There was a time when Wolf Parade was “challenging” music. But it seems the owners of that tradition have spun that mantle off to side projects and personal quibbles. Or...
Hailing from Hipster West HQ, Montclair, NJ, the Forth Wanderers follow in the rich tradition of local bands Pinegrove and, uh, Duncan Sheik, well… Ezra Koenig ...
I can’t remember how many years I’ve been listening to Wolf Parade, though it seems like forever. I look back on the 90s and think, “Yeah, of course I was heari...
I believe this is the second LVL UP album I've reviewed in 2016, but why not stick with what you like, right? That said, I loved that first album, 2014's Hoodwi...
I definitely saw this album cover back when this thing came out in 2006. I mean, how could I miss it with the whole Jesus in front of wreckage thing going on? I...
There was the cool 80s and then there was the lame 80s. Handsome Furs clearly aim for the former. Though, with the influx of retro-sounding bands over the last ...
Hip-hop is a tough slog sometimes. It's about reinventing yourself or dying. Just ask 50 Cent or Coolio. So that's why I was interested to hear this album, the ...
It's funny to hear J Mascis in his other mode. His reflective, singer songwriter mode where there isn't even a hint of a guitar solo until track five. It's not ...
There was a time back in high school when I was a big drum snob. If a rock song didn't have drums, but instead depended on synths or drum machines, I wasn't hav...
This is certainly Wolf Parade's most straightforward album, less moaning and broken gears and almost hopeful in its vibrancy. Hell, the second track on the albu...
Holy fuckin' shit! Ok, forgive me, I'm drunk while I'm writing this, but I've not been this excited about a debut album since Jane's Addiction. Yeah, fuck you g...
While I certainly say "Album of the Year!" way to often, this one may be on that short list. "Is There a Ghost" opens the album with a bang, steaming right out ...
Starting off like the sound of a late 60s sunken living room with one of those colorful star lamps, this album morphs into a sort of slick soundtrack to the lif...
Wolf Parade sound like a lot of other bands and none at all. How is that possible? They take the Brooklyn, indie aesthetic and put their weird, vampire spin on ...
Don't let the cartoon crap on the cover fool you; this is no lightweight album. The Shins seem to have found that perfect balance of retro and modern on this al...
Dude, Canada is the new Liverpool! Okay, Glass Tiger not withstanding, Canada has put out some good stuff in recent years, including The Constantines. It's like...
Ben Gibbard can write lyrics that would make even the most ardent metalhead melt. There is a nostalgia he manages to invoke that is remarkably unique. His norma...
Maybe it's because they're from Canada and don't know that music here in the U.S. is supposed to suck, but Hot Hot Heat manages to put it all together like no o...
