On their fourth album Indigo Meadow, the Black Angels have kept all of the echo, fuzz, and organ-wailing they’re known for, but added a tighter sound and clearer vocals. It’s obvious the band’s heroes are ahead-of-their-time legends like the 13th Floor Elevators, the Velvet Underground, and the Stooges, but the Angels don’t sound dated while renovating the psych-garage punk genre. Every song on ... Read More

Jumping seamlessly from style to style and interweaving elements from garage rock, ’60s girl groups, and cabaret, the music of Austin-based duo Agent Ribbons is hard to classify. On Let Them Talk, the band takes a lighter turn than on its past two full-lengths and embraces the whimsical side of its twisted-fairytale style. Opener “Family Haircut” begins with ethereal “oohs” sung over ominous drums, but soon ... Read More

Reviewed by Sheila Dichoso We can barely believe it’s been four years since the Ting Tings released their feverish debut, because it still sounds young and fresh. Back in 2008, We Started Nothing made us feel as badass as tripping cheerleaders stealing mascara at the mall, and that’s fine, but so very high school. Their sophomore album, Sounds From Nowheresville, has a more seasoned, sultry attitude. After touring their electro ... Read More

Blonde Redhead frontwoman Kazu Makino has organized some pretty stellar musicians for a good cause: We Are the Works in Progress is a 14-song compilation album to support Japan's efforts to rebuild and heal after  the 2011 tsunami.  The album features exclusive tracks, remixes, and new versions of songs-- many of them works in progress themselves-- from artists such as Karin Dreijer Andersson (Fever Ray, The Knife), John Maus, and ... Read More