Posts Tagged ‘album review’

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REVIEW: Light Years – ‘I Won’t Hold This Against You’

June 18th, 2013 Matthew Leimkuehler

Artist: Light Years
Album: I Won’t Hold This Against You
Genre: Pop-punk
Label: Paper+Plastick

Light Years‘ brand new record and Paper + Plastick debut, I Won’t Hold This Against You is an insatiable dose of satisfying pop punk. From the in-your-face shredding opener, “Uphill Battle,” to the self-titled, powerful closer, “I Won’t Hold This Against You,” this Cleveland-based group has written a record for pop-punk lovers old and new.

That’s right, I Won’t Hold This Against You is the type of pop-punk fans have grown to love over the years. It is honest, transparent and blasting. The record …

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kanye west 2013

REVIEW: Kanye West – Yeezus

June 18th, 2013 James Shotwell

Artist: Kanye West
Album: Yeezus
Genre: Hip Hop

Yeezus season has arrived. After months of hype, absolutely no radio play, dozens of projections around the globe, and an afternoon spent trending over a leak, Kanye West’s latest epic has finally found its way into the hands of music lovers around the world. It’s an ambitious effort that puts the experimentation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to shame, but while it’s something everyone should hear at least once, it may very well be be too much for many to enjoy.

…

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Liquid Casing

REVIEW: Liquid Casing – ‘A Separate|Divide’

June 17th, 2013 Brian Lion

Artist: Liquid Casing
Album: A Separate|Divide
Genre: Rock, Progressive, Experimental
For fans of: Russian Circles, Fugazi, Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Liquid Casing‘s newest effort opens with “A Path of Footprints Forged in the Midnight Sun,” a raw and gritty exploration through different variations of experimental and progressive rock that sets up a nice foundation for what’s to come on A Separate|Divide. The opener is immediately followed by “Alambrista” which starts out in a fury of rhythmic guitar and drums with cymbals crashing violently, and adds even more elements than were found on the album’s first offering. The horns …

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Into The Flood

REVIEW: Into The Flood – Vices

June 12th, 2013 Adrian Garza

ARTIST: Into The Flood
ALBUM: Vices
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Century Media Records

When I hear news about a relatively young band with little to no national buzz surrounding them getting picked up by a label as big as Century Media Records, it leaves me wondering just what the hype is all about. Sometimes, there can be a stereotypical gimmick involved, and other times it’s something as plain and simple as the said big label preying on an unlucky group of fame-seeking musicians who made the wrong decision of signing to the wrong label. Fortunately, neither is the case with Into …

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Always This

REVIEW: Joshua Worden – ‘Always This’

June 9th, 2013 Brian Lion

Artist: Joshua Worden
Album: Always This
Genre: R&B, Indie, Down-tempo
For fans of: James Blake, Josef Salvat, How To Dress Well

It only takes 20 seconds of Always This to know that you’re in for a treat when Joshua Worden‘s soulful croon hits a sweet spot after the album’s opening line in “Marrow.”

“I finally found a song / from deep within the bones it comes.”

With influences like D’Angelo, Frank Ocean and James Blake, you can tell Worden has done his homework and applied the impressions he’s absorbed into his sound with a smooth vocal delivery accompanied by …

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liferuiner feature

REVIEW: Liferuiner – Future Revisionists

June 4th, 2013 James Shotwell

Artists: Liferuiner
Album: Future Revisionists
Genre: Hardcore
Label: InVogue

Though some would disagree, it is difficult to deny that the hardcore/metal scene is dominated by scores of gifted musicians who are constantly pushing the limits of their music. Likewise, in an effort to stand out in a genre which has been diluted by repetitive djent breakdowns and down-tuned instruments, it is not unheard of for these individuals to occasionally change their sound and take their artwork in a notably different direction. Unfortunately, it is equally common for such efforts to fall short in the eye’s of devoted fans, as more …

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REVIEW: Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle

June 4th, 2013 Grace Duffy

Artist: Laura Marling
Album: Once I Was An Eagle
Genre: Folk/indie
Label: Virgin

Laura Marling has become a darling of the indie folk scene in the past few years and on this evidence, it’s really not hard to see why. Even for someone of my particular listening tastes, which rarely tend to admit lone indie singer/songwriters, there is something unique and compelling in her music that belies her young age. Once I Was An Eagle is a sprawling masterwork whose length and indulgence may raise some eyebrows given the more succinct layouts of her previous albums, but which feels like …

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the hurry and the harm

REVIEW: City and Colour – ‘The Hurry and the Harm’

June 3rd, 2013 Grace Duffy

Artist: City and Colour
Album: The Hurry and the Harm
Genre: Acoustic/folk
Label: Dine Alone Records

Somehow, City and Colour have eluded me until now. I have several friends who are big fans and I’ve heard nothing but reverential praise for the project, but even as an Alexisonfire appreciator I’ve never found myself moved to look it up. The curious thing is, after listening to The Hurry and the Harm, I don’t actually feel the need to. And I mean that as a compliment. It’s a wistful, touching introduction (for me) to Dallas Green’s solo work but it is …

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REVIEW: Heights – Old Lies For Young Lives

May 30th, 2013 Kriston McConnell

Artist: Heights
Album: Old Lies For Young Lives
Genre: Hardcore
Label: Transcend Music

Heights have been together going on four years now. They’ve had a few lineup changes in that time, including kicking out their lead vocalist in 2012 and replacing him with the bassist. That caused a bit of an uproar amongst fans, as the band had seen such huge success with their debut album, Dead Ends. Monty had a lot to live up to, and the band got to work on their sophomore full length after releasing a few singles.

When the first track, “The Best Years,” …

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REVIEW: I See Stars – Renegades Forever

May 29th, 2013 James Shotwell

Artist: I See Stars
Album: Renegades Forever
Genre: Remix/Rarities
Label: Sumerian

Roughly a year and a half has passed since Michigan’s I See Stars released their third album, Digital Renegade. Our review of the record applauded the group’s efforts to further create a niche all their own, but thought they were still struggling to find the right balance of electronica, metal, and pop elements within their music. The group hit the road shortly after the album’s release and, aside from a run in with the law or two, spent the months that followed performing for fans around the world. …

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distancing

REVIEW: Misser – Distancing

May 28th, 2013 Tyler Osborne

Band: Misser
Album: Distancing
Genre: Punk/Emo
Label: Rise Records

Misser, the brain child of Transit’s Tim Landers and Ex-This Time Next Year’s Brad Wiseman, has consistently put out really awesome releases. Starting as a side project in 2011, Misser has quickly put out two releases that established themselves as a band, not just two dudes throwing b-sides together from their full-time projects.  Every Day I Tell Myself to Be a Better Person was one of my favorite releases of 2012, so I had high hopes that Misser would put out short collection of songs with Distancing that I …

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QotsaLikeClockworkFeature

REVIEW: Queens Of The Stone Age – ‘…Like Clockwork’

May 28th, 2013 Dan Bogosian

Artist: Queens of the Stone Age
Album: …Like Clockwork
Genre: Hard Rock, Alternative Rock
Label: Matador Records

I’ve gotten into arguments with other music writers about an album’s context changing a review. Usually, I’m of the argument that a band’s history shouldn’t affect a review; I like to think that a reviewer should review how well a band does the music they do, and not whether a band changing its sound went in a direction that some freak hiding behind a keyboard agrees with. Queens of the Stone Age have removed “of the Stone Age” from their …

Posted in Features, News, reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 49 Comments »
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