Pixies - Indie Cindy

Pixies return with a textbook example of a disappointing comeback record.

La Dispute - The Rooms of the House

La Dispute comes through with a worthwhile followup to 2011's Wildlife. While some of the stories aren't as enthralling, the band's minor alterations to their sound this time around makes this record worth checking out if you've been following them up until this point, or if you're a general fan of post-hardcore with poetic lyrics.

Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Blue Chips 2

While East Coast MC Action Bronson didn't skimp on the personality with this new tape of his, there are certainly a lot of aimless, short-of-breath tracks here that really feel like filler.

King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon

UK-based singer-songwriter King Krule finally comes through with a full-length debut, 6 Feet Beneath The Moon. While it is a little overbearing at times, it delivers an almost immeasurable amount of passion!

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Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus

With Slow Focus, Fuck Buttons delivers more interesting electronic sounds and grooves, but continues to neglect the pursuit of interesting melodies and progressions.

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Neon Indian- Era Extraña

Sad to say, I'm not big on this new Neon Indian album. I'd like to think that it's not because of the hype that was built around the project's last album, Psychic Chasms, but I'm afraid that might be a possibility. I don't think I was expecting the world of this album--especially since the last album didn't give me the world. To put it simply, I guess I was expecting something different. To me, this album feels like a serious and well-recorded version of Psychic Chasms.

With a plethora of reverb and dance music sounds from the Neon Indian-related sideproject Vega. sole member Alan Palomo is reliving past glories more than he is excelling into the future.

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Girls- Father, Son, Holy Ghost

I didn't find Girls' sophomore LP to be as instantaneous, well-produced, or fun as the California band's debut, but there's still a great set of tracks here--not to mention a load of ambition in the extra instrumentation. I totally respect the fact that these guys have to try new things to order to keep from stagnating, but I'm not in love with every move Girls make on this album. "Just A Song" has an ending ruined by some editing experiment that went horribly wrong. I'm not sure if I'm really into the soulful backup vocals that find their way into some of these tracks, and I'm not sure how long the novelty a track like "Die" will stick around.

Like album, this thing is as varied as a mixtape made by a friend. This time, it just feels like my friend's tastes are varying even further from mine.

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Toxic Holocaust- Conjure and Command

On Toxic Holocaust's fourth album, the Portland band takes a leaner approach to its grimy fusion of punk and thrash metal, lowering the black metal influences that were once prominent on the band's earlier releases. While there's not a lot of variety to be had on this release, it's not something I really ask for from this album. It's quick, 33-minute shot of rough riffs and tooth-gnashing ferocity.

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