Black Lips – Arabia Mountain
In the single “Modern Art,” bassist for the Black Lips, Jared Swilley, sings over a fuzzed out guitar: “K-hole at the Dalí/Seeing the unknown/Well it might have been a molly/’Cause my mind’s being blown. Two things are clear about this band: 1) These hooligans quaff enough drugs that make Charlie Sheen look like he’s been huffing Elmer’s glue out of a brown bag. 2) Its music sounds just like they are: debauched, offensive and slightly criminal, all of which translates into its most recent vinyl pressing.
Famed for its notorious stage antics, such as making out with each other, flinging piss and whipping out their peters as well as their (legally questionable) lifestyle choices, the boys have cleaned up their act for its latest release, Arabia Mountain, on Vice Records. Well, sort of. Read the full review on Seattle PI
Sarah Jarosz – Follow me Down
No one should be surprised that acoustic multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz can pick clean and fast. Jarosz’s first album showcased her ability to take on folk, country, and bluegrass music head on as well as cover rock songs with creative gusto. Jarosz does the same on her latest album, but she has expanded her musical palette and does much more. Follow Me Down, which will be released shortly before her 20th birthday, reveals Jarosz’ considerable growth as singer, songwriter, and player. Her talent at performing everything from slow airs to somewhat avant-garde compositions while keeping the music consistently interesting suggests she is wise beyond her years. Read the full review on Pop Matters
The Japanese Popstars – Controlling Your Allegiance
The best dance songs are those that manage to navigate the pitfalls of the genre. It’s easy to throw a bass beat underneath any old track and put it on in a club; it’s another thing entirely to get away with the same trick on an album. This isn’t an issue for the Japanese Popstars, though. On Controlling Your Allegiance, they don’t limit themselves with repetitive rhythms. Instead, each song crafts a different tone through varied instrumentation, multiple vocalists, and a high-level intensity that will get people moving. Read the full review Consequence of Sound