Sugarjulie is the debut album from Austin-based five-piece rock group Valice. It's a very good pop rock album filled with catchy tracks. Tinges of the Arctic Monkeys, the Beatles, and Parliament/Funkadelic creep into the music. Since I am a fan of songs by all three (or four) of these groups, I found this album to… Continue reading Valice – Sugarjulie ALBUM REVIEW
Trench Coat – Black Bear EP REVIEW
Trench Coat is within a genre that I rarely explore - and a genre hard to define. The band mixes post-hardcore, emo, and punk into a progressive sound I very much enjoy. Since this is an EP I'll have a chance to touch on every track, similar to my You Made Me Realise review (read it… Continue reading Trench Coat – Black Bear EP REVIEW
Wild Moccasins – Look Together ALBUM REVIEW
Look Together is the latest release by Houston indie rock band Wild Moccasins. I have seen this band a couple of times and really enjoy their retro 80s sound and vocal performances. 88 92 was one of my favorite albums of 2014, so I have high expectations for this new album. And, Look Together largely lives up… Continue reading Wild Moccasins – Look Together ALBUM REVIEW
Something Else – An Entire Album About My Ex-Girlfriend ALBUM REVIEW
An Entire Album About My Ex-Girlfriend, the debut album from Houston post-punk rockers Something Else, is an amalgam of songs compiled over the course of five years. Unlike most bands, the bassist, Ben Whelan, serves as the principal songwriter. Despite the album's (long) title, only the first track, "There's a Rumor", is about an actual ex-girlfriend.… Continue reading Something Else – An Entire Album About My Ex-Girlfriend ALBUM REVIEW
The Cure – Disintegration ALBUM REVIEW
Disintegration is the Cure's eighth studio album and is one of their best, as well as one of the all-time best records ever recorded. My personal favorite Cure record is Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, but that's beside the point. This one is a must-listen for anyone suffering from severe or clinical depression. The album… Continue reading The Cure – Disintegration ALBUM REVIEW
Indoor Creature – Windows ALBUM REVIEW
Windows is the third release from the Austin-based indie pop/rock outfit Indoor Creature. Normally I would provide some background information about the band or their scene, but since I don't know very much about this band, I will have to resort to going straight into a review of this album. Firstly, I enjoyed almost all… Continue reading Indoor Creature – Windows ALBUM REVIEW
Blackout – Dreamworld ALBUM REVIEW
Since it's getting close to Hallowe'en, I figured that I'd review one of the creepiest albums I've ever heard, 1995's Dreamworld by Blackout. Dreamworld is one of my favorite tapes to come out of the incredibly creative and prolific Memphis rap scene in the 1990s. Memphis rap is essentially run by different producers and beatmakers such as… Continue reading Blackout – Dreamworld ALBUM REVIEW
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless ALBUM REVIEW
At last, the review of My Bloody Valentine's genre-spawning, highly lauded and influential 1991 release Loveless. My Bloody Valentine didn't just one day pull the new shoegaze genre out of thin air; the band had been crafting their sound since their formation in 1983. This process was expedited with their two fabulous 1988 releases, You Made Me… Continue reading My Bloody Valentine – Loveless ALBUM REVIEW
UGK – Ridin’ Dirty ALBUM REVIEW
Today I will review one of my favorite Southern hip-hop albums. UGK, short for Underground Kingz, was a Port Arthur-based hip hop duo consisting of rappers Bernard "Bun B" Freeman and Chad "Pimp C" Butler. The duo had an impressive twenty-year career spanning from 1987 to 2007 with Pimp C's death from a promethazine and… Continue reading UGK – Ridin’ Dirty ALBUM REVIEW
My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything ALBUM REVIEW
Ireland's most celebrated band, My Bloody Valentine, returns with their second release of 1988. Instead of an EP, Isn't Anything is a debut full-length album and is one of My Bloody Valentine's very best. Like most of their discography, this album is absolutely essential for anyone who is looking to explore the shoegaze genre. With Isn't Anything, My… Continue reading My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything ALBUM REVIEW