Peer Review: Bob and Martha, On Our Planet

Bob and Martha sound like some forward-thinking hip hop crew from 1987, fronted by The Magnetic Fields' Claudia Gonson. Their no-money-more-problems hook, "I have zero dollars in the bank," is catchy enough to excuse references to Instagram and Facebook (faux pas that usually set my teeth on edge). File "On Our Planet" alongside Luscious Jackson and Cibo Matto, bob your head, repeat. An early spring classic.

By Brook Pridemore
(read his review)

Peer Review: Mothers, Modern Life

Cowbells.  Bass.  “Low Rider”?  No.  Thank god.  “Modern Life”.  That’s right.  Verses of talk-singing sketches of everyday life.   Wordless choruses of chaotic guitar.  No hooks.  No bridge.  Only one thing that could be described as a melody.  Really just the droning narration of an average modern life, periodically broken up by crashes of chorus.  A fitting musical canvas on which to paint a depressing lyrical story.  At first, our narrator’s life seems exceedingly modern as he searches for a wife on Facebook alone at night. From there, he continues to do things that aren’t particularly modern: goes to work, goes to the store, visits his wrinkly-elbowed, macadamia-nut-enjoying father.  Silly and fun, but not particularly modern.  It is not until the song’s final lines that the title truly sinks in: “I don’t get paid to think / You don’t get paid to think / Don’t touch that phone / My whole life’s on that phone”.  The first thing that actually enthuses our narrator is his phone.  That is modern life.  At least, that is the depressing aspect of modern life that Mothers are getting at.  We are drones that go through our daily mundane routines.  Constantly connected.  Go to work.  Get our chores done.  Watch TV shows.  Whatever.  We care about nothing but our phones.  Don’t touch our phones!  It is this idea that drives this song and makes it equally entertaining and depressing.  Ok, I’m going outside now.

By New England Axe Factory
(read their review)

Peer Review: Oxen Free, Make Out

I dig this song right off the bat. I like that pick-y click-y rhythmic riff, and the whole “quiet-loud-quiet” thing. The track really shines when the bigger distorted guitars come in (they really set up the moment well). Make Out does come across as slightly over-composed though; there’s more going on than there needs to be, and for all the stops, starts, dynamic changes and awesome sounding guitar, there really isn’t a strong chorus hook. That being said this would be a strong late album track, y’know, something that adds a lot to the work as a whole. It’s not single material, but it could be that emo track that ends up on mixtapes because someone had a moment with their crush that summer, surrounded by fireflies, down by the lake.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Video Beast, Shim Shants

Video Beast is an aggressive, post-hardcore/post-grunge band from Brooklyn, NY. The duo can produce a monster sound live, due to shear volume level, but I was happy to hear that they can also bring it on a record, thanks to a full guitar tone, active drums, and the occasional backing vocals. There’s a lot of “teenage boy” in them, for better or worse. I do think that the lead vocals are too high in the mix, which lessens the impact of the thunderous band. Perhaps this is just a demo, and the vocals could be mixed to sit better with the guitar/drums. Overall though, it’s a fun track if you’re into quick riff driven heavy rock, and not put off by quasi-gross out lyrics.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Matt Basso, Like That Sugar

“Like That Sugar” is a country fried romp, led by banjo pickin’ and backed by a full on southern tilt boogie. Matt Basso aka Thunder Harp is not into false advertising, as some blues harmonica squeals bookend the Kid Rock-esque verses. In fact, the whole affair resembled “Cowboy” by Kid Rock to a tremendous degree, which is good news if you like to get down that way. This song seems like the soundtrack to a hot summer BBQ, with beer and chicken and maybe some trucks. Basso wants you to “give him the life that’s like that sugar, smooth like silk and just like butter” which is a totally enticing proposition. A vaguely psychadelic chorus not unlike mid period Stone Temple Pilots breaks the monotony of what is basically pop country. Recommended highly for fans of the song “Cowboy” by Kid Rock, blues harmonica, pop country and boogie party jams.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Brook Pridemore, Brother Comfort

I don’t know if my opinion on this track is based on the fact that the lyrics are posted in paragraph form or what, but it kind of feels like the lyrics were written as a story, and then set to music; as if melody and refrain were secondary notions. It’s a weird feeling that’s unique, and I appreciate it for that, but I’m not sure it really holds up as more than a jumble of words without a super clear story line, OR, a singalong-able chorus. It’s worth taking a listen for sure, because the band is decent, if perhaps somewhat 80’s jazzy pop sounding. There’s a Paul Simon feel in here somewhere; I guess the backing track is somewhere between Graceland, and maybe Leonard Cohen’s I’m Your Man. I would like to hear more songy-ness from the vocals, but maybe that’s just me.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: What Model Citizens, Too Late

