Mall Girl’s ‘Superstar’ Successfully Blends Math-rock with Pop Sensibilities
Norway’s Mall Girl combine powerful math rock with alt-pop dreaminess on their debut album Superstar, where languid melodies reside with fast tempos and technical playing.
dream pop
Shoegaze’s Whimsical Improves After 10-Year Hiatus with ‘Melt’
Whimsical’s Melt strikes a pleasing balance between droning Slowdive wash and a more kinetic Lush vitality – while also unafraid to slow things down.
Priestgate’s ‘Eyes Closed for the Winter’ Is a Promising ’80s-style Debut
From its very first notes, Priestgate’s debut EP maintains enough fresh personality to differentiate the band from their avowed early ’80s mentors.
No Suits in Miami Go .38 Special Scandinavian Style
By pumping things up with a classic 1980s arena aesthetic, No Suits in Miami’s Nothing Ever Happens radiates enough summery intensity for tape-deck cruisers to savor.
Jenny Hval Dreams of ‘Classic Objects’ and Asks Us to Interpret
The songs on Jenny Hval’s latest album, Classic Objects, are purposely dreamlike and intended to inspire her audience’s reveries. Hval succeeds in creating a dreamlike state.
Beach House’s ‘Once Twice Melody’ Is an 18-Track Epic That Never Wears Out Its Welcome
Beach House are always tinkering around the edges of their sonic universe, getting darker, weirder, subtler, and more expansive. They do that on Once Twice Melody, and the payoff is enormous.
30 Years Ago the Church Transcended Alternative Rock Limitations with ‘Priest=Aura’
In the 30 years since its release, the Church’s Priest=Aura has gone from a post-“Under the Milky Way” footnote to an acknowledged career pinnacle.
Glenn Donaldson Moves to the Front in the Reds, Pinks & Purples
Glenn Donaldson discusses his new album as the Reds, Pinks & Purples and how good pop can stop you cold in your parked car waiting for a song to finish.
Marissa Nadler Tells Unorthodox Tales on ‘The Wrath of the Clouds’
Unorthodox subject matter and an ability to find the more macabre aspects of daily life take Marissa Nadler in fresh, less explored directions on The Wrath of the Clouds.
Lana Del Rey Wasn’t ‘Born to Die’, She Was Born to Rise Above
Lana Del Rey’s major-label debut Born to Die provides a roadmap for her songwriting journey, and her personification of America reinvents the past to tell modern stories.
Elena Setién’s ‘Unfamiliar Minds’ Basks in Quietly Foreboding Minimalism
Immersion into Elena Setién’s Unfamiliar Minds is not unlike watching a bowl being coaxed into shape on a potter’s wheel. The slightest touches can send it in another direction.
Lotte Kestner’s Shares Haunting “Slip” From New Album ‘Lost Songs’ (premiere)
Indie folk artist Lotte Kestner shares her haunting new single “Slip”, which appears on her upcoming album Lost Songs and is one of its darkest songs.
