As a musician, and as someone that listens to a ridiculous amount of music, sometimes I am listening just for sounds. Sometimes the melodies and whether or not they are catchy take a backseat to the atmosphere that an album creates.

There have been times that I’ve been so wrapped up in a band’s unique sound that it’s a week or two of non-stop listening before I start to really focus on the harmonic structure, song structure, melodies and lyrical content that is contained therein. This was precisely the case when I first heard Shellac. I remained entranced by…

(You can read more here: http://quartertonality.com Post originally appeared on http://tympanogram.com)

The much anticipated album from indie rock “super group” Wild Flag has finally arrived, giving everyone something to shout about. One could practically hear the reviewers proclaiming the, at that point unnamed project, “Best of the Year” after Carrie Brownstein announced that she was leaving her post at NPR. It was decided a priori that this group was going to be amazing. I don’t want to start to sound like I totally disagree with the excitement that is surrounding this group, I just am shuddering slightly at the nepotism…

(Originally posted on my blog at: http://wp.me/pjWoO-fj)

Wooden Shjips' drone of ultra fuzzed out guitars aligns them with the trend of retro sounding new-music that seems to have exploded in the past couple of years. They are taking the psychedelic/early hard-rock sound and very much running with it. The band seems to be more than happy to sit on one chord for minutes at a time in the minimalist style, rhythmically chugging through a cloud of distortion a la Queens of the Stone Age. Wooden Shjips actually shows up Queens in their dark heavy sound being that…

(Originally posted to my blog at: http://wp.me/pjWoO-f8)

Heavy, unrelenting drones of guitar riffage that are spread out over an extended jam. That is how I would sum up the sound of White Hills' "H-p1" in one sentence. It isn’t totally fair to sum things up in one nice little phrase though as the songs on the album actually cover quite a bit more ground and honestly can’t be summed up succinctly.

The same way that Queens of the Stone Age’s early material would take one riff and pound it into the ground with unrelenting repetition, so…

(Originally appeared on Tympanogram.com at http://tympanogram.com/music/mp-andrew-lindsay-coat-hooks-whittling-ep/)

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I normally tend towards more spastic, bombastic, or otherwise -astic music, while I let the quieter stuff just pass me by. It’s not that I fail to hear the beauty of slower, more languid material, it’s just that I don’t allow myself the time to. I go for the mechanical, the loud, the mathematical – your Kraftwerk, your Interpol, your miscellaneous loud and fast bands and what have you.

This EP does it right though. It caught me off guard. The first track, “The Boat Outside,” begins delicately enough.…

(This post originally appeared on Tympanogram.com at http://tympanogram.com/music/duplodeck-ultima-sessao-de-cinema/

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It’s not too often that we get indie music out of Brazil. Well, not just indie, but music in general. Except for the Tropicalia movement and, more recently, CSS, it’s difficult to pin down a Brazilian sound.

Duplodeck charts some fun, garage-pop territory with a bit of Stereolab lounge mixed in for good measure. Their 5-track EP, which has remained unreleased until recently, is quite varied in sound. The fun garage-pop of “Strange Girl,” with its loud and nearly out of control guitars flailing all over the…

(originally appeared on my blog: http://quartertonality.com/2011/05/17/album-review-psychedelic-horseshit-laced/ )

For those of you out there that feel like White Fence's release "Is Growing Faith" was a little too "mainstream" and accessible, you'll be happy to know that Psychedelic Horseshit's latest release, "Laced" is neither of those things.

Psychedelic Horseshit is a DIY recording project that has created an album so loose and gritty sounding that it is barely held together to the end. The vocal delivery is drawled in a lazy monotone with barely an attempt at creating a melody. In place of the vocal melody…

(originally appeared on my blog: http://quartertonality.com/2011/05/16/album-review-joan-of-arc-life-like/ )

The Chicago based math-rock outfit with steady lineup changes, Joan of Arc, adds to their already frighteningly prolific repertoire with their latest effort, "Life Like".

You know that you are in for a serious journey when an album begins with a track that clocks in at over 10 minutes, with the vocals not beginning until 7 minutes in. It's the combination of math-rock and prog that no doubt inspired decisions such as this one, and helps to shape the sound of the band in general. There is also a touch…

This post originally appeared on tympanogram.com on April 7, 2011 here.

Figurines is a poppy rock trio based out of Denmark that has been touring fairly relentlessly since their formation. Their latest self-titled release is 11 tracks of tight songwriting, catchy hooks and memorable melodies.

Though their most recent album was released in September 2010, the band has yet to make it to the United States in its support. That is all going to change in June when they play a few dates along the East coast in Boston, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn. That they are touring here in the Summer…

This post originally appeared on tympanogram.com on April 20, 2011, here.

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Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs

There has been much talk online about w h o k i l l, the 2nd full length album from Merrill Garbus’ near-solo project tUnE-yArDs. Every review places it in a favorable light which positions it firmly as a stand out hit of the 2nd quarter of 2011. It just seems to have the aura of “Best of 2011" surrounding it. I’m no different in that respect. There really isn’t anything out there right now that sounds quite like this album.

Recognizable…