What Model Citizens describe themselves as a "simultaneous assault on your hips and ears," and I'm not so sure that this description achieves its intended effect. I definitely get the dance-hall vibes (it feels like DEVO meets nu-disco meets acid house or something), but generally I'm unconvinced by the actual sounds put into the production of this track. The breathy and under-produced vocal tracks feel like they come out of the 80s in a bad way, and most of the synth tones / drum sounds have a sort of paltry or lo-fi texture which seems counterintuitive to the idea of dance music in general. I also don't really get why the track is 5 minutes long.
Sorry to be a hater! <3

By Anonymous

Peer Review: The Meaning Of Life, Two Birds, One Stoned

“Two Birds, One Stoned” by The Meaning of Life is the kind of song that requires repeated listens in order to properly catch the full range of detail that seems to bubbling just beneath the surface. The band packs alot of ideas into the track’s 4 minute playing time, highlighting their ability to merge disparate influences into a cohesive and unique blend. The result comes across as something in the Rollerskate Skinny and Love and Rockets wheelhouse, but with a 2015 sheen. The obvious ear-perk of the song belongs to singer Marta and her vocals. Marta sounds like a bewitched Siouxie Sioux, the kind of voice that enchants as much as it haunts. Musically, the band serves as a formidable unit, a band with a great sense of dynamics, while displaying the proper restraint to let Marta’s vocals shine through. One gets the impression that the band is a different beast altogether in a live setting, as the chorus cruelly hints at the full force of the band when kicking things up a notch. I look forward to hearing what the band is capable of when able to fully let loose.

By Anonymous 

Peer Review: The Harmonica Lewinskies, Horizontal Yellow

The Harmonica Lewinskies' LP is called Dad Rock, and that's pretty much what the instrumental octet delivers: all the genres dads like mish-mashed into two songs (meant to be played together). Horizontal Yellow is a horn-laden funk, soul, jazz, I dunno, klezmer medley with a campy blues guitar solo and soaring horn flutters. Horizontal Blue is an escalating, repetitive tune that starts off with a bossa nova style beat and devolves into a mess of a ska-punk song before unexpectedly jumping into a short cover of the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." I guess if they were playing some last call bar on the Lower East Side or my cousin's bar mitzvah or something I wouldn't be pissed. Funny name though.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Shit Show, Take Your Anger Out On Me

“Take Your Anger Out On Me” by Shit Show features uncomfortably dark lyrics, hauntingly delivered by vocals whose soothing tone is juxtaposed against its subject matter. In this sense it reminded me of “Wave a White Flag” by Elvis Costello, only with some extra instrumentation to carry the message forward. The integration of the cello grabs the ear, while the guitar and drums stagger along, eclipsed by the vocal performance  (and that’s ok! It fits this song!). The low, but not indecipherably lo-fi production value coupled with brutally sardonic female fronted vocals reminded me of late 90’s/early 2000’s acts like Mary Prankster or Val Yumm. The one thing I couldn’t get behind was that the song felt a bit long. Not obnoxiously so, but by the end the point had been made, and the anger of the singer starts wearing on the listener. As far as songs about dysfunctional relationships, this one certainly makes you feel the pain of the author, and if the listener doesn’t actively dislike the unknown antagonist by the end, they’ve got to have a serious lack of empathy. I would definitely be interested in hearing something else, maybe faster, from this group, but as far as introductory tracks go, it makes an impression…and isn’t that point?

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Nova Luz, Streets

Nova Luz’s “Streets” is a simple and sparse ballad that feels incredibly intimate. Whispered poetic verses rest just above repetitive and increasingly discordant finger-picked guitar, intertwined with beautiful resolutions, opening and resolving landing with the line: “Speak the streets they to me.” The poetry itself is pointed and leaves you seeking resolve, which may have actually been achieved with the verse but not necessarily as desired. The line “Dreams I had to let go, they were violent, I become my machine” is ominous, even if in some form of resolution.

All told, the song conjures images of Elliott Smith or Cat Power – or in this case Nova Luz – sitting with their guitar on the bedroom floor with a spinning four-track adjacent. And I’m thankful to have shared in the experience.

