At its core Modern Vampires of the City still has the clever hooks and effortless melodies that made the band blogosphere darlings in 2008, but underneath the gloss there's a less easy, more fatalistic worldview
Maybe the most impressive thing about Screaming Females – besides leading lady Marissa Paternoster's well-documented shredding chops – is the consistency of the group's output. Since lunging out of New Brunswick, New Jersey's sweaty-basement party scene in 2006, the trio has released five full-length studio albums, not a clunker among them. On Chalk Tape, their second studio EP, the Females continue to solidify their reputation for delivering wickedly efficient DIY rock
Pared down and clocking in at just over thirty minutes, Beta Love serves as a reminder that sometimes more actually is more.
Diluvia, the group's sophomore release, is at least a few shades darker than Weathervanes, but preserves the oddball pop instrumentation that helped Freelance Whales stand out in a crowded New York indie scene.
Overall, The Sound of the Life of the Mind stands up to the band's back catalogue, and should leave any BF5 fan who might have feared a by-the-numbers reunion album pleasantly surprised.
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Led by Christian Wargo and Casey Westcott, supporting members of Fleet Foxes, Seattle-based quartet Poor Moon emphasizes similarly ethereal, harmony-heavy arrangements on its debut LP, but takes measured steps away from the Foxes' folk-pop sweet spot.
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There's little doubt that Kristian Matsson, better known as the Tallest Man on Earth, felt slightly out of place at Town Hal. At one point, after an inter-song "I love you!" cry from a fan, he mumbled back something along the lines of "I love you too New York. You're big and scary, but I love you."
