Time’s Up by Bootcamp. Whenever Iowa City hardcore punk outfit Bootcamp sets off for the divey bars and dimmed basement venues of a tour, vocalist Juliette Enloe sets a phone lockscreen to a map of the U.S., with the state of Iowa circled in blazing red. The reason? Non-Midwest audiences never seem to know where […]
Album Reviews
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Camp Regret — ‘Camp Regret’
Emerging from the dormant memories of basement shows, DIY venues, crashing on couches and floors on tour and the nostalgia for a more active local music scene comes another supergroup of Quad Cities musicians in the form of Camp Regret. Featuring members of past acts such as Meth & Goats, Ice Hockey and Lazer Mountain, Camp Regret may not be young pups, but they are out to prove that you can teach old dogs new tricks with their debut, self-titled album.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Simon Cropp — ‘Paperback Dream’
Simon Cropp doesn’t just write songs — he crafts worlds out of the ordinary. On his debut album Paperback Dream, the 28-year-old songwriter invites listeners into his universe of small-town stories, worn highways and quiet revelations. With a voice both gentle and resolute, Cropp illuminates the beauty and heartbreak tucked inside daily life.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Sophie Mitchell — ‘What’s Left of Us’
What's Left of Us by Sophie Mitchell So rarely does an album break free from its auditory confines and spin itself into the most visceral, tender visual scenes, painting an achingly beautiful portrait of being in your 20s. But with Sophie Mitchell’s What’s Left of Us, you see it — all of it. See the […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: DIEZELEATER — ‘Couthless Aggression’
With a band name styled in ALL CAPS and “kvlt and tru” spelling, you know you’re going to have some sort of preconceived notion of the Des Moines-based metallers DIEZELEATER (Should it technically be DIEZELDRINKER?) and I won’t tell you mine.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Anchoress — ‘Sugarsong’
Sugarsong by Anchoress. Iowa has been the birthplace of some incredible heavy music acts. Marshalltown’s Modern Life Is War are melodic hardcore royalty. Iowa City wrought Aseethe and their punishing doom metal and Dryad with their outstanding crusty black metal. Out of Dubuque, Telekinetic Yeti make stoned doom metal. Muscatine’s Closet Witch, by all rights, […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Deivore — ‘Divinity Glutted’
The brainchild of Ben Smasher and frequent collaborator Joseph Norman (also of black metallers Necrotic Theurgist), Deivore has a prolific output of noise and sound collages, primarily composed of guitar and synthesizers, that blur the lines between improvisational jazz, noise music and modern compositional music.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Fungal Mass — ‘Psychedelic Poison’
“Fungal Mass,” the first track off Psychedelic Poison and named after the band itself, acts as something of a manifesto. Along with the use of second-person throughout the song, the lyrics further welcome the listener to continue their aural adventure with the group, who describe themselves as “an American Thrash Metal band originating from the small town of Wilton, Iowa.”
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Rahlan Kay — ‘An Ode 2 Hip Hop: The Boom Bap Letters’
Rahlan Kay’s An Ode 2 Hip Hop: The Boom Bap Letters plays like grown folks’ music. It’s mature, grounded and built on experience. Across the project, Kay shares wisdom and encouragement in a way that’s direct and easy to take in.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: River Glen — ‘Poignant Folk-Pop’
Poignant Folk-Pop by River Glen There’s a certain cyclical nature to the poignancy of folk in popular culture. Turned to most in times of turmoil, folk music is perhaps the most durable music genre as a medium for both protest and comfort. Particularly provocative is folk’s inherent warmth, with full-bodied string instruments and vocals, in […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Album Review: Bouquet — ‘Feel in Color’
Feel In Color by Bouquet Do you know what it’s like to “feel in color?” That’s the question on the minds of five-piece Des Moines band Bouquet on their latest EP. Across seven tracks, emotions are laid bare, bloody, jagged and raw, while still being hypnotically tender. Across platforms, the band describes itself as “emotional […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Dearborn — ‘Memo for a Friend’
Memo For A Friend by dearborn There’s a particular atmosphere to a sleepless night. More than likely, it culminates in stumbling through a dark room and mental fog to turn on the TV, hoping bottom-shelf infomercials and reruns of yesteryear sitcoms quiet your mind. In those moments, when the rest of the world is asleep, […]