By Oxen Free
(read their review)

Peer Review: Mike Body, Seeing Giants ft. King Medullah

  I've always been impressed with the production quality of hip hop music, Seeing Giants by Mike Body is no exception. The introduction to the song is intense and immediately draws the listener in. The beats are a little bit repetitive but the hook is extremely catchy and will likely stick in my head for days. The song tackles some difficult issues, the death of a friend as a product of the neighborhood was the part that really struck me although there are many poignant revelations within the song that presumably informed who Mike Body is today. Given his transformation he seems to have narrowly avoided a life of criminal activity in favor of sobriety and success. I might say the track is a little bit long for my taste.
  After a second listen I realized that this track had religious content and that the big "transformation" he was celebrating was that of becoming a Christian. While I don't believe religion will necessarily save someone from their circumstances, this song carries with it a positive message for listeners who can't decide between a gun or a bible.

By Anonymous 

Peer Review: Ludlow Ejacula, Bitter

Built on a simple, spacious acoustic foundation, the piece feels chantlike at first, or like a personal letter. The minimal instrumentation is a clue to pay attention to the lyrics-- bitter is an appropriate title given the content, though the delivery of the cutting phrases is anything but. The vocals are characteristic, presented with little processing. I am peeved by the epidemic habit of drowning a unique vocal in reverb to mask its edges; this was thankfully forgone in favor of a crisp and personal treatment of the performance. The delay/echo is a much more effective choice in this case, allowing a relatively breathless voice to expand and fill the spaces left by the simple guitar backing. The build is steady throughout, and while following a standard folk/pop structure, the development is patient without plodding. The electric guitar glides in exactly where I wanted it to, rounding out the high end and giving counterpoint to the vocal. The male backing vocals neither thrilled nor bothered me, but the doubling of the lead voice (a trick I usually love and often employ) really didn't seem necessary in this case. If I would change anything about this recording, I would leave it out-- I felt it muddied the provocative separateness, the personal delivery of the lyrics that drive the piece forward so successfully throughout.

By May Oskan
(read her review)

Peer Review: Lost Gloves, Chess Match

Lost Gloves track Chess Match starts out spastic and staccato as it elicits images of an expressionistic arcade. As the track continues it dips into a catchy bridge that transforms into cheerful synth- work with melodic sensibilities not far off from traditional Japanese music. In other words, the track briefly sounds like a game soundtrack (A very popular Japanese ps2 game).  The vocal delivery on the track goes from a laid back discontinuous talk-sing to continuously melodic choruses. The string work (from what I can tell is bass and guitar) on the track is simple enough to complement the melody and interesting enough to stand on its own. The drums hold the track together without being overpowering. Towards the end of the track the drums really begin to shine, as they take center stage ending the track with the very same spastic vitality that it began with. I am not usually a fan of synth music, but despite having Synths I would be hesitant to call this “Synth music” because it is not Synth-dependent. It utilizes textures only made available through synthesizers, but the other instruments hold their own. Overall, Chess Match is a colorful, enjoyable, and ephemeral track definitely worthy of a listen.

By Emily Brout, Ludlow Ejacula
(read their review)

Peer Review: Leo Liebeskind, Where Do I Go Now, Mama?

A straightforward, vintage-sounding folk ditty that doesn’t overstay its welcome – it feels like a traveling song. The vocals capture Bob Dylan’s nasal charm without sacrificing pitch control. A particularly nice touch is a doubled (acoustic!) guitar solo, with harmonies that play off of the vocal melody. The lyrics are repetitive in the style of old folk and there’s not much depth, but they don’t come off as derivative. The second vocal on the third verse is a little disorienting; it’s not a bad idea, but the execution feels awkward. Overall, the song feels like a fun introduction – I'd be curious where else the guitar and voice want to take me.

By Libel
(read their review)

Peer Review: Kerbivore, My Apartment's A Mess

Kerbivore brings a wild burst of energy to the table from the opening drum pickup to the final guitar riffs. "My Apartment's a Mess" is loud, angsty, and punky, but manages to incorporate some tender vocal harmonies and textures almost without the listener realizing that's happening. At times, the driving pulse of the song may feel a bit monotonous and overwhelming, but Kerbivore clearly came to rock on this track, and it's definitely worth a listen, or many.

By Leo Liebeskind
(read his review)

Peer Review: Hodera, Reset To Default

I like this song!  For the most part.  The harmonies are so pretty, I wish they were turned up in the mix or even had a 3rd part. Also the shouting at the end is something I could do with out - brevity is my jam.  But that's just me.  I really like the vocals and the song structure.  Overall its a rocker! Definitely gonna check out their other stuff when I have time!

