The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low Review

My review of The Rosebuds' latest album Loud Planes Fly Low recently got published over at Donnybrook. It came out a little while ago, but I've been so busy of late that I didn't get a chance to post it until now.

Anyhow, here's a quick excerpt from the review:

Listeners are immediately struck by the dark and abstract sound that permeates the album, but after considering that Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp–the husband and wife duo behind the band–split up three years ago and have fought to come to terms with each other, the album’s mood is not all that surprising.

Channeling their personal experiences into the album, Howard and Crisp have churned out some of their best written songs yet. Roiling with emotions beneath its smooth surface, Loud Planes Fly Low will pull you under and violently drown you in its tempestuous vortex.

...Despite its driving beat and catchy synths, even the album’s most upbeat song, “Woods,” fails to escape the gravitational pull of their moodiness as Howard moans dark lyrics like “No don’t you wait for me / No you can’t burn what is already on fire” and “There’s nowhere to hide / Everyone out here is so high / Oh good God.”

Head over to Donnybrook to read the rest or watch the video for "Woods" below.

Quiet Lights No More Canyons 7" Review

My review of the Quiet Lights No More Canyons 7" is up on Donnybrook.

This is definitely one of my favorite new bands to emerge, so be sure to read the review and check out their 7". You can watch the video to the B-side "Break Trouble Wait Below."

Here's a quick excerpt:

Mesmerizingly beautiful, Quiet Lights’ No More Canyons 7” will haunt your mind long after it has been exorcised from your speakers. Like those lovely but oh so deadly Sirens of Homer’s Odyssey, Quiet Lights will lure you into their world with their ghostly vocals and enchanting soundscapes.

Shoegazey with an underlying malice, “No More Canyons” is full of trouble. It begins innocently enough with a few quiet strums, but the track is quickly swallowed by a monstrous wall of overdriven guitars that nearly engulf the ghostly vocals.

Despite your best attempts, only faint wisps of words, thoughts, and sentiments can be heard over the din. These indiscernible night susurrations build to a howling, miasmic swirl until everything suddenly stops, leaving only a hanging whisper in the air – the ellipsis is almost palpable.

To read the rest, head over to Donnybrook


Break Trouble Wait from Quiet Lights on Vimeo.