Listen Before You Buy

I don’t know about most people, but my high school years were simultaneously some of the most traumatic and thrilling of my life. That’s not to say I wish I could re-live high school, because that would be hellish. I only wish that before I turned eighteen, I had made some groovy fuzzed-out jams like [...]

For those of you (mainly bloggers and writers) who’ve had this album for the last few weeks you’ll know just how good this is. For those of you who haven’t then you’re about to be bedazzled. It’s been over a year since Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin sauntered onto the scene as Cults with their [...]

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Garrett Johnson’s previous band was called ‘The Wicked Awesomes!’ Fantastic. His new band’s name might not give it away so quickly, but Garrett’s tongue is still firmly planted in his cheek with Brazilian Money. On “This Is Not A Dream”, their album released last month, Garrett’s mischievous attitude combines with scrappy, experimental, garage guitar, and [...]

The cover art of “Home”, the debut album from Binghampton University duo Vermilion Club, might have you geared up for a dreary experience. Fear not: those worries are dispelled the moment the music starts. “Daylight” kicks in with a snappy, upbeat guitar line and vocals delivered with childlike enthusiasm that doesn’t fade at all across [...]

I think it’s only fair that since they pushed back the release date of their eagerly-awaited debut album, that they put a new non-album track out there for us to hear, right? The song “Make Time” is listed on the Irish iTunes store as a single with a release date of May 6th meaning it’s [...]

“See You Bye” is the debut EP from new Brooklyn based electro-pop band Mitten, and it sure makes a good first impression: opening track “All That I’ve Got” has been bouncing around my head nonstop for days on end. The bass wobble that gets the track going is a little unsettling, but it’s soon joined [...]

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Singer/violinist/percussion enthusiast Roxy Rawson drew a fair bit of buzz around her debut EP “Changing Things” back in 2009, along with a few not unwarranted comparisons to Regina Spektor.  After a couple of years gigging in London, she’s got a new single to share with us: “Fingers”. “Fingers” was apparently conceived when Roxy was ‘pondering [...]

Leaving don’t write conventional songs. The four tracks on their EP “Ghost House” don’t so much progress as drift. Each song features a textured wall of guitar distortion and reverb, softened by mournful strings and supported by only the slightest of structures. This is rootless music, fitting for its subject matter: the EP is about [...]

Slowcore is a genre which has had a shortage of flag-bearers over the years, especially post-2000. A genre that was basically constructed as anti-grunge was always going to struggle for appeal once grunge itself faded from the spotlight. It makes sense, but it’s still a bummer. Luckily though, Baltimore band Eureka Birds are here with [...]

Baltimore-based Ricky Eat Acid was a tumblr find I was fortunate enough to catch through the rebloggers and animated gifs. Along with the majority of the content on tumblr, his music also proved to be addicting. Recently signed onto Chill Mega Chill Records, his first full length album, “Haunt You Forever” has been circling the [...]

Spacemonster is the alias of young Richmond based recording artist Kenny Hamilton. Previously part of a basement band called American Spacemonster Gill, Kenny’s gone his own way and taken his contribution to that name with him. Once upon a thankfully distant time, Spacemonster gigs consisted of scriptural readings accompanied by blaring white noise. I’m struggling [...]

Quite the story, this one: Balto came to be when Daniel Sheron left behind his life in Moscow in favour of a solo trek through Siberia. Against a frosty backdrop of railways and unknown cities he wrote a series of songs to explain and narrate his self-imposed exile, inspired by the people he met along [...]

It’s difficult to find iconic talent in a genre popular for spawning Feist-wannabes; however, Steffaloo approaches this problem by not channeling her influences, but rather taking example of them by channeling herself. Thus, she gains an audience willing to listen to her heart. Steffaloo – “Meet Me In Montauk” “Meet Me In Montauk”‘s simple strumming [...]

We live in a hectic world. Our minds are occupied by iPods, iPhones, iPads, laptops, twitter feeds, facebook updates . . . it is enough to drive you mad. This information overload has started to invade our music, too, as bands forget that negative space can be as effective as studio tricks – that a [...]