independent thoughts on indie rock, alternative, and indie pop music
Into the Blue has enough throwback rock magic to ensnare old-school alternative lovers and couples it with just the right amount of synth wonder to feel explorative. It’s an album you can just enjoy and rock out to and allows you to appreciate The Joy Formidable’s creative vision.
A welcome and raucous treat, Little Heat from Bruvvy is made to be played with the volume cranked to 11. It serves as a reminder that we simply don’t get enough wall-rattling, neighbor-waking rock albums anymore.
With Title Card, Leisure Sport has put together a collection of pop-influenced indie rockers that are made to play loud on days in the sun. It’s a record full of good old-fashioned angst buoyed by just the right amount of bright guitar hooks and snappy drum beats to make it a fun summer listen.
Alex McArtor's Welcome to the Wasteland EP is full of grand orchestral visions and enthralling lyrical hooks—combined with a nuanced complexity that makes it feel fresh on each listen. It's an album rich in vocal power and genre-bending sound.
With "In Standard Definition," Art d’Ecco questions modern pop culture through catchy, throwback, glam rock jams. Many of the tracks are simply infectious: loaded with guitar fuzz, creative exploitation of synth, and downright dance-worthy beats.
With Grecian Urn, L.A. post-punk rock band Adult Books gives us a record that’s brooding yet unoppressive in its angst.
We’ve all had that moment: shuffling through a bunch of new music and clicking through a bunch of stylistic clones. Then something catches your attention, so different that it freezes your finger hovering above the skip button. Before you know it, you’re three tracks into an album and still listening. Be prepared—Get Well Soon, the... Continue Reading →
Our consumption of music has changed. Digital downloads, and now, streaming services, have placed a premium on the rapid-fire release of singles over the carefully and complete idea of albums. Every detail of Leon III’s Antlers In Velvet feels like a time-warp to when listening to music was the main event, not just some background... Continue Reading →
There’s a pattern I always follow when starting an album review. When dealing with hundreds of daily submissions, an album usually only has a minute or two to catch my attention to make it onto the potential review list. Full exploration of the album doesn’t happen until much later, when a final version is submitted,... Continue Reading →
Well before my time writing for East of 8th, I was a music lover. That led me to music festivals, and from there to the sometimes fun, sometimes educational, often horrifying world of music festival message boards. This back story is relevant to this review because it was in the pandemonium of a well-known Bonnaroo... Continue Reading →
