Devendra Banhart - Ape In Pink Marble (Nonesuch)

I reviewed Devendra Banhart's ninth LP for musicOMH. Read in full here.

"Ape In Pink Marble is a subtle proposition, but an intriguing one. The album’s title – perhaps a nod to his parallel life as a visual artist – suggests a studied surrealism and oblique personal expression. Its songs can be divided roughly into two camps: faintly funky frivolities and sad, late-night reflections."

Suuns - Hold/Still (Secretly Canadian)

I reviewed Suuns' Hold/Still for musicOMH. Read in full here.

“Fall is dark and unsettling, a deliberately abrasive choice as album opener. The guitars are squalling and piercing, singer Ben Shemie’s vocals distorted and ugly; the drums, when they come in around the one-minute mark, are crushing, compressed to within an inch of their life. “Down… down,” Shemie repeats. We’re gonna pull you down into our world for the next 40 minutes, is the message. And where we’re going there’s gonna be very few instant, advert-ready tunes."