By Anonymous

Peer Review: May Oskan, Straight Jacket

This is a really pretty lo-fi piano driven song. Depressing, but beautiful, especial when the double lead vocals enter about midway through. Seriously, it's a powerful moment. May's voice is incredible, and ultra emotive, especially during the line, "every jacket I wear is a straight one." Straight Jacket may be a little sleepy for those looking for rock songs, but it does a good job of rising in dynamics, and giving itself a sense of motion without any true percussion. This is a great sad end of the night going to sleep while it rains outside song.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Fruit Juice, Some Big Stranger

Time travel is certainly a way to get there; I am and have always been a firm believer in bringing up time travel. And that is perhaps what makes this song so powerful, infectious even; the way “Some Big Stranger” by Fruit Juice lets you shrug off decades you probably never had. There is a timelessness that is a timeless mess at play here, a sense that peeling Velvet Underground posters, Mott the Hoople’s “All The Young Dudes” on a warped record player playing at the wrong speed can’t be too far away from wherever this was written. All of which is to say three out of three pizzas or doobies or whatever we are using to rate such things these days. What really captured me is that there seems to be a kind of embedded history to this song—it begins by killing itself, firing up an initial groove before letting it crash into distortion—so, in a sense, it is the ghost of itself. “The song is dead; long live the song!” you might add, jubilantly, nodding your head to it because what a chill, weird insurrection. Something wave-like in the way it slides between verse and chorus, riding its guitar lines, wavering with the keyboard, building and repeating. Sonically, it blends a sort of 70s maximalist approach to arrangements—especially the vocal ones—with some cool lo-fi trimmings, a touch of experiment. It’s beautifully broken in places, which is perhaps the best touch: the way that a crackling invades certain notes, adding to the cool artifice of it all. The combined effect of all this is seductive, and so we are as much a victim of Fruit Juice’s modulations, to this song’s ceaseless motion, as to its layers of sounds and its optimism even. We are caught in it; “I got lost inside the main artery/ I found the blood stream warm and buttery” a plaintive, gorgeous wail. This is beach music for the day California dries up, day-glo for the glam apocalypse: “we feel that that’s not all/ let’s get stranger tonight” they’re singing to us from across time and space.

By Galapagos Now!
(read their review)

Peer Review: From Below, Blood Money

From Below drives a hot poker straight through your expensive tie and into the black tar heart of capitalistic vice with Blood Money. It is quick, the work they make of their intended target. We don't see the long patient work of loading the cannon- only the fiery blast of thrashy rock and roll and the concussive force of Cartera's vocals, three howling chords in shrapnel guitars and explosive drumming.

This is not the music of the bourgeois.

This is the sound of four New Yorkers screaming 'WAKE UP' as hundreds of sweaty moshing bodies rise up from the night clubs and noisy dive bars to descend upon the reddened pavement of Wall Street, 'Wake up before they turn Shea Stadium into another fucking bank!'

By Fruit Juice
(read their review)

Peer Review: Dinosaur Eyelids, Nowhere Fast

Nowhere fast is a cool track, well recorded and showcasing a band playing with a great sense of economy and balance between members. Their sound coalesces and supports the songwriting. The straightforward arrangement allows for nice warm sounds with dynamic range. Nowhere Fast brings to mind memories of bands like The Replacements and Miracle Legion but has a imprint and character of its own. Fans of those bands should check this song out. It definitely has a great replay value too, it's a pop song that would be way fun to hear at a packed show in a any good club or bar.

By Eleanor
(read their review)

Peer Review: Dead Painters, Nantucket Red

The Dead Painters are are an indie rock band from Brooklyn. Their song "Nantucket Red" off the album 'Bleachers" is definitely catchy and well-written. It reminds me of The Strokes at their best. Their music is refreshingly direct and to the point. Unlike many bands there are no wasted notes here.

"Nantucket Red" is a great example of what indie rock should be. This song would be perfect for college radio. If you like melodic pop rock check this band out.

By Dinosaur Eyelids
(read their review)

Peer Review: Baifan, Running In Slow Motion

The track I reviewed this week was Running In Slow Motion by the Brooklyn rock band, Baifan. It's definitely got a vibe. Sounds like The Strokes mixed with elements of 60s psychedelia. The title definitely suits the song. The guitar drone played over eighth note rhythms gives a nice push and pull effect to the music. The vocalist has a very strong unique rock and roll voice. The guitar solo could be a little stronger and I heard some rhythmic discrepancies from the drums from time to time, but hey it's definitely got a vibe. I would have to see this band live to make my final assessment but I would hope they bring a lot of energy to the stage because that's what this music really calls for.

