Author: Bill Adams
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Volores – Ages LP
Volores Ages LP (Broken Stag Records) It may come as a surprise, but there’s a reason that I elected to review Ace Of Wands’ newest LP and Ages by Volores back-to-back: the albums feel like the work of two bands who could easily share a stage or a tour together. Both bands’ sounds feature a…
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Ace Of Wands – Desiring LP
Ace Of Wands Desiring LP (Fortune Stellar Records) It’s hard to articulate how cool this is and how much this statement means but, from moment one of listening to Ace Of Wands’ new album, there is a direct artistic and creative line which connects Ace Of Wands to Heart. Of course, making comparisons between other…
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SLIP-ons – Heavy Machinery EP
SLIP-ons Heavy Machinery EP (Scamindy Records) There aren’t many ways for a band to write songs which sound unmistakably similar to the work of another group without sounding derivative. The only way that it’s possible to walk such a narrow and treacherous line is to be completely ignorant of it; the band in question just…
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Guest Directors – Interference Patterns LP
Guest Directors Interference Patterns LP (Snappy Little Numbers/Topsy Records) While the idea of well-known musicians reappearing in new bands with some new musical ideas isn’t particularly new at this point (OFF! revived Keith Morris’ stake in hardcore, Kathleen Hanna’s comeback with The Julie Ruin has been spectacular and Paul Leary’s appearance with The Melvins was…
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Psychic Temple – Plays Music For Airports LP
Psychic Temple Plays Music For Airports LP (Big Ego Records) Whatever you think you should expect from the Plays Music For Airports LP – Psychic Temple’s third album, chronologically – you’re going to discover that you’re wrong. First, the recently released vinyl record is a limited-press reissue; Plays Music For Airports originally came out on…
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Kirkby Kiss – Ouroboros EP
Kirkby Kiss Ouroboros EP (Council Records) It might sound unlikely, but working in the music press can be surprisingly frustrating. The reason for that is simple, really – most bands believe that what they’re doing is unique enough that they couldn’t possibly be forgettable or mistaken for any other band. The problem is that, at…
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Wrong War – On Further Reflection EP
Wrong War On Further Reflection 7” EP (Council Records) At this point, now decades since hardcore reshaped the face of punk rock, it would be easy for someone who isn’t a part of the punk community (isn’t a fan) to not understand how anyone could get excited about “another punk 7”.” Really, that there’s a…
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mssv – Human Reaction LP
mssv Human Reaction LP (Big Ego Records) While Mike Watt’s early career was defined by the bassist’s time with The Minutemen, it can’t be denied that since the end of The Minutemen, Watt has been viewed as a solo entity. That isn’t to say that the bassist hasn’t played with other bands since then (there…
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The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (20th Anniversary 5LP Super Deluxe Edition Box Set)
The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (20th Anniversary 5LP Super Deluxe Edition Box Set) (Warner Records) While The Flaming Lips had already established themselves in the pop and rock communities by the time Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots was released in 2002, the album holds the distinction of being the one that really…
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Urban Junior – Urban et Orbi LP
Urban Junior Urban et Orbi LP (Voodoo Rhythm Records) It doesn’t seem like this should be true on paper but, in the fourteen cuts which comprise Urban et Orbi, Urban Junior shows those listeners who come upon the album the future of pop. That might seem like a bold statement, but it’s true; throughout this…