Lollipop Magazine

Les Savy Fav – Inches – Review

September 6, 2004

You can distinctly hear Les Savy Fav’s tight and intelligent brand of art-rock devolve into their raw, noise-obsessed roots.

Last Days Of April – If You Lose It – Review

September 6, 2004

If You Lose It takes more risks and yields more fruits. Turning down the sap-o-meter and injecting an early-’90s aesthetic (think Sebadoh).

Federico Aubele – Granhotelbuenosaires – Review

August 30, 2004

Latino rhythms, instrumentation, atmosphere, and occasional prose backed by Thievery Corporation beats.

Denison Witmer & The River Bends – …And Flows into the Sea – Review

August 30, 2004

Denison Witmer hasn’t turned Christian rock, nor has The River Bends as his backing band automatically altered his tender songs. A slightly rockier album.

David Cross – It’s Not Funny – Review

August 30, 2004

On his second live stand-up disc (which he initially [jokingly] wanted to name “The New Fiona Apple CD”), Cross spews venom in all directions.

Beauty Pill – The Unsustainable Lifestyle – Review

August 30, 2004

Beauty Pill have created a sublime journey into poisoned food, stuck-up bands, and girl geniuses through the use of metaphor and unpredictable song structures.

Apes – Tapestry Mastery – Review

August 30, 2004

Voices, when they appear, are distorted to the point of lunacy, and damn near every other instrument is distorted or processed in some way.

Sluts of Trust – We Are All – Review

August 16, 2004

Taking the guitar tweaking of Edward Van Halen and spiking it thru the post-punk herk ‘n’ jerk of those days is using the musical language to full advantange.

Scoville Unit – Everybody Knows – Review

August 16, 2004

Scoville Unit pays homage to the effortlessness of Buddy Holly, the innocence of Simon & Garfunkel, the melancholy of REM, & the fluidity of Belle & Sebastian.

The Junior Varsity – The Great Compromise – Review

August 16, 2004

On the debut from Chicago post-punk group The Junior Varsity, the moody pop of old Jimmy Eat World tracks meets the viciously lovelorn lyrics of Alkaline Trio.