There is a small restaurant at the meeting of Manhattan’s East Village and Lower East Side that specializes in making meals that mix tastes that don’t normally go together: sausages and oysters, fish paste and liverwurst – you get the idea. The idea sort of scared me but also sort of intrigued me.  In fact, I […]

The Postelles’ self-titled debut album is drenched with bubbly and addictive ’50s rock ‘n’ roll vibes intertwined with a bit of ’60s pop—all with a modern twist. In an odd way, they sort of resemble an early Weezer (from their Blue album), but are more upbeat. The Postelles is full of a sort of first […]

I love albums that surprise you, and Sondre’s Lerche’s self-titled seventh album is one of those! To be honest, I’ve only heard the name in quick passing (in a musical conversation or online somewhere…not sure), so I went into the album blindly. However, as the 10th and last track ended, I came out pleasantly happy […]

Gold-Bears’ debut album, Are You Falling In Love is a spazz-pop, indie-rock record splashed with some punk vocals. It musically speaks of young love, butterflies in your stomach and all that mushy crap when you’re falling for someone. Great for moments when you’re actually feeling these things—not so great when you’re not. With a name […]

Jessica 6’s See The Light is an exhilarating, sensual journey of disco-infused, electro-pop drizzled with a bit of R&B and just all-around damn good dance tunes. The Brooklyn trio (made up of the smoking hot Nomi Ruiz on vocals, bassist Andrew Raposo and Morgan Wiley on keyboards) fills their music with captivating lyrics that describe […]

She Wants Revenge’s third album, Valleyheart musically demonstrates the band’s maturity and growth as musicians. Comprised of Justin Warfield (vocals, guitar and keyboards) and Adam Bravin (bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, drum machine, percussion, programming and vocals), the San Fernando Valley-based duo waited four years to create their latest effort—but good things are always worth waiting […]

In a musical world devastated by blatant knockoffs and recycled riffs, it’s always a relief when a band puts out an effort that is essentially a breath of fresh air. The newest effort by Oregon-based outfit ARKHUM, entitled Anno Universum, is exactly that. While not necessarily groundbreaking, it certainly strives to lift the jaded veil […]

I started listening to the new Crystal Stilts album In Love With Oblivion on May 21, 2011 – otherwise known as the day of the supposed “rapture.”  I’m not sure if that was a good idea but I certainly know that when the world does indeed end, I know what album I’m going to listen […]

It’s no easy feat to create music that has the power to touch souls or bring forth an intense emotion. It’s even more difficult when there are no lyrics present to tell you a story or how you’re supposed to feel. Explosions In The Sky have always had the magnificent ability to affect their listeners […]

Raphael Saadiq has always had a soulful background in music, but his fourth solo album, Stone Rollin’, puts his music on an entirely different level (or era). Via ten tracks, Saadiq takes listeners on a soul-infused, R&B-inspired nostalgic journey of music reminiscent of the ’50s and ’60s—reworked with a modern twist. The cover art alone […]

A French duo called Jamaica produced by part of Justice boasting growing buzz in the U.S. and success overseas sounds like a combo that will equal chaos or genius (or perhaps a bit of both.) Yet, for their debut album, No Problem, Jamaica lands some where in the middle. The album is packed with 80s-pop-rock-inspired […]

Patience. Axl said that’s all we need. I guess Cass McCombs agrees. His new release Wit’s End is a collection of crafty but mournful guitar pop recalling Elliot Smith or Richard Thompson, even 70s soft rock (albeit a dark, despairing soft rock). However McCombs finds a way to be both melancholy and restrained, never over-emoting, […]

Tagged as “experimental rock,” the Tennessee-based trio Royal Bangs are a bit all over the place with their third album, Flux Outside. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing, since each of the 12 tracks keeps you on your toes since you don’t know what you’re going to get thrown at you. As three high […]