TEEN delivers a rich feast of tunes
Lush layer queens TEEN shoot for the stars with their latest EP, the Kickstarter-funded Carolina and boy, do they deliver. The album follows their highly acclaimed debut LP In Limbo which earned the Brooklyn quartet a spot on mxdwn’s Best Albums of 2012 as well as Best New Artist of 2012. Where In Limbo opted for more lo-fi vocals and upped the ante on surf rock and ’60s psych, Carolina rockets forward to uncharted territory.
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By April Siese Posted in Reviews TEEN
Good Foundation, Decent Record
Standish/Carlyon are two-thirds of indie rock outfit Devastations and are entirely ethereal in their debut LP, Deleted Scenes. Tracks meld together through a smattering of space-age effects and throwback beats with a kind of European timelessness well shy of electrogods Boards of Canada. For a first missive sent out into the world of electronic music, Deleted Scenes is a relatively even effort into a new genre for Conrad Standish and Tom Carlyon. Opener “Critics Multiply” (which has got to be ambient shorthand for “haters gonna hate”) teeters between echoey clicks of percussion and full-force harmonies swirling around the occasional sliding bass.
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By April Siese Posted in Reviews Standish/Carlyon
Thoughtful EP Shows Beautiful Restraint
Ilan Rubin is a one-man army. Best known by Nine Inch Nails fans as Trent Reznor’s drummer extraordinaire and a returning player to the industrial rockers’ string of festival dates, Rubin had a hand in fellow moody bands Paramore, LostProphets and supergroup Angels & Airwaves. Under his solo moniker The New Regime, he’s a player of all instruments, an expert arranger and composer crafting what may become your new favorite album until the next Exhibit rolls around. Exhibit A is a sturdy introduction to the inner workings of one of rock’s most prolific multi-instrumentalists. The tightly wound EP unravels spools of minimalist electronics, rich harmonies, and varied textures that are thicker than a wool coat.
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By April Siese Posted in High Fidelity, Reviews Ilan Rubin, The New Regime
Mudhoney Does It Again
In about as much time as it takes to order and receive a subpar delivery pizza with all the fixings, Mudhoney has reaffirmed that they’ve stayed true to themselves despite a five-year absence. Sure, they’ve regaled audiences with the occasional live performance in the interim, but not since the double decade celebration of 2008 throwback The Lucky Ones has Mudhoney released an album. Unsurprisingly, Vanishing Point acts as a reminder that Mudhoney’s still here for you if ever you need them, just like that aforementioned pizza. It’s tried and true and probably just down the street.
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By April Siese Posted in Reviews Mudhoney, Vanishing Point
Musically Brilliant, Lyrically Brutal
As poppy and slick as their production may be, at the end of the day The Thermals require an active listen. The Portland trio is far more than its bouncy jams belie. Deeper concepts like politically-charged calls to action and violence as a larger entity range throughout the band’s lyrical catalog. Though not necessarily a stark break from The Thermals’ watchdog approach to songwriting, it’s the whats and the whys that make Desperate Ground a curious ride through the troubled psyche of the universe. Echo-soaked vocals topple over fuzzed-out guitars, spilling through peaks and valleys of sound. The jagged grit of opener “Born to Kill” is startling at worst, and so completely visceral it’ll make your insides and outsides squirm.
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By April Siese Posted in High Fidelity, Reviews Desperate Ground, The Thermals
Charli XCX hit the ground running at this year’s SXSW, playing multiple showcases and partying just as much. mxdwn caught up with the singer-songwriter amidst all the chaos.
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By April Siese Posted in Features Charli XCX
Los Angeles quartet Kitten played a wide variety of SXSW showcases, including a set with touring buddies Paramore. mxdwn caught up with frontwoman Chloe Chaidez and keyboardist Bryan DeLeon during their busy SXSW schedule to talk about their forthcoming LP and their most memorable SXSW experience this year.
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By April Siese Posted in Features Bryan DeLeon, Chloe Chaidez, Kitten, SXSW
The Black Angels Phone It In
The Black Angels are a throwback band, catering to safe psychedelic nostalgia. Like a liquor-powered rendition of “White Rabbit” via live-band karaoke, there’s only so much edge and originality to be had. And though The Black Angels tend to specialize in the type of Strawberry Alarm Clock blares and Doors-esque wails they’ve come to be known and loved for, almost all of Indigo Meadow feels like the band is simply phoning it in. Opener and album namesake “Indigo Meadow” comes swirling in with spooky monster-mashed effects, filling every space between frontman Alex Maas’ militant, clipped vocals and the occasional organ break and driving drumline.
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By April Siese Posted in Reviews The Black Angels
Smoke Fairies Put a Spell on You
Smoke Fairies have been carefully gathering their influences like the ripe fruit of a summer’s feast. The British duo took their formative music experiences in New Orleans and Vancouver and settled with this combination in London, crafting ethereal mixes of wicked, sultry folk. Their second album, Blood Speaks, takes those same ingredients and pushes them to the brink. It’s no wonder Jack White picked them up as the first UK act to sign with Third Man Records. Smoke Fairies are at once entirely fitting of White’s trademark style and yet timeless in a very different way.
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By April Siese Posted in Reviews Blood Speaks, Smoke Fairies
Wavves Hit Their Stride
Essentially still in its infancy, Nathan Williams’ one-man show of hedonism, nihilism, and every other gritty punk adage finely produced and backed by a rotating mix of studio and touring musicians, is finally gaining the type of head-scratching acclaim fit for an academic discussion. Not that Wavves’ latest offering, Afraid of Heights, is anything to scoff at. Already compared to Nirvana and Weezer (mutual shout-outs to NME and SPIN for those), Williams is looking to make a name for himself outside of his contemporaries and as an extension of his larger-than-life personality. Opening track “Sail To The Sun” starts off light enough, with a smattering of chimes coming on like a hot air balloon ride, but once Wavves hits the chorus, all bets are off. Read more…
By April Siese Posted in High Fidelity, Reviews Nathan Williams, Wavves