By Matt David

Peer Review: Bee, Dream Replay

  This is an experiment. I was given a track to review, from a band I'd not heard of, Bee. The track was called "Dream Replay." I was expecting a studio track, but it was a live recording, which is interesting. The stereo mic recording (I'm assuming here) hits me right in my soft spot for bootlegs. The overall impression I get from the tone of the song and laid back barroom atmosphere is one of late summer. The sun just went down , but I've been day drinking, and I wander out onto the porch (this bar has a porch!) to smoke a cigarette and lean on a railing with my beer half-full. I'm staring off into space, over-looking a sleepy little mountain town and just feelin' the breeze and kinda diggin' the band in the background.
     All that being said, I am on the porch smoking and not in front rocking out. The song reaches a pretty nice peak, although the guitarist seems to be against or afraid of using pedals, which is fine. I do find the tone of the guitar to be welcoming and non-confrontational, but it has the potential to go much further, especially considering these guys all seem to be really capable musicians. The trio is really tight, they obviously play together a lot.
     The vocals lack definition because of their bootleggy nature, but they are non-offensive. Pretty standard fare for your average jam band, with lyrics that seem to be about thinking a lot and remembering things, which is what happens when you eat mushrooms and listen to jam bands. This track would be great if I were tripping, probably. It certainly got better after I got high. We all expect less from jam bands in the vocal and lyrical departments, because the musicianship is what shines.
     This song would not hold my attention at a festival, but I don't dislike it. It certainly is a seemingly flawless performance. Honestly Bee sounds like a really good band. They've got a solid start, but certainly a long way to go if they want to contend with the never-ending stream of competition on the jam scene.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: X-Ray Spectre, Supercruiser

My immediate reaction after clicking play on X-Ray Specter’s song Supercruiser was, “Well fuck me, another Black Keys knock off who couldn’t afford a Big Muff.” This thought was then promptly punched out of my mind when the beautifully lo-fi vocals kicked in. Having expected the usual surburban-white-boy-pretending-to-be-Robert-Johnson voice, I was happily surprised to hear the wash of echo and vaguely drunken choir instead. I normally don’t dig the heavily treated vocal style but paired with the fuzzed out guitar lick, it managed to transcend both cliches and became something I couldn’t help but head bop along to.

While I couldn’t tell you what the lyrics were to save my life, (“Take a ride / Put on overdrive / Have some alien fried pie”?) I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter. If your soul isn’t soothed by the wah solo towards the end than you’re dead inside and don’t deserve to ride on one of the space ATVs in the artwork.

By Zen Anton
(read his review)

Peer Review: Whitewash, Colors // In Absentia

"You'll Be Fine"

If you don't mind leaning back and taking in sun drenched vibes, summer evenings, nights on the beach- then you won't mind leaning back and listening to this track from Whitewash.

Colors//In Absentia, off of “Fraud in Lisbon" is that escape to that washed away feeling of spring, summer, early fall- a wash of the million creepy colors you see in the sky at night will make you feel fine. It’s a mindless warm, distorted, messy fuzzy feeling that everyone feels- it’s what everyone want.
Whitewash combines a balance between hazy fuzz, C-86 jangle-pop, and sluggish psychedelia, and the reality is that each track ends up just a trading one style for the other. With Colors // In Absentia they nail it, and nail working against and with/ each other to get to that next level.
Biggest drawback is the extended freewheeling long jam ending. We’re done. After another minute after the final chorus I would be back at the bar getting another drink, waiting for the next song.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Tom Barrett, Home Is Where We Hide

Sometimes a track may not stick with you unless you listen to it at the right time of the day, you're in the right mindset, or you're under the proper dosage of Kentucky medicine. Well I write this review now, waking up for work at 4 am. I felt compelled to write it now because when I listened to Tom Barrett's "Home Is Where We Hide," I was floored. It was the right mixture of rhythm and melody to get me going for the day. Barrett's voice is raspy and robust like a cup of coffee. I'd call it breakfast blues. I'm coining that phrase, so don't steal it.

"Home Is Where We Hide" is steady like a freight train. The song is from his new LP, "All is Right," which I will continue to listen to today. Barrett has a raspy open vocal like that of Jay Bennett from Wilco or Ben Kweller. It's right up my alley. The guitar and piano work drives me right back home to the swamps of New Jersey. Stellar work.

By Dan McLane                              

(guitarist/vocalist for the Harmonica Lewinskies)
(read their review)

Peer Review: The Pebble That Saved The World, Joey's Song

I enjoyed this song. It starts off with some mumbling about train sounds before breaking into a groove reminiscent of early Modest Mouse, or maybe even the general sound of Pacific Northwestern basements circa 1997. At least this is how I think they must have sounded back then. There's a tried-and-true dynamic shift halfway through. Soft, lispy vocals about a boy who can't finish anything become harsh growls. Muffled guitars and slight percussion give way to heavy strums, windy bass-playing and a crude backbeat. It's all crudely played and crudely recorded which seems to be the thing these days, but that's okay. It reminds me of the glory days of Up and K Records when everything sounded like it came so easy, but behind the simplicity, there was some genius to the tunes themselves. I'm not sure if that exists here, but fuck it. I can almost smell the cheap beer and feel the low ceiling above my head. That's what counts, right?

