Benjamin Ricci

Tyler Ramsey The Valley Wind Asheville, NC “Guitars on top of a mountain…in the middle of the ocean” Tyler Ramsey might have felt like a lucky guy when Band of Horses recruited the North...

Topshelf Records 2011 Label Sampler Boston, MA “68 bands for the price of validation” It’s essentially impossible to review this sampler. To start, it’s free. For the price of clicking “like” on...

VINYL OF THE MONTH The Stone Foxes Psycho b/w Serious People San Francisco, CA “The Black Keys meet the Grateful Dead” Psycho - The Stone Foxes by SidewaysMedia Distorted vocals, commanding chords,...

Pterodactyl Spills Out Brooklyn, NY "Angular guitars, blistering rhythms, paranoid vocals” Offering one of the finest, most triumphant albums of the year, Brooklyn’s intricate trio Pterodactyl is...

Peter Wolf Crier Garden of Arms Minneapolis, MN “Tightly-woven mix of electronic beats, soulful guitar, and searching lyrics” With Garden of Arms, Peter Wolf Crier’s second album, the band has built...

Nurses Dracula Portland, OR “Fanged avant-pop” In 2009, the Portland-based trio Nurses released Apple’s Acre. Though the LP’s release did not create much buzz in the blogosphere, it did help the...

Nappy Riddem One World Sovereignty Washington, D.C. “Riddem’s stellar rhythms are undeniable” Given the name Nappy Riddem, one might expect an album with a stereotypical roots take on reggae, but...

Letters All The Adventures To See Them I Will Olympia, WA “Atmospheric folk from the Pacific Northwest” On their website, Letters insists they are not a band, but a musical project that is...

Kimya Dawson Thunder Thighs Brooklyn, NY "Life lessons delivered with oddball charm” Moldy Peaches front woman Kimya Dawson is back with her seventh self-released LP. Thunder Thighs is another hit...