genres: post-hardcore + alternative pop + industrial I’ve never been a big Bad Omens fan. Of all the (many) bands that seemed to try and replicate Bring Me The Horizon’s Sempiternal sound, Bad Omens was almost certainly the worst offender. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve never been bad, but neither their self-titled debut or FindingContinue reading “Bad Omens – THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND”
Tag Archives: Pop
2021 Best Of: Pop/Rock/Indie
Rock Lifehouse – Goodbye Kanan: Rivals – Sad Looks Pretty on Me: Gold Necklace – Gold Necklace: The Fuzzy Robes – Night Prayers: The Aerovons – A Little More: Sleep Token – This Place Will Become Your Tomb: Rap Ka – A Martyr’s Reward: Lecrae | 1K Phew – No Church In A While: AkintoyeContinue reading “2021 Best Of: Pop/Rock/Indie”
Stephen Day – The Shapes I’m In
genres: indie + jazz pop Stephen Day’s “It’s Been a Year” has been one of my favorite original Christmas songs for several years. Until a week ago, I hadn’t bothered to check out anything else from him. In the course of updating my Christmas playlist, I figured I’d see if he had any more seasonalContinue reading “Stephen Day – The Shapes I’m In”
The Gray Havens – Blue Flower
genres: indie pop + folk Husband and wife duo The Gray Havens have always played one of the more intriguing blends of folk/indie pop. Debut album Fire and Stone started things off as primarily acoustic folk, not particularly unique but shockingly polished for a debut, and has since slowly developed more and more towards theContinue reading “The Gray Havens – Blue Flower”
The Plot In You – Swan Song
genres: post-hardcore + pop + experimental Few bands can be expected to do the unexpected like The Plot In You. After three musically straightforward releases in First Born, Wife Beater, and Could You Watch Your Children Burn, they seemed to have settled on a formula of brutal metalcore that didn’t hesitate to tackle dark andContinue reading “The Plot In You – Swan Song”
LIONFIGHT – An Investigation Into Perceived Heaviness
genres: pop + post-hardcore There’s something wonderful and fresh that often comes from a single talented musician making EXACTLY the music they want to make. No genre tropes for the sake of fitting in, no streamlining to make it more appealing to broad audiences, just art for its own sake or personal satisfaction. An InvestigationContinue reading “LIONFIGHT – An Investigation Into Perceived Heaviness”
Mae – (m)(a)(e)
genres: progressive indie pop + emo Not a lot of groups that start out as emo bands can likely make the claim that a subsequent release would feature a 13 minute multi-movement solo piano performance. Especially if it’s not done as a gimmick. And especially not where it’s arguably the best song on the album.Continue reading “Mae – (m)(a)(e)”
Palisades – MIND GAMES
genres: post-hardcore + pop + electronic Probably the least acclaimed album among my all-time favorites, I dearly love this album. For being lambasted as “generic” by many critics when it was released, there really hasn’t been anything released in the six years since that sounds like it. There’s a brilliant mix of pop and metalContinue reading “Palisades – MIND GAMES”
Einar Stray Orchestra – Dear Bigotry
genres: indie pop + post-rock + classical + alternative folk for fans of: Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Rós, Mumford & Sons ‘Orchestra’ is a good descriptor for this band, even if it refers more to the songwriting philosophy than to the musical compositions themselves. For sure, there’s a variety of actual string and wind instruments mixedContinue reading “Einar Stray Orchestra – Dear Bigotry”
Ecca Vandal – Ecca Vandal
genres: hyperpop + rap + punk + art rock for fans of: Azealia Banks, 100 Gecs, Rina Sawayama, Charli XCX Truly one of the most elusive to classify albums I’ve heard recently, this 2017 debut full length by Australian artist Ecca Vandal pushes genre boundaries in fascinating and seemingly contradictory directions while also being perfectlyContinue reading “Ecca Vandal – Ecca Vandal”
www-reviews 