[MP3] Stars: “Wasted Daylight” + “We Don’t Want Your Body”

Stars just released TWO new songs (in addition to “Fixed”) from their forthcoming The Five Ghosts, which we’ve been hyping like whoa here on KR. Electro synth has been rockin’ the songs we’ve heard so far from the album, and I’m a-okay with that. It’s exciting; it’s fun; it’s different. Torquil finally gets his turn on “We… Continue reading [MP3] Stars: “Wasted Daylight” + “We Don’t Want Your Body”

[MP3] Wavves: “Post Acid”

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from lo-fi burnout Nathan Williams aka Wavves (although he now sports a three-piece touring band). The California boys are prepping the release of King of the Beach, their second album (third, if you count their small-release debut Wavves). Our first listen to the new record is “Post… Continue reading [MP3] Wavves: “Post Acid”

Suckers show promise but lack focus on Wild Smile

The much-anticipated debut full-length from Suckers is finally here, and man, I don’t know what I was expecting of the album after hearing a bit of their previous work. But that was my problem: I shouldn’t have been considering expectations – Wild Smile is all over the place, sticking to no one genre; no one… Continue reading Suckers show promise but lack focus on Wild Smile

Wye Oak needs to step outside the music on My Neighbor/My Creator

Something about Wye Oak’s style — the sweet female vocals, the lush, strummed guitar, the odd bits of electronics — is instantly likeable. It sounds slightly left-of-center, but still feels familiar. After all, for all the duo’s interesting experiments, the song structures and vocals aren’t terribly hard to come by. That said, the band seems… Continue reading Wye Oak needs to step outside the music on My Neighbor/My Creator

Deer Tick struggles but makes good, authentic music on Black Dirt Sessions

It’s inevitable that within every generation of musicians that strives to break new ground with cutting edge genres and recording techniques, there is a handful that instead go back to the roots of rock and roll and draw inspiration from what is seen as a more “authentic” source. Most recently, Jack White tore up the… Continue reading Deer Tick struggles but makes good, authentic music on Black Dirt Sessions

[MP3] Jesca Hoop: “Feast of the Heart”

Jesca Hoop’s sophomore album, Hunting My Dress, will be released July 27 in The U.S., and she’s made “Feast of the Heart” available to the public for free download. The record comes to the U.S. after her recent move to London from California, but she’s still making excellent, quirky pop music. The two songs I’ve… Continue reading [MP3] Jesca Hoop: “Feast of the Heart”

Blitzen Trapper comforts us with Destroyer of the Void

Familiarity breeds comfort. The past breeds familiarity. Even if we have trouble living in the moment, forgetting to appreciate the minutiae of what’s before our eyes, we look back fondly on what “used to be”. It may have even been the most tumultuous time of our life, but we yearn for something we think we… Continue reading Blitzen Trapper comforts us with Destroyer of the Void

Tokyo Police Club’s Champ is somehow weak because it is so well-constructed

How can an album be weak because it’s so well-made? It’s kind of weird to wrap your mind around, but Tokyo Police Club’s Champ manages it. The guitar riffs are appropriately angular, but the production is slick. The vocals — from Dave Monks’ drawl to the slightly hidden background chants that occasionally pop up —… Continue reading Tokyo Police Club’s Champ is somehow weak because it is so well-constructed