Tag: indie rock

Album of the Week: Editrix Goes To Hell by Editrix

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Album: Editrix Goes To Hell
Artist: Editrix
Release Date: June 3, 2022
Label: Exploding in Sound
Favorite Tracks:

  • Editrix Goes To Hell
  • Queering Ska
  • Cowboy
  • Gut Project
  • Time Can’t Be Redeemed

Thoughts:

The punk pop trio from Western Massachusetts returns with a follow-up to their 2021 debut album Tell Me I’m Bad.  Darkness and sweetness merge over swirling guitars with singsong lyrics.  They’re swiftly becoming one of the most creative contemporary bands out there.

Rating: ****

 

Album of the Week 2022

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Album of the Week: Wet Leg by Wet Leg

~ Liam ~ 1 Comment

Album: Wet Leg
Artist: Wet Leg
Release Date: April 8, 2022
Label: Domino Recording Co Ltd
Favorite Tracks:

  • Being in Love
  • Chaise Longue
  • Wet Leg
  • Ur Mum
  • Supermarket
  • Too Late Now

Thoughts: Wet Leg feels more like a compilation than a debut album since the British indie rock duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers have been releasing a string of infectious singles since spring of 2021.  The lyrics are brazen, sometimes bratty, and the hooks are infectious.

Rating: ***1/2

Album of the Week 2022

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Song of the Week: “King” by Florence + The Machine

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Florence + The Machine – “King”

The first time I heard “King” by England’s  Florence + The Machine, it kicked me in the ass.  From Florence Welch’s vocals to the big sound of the production, it was a full-on boot to the posterior experience.  Now, you may not find this desirable, but still give the song a listen and hopefully it will be gentle but firm to your buttocks.

 

Song of the Week 2022

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Album Review: Things Take Time, Take Time by Courtney Barnett

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Album: Things Take Time, Take Time
Artist: Courtney Barnett
Release Date: November 12, 2021
Label: Mom & Pop
Favorite Tracks:

  • “Rae Street”
  • “Here’s the Thing”
  • “If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight”

Thoughts: I’ve long been a fan of Australian artist Courtney Barnett, so I’m always excited about a new release.  On this album, the tempo shifts to slower than previous works and Barnett’s singing sounds a bit tired, thematically appropriate to the lyrics that speak of a sense of resignation.  My first sense is that I don’t like this sound as much as Barnett’s earlier albums, but it is still high-quality music worth listening to.
Rating: ***

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Album Review: Valentine by Snail Mail

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Album: Valentine
Artist: Snail Mail
Release Date: November 5, 2021
Label: Matador Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • “Valentine”
  • “Ben Franklin”
  • “Automate”
  • “Mia”

Thoughts:

Snail Mail is an indie music project of Maryland’s Lindsey Jordan. I hadn’t heard of Snail Mail before the big buzz about this album’s release so I decided to check it out.  The music has a 1990s sound reminiscent to me of something like Letters to Cleo or Velocity Girl, but also more contemporary artists like Girlpool and Clairo.  Songwriting is Jordan’s strong suit with some impassioned lyrics on love and love lost.  She also makes some pretty intense videos as you can see below.

Rating: ***1/2

Album Review: Let Me Do One More by Illuminati Hotties

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Album: Let Me Do One More
Artist: Illuminati Hotties
Release Date: October 1, 2021
Label: Snack Shack Tracks
Favorite Tracks:

  • “Pool Hopping”
  • “MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA”
  • “Threatening Each Other Re: Capitalism”
  • “Growth”

Thoughts: I’ve been following illuminati hotties since the group’s first album in 2017 and enjoy the infectious punk rave-up sound with touches of bubblegum.  Sarah Tudzin, who leads the project, calls it “tenderpunk.”  The music may make you overlook the intelligent lyrics that focus on both the personal and the political, so listen carefully.
Rating: ***1/2

Previously Reviewed:

Album Review: Structure by Water From Your Eyes

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Album: Structure
Artist: Water From Your Eyes
Release Date: August 27, 2021
Label: Wharf Cat Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • “When You’re Around”
  • “Track Five”
  • “”Quotations””

Thoughts: This album from the Brooklyn electro-pop duo Water From Your Eyes documents a break-up.  Specifically the end of the romantic relationship between band members Rachel Brown and Nate Amos, although they remain together as a band and as friends.  There’s a lot of variety to hear: Beatles-esque harmonies, shoegaze guitar, ghostly vocals, relentless industrial noise…  It changes from track to track and sometimes within the song.  But there is, er, structure here as the album is broken into two sets of four songs symmetrical to the other four.
Rating: ***1/2

Album Review: Get Up Sequences Part One by The Go! Team

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Album: Get Up Sequences Part One
Artist: The Go! Team
Release Date: July 2, 2021
Label: Memphis Industries
Favorite Tracks:

  • “Let the Seasons Work”
  • “Cookie Scene”
  • “Tame the Great Plains”
  • “World Remember Me Now”

Thoughts: The Go! Team haven’t been as good as they used to be for a while.  Or perhaps, the remarkable sameness of their music is an indication that they are as good as they used to be, they just haven’t changed while the listeners have.  Anyhow, The Go! Team is always fun to listen to as they cobble together from various sources, the weirder the better.  I think I like this album better overall than its predecessor SEMICIRCLE.
Rating: ***

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Album Review: Really From by Really From (2021)

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Album: Really From
Artist: Really From
Release Date: March 12, 2021
Label: Topshelf Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • “Quirk”
  • “Try Lingual”
  • “I’m From Here”
  • “In the Spaces”

Thoughts:

This Boston-based band gets its name from the question asked of its mixed-race members, “Where are you really from?”  The lyrics explore identity and social awareness, set to music that is virtuosic and eclectic.  In one album you can hear jazz fusion, aggressive indie rock, and acoustic singer-songwriter styles seamlessly blended.  The Pitchfork review of this album is very insistent on calling Really From’s style as emo and “math rock,” a genre I’m pretty sure they just made up.  But whatever the style, I know that I really like it.

Rating: ****

Album Review: Tell Me I’m Bad by Editrix

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

 

Album: Tell Me I’m Bad
Artist: Editrix
Release Date: February 5, 2021
Label: Exploding in Sound Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • “Tell Me I’m Bad”
  • “Chelsea”
  • “She Wants to Go and Party”

Thoughts: The Western Massachusetts trio Editrix combines sweet singsong vocals over shredding guitar. Both the vocals and guitar are provided by Wendy Eisenberg, while Steve Cameron plays bass and Josh Daniel plays drums.  The great punk/indie rock melodies support lyrics that are often political but also humorous.  I found a great piece online that breaks down each song, something I’d love to see more of: https://www.talkhouse.com/a-guide-to-editrixs-tell-me-im-bad/

Rating: ****