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Silver Dollar Switchblade, One More Round

Free Electronic Press Kits from ReverbNation.com

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band released “Turn the Page” for the first time in 1973.  Since then it’s become the standard-bearer for tour spiels, the quintessential stand in for world-weary, tour-sick musicians everywhere.  Full disclosure, though:  I’ve never cared for “Turn the Page”, and I find the premise of songs like it to be irritatingly whiny.  Make of this information what you will, but I mention it because it means a track like “One More Round” by Silver Dollar Switchblade has an uphill slog with me.

“One More Round” is a dramatic song that tells the same well-worn story of the jaded musician, pouring his or her heart out on the stage night after night, year after year.  The band attacks the song with aplomb, and a particularly earnest vocal, but unless you’re the fucking Rolling Stones, I don’t really want to hear you complain about life on the road.  There’s no reason a band like Silver Dollar Switchblade should be writing and performing music unless they enjoy it, and hearing a tortured artist screed from them wears particularly thin.

I don’t want to be overly negative about “One More Round”—it’s a good enough tune, and I appreciate anyone writing songs that tell a solid story and are about something.  Compositionally the track is tight, with a well-crafted edge to it, and the lyrics are literate and concise.  There are definite hints of influences, Old 97s and the Supersuckers’ country albums come immediately to mind.  The recording is dark in tone, and the break in the middle seems like it would work very well live.

I’ve listened to other music by Silver Dollar Switchblade and have been warmer to it, especially when they careen toward their hardcore as opposed to country leanings.  But for me this track is best forgotten.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Shark Week, Why Did I Let You Go?

Any band dubbed "east-coast surf" elicits an eyebrow raise and a "convince me" attitude from this Southern Californian. No exceptions for Washington D.C.-ers Shark Week, which I approached with weariness, considering the band's Discovery Channel-appropriated name. But their debut record, "Beach Fuzz" is, title-forward, cute as fuck.


"Why Did I Let You Go?" has a summer, ocean vibe. Rippling guitars splash like waves of heat and UV off a reflector, drums at a steady, strolling-in-sandals tempo, lyrics seemingly from a lengthy conversation in sunglasses over many cool beverages garnished with limes.


The beach aesthetic is consistent, and supported by good musicianship and production values, but I don't feel gripped by it. Feeling “gripped" isn’t the essence of summer music. Feeling “chill," feeling “relaxed," or, close cousin, feeling “bored" may be.

What salvages Shark Week from sunburning out is the "east-coast" part of this "east-coast surf" band. When they get less O.C. and more D.C., especially the vocals. A combo of David Johansen at his most Iggy, Lou Reed at his most Chuck Berry, and Ian Mackaye at his most Fugazi, the voice swoops into clarity on the bridge, falling into the second half of "I don't care about it" with a wailing, pained "like you do" that repeats alongside a haunting "do" echoed in the backup vocals, leaving us thinking perhaps he does care.

And, considering how I keep coming back to hear that pre-chorus, maybe I care too.

I'm curious how the rest of "Beach Fuzz" will balance this push and pull: sunshine and clouds, beers and tears. I promise not to scoff it off, regardless of any issues I take with nomenclature or attempts to appropriate the surf culture from its rightful owners out west.

By Shit Show
(read their review)

Peer Review: Richard Album, Quiet

Chicago based Richard Album’s Bandcamp page opens up to kitschy 60’s album cover images of a pop star gamine. The track – “Quiet” offers a man-boy smirking, offering us a birthday cake. Richard Album (Shelby Turner) looks like Pee-Wee Herman and Andrew Bird’s love child. He’s in on the tongue in cheek pastel joke and the song lovingly follows suit. Offering deadpan yet cheerful lyrics that talk about not taking someone for granted thus not yourself too seriously. At first listen the mood feels like a Shins type breezy vibe, though Richard’s voice is much different than James Mercer. The ironic phrasing and lyrics offer introspection, whilst letting the air into your apartment windows during the first days of summer. The song starts off hooking you in with a growling bass and a charming syncopated guitar line.  Richard confronts us in rhyme with some really whimsical delayed yells –“and the stars are just really big giants.” Imploring us to change our way of communicating– with the mantra “quiet, quiet...” which sounds like “choir” maybe on purpose as a double entendre. The assonance translates cheerfully and is well crafted.  The recording quality is lo-fi fittingly to the style- all reverby vocals and live band takes. The rest of the album are equally endearingly poppy, hooky and sometimes groovy – sharing the theme of that sense of humor. I wouldn’t be surprised if Richard Album’s next effort will sound more like a Modern Lovers album or Taking Heads or Bryan Ferry. I want to keep listening if those at least are some of his influences.

