90s era shoegazer band Lush reissued their three full albums in 2023. And in today’s video, I’m going to unbox my copy of their second studio album, Split, which was originally released in 1994. My copy is on clear wax, and the reissue comes just shy of the album’s 30th anniversary.
Read More »Lush – Split (2023 Reissue Clear Vinyl Unboxing)
I hate to admit it, but I didn’t give Big Thief its due credit until right around moving to TX in early March of 2020. Within a few months I had picked up all of the band’s albums. They have been a top 3 artist on my top Spotify Artists list ever since, and a few of their albums are now in my top 10 records played in my collection of all time. (I starting to track those numbers in 2020.) Today, I’m going to look at their 2022 LP Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You and share some of the reasons I dubbed it my #1 album of last year.
Read More »Big Thief | Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You | Eco-Mix Recycled Colored Vinyl
I’ve been going on a binge of shoegaze of late. As an avid record collector, that means picking up some elusive albums from the original shoegaze era. I already have there three that seem to be the ones that top everyone’s list: Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, Souvlaki by Slowdive, and Nowhere by Ride. Today, I’m going to look at an album that tends to be in the top 5 — The Comforts of Madness by Pale Saints.
Read More »Pale Saints | The Comforts of Madness | 30th Anniversary Vinyl Album Review
Today I have a copy of Blonde Redhead’s 2007 LP 23. It is the band’s 7th proper LP and their second for the 4AD label. And it remains my favorite release by the group to this day, which is saying a lot because Blonde Redhead is among my favorite bands, and they’ve released some truly amazing records. I mean, Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons is right up there as a shy second and Misery is a Butterfly comes in right after.
Read More »Blonde Redhead | 23 | Album Review
I’m absolutely shocked. Purity Ring has been around since 2010, and their debut LP Shrines since 2012. That was a… Read More »Purity Ring: Womb (Red Vinyl Unboxing + First Listen)
Bradford Cox has always been a fascinating character, and “Timebends” continues to cement him and Deerhunter as one of the most intriguing installments in indie music today.
Last year, we saw a slew of videos that featured band members being killed in one gruesome fashion or another. Looks like we’re kicking of 2013 in a similar manner; “I Am Haunted” finds Indians front-man Søren Løkke Juul being tormented and tortured by a woman whose face remains, for the most part, hidden from view. The camera swirls around the basement space, where Juul is tied to a chair, slowly becoming more and more bruised and bloody.
Read More »Indians: I Am Haunted (Video) 
If you listen to my KSVR radio show, you’ll know I’m a pretty big fan of Purity Ring‘s new LP, Shrines. It’s been on steady rotation since I picked it up several months ago. Never seemed to find a good time to write about the band, though. Until now. They have a new video for their track “Lofticries”! Read More »Purity Ring: Lofticries (Video)
Isn’t this what you’ve been waiting for, people: a new track from The National!? Man, just when you thought the buzz behind this band would dissipate, they go and hand out a power track like “Bloodbuzz Ohio”. And it leaves people like you and me pining for that deep voice and off-beat percussive drum slap. Oh those piano notes and building guitars — now that’s the stuff! “Bloodbuzz Ohio” has the potential to match the favorites from past albums by The National; yes, we’re talking about you, “Fake Empire” and “Mr. November”. The song is off the band’s new LP, High Violet, which hits soon via 4AD. Read More »The National: Bloodbuzz Ohio [mp3]
“Modern Drift” is a lot moodier than a lot of what you’ll hear on earlier Efterklang, but the orchestral and pop sensibilities found on those earlier releases, Parades and Tripper, remain steadfast. Efterklang is still very much in the business of creating some of the best experimental pop around. A consistent piano backing sets the stage, accompanied by monumental percussion and deep horns. Perhaps most surprising is the lack of multiple vocalists, which was instrumental in the greatness of songs like “Caravan” and “Cutting Ice To Snow”. Still, “Modern Drift” is a very worthy and viable first single off Efterklang’s new LP, Magic Chairs. Read More »Efterklang: Modern Drift [mp3 + Twitter Giveaway]
