SOUND BITES

  It may seem improbable to those who only remember them from their minor North American hit High in 1998 (as featured on the Can't Hardly Wait soundtrack), but Feeder have carved out quite a career for themselves, at least in their native UK. Racking up hits far beyond the '90s, they've built a dedicated fan base close to home, and have had eight of their eleven albums (including this one) go Top 10 in the UK; fellow Canadians can draw a parallel to, say, The Tea Party to get a sense of the level of acclaim and popularity they've received at home. Admittedly, previous to Torpedo I hadn't done a deep dive on Feeder beyond their singles (while I have the floor, the fact that 2001's Buck Rogers didn't hit over here is criminal); however, a few very excited reviews hailing the new record as a welcome return to hard rock had me curious. I'm glad I did, because Torpedo delivers the goods; not that it twists the boundaries of their sound or subverts expectat...

  With a sound as bright and enigmatic as its cover, Guerilla Toss finds themselves on the receiving end of a fair amount of attention for their fifth album (and first for iconic indie label Sub Pop); I won't pretend I've been hip to them the entire time (when you're in your mid forties, things slip through the cracks more easily), the abridged version of Guerilla Toss' history is that they rose to underground prominence over the course of the last decade or so on the strength of their high octane live performances and their hard to pin down art-pop stylings. Famously Alive sees a few rough edges smoothed somewhat, but there's still all manner of unpredictable thrills to be had; these songs are glossy and weird, exploring mainstream pleasures while pushing boundaries. Crucially, there's a great vibrancy at work here; these songs soar, shimmer and absolutely pulse with life, exuding positive vibes no matter how many sonic tricks are employed. There are elements ...

  The first of four planned EPs to be released in tandem with the change of seasons in 2022, Weezer's latest experiment in gimmickry is meant to feel truly ambitious; its first installment, SZNZ: Spring , finds the band returning somewhat to the chamber pop they surprised with on last year's OK Human (one of two albums that saw release by Weezer in 2021, alongside the big dumb rock of Van Weezer ). Acoustic instrumentation pops up throughout, although there are swaths of sugary noise punctuating many of the choruses; lead track Opening Night is a prime example, interpolating Vivaldi's Four Seasons (because of course it does, as it's already been said the following three installments will) as Weezer do their best to mash up 18th century concertos with '90s power pop. It's noble in its intention but the execution doesn't feel quite right. A better indicator of what this approach can sound like when done properly is highlight Angels On Vacation , which uses ...

  Entering the scene on that tried and true UK hype and nabbing producer Catherine Marks (who's helmed albums for PJ Harvey, Wolf Alice and Manchester Orchestra among many others) for their debut, it feels like The Mysterines are emerging fully formed. Not that it's necessarily come quickly or easily; their first EP was released nearly three years ago, and bandleader Lia Metcalf has been writing songs since she was a child. Still, for most of us, Reeling is our first real exposure to the Liverpool group. Press surrounding the release of Reeling name checks several influences, from The Strokes and Arcade Fire to the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Terrence Malick; personally, I don't really hear too much of that here except in conceptual influence. Rather, I hear a lot of nocturnal, gothic garage rock akin to bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (whose vibes show up all over this record), The Black Angels ( The Bad Thing , complete with a tempo shift) and Queens of the S...

  You've got to hand it to Ghost (more accurately, Tobias Forge and his rotating cast of Nameless Ghouls); when they go after a motif, they go all the way after it. Their first four records took the blackened blueprint of Satanic metal (which, as it turns out, is Ghost's seemingly eternal curse) and stretched the sound to what one could assume are the absolute outer limits. With each subsequent release up to and including 2018's Prequelle , each record has its own distinct hallmarks; Opus Eponymous found them at their most classic metal-leaning, Infestissumam was their psychedelic Sabbath record, Meliora saw them give in to their most riff-centric and melodic tendencies, while Prequelle blew out their sound to its most cinematic and accessible state yet. Of course, as soon as you're told you're metal by the gatekeepers, you dare not step outside of your box lest incur the wrath; in just over a decade, Ghost has gone from leaders of a new generation of metal to hot g...

