(North Street Records, 2006) With the May 2006 release of the debut full-length from New York quartet Dirty On Purpose, the band has thrust itself into the company of such indie rock greats as Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and My Bloody Valentine. That’s not to say that Hallelujah Sirens is of […]

(Columbia, 2006) There are different reasons why I love different bands. I love Oasis for their unbridled arrogance, and their consistent sound. I love Audioslave because I loved the previous bands, and it seemed like a natural fit. I love the Beatles for their impact. I love Spoon for their tunes. […]

Paradoxically, my main criticism with Darker My Love’s self-titled album is also my main compliment. The album is hypnotically beautiful, but the layered, droning songs bleed together into a 40-minute fuzz-fest that struggles to avoid becoming stagnant. Lush vocal harmonies crawl out of the mist and add to the psychedelic vibe, but despite […]

(Columbia, 2006) The songs on Persephone’s Bees’ debut album, Notes From The Underworld, were all written and sung by Angelina Moysov, who grew up in Southern Russia, where she both attended music school and got a much less formal music education from Russian pop culture. The combination of musical sources from Moysov’s upbringing shines […]

(Reprise, 2006) This is one of those records that I have been waiting for for a long time. Ever since I heard Now Here is Nowhere, I thought “God, I can’t wait to get their next record.” And now it is here. The spacey guitars are still all over the place, […]

(J, 2006) It is always exciting when a band you have kind of grown up with comes out with a new album. I can remember buying Ten when I was thirteen years old and being completely blown away. Anyway, the new album is fast, heavy, wordy, and everything you would expect from a new PJ […]