Quickly Quickly Offers Catchy Hooks and Layered Arrangements
Quickly Quickly’s melodies make this a catchy, very listenable record. The oddball sounds and layered arrangements make it a treat to dig into this album repeatedly.
Chris Conaton
Chris Conaton graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Michigan State University. After bouncing around in several different music teaching jobs as well as a stint working at Lowe's in Michigan, he moved to Houston, Texas. He now teaches elementary school music in suburban Houston. Aside from a couple of minor freelance gigs and keeping a blog specifically for writing reviews, PopMatters is his first regular writing gig.
Sacred Paws’ Bright, Upbeat Rock Is Back in Action
Sacred Paws are defined by Ray Aggs’ always-in-motion guitar lines and Eilidh Rodgers’ hyperactive snare drum rolls. Here, they add banjo, and synths to their sound.
Great Grandpa Mix Acoustic Rock With Welcome Surprises
Great Grandpa sound like a solid acoustic rock band for most of Patience, Moonbeam. Then they pull out a Radiohead pastiche, a trip-hop track, and things get more interesting.
Liverpool’s Courting Successfully Try Some New Ideas
Despite a title nearly as long as the record itself, Courting’s ambitious attempts to stretch beyond basic guitar rock pay off richly on their third album.
Coheed and Cambria Offer Fresh Ideas on Muscular Hard Rock
Coheed and Cambria are in a contemplative mood, but that doesn’t stop them from deploying their trademark intricate guitar riffs and catchy choruses.
Jason Isbell Is Dazzling With Just His Voice and a Guitar
Given Jason Isbell’s track record as a songwriter, it’s no surprise that a completely stripped-down album turns out to be one of his best.
Fake Fruit Are Caught Between Catchy Hooks and Sloppy Playing
When Fake Fruit find a strong musical hook on Mucho Mistrust, their songs are a lot of fun. When they don’t, their sloppiness comes to the fore.
Nada Surf Have a Good Time on ‘Moon Mirror’
Moon Mirror finds long-running power poppers Nada Surf relaxed and having fun with the same strong, catchy songs they’ve written for nearly 30 years.
Electronic Rockers Fat Dog Go ‘WOOF’
Fat Dog’s combination of live instruments and rock influences with a more modern dance sound seems like a winner for finding an audience in 2024.
Mr. Bungle’s ‘California’ Still Feels Fresh 25 Years Later
Despite not being strictly metal, Mr. Bungle’s unhinged musical adventurousness showed heavy metal could get weird and silly without losing the heaviness.
Pom Poko Merge Complicated Guitars and Catchy Hooks
Pom Poko have figured out how to combine complex math rock with big pop hooks, but their willingness to stretch beyond these styles makes Champion intriguing.
Of Montreal Return with Catchy Musical Hooks
There’s enough strong material to keep longtime Of Montreal fans feeling connected while Kevin Barnes continues to indulge wherever their musical muse leads.