‘For the first time’ review: Black Country, New Road’s debut full-length is thrilling, experimental

“Hype kills art.” It’s a statement that has become increasingly apparent in the age of online entertainment discourse. In the music world, even more so. An artist receives a slew of praise from press or fans, whether from a viral…

From the Record Crate: Talking Heads – “Remain In Light” (1980)

The Talking Heads’ ear for new genre collages can be tracked from their first record, to their last, but through a clever usage of afrobeat, electronics, and new recording philosophies, 1980’s Remain In Light continues to stand out as one…

Album Review: Algiers – “There Is No Year”

Atlanta post-punk band Algiers has never been a group for those faint of heart. Their 2017 album, The Underside of Power, was a brutal, unrelenting snapshot of the world’s political climate. Last August, the quartet released “Can The Sub_Bass Speak?”,…

Album Review: Shame – “Songs of Praise”

The “next big thing” is such a sorry cliché in the music press that it’s enough to make you suspicious of a band from the off – just how fresh and exciting can a new guitar band be, especially one…

Wire prepare new album “Silver/Lead”

Post-punk icons Wire have announced plans to release their 15th studio album this spring. Silver/Lead will be released on the band’s own Pinkflag label on March 31, which as Pitchfork points out, coincides with the 40th anniversary of their first…

From the Record Crate: The Psychedelic Furs – “Talk Talk Talk” (1981)

The Psychedelic Furs’ eponymous 1980 debut begins with “India,” a six minute song that opens with a two minute ambient intro. This sets up an album full of both beauty and darkness. For instance, to convey the sadness and disarray…

Upcoming Artists: Circa Waves

From Liverpool, the city known as the World Capital of Pop, where bands such as The Beatles, The Zutons, Echo and the Bunnymen and even A Flock of Seagulls came to first be, comes a new and upbeat quartet that…