By The Meaning of Life
(read their review)

Peer Review: Moon Crashers, Finally

http://www.mooncrashers.com/

Moon Crasher’s track Finally is some folk/alt-country poppy-ness. Acoustic guitar, plucked and bowed cello, an expressed sense of belonging and love after some unspecified amount of searching. Lauren Levy’s vocals really find that lazy-happy feeling one gets when they can finally put their cares down, their feet up, and their arm around their lover, preferably by a campfire. An electric guitar lead that runs through the song is just off enough to keep it from being 100% by-the-numbers, but its definitely not breaking any new ground sonically, melodically, harmonically, or lyrically. It’s also not trying to do any of those things, so the easily bored should just shut up and move on already. For everyone else, enjoy a summer jam that would be perfect on a rooftop at sunset with cheap beer and nothing to get hung about.

By Brian Goodheart of Lost Gloves
(read their review)

Peer Review: Jim Testa, 3rd Class Male

3rd Class Male is a delightful romp in rock and roll's original format that deals with 2 experiences in life almost as inevitable as death and taxes: not getting the reciprocal love you so desire and the woes of the USPS. Right from the songs opening strum you know what you're in for: not too many surprises musically but some well executed lyrics covering all aspects of essential post office terminology "you won't treat me like a priority, you ship me just like parcel post". The call and response chorus would no doubt be fun to sing back during a live performance. It exudes the pure joy of coming up with a clever idea for a song, sitting down, writing it, and being happy with it. However, I will add a disclaimer regarding the last verse: it gets a little racy.

By Kerbivore
(read their review)

Peer Review: David Pollack, Under The Covers

If songwriting can be an experience for the author to cultivate self reflection, to make positive insights and articulate complicated feelings about love, relationships, society, the environment, cats and dogs...you name it; it can also be a vehicle for admitting one's lesser qualities. Usually this falls under the more noble topics of longing, jealousy, or anger, and less often delves into the uglier "I'm sometimes a shitty person and I'm really not proud of these things I'm about to tell you" territory.

In "Under the Covers" David Pollack eats the ice cream and sleeps in too late, things we all harmlessly do, but he also mentions fear, detachment, and more troubling faults that he isn't willing to divulge. The phrase "Under the Covers" is repeated at every turn of the song; yet it doesn't twist or turn Pollack's insights rather than obscure them. The best songs that use metaphors craft their own, and "Under the Covers" isn't necessarily the most inventive.

Pollack's warm laid-back voice, solid melodies, and streaming chord sequences are mirrored by the cozy production and flowing instrumentation that is reminiscent of Sea Change era Beck or Tom Wait's Closing Time ballads (both had a knack for balancing the strange and the pedestrian). Pollack's next tune could potentially drift into the odder spaces that "Under the Covers" hints at (either through lyrics or instrumentation or both) while simultaneously existing in the pleasant folk-country.

by Dead Painters
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Peer Review: Eleanor, Growing Over With Grass

Growing Over With Grass has a chunky disjointed charm that is familiar, but I just can’t put my finger on it. There’s a definite Guided By Voices feel to the track, albeit with an extra helping of chaos. This track feels like a lo-fi indie pop/noise pop number with a heavy British invasion influence (you can even detect a slight British accent at times, which has been known to affect Americans of the GBV persuasion). I really dig this song though, there’s a lot of weirdness going on in the background. I’m not sure if it’s a result of the recording technique, the actual composition, or a side product of a hastily composed song, but either way it definitely adds to the charm. Check out more tracks by Eleanor. If you dig this one, you won’t be disappointed.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Hot Rash, Blake Superior

This Minnesotan band successfully combines 90’s girl punk a la Sleater-Kinney or Veruca Salt with a dry, midwestern garage rock sound on “Blake Superior.” This opens with a guitar lick that sounds like Bob Stinson (another famous Minnesotan) covering Chuck Berry before settling into a punk groove. In fact, the manic energy doesn’t stop, the guitars take sharp twists and turns like a drag race, punctuating a great pop song that never runs out of riff or hook. The production is simple as punk rock should be, not polished much more than early Bikini Kill or Bratmobile. Plus this band has the best name ever.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Tatters & Rags, Heartache

