Athens, Georgia’s The Mere is Jacob Flint. Oh, the name? It’s because he ‘wanted a band name that was short and said nothing about him at all.’ The Mere? Yes, and it’s among the best new music you’ve likely never heard. The Mere sounds like a
Dirty, soulful pop reminiscent of Alex Chilton, The Byrds, and Neil Young. Kind of. Okay, no—here’s what it’s like: all of Big Star and Crosby, Stills, & Nash get liquored up and go out to the country for the weekend. Wait, maybe Jeff Tweedy’s along for
Soaring, searing noise-pop reminiscent of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s best moments, this EP from up-and-coming Virginia band Skywave is eminently listenable and ultimately rewarding for those willing to dig deeper into the sound. The lead-off, title track grinds steadily along beneath a riff of
This, the most recent Unwound record, is among their finest work—and that’s saying a lot, given their history of creating challenging, enthralling music. This two-disc tour de force is almost unthinkably brilliant, and surprises at every turn, all the while bursting through the carefully constructed wall of—
Long renowned for their incendiary live shows and penchant for violently, physically tearing through the perceived wall between stage and audience, the Trail of Dead offer the future, not of rock ‘n’ roll, but of something altogether more inspirational and engaging in Source Tags & Codes. Every track is extraordinary.
‘Poignant’ may be an overused word. Poignant books, poignant movies, poignant moments. But nothing is as poignant as this album, its ability to pierce your soul, so directly, with its unrelenting simplicity and forthrightness. The whole of the album is a full, horrible, beautiful experience. A somber invective against a
Crisp, ethereal beauty, from the masters of the field. The Cocteau Twins’ so often take great steps in differing their sound from whatever its previous incarnation may have been, while still retaining an aesthetic that was always and only theirs: gibberish lyrics (poor diction mixed with made-up words, according
Raw, inspiring arrangements and memorable, unique methods of song development make Interpol's debut EP the finest release from an NYC band in some time. These songs are deceptively simple—in structure and instrumentation; repeated listens prove a satisfying way to discover this. The bizarre, near-brilliant lyrics are
It could be argued that NYC’s Soviet are part of the city’s current fascination with all things ‘80s. And that would be a gross misevaluation, given their undeniable (and proven) ability to write really good songs and perform them really well. Over the whole of the album, the
The Emerald Down harnesses an obvious love for the shoegazer scene of the early ‘90s, matching it with more modern songwriting possibilities. Truly, these songs sound much like Slowdive, et al, but are far, far more structurally interesting and developed (see especially ‘7AM,’ which twists and morphs to utter disbelief
