Hallelujah The Hills
Colonial Drones

By Eric Hill

When the acoustic guitar introduces "The Might Come Back Club," the second track on this Boston crew's second album, I am faced with the dilemma of whether or not to suppress the obvious but clichéd Neutral Milk Hotel comparison. Obviously expression won out. Ryan Walsh's songwriting isn't as insular as Jeff Mangum's, nor as lit-loving as Colin Meloy's (the Decemberists), but he possesses like-minded skill at articulating the abstract and complex in a truly gutsy way. Likewise his backline, which includes Brian Rutledge on horns and Elio Deluca's keyboards, propel the action with abandon while managing to open gaps for the hooks to march through. And that's where HTH excel ― in not letting the brains turn off the balls of the beast. "Allied Lions," with its shout-along verses and Eric Meyer's drum infarction, is like an Elephant 6 safari ride with faulty breaks. It's a sloppy, exuberant mess and too much fun to miss. (Misra)

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
Given that the Strokes haven't released a record in almost four years, Julian Casablancas's debut as a solo artist is oddly timed. Band-mates Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti have all struck out on their own during the group's hiatus (twice, in Hammond's case) and word is th ...Read More
Real Estate - Real Estate
The last year has seen the underground become fertile ground for fresh-faced bands drowning everything in tape hiss, fuzz and reverb, but Ridgewood, NJ's Real Estate never got the memo. Unlike their Woodsist label-mates, these four Garden Statesmen like their guitar licks polished and crystal clear, ...Read More
7 Worlds Collide - The Sun Came Out
A Fine Frenzy - Bomb in a Birdcage
Alan Singley And Pants Machine - Feelin’ Citrus
Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
Atlas Sound - Logos
Bell Horses - This Loves Last Time
The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
Black Heart Procession - Six
Boris - Japanese Heavy Rock Hits
Brilliant Colors - Introducing
The Bushpilots - Seven Ways to Broadway
Capybara - Try Brother
The Carolyn Hester Coalition - The Carolyn Hester Coalition / Magazine
Castanets - Texas Rose, The Thaw & The Beasts
Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
Comanechi - Crime of Love
Cursed Arrows - Telepathic High Five
The Dimes - The King Can Drink The Harbour Dry
Dragonette - Fixin to Thrill
The Dudes - Blood Guts Bruises Cuts
Duplex! - Worser
El Perro del Mar - Love Is Not Pop
Elvis Bossa Nova! - Hi, I’m Elvis Bossa Nova!
Florence and the Machine - Lungs
Glass Ghost - Idol Omen
Gossip - Music for Men
Grand Archives - Keep In Mind Frankenstein
Headlights - Wildlife
Hockey - Mind Chaos
Honest I’s - Anatomy of Lightbulbs
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Intentions - Through the Devil Softly
James Husband - A Parallax I
Jamie T - Kings & Queens
Jesse Harris - Watching the Sky
Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita
King of Rocksprings - The Milkman vs. the Postman Problem
Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy
Language-Arts - Where Were You in the Wild?
Lee & Willbee - North Carolina
Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Letting Up Despite Great Faults
Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love - Feels, Feathers, Bog And Bees
Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
The Mayfair Set - Young One + Self-Titled
Modernboys Moderngirls - I Might As Well Break It
Morningbell - Sincerely, Severely
Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
Muse - The Resistance
The Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts
Os Mutantes - Haih or Baraúna
The Paperbacks - Lit From Within
Parkas - You Should Have Killed Us When You Had the Chance
Pisces - A Lovely Sight
Port O’Brien - Threadbare
Purrs - The Purrs
Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control
Sadie Hell - Sadie Hell
The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - …And The Horse You Rode In On
Scruffs - Conquest
Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom
The Seedy Seeds - Count the Days
Shonen Knife - Super Group
Those Bastard Souls - Twentieth Century Chemical
The Throwdowns - Don’t Slow Down
Tickley Feather - Hors D’oeuvres
Tinted Windows - Tinted Windows
Todor Kobakov - Pop Music
Twin Atlantic - Vivarium
Various - D-Funk: Funk, Disco & Boogie Grooves From Germany 1972 — 2002
Various - War Child 10
Various - The People Speak
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Yim Yames - Tribute To
Zelienople - Give it Up
When IDM-techno producer HRDVSION (aka Nathan Jonson) hit the stage at this year's Mutek Festival, he was not only opening for like-minded international contemporaries like Mouse On Mars and Nathan Fake, he was also introducing Canadian audiences to a new live set and a new means of performing it.... Read More
Already a Canadian hip-hop icon whose foray into acting recently nabbed him a Gemini nomination, the man known to Canadians for letting his backbone slide is now adding author to his resume, with a book entitled Stick To Your Vision: How to Get Past the Hurdles and the Haters to Get Where You Want to Be hitting stores in early August.... Read More
The year is 1975, and a young Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) wants to play electric guitar just like the boys, showing that girls can rock just as hard with the same musical prowess, irreverence and countercultural rage. Enter eccentric music producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), a glam-ed up, phoney ... Full Review
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