Tag Archive for: underground music album reviews

Single Review: Christine Hoberg with All That Hate (Danecdote remix)

Single Review: Christine Hoberg with All That Hate (Danecdote remix)

In the grand tradition of Suzanne Vega, Christine Hoberg is an intense songwriter, with a huge vocal range, who sounds best when supported by a humongous beat. (Reviewed on our #26 podcast – We Are in Bed.)

EP Review: Clean Living by Hot Work

EP Review: Clean Living by Hot Work

Four sort of do-woppy songs meant to improve your life and keep you from becoming a piss-stain. The magic is in their honest Australian cheerfulness. Our favorite song: Honey. (Reviewed on our #26 podcast – We Are in Bed.)

Album Review: B-Sides This It Is What It’s Not by Woy

Album Review: B-Sides This It Is What It’s Not by Woy

Ten interesting, listenably-weird songs, all clocking in at either 1:11 or 3:33. As with everything on this album, that timing is deliberate and also seems to point at nothing. Our favorite song: View from Mars. (Reviewed on our #26 podcast – We Are in Bed.)

Album Review: شبح by Vienna Ditto

Album Review: شبح by Vienna Ditto

One half of this band is a hauntingly beautiful singer, and the other half is a commanding electronic music artist. That combination exists all over the place, but never like this. They both have so much skill that neither outshines the other, and the music is both listenable and totally unpredictable. Don’t break up, Vienna Ditto! Our favorite song: Dreamed Me a Riot. (Reviewed on our #25 podcast, Ugly.)

Album Review: Ugly by The Ugly

Album Review: Ugly by The Ugly

So wrong of us to demand the return of this band, which broke up six years ago and whose members are all happily on to other things. But this album is so great. Deep and superficial, loud and even louder. (And it’s free! Click the link to download it.) Our favorite song: Picasso. (Reviewed on our #25 podcast, Ugly.)

Album Review: The Morning After by SixToes

Album Review: The Morning After by SixToes

Cinematic folk rock means not being afraid of simplicity, but not being afraid of complexity either. A haunting bunch of songs, featuring strings, computers, and a balladeer who sounds like he’s from another century. Our favorite song: Nobody Inn.(Reviewed on our #25 podcast, Ugly.)

Album Review: Ugly by Bronson Wisconsin

Album Review: Ugly by Bronson Wisconsin


Sometimes very skilled musicians are totally annoying, but these two brothers seem like they’d be really fun to hang out with. This is country-Americana music that will make you want to move to Wisconsin, where the honest songwriters live. Our favorite song: Goodbye Ventura. (Reviewed on our #25 podcast, Ugly.)

Album Review: Islands by Un.Real

Album Review: Islands by Un.Real

The name, which is pronounced in the Spanish, describes the sound of this band pretty well. We think this music is transportive. Our favorite song: Blue Garden. (Reviewed on our #24 podcast, Waves of Beautiful Gorgeousness.)

Album Review: Devil on Your Tongue by Helicon

Album Review: Devil on Your Tongue by Helicon

How a brand-new band could sound so polished is a mystery that maybe you have to be from Scotland to understand. Really rhythmic, really big, really interesting songs, some of which are sort of stoner rock and some of which are shoegaze-ish. Our favorite song: The Bold Yin. (Reviewed on our #24 podcast, Waves of Beautiful Gorgeousness.)