Category: Album Reviews

old-fashioned (and neo-modern) record reviews

Album Reviews, Zines

Bannack Breathes New Life into a Ghost Town on Debut LP, Compendium

Originally appeared on Grimy Goods.  The group takes its name from a ghost town in rural Montana, once connected to civilization only by the Montana Trail during the gold rush. “We liked the idea of giving new life to a place that was probably otherwise unreferenced in popular culture,” Benny Friedman told The Daily Trojan. The town’s legacy is Bannack Days, where on the third … Continue reading Bannack Breathes New Life into a Ghost Town on Debut LP, Compendium

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Album Reviews

Hungover with Violents and Monica Martin’s LP

This is the album everyone needs. I’ve been saying it all year, since its release last April: Awake and Pretty Much Sober is impossible to dislike. Violents is a project helmed by Jeremy Larson where he writes and produces music with an invited guest vocalist; previous projects include Stacy King (Eisley, Sucre), Olga Yagolnikov (Kye Kye), and singer-songwriter Annie Williams. In this iteration Larson teamed … Continue reading Hungover with Violents and Monica Martin’s LP

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Album Reviews

Kacey Johansing No Longer Lives in Hiding

At the center of The Hiding is a lyric on the title track that gets at the heart of Kacey Johansing’s message. “Everyone keeps hiding what they long to find,” she sings, as if unveiling a universal truth that no one wants to admit that they knew. On this new record, she discusses relationships and love, often as an intrusive observer, though it could all … Continue reading Kacey Johansing No Longer Lives in Hiding

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Album Reviews

Paul Bergmann Gives So Much on Nothing At All

My love for Paul Bergmann came about accidentally. He shared a bill at the Bootleg in August of 2016 with strong favorite of mine at the time, Oh Pep!; I hadn’t heard his music or even his name before the show, so I had no reason to anticipate anything revelatory. But once he began playing, I was instantly drawn to his sultry voice, expert whistling, … Continue reading Paul Bergmann Gives So Much on Nothing At All

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Album Reviews

Julie Byrne Finds Stability Within a Nomadic Life

Photo credit: Jonathan Bouknight Julie Byrne’s latest album is actually already over a year old. It came out on January 4th, making it the first new music of the year that I heard, and it clearly stuck with me. Not Even Happiness marks a personal journey in Byrne’s life, though not necessarily based in specific events; instead, the album is a series of highly personal proclamations … Continue reading Julie Byrne Finds Stability Within a Nomadic Life

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Album Reviews

Experience the Loving Ease of M. Grig’s Still Lifes EP

Earlier this year I wrote about how integral ambient is to the fabric of music. In particular, I referenced two wonderful albums, Alessandro Cortini’s Avanti and Úlfur’s Arborescence, both which revealed distinct dimensions that this music can exist within. But what made a deeper impact was M. Grig’s soothing folk-inspired Still Lifes EP. I am convinced that the score of my mind and the soundtrack … Continue reading Experience the Loving Ease of M. Grig’s Still Lifes EP

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Album Reviews

Cosmic Cruelty Becomes a Peerless Depiction of Grief on L’Rain’s Self-Titled Mixtape

I played a mix of all my favorite albums from this year at a party a few weeks ago, and L’Rain ended up being the crowd favorite. Something about the swirling and looping of beats and drums and vocals grabs your attention without you even realizing. This record has been called experimental, though in all honesty there couldn’t be a more perfect representation of rhythm … Continue reading Cosmic Cruelty Becomes a Peerless Depiction of Grief on L’Rain’s Self-Titled Mixtape

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Album Reviews, Zines

Brooklyn Duo Via Intercom Explore Subtleties of Youth on New LP

Photo credit: Kaiya Gordon Originally appeared on the 405, view archived article here.  Being young is so confusing. We don’t realize it’s happening until it’s gone, then we’re left with a series of memories and far too many regrets for such a short period of time, relative to the rest of our lives. It is our most formative time, and though we all have unique experiences, … Continue reading Brooklyn Duo Via Intercom Explore Subtleties of Youth on New LP

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Album Reviews, Zines

Gain a fresh perspective with Odessey & Oracle’s new album, Speculatio

Originally appeared on the 405, view archived article here.  Speculatio boasts a melting pot of influences, maintaining its heavy flutes and harps while introducing beeps and hums that change the album’s perspective. Even with my limited knowledge of French, it is evident that motifs in the lyrics also tie into the conspicuously psychedelic instrumentation. The story on this concept album is bookended with goddesses and … Continue reading Gain a fresh perspective with Odessey & Oracle’s new album, Speculatio

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Album Reviews, Zines

Exploring Light in Darkness with Big City Cough

Our most important life moments happen at night. It is a time of freedom. A time for moments of self-reflection. For expressions of love, internal and external. For quiet meditation. Toronto-native Sean Beresford, aka Big City Cough, channeled this wide-ranging, labyrinthine feeling into an entire record of ambient guitar picking, and aptly called it Born at Night. Beresford prides himself on being a night owl. … Continue reading Exploring Light in Darkness with Big City Cough

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