American Splendor
January 27, 2014
As its name might imply, psych-folk outfit Quilt’s sound is tough to unravel down to a singular thread. But a line from the trio’s own “Just Dust” sums it up best: “I am not self-contained.”
The Vows of Warpaint
January 22, 2014
Warpaint’s self-titled follow-up to 2010’s superb debut The Fool is unflinchingly rooted in alluring catch-and-release swathes of complementary ambience and noise.
Magik Markers Don’t Give Themselves Away
November 18, 2013
Magik Markers’ triumphant new record finds them trailblazing alien territories of dissonant sounds and un-sounds. It’s a demanding, furious listen thick with hazy reverb, laced with buzzy distortion and Ambrogio’s wistful echoes.
Laurel Halo, in Place
October 31, 2013
Laurel Halo reached critical acclaim for year’s terrifying albeit remarkable Quarantine, a record marked by claustrophobia and corrosive swathes of white noise. Her more recent work may come from a lighter place, but it’s no less intriguing.
Lee Ranaldo’s Perfect Storm
October 7, 2013
Aptly entitled Last Night on Earth, former Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo’s new project is a foray into expansive instrumental territory with his band The Dust, including veteran Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. With the bleak, pained lyrics, Ranaldo’s songs retain a poignancy characteristic to an intimate acoustic record.
Mazzy Star, Out of the Fjord
September 23, 2013
After 17 years of silence, Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval and David Roback, now 47 and 55, respectively, have returned with the bristly Seasons of Your Day, recorded in London, Los Angeles, and Norway.