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Laura Marling – Semper Femina  More Alarming Records -out today 4 / 5 Laura Marling’s sixth album is not something we typically listen to. We like rock-outs, soul sessions, complicated layered what-have-yous. Stuff with a lotta moving parts. Contrary to our usual tastes, the Los Angeles native’s Semper Femina feels, to take the opener, “Soothing.” That is, sonically, it feels soothing; but make no mistake, behind the comfortable vocals, the sparse guitar, behind the illusion of a soothing album lies a quiet intensity. It’s an introverted LP, an album that begs multiple listens to catch the subtle effects that work here. In short, it is notRead More →

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Susto – & I’m Fine Today  Missing Piece Records – out now 3.5 / 5 Susto, a Latin American term roughly translating as “soul sickness,” doubles South Carolina’s alternative rock quintet on their second full-length. The term is fitting as lead singer and songwriter Justin Osborne, who traveled to Cuba in his mid-20s on a musical quarter-life crisis, pens here a sophomore of songs of wanderlust and disconnection. What comes on this not-quite-dozen are fun, solid tracks that sport a musical twist-and-turn every now and then. Right off the bat, we enjoy the strings on “Far Out Feeling,” which are a powerful accent for aRead More →

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Flagship – Electric Man Bright Antenna – out March 10 3 / 5 Charlotte, North Carolinan duo Flagship hoist the sails again in their sophomore LP, Electric Man. Here, Drake Margolnick (vocals) and Michael Finster (drums) aim is toward mid-tempo rockers, the more emotive ones instead of rock shredders, and generally hit their target; yielding a result like “In the Rain,” a drum-pounding anthem. But while Flagship hit their target, we’re going to admit: that target wasn’t too terribly high. The risks on Electric Man are minimal, the songwriting not terribly explosive, and the execution is above-par, but not much else. But those drums, though… Yes,Read More →

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Dutch Uncles – Big BalloonMemphis Industries– out Feb. 174 / 5 We’re going to try a different approach for Manchester, England based quartet Dutch Uncles here. Their latest full-length, Big Balloon, is number five in their full-length discography. We’ve covered #3 – 2013’s Out of Touch in the Wild – which you can read right here. We also had to follow up with them in 2015 on their fourth full-length O Shudder (also read our review right here). If there’s something you, our readers, might have noticed about our reviews of Dutch Uncles’ last three albums, they’re all good, solid albums, at 4 / 5. (Four of fiveRead More →