Latest Earshot Reviews: Feb 2013

Ron Davis - Blue Modules

Claude Munson and the Storm Outside - The Storm Outside

Best of 2012 #3: Shrouded Strangers - Lost Forever (Izniz)

I heard this album very early in the spring of 2012 and I immediately thought it would definitely be in my Top 10 albums of the year. And boy did it grow on me as the year went on. I've discovered that I have a solid love for noisy psychedelic rock and this album captured the sound I love very well. Shrouded Strangers are a relatively new and young band from California, with only one other album under their belts. This album was released pretty much as an independent release too. It was a good year for psychedelic rock, with Tame Impala and Ringo Deathstarr already on my list. This was  the best psychedelic album I heard this year.

http://youtu.be/IdvzcrF_rHo

Best of 2012 #4: Tanlines - Mixed Emotions (True Panther Sounds)

Brooklyn's Tanlines straddle the line between 80s synth-pop nostalgia and modern edgy indy rock. Not really staying in either world, the duo bounces back and forth between genres. Their latest album, Mixed Emotions, is just their second to date and their first for the highly influential True Panther Sounds label. Teh music is tense, edgy, paranoid and ultimately a lot of fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKJ3z9Pa7AU

 

Best of 2012 #6 : Purity Ring - Shrines (Last Gang)

2012 was an amazing year for Purity Ring. The duo had been kicking around Toronto under other names (Gobble Gobble, Born Gold) until landing their sound with the dark electro-rock of Purity Ring. The band has a nervous tension, plied into 2-3 minute pop gems. They exploded into prominence in Canada this year, and landed an international distribution contract with the lauded 4AD label. A stellar debut from Purity Ring with Shrines. I'm sure we'll see more of this great band in the near future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqw4wo8vdY8