Valus24

Friko's latest album seems to have the genetic makeup of a smash-hit sophomore gem: We see the band tightening their tracklist - not in length but in song-selection. Gone are the "For Ella's", and the "Until I'm With You Again's" of the debut album. Friko have chosen to embrace the grand, soaring indie rock theatrics of the 2000's, a real strength of the band. On paper, Friko have greatly improved on mostly all of my gripes with their debut

and, ... read more

These words can truly only come from a self-centered, egoistical and narcissistic man. And through this mind numbing degree of self-absorption comes a piece that is so full of itself, it becomes beautiful. Through all of the discourse that surrounds this record, there is one thing that you cannot convince me of: That Alexander Kent is phoning it in. Nobody makes something this achingly honest in some faux intellectual effort to trick snot nosed music nerds online that they are in fact the next ... read more

Squid's great curse is that they were doomed to play second fiddle. It seems that this band's brilliance just flies over everyone's heads. Not because their work is too immense or too sophisticated, but because few care to give their music the time of day. The band's evolution has been nothing but a treat to witness, with O monolith seeing the band bend their anxious and brooding post-punk roots into fantastical new shapes, with the introduction of more experimental and ... read more

In concept, this EP fits quite snugly within Ethel's creative pantheon, but in presentation, 'Perverts' is a great departure from familiarity. Strains of her slowcore roots remain, with a majority of this record being a dark ambient affair. I honestly found myself being more enthralled by the longer drone cuts on this record. Some of the textures and soundscapes served as hauntingly beautiful canvases for the repetitive and numbing spoken word pieces. Perverts seems to be an ... read more