Category: indie/alternative
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sports team – GULP!
I feel like I’m in the daydream of a 13 year-old guitarist in 2009. The writing on GULP! is at once opaque and accessible—“I watch my future drying like its paint” is a neat encapsulation of the band’s appeal to a distracted ear. Besides the unfathomable ‘Kool Aid’, Sports Team’s intentions seem agreeable and familiar, […]
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the beths – expert in a dying field
The singles from The Beths’ latest record feature rousing riffs lightly glazed with an optimistic grunge (it exists, by the way). The ocean into which those singles were flowing, Expert in a Dying Field, shouldn’t necessarily be better, but greater. It’s that memorable critique of indie albums, that I feel hesitant to write: a lot […]
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heaven for real – energy bar
It’s hard not to come away from Energy Bar without some questions: what were all those tempo changes about? Was this music made in 2011 or 1984? Has it come from a befuddled artistic state or a charming, peculiar style? The questions are never answered—you have to accept this weirdo-indie-rock for what it is. That’s […]
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built to spill – when the wind forgets your name
Built To Spill have shuffled members, matured, self-immolated, and started anew through various moments since 1992. They have always managed to look like a bunch of dudes showing up to a high school reunion. But anyway, this is their new album and it’s good. In the deck of cards that is their changing lineup, Doug […]
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the lounge society – tired of liberty
Speedy Wunderground, record label/verb. to rise with acclaim, while wearing expensive-looking baggy clothes and having a shaky voice. Label manager Dan Carey (previous producer for Franz Ferdinand, black midi, Fontaines D.C. and TOY) has a definite ‘type’. This is an impassioned debut album with riveting moments that nonetheless needs a weightier voice. To make more […]
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