SIERRA PILOT PHANTOM PAINS INDEPENDENT Sierra Pilot makes its entry into their native Canada’s alternative rock scene with this impressive, ballsy debut, Phantom Pains. Indeed, after the opening barrage by the trio of “Alive”, “Adrenaline”, and [...]
THE NATIONAL LAUGH TRACK 4AD You wait four years for a new album from The National, and two come along at once. Hot on the heels of the excellent First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, Laugh Track is a surprise release from the Brooklyn-based gloom [...]
MUSTARD PLUG WHERE DID ALL MY FRIENDS GO? BAD TIME RECORDS At a time when ska goliaths like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish have disappeared into the ether, it’s a welcome shot in the arm for the ska scene that Mustard Plug return [...]
JALEN NGONDA COME AROUND AND LOVE ME DAPTONE RECORDS Every once in a while, an album comes across a reviewer’s desk that heralds the arrival of a significant new talent into the music scene. Come Around and Love Me is one such album, taking the [...]
DIZZY DIZZY ROYAL MOUNTAIN RECORDS Dizzy’s third album, self-titled but with no hint of self-importance, would be easy to dismiss as simplistic pop, particularly when one hears the opener, “Birthmark”. Indeed, lead singer Katie Munshaw’s vocals [...]
The Jesus And Mary Chain Sunset 666 Fuzz Club Recorded while supporting Nine Inch Nails on tour, Sunset 666 credits its existence to the serendipity of a USB port on the mixing desk, and the unusual recording mechanism ultimately is what gives [...]
The Arrogants Brainwash Dirty Water Records There can’t be many bands who start their second album cycle by opening for The Who and gaining an endorsement from Pete Townshend. When one puts on Brainwash, though, it’s not hard to see why, as this [...]
The Aquadolls Charmed Enci Records Charmed is Los Angeles-based femme-punks The Aquadolls’ third album, and from the start, it’s noticeably more punk than their previous efforts. This album also marks the first time the trio have written as a [...]
