roaring screams and head thrashing (the latter… Continue reading Future of the Left @ Siren

Forest Fire’s Survival is curious, memorable, intriguing

Here are some things that are instantly noticeable about Brooklyn-based band Forest Fire‘s debut, Survival: The male/female vocals and harmonies The near-constant strum of acoustic guitar A wealth of instruments poking their heads in at random parts of songs What you might not notice so quickly, though, is how driven by percussion this record is.… Continue reading Forest Fire’s Survival is curious, memorable, intriguing