Slightly nerdy punk rock. Order Of Operation is certainly a punk album. Fuzzy powerchords, fast drums, yelling vocals, and minute-and-a-half songs. But something that is prevalent on every track that gives the songs a “nerdy” feel to them are the synths. Instead of...
Emotional existential history set to liquid guitars and groovy baselines. Though Sinkane has spent much of his musical career as as session musician with groups like Yeasayer, Caribou, and Born Ruffians, on his sophomore debut record, Mean Love, the man otherwise...
Sophomore success with silver lining. Riding on the success of their debut album An Awesome Wave, in 2012, alt-J has been pretty busy. During the past two years they produced a song for the film Silver Linings Playbook, earned numerous awards (British Mercury Prize,...
Self-deprecation at its coolest and most self-deprecating. “This is how losers feel/ I am a loser/ And you're here to remind me” sings Jenn Ghetto (producing not at all ghetto music), originally a member of Carissa's Weird, a Seattle-based band. She departed from...
Lo-fi punk rock garage romance. Anticipate what you will of an album that opens with “I remember the first time I saw you/ I knew you'd be important” but ends with “you find something you like/ and then you move on with your life.” Coming out of North Carolina to...
Music for listening to while you ride your horse through the desert into the sunset. Northern Arms' self-titled debut plays like a soundtrack to a western blockbuster with an indie-rock twist. The album opens up with “Warm Springs Georgia” and “Ninety and NineÛ,...
Notable new indie-rock. Shy is the opposite of Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg, the 23-year-old lead vocals and guitar of southern California's Avi Buffalo. The lyrics are quirky and verge on uncomfortable, about winning over girls and sneaking into camp sites. But the...
“Vast spaces yet a sense of isolation.Û The Raveonettes allowed all of their creative experimentation to surface in their newest release, Pe'ahi. In many cases simplicity becomes preferable, but in this album the use of more in-depth instrumentation has enabled...
A love crusade worth going on. “When I was 27 I crushed a lot. I wasn’t sure I’d ever fall in love again. These songs were written and recorded in private around this time.” Karen O has been known for her loud and vibrant persona in the Yeah Yeah...
Fun outerspace synth-pop and teen angst. The Drums' Encyclopedia is a burst of juvenile bliss and despair. The playful, almost extra-terrestrial tunes on “Magic Mountain,” “Let Me” and “Wild Geese” paired with lyrics like “Somewhere in the back of my mind I crave...