Led in by a snare roll that would sound at home in one of The Pogues’ irish drinking rave-ups, “Heartache” is a catchy, twangy locomotive of a pop tune straight out of Brooklyn. The first verse is sung by a rough voiced male singer, and the second verse is picked up by a female singer, with a lovely country harmony thing going on. Fiddles and accordion give what is basically a pop song a rootsy but also punk feel, not unlike some of the mid period work of The Mekons or Elvis Costello’s more Americana-influenced records. Most notable is the drumming which swings and then picks up that snare roll for the chorus in an excellent way. As the band name suggests, this is a tune that I’d love to hear drinking whiskey in a shitty dive bar.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: eush, A Point At Best

Recorded half in Sydney, Australia and the other half in NYC, “A Point At Best” is an experimental and dreamy five minutes of song, complete with a weird boing-y sound that could be a jaw harp or a synthesizer of all I know. For all it’s “heady” intentions, it attempts Radiohead or Wilco but ends up sounding more like early 00s pop like Coldplay or David Gray. The lyrics are simple and few and the song is led with a dark arpeggiated guitar and a four on the floor bass drum until a tambourine makes it entrance gingerly. It later devolves into synthy nonsense. While not an absolute piece of shit, this is kind of what happens when you try and follow “indie” or “alternative” influences into to a completely uninspired wall.

By Anoymous

Peer Review: Half Moon, Pissed Off and Dead

“I’d rather be alive than pissed off and dead” seems like a statement that’s either obvious or quizzical (can you be pissed off while you’re dead?) but makes for a truly fun repeated chorus. The song ambles in with a macabre sounding series of hits before settling into a tight post punk groove a la The Feelies or Television, a dark, minor key dirge. It hits the chorus hard, half sung half screamed in way that alternately evokes early Modest Mouse and Richard Hell. This punky band brings a promising take on early New York punk without getting too corny, there is obviously good taste happening here and I’d certainly rather listen to this than be pissed off and/or dead.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Zen Anton, Resemblance

New York’s Zen Anton promises on his bandcamp that you’ll find no “whiny white boys playing open c chords” on his record. Instead what’s present is spare and stark acoustic blues yarling, featuring some adept pretty jazz chords and a sincere vocal sound resembling a male Tracy Chapman, a more soulful Anthony Kiedis or a butcher Dave Matthews. With the immediate sound of a bedroom record, this song starts as a slinky, slow minor key ballad, with lyrics possibly about Anton’s father, to whom he bears “resemblance” and in the middle picks up and gets actually funky with some choppy chords while the vocal nearly cracks before slowing back to it’s original tempo for it’s conclusion.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: BELT, The Return of Humanity

Punctuated by crackly slightly overdriven vocals and rhythmic acoustic guitar, The Return of Humanity, is a hyperactive indie pop song. It’s a fun song that deserves a couple of good listens, though overall, it might be about 10% short on hooks and a little underpowered, depending on your taste. I feel like this would be a fun band to see live, under the right circumstances (small room, couple of drinks in you…). There’s a cool guitar and some pretty tight drumming. The production is intentionally lo-fi, but it doesn’t seem forced, and the attitude behind the group seems enthusiastic without being bubbly.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: New England Axe Factory, Tender Kicks

This is track is a good example of the bass driving the tune. It’s almost as percussive as the actual drums, and super melodic to boot. The productions reminds me of early mid-era Beatles, not that it’s an overly Beatle-esque song; it’s the guitar tone and bass. It could have been a McCartney song if Paul was a different dude. Tender Kicks is a pretty deep song for being a touch over three minutes long; there isn’t a minute of wasted space. The guitar solo has a sort of Harrison feel as well. I really like the xylophone/toy piano, in the beginning as well. If you’re down with the lo-fi throwback sound, check out the rest of NE Axe Factory’s album, it’s full of sick riffs and buzzy guitars.

By Anonymous

Peer Review: Galapagos Now! Compulsive Behavior

A compelling melody reminiscent of Elliott Smith's balladry drives this song, lilting over tried-and-true guitar strums, but the jarring transition from whining folk-punk affectation to overwrought noise rock threatens to capsize the song entirely. The band may succeed in snapping the audience out of its stupor, it's very possible they will be left hanging by this quick little number.

By Anonymous 

Peer Review: Libel, Dead Air

This is a blend of modern pop rock with a strong 80's feel to it. There are a lot of synth sounds mixed in which lends to that description. The vocals remind me of David Bowie. Actually, the whole song could pass for a mid 80's Bowie song. The structure is a bit more like the 70's music. You don't quite notice a verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus arrangement. It comes across more like an evolving song.

By Anonymous