For a while now the term “skramz” has been considered a dirty word by many a music enthusiast. I can't tell you the origin of the word and if you asked 10 people who thought they knew the definition, they'd all give you different answers. The closest to a...
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Rainy Day Music #0: Prelude
I conceived this column during a particularly rainy stretch of last October. Walking down Wisconsin Ave., my ill-chosen shoes saturated in ankle-high puddles, I was lost in the throes of my favorite rainy day album. Removing the shoes to reveal ruined socks in the...
Juan Wauters ÛÒ N.A.P. North American Poetry (Captured Tracks)
Beets frontman offers up strong solo debut N.A.P. is the first solo album from Juan Wauters, first on the scene in 2006 with his folk punk band, The Beets – the first band to start the Captured Tracks label. The Wauters family came to America from Uruguay, Juan...
Warpaint ÛÒ Warpaint (Rough Trade)
Cool and psychedelic 2014 is a highly anticipated year for the all-female, psychedelic band, Warpaint. The quartet embodies a spectrum of emotions with songs that can seem dark and sinister while others reveal a raw vulnerability. This vulnerability can be...
Quilt- Held In Splendor
Sweet, psychedelic pop-rock Quilt's newest release, Held In Splendor, showcases the band holding life in splendor indeed. Much of the album seems like a springtime trance, with dreamy vocals over rolling bass and poppy percussion. Delicate guitar melodies...
Childish Gambino – Because The Internet (Glassnote)
A soundtrack without a film, but not without value Listening to this album without the accompanying screenplay provides a different experience than Gambino intended. For example, the groan-inducing hash-tag rap punchlines (“I got penthouses on both coasts, pH...
together PANGEA – Badillac (Harvest)
Rawk On Not wanting to go down as just another So-Cal garage punk group, together PANGEA tack the familiar trappings of the genre and marry it with the muscle and mania of grunge, creating a sonic beast on a mission to drink, party and feel like crap about it...
Hospitality-Troubled (Merge)
Indie-Rock, Pop, Groovy The problem I find with a lot of indie-pop and indie-rock these days is a lack of originality. Thankfully, on Hospitality's new album Troubled there is everything but generic pop music. Amber Papini is the lead singer of this Brooklyn...
Cloud Nothings ÛÒ I’m Not Part of Me – Single (Carpark)
The boys are back Dylan Baldi is a genius. With each Cloud Nothings album, he expands his musicality. It's hard to believe that less than four years ago he recorded his first LP in his parents' basement and released it as a solo album. Since then, he has...
Mozes and the Firstborn- Mozes and the Firstborn (Burger Records)
Dutch dudes making seriously infectious garage rock Don’t let this band’s name overshadow their potential. The four rockers from the Netherlands debut with a record packed with energy, rebellion, and seriously impressive playing. There’s something to be said...