  Most bands don't enjoy a sustained level of success, even regionally, over the course of a career that spans more than a quarter century; and yet, here Stereophonics are, 25 years removed from their debut album and releasing their twelfth. While they are arguably far removed from their global popularity peak (depending on who you ask, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1999-2006), in their native UK they have consistently racked up #1 albums ( Oochya! is poised to be their eighth chart topping album there, which is really quite astounding) and have amassed a king's ransom of hit singles. That said, from my purely personal and subjective point of view, Stereophonics' output has always been a bit on the spotty side; the majority of their records (especially over the past decade and change) have been neither hit nor miss, relegated instead to the cursed middle of the road, home to a few fine additions to a greatest hits playlist but ultimately lacking anything truly substant...

  Following a pair of self-released albums and a steadily growing profile, The Dip's third album finds them signed to revered imprint Dualtone, also home of The Lumineers, who have garnered a bit of popularity themselves. Don't be expecting downtrodden Americana or sombre indie stylings from The Dip, though, as Sticking With It finds the seven-member group firmly entrenched in soul, classic R&B and blues. From pillar to post, Sticking With It is full of these throwbacks, from the supersized Black Keys lead track Paddle To the Stars (and its B-side opening counterpart Crickets ), the reverb-soaked Motown rocker Sleep On It , the smooth, groovy and huge sounding When You Lose Someone and Real Contender , the smoky and sullen crooners Anyway and Eye to Eye , the sunny and bright Vacation and Apollonia , the dramatic, cinematic balladry of instrumental Yellowfinger and the funky, jammy closer Forget About It . Never a dull moment throughout, Sticking With It is one of the m...

  Ben Bridwell knows a thing or two about change. Things Are Great , Band of Horses' sixth studio album (and first in six years) sees the group on their fourth record label with their sixteenth band member; Bridwell is the sole original member remaining from their earliest incarnation as the fawned-over indie buzz band who first caught attention over fifteen years ago with their highly lauded debut Everything All the Time . An aching, earnest record full of heart and raw emotion, Everything All the Time is the blessing and the curse Bridwell has wrestled with for the entirety of Band of Horses' run; each subsequent album has been held up against that first record, criticisms unfairly painted with the same broad brush. As new sonic ground was explored (and new players brought on to facilitate exploration), the sign posts inevitably pointed back to 2006, for better or for worse. Things Are Great is getting some of that slightly misleading "return to form" buzz, it...

  Gang of Youths have never shied away from grandiosity; they've built their reputations (and collected a fair share of recoil from some) through following every indulgence in their sound, peppering their discography with cinematic, sometimes overbearingly produced, songs and albums that long to become events, wringing every drop of drama to fuel their super-sized tales of personal crisis and tragedy. It's not completely unwarranted given the events experienced, and they've done very well for themselves with this approach, but third album angel in realtime. feels much more poignant; a 67-minute tribute to David Le'aupepe's father, who passed away in 2018 just as his son's star was rising, angel in realtime. is the most dense, deep and emotional work Gang of Youths have released to date. Informed by the grief of his passing and the enigmatic nature of his life in perhaps equal measure, angel in realtime. is the complicated, towering story of Teleso "Tatte...

  Superchunk's first act firmly established them as a band destined to fly under the radar; too abrasive to be mainstream but too prone to big power pop hooks to be accepted in the underground, their songs existed on the fringes of the alternative revolution of the '90s. By the time they'd gone through their formative period, signed with Matador, formed their own record label (the now highly lauded, longstanding indie imprint Merge) and gotten eight albums under their belts, the '90s had come and gone; with the terrible events of September 11, 2001 a fresh wound and diminishing excitement for the band, it was decided that a bit of a break was in order. Over the remainder of the decade, aside from the odd live appearance or compilation release, Superchunk went eerily quiet. Then, nine years after the release of their previous record, Superchunk began their second act with the more mature and surprisingly spry Majesty Shredding , kicking off the '10s with a most welco...