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1 week ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
FAFO is probably the acronym that I’ve been relatively happy to have come across in the past few months. I’m not sure why it’s never been used up until more recently but yeah, it’s a good one. When I think of the post-hardcore outfit Iron Lung, that’s what comes to mind.
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2 weeks ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
With Hex Key (Epitaph), the third long-player by Atlanta-by-way-of-Los-Angeles-by-way-of-Austin Mamalarky, the group doesn’t stray from its pop sensibilities.
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3 weeks ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
Oh that L.A. Witch returns with its third full-length release Doggod (Suicide Squeeze Records), a palindrome and ancient Scottish word meaning “do-gooder.” Yes, I did my research. Now with the band’s new album, much has remained the same while it’s translated into the group’s sound that’s showing a progression. When I say things have remained the same, I’m generalizing to the fact L.A. Witch, Sade Sanchez, Ellie English, and Irita Pai, continue on its gloomy, boozy garage rock pace it has been on.
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4 weeks ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
It seems we get a new CocoRosie album every five years or so. The band of sisters Bianca Casady and Sierra Casady have always delivered what we all might believe are delicate songs but these two are far more durable than we’d originally thought. With the band’s eight full-length release, Little Death Wishes (Joyful Noise), CocoRosie allows us further in, to see a fiery version of itself.
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1 month ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
The weather has taken quite a turn around me with winds speeding by as the rain angles off in a variety of directions. I thought there were rumblings coming from outside as well but then quickly realized the thundering wasn’t coming from out there but from inside my headphones. Was I Good Enough? is the collaborative effort between Rhode Island’s The Body and Toronto’s Intensive Care.
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1 month ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
The great northwest has produced several groups that have fallen into obscurity never to be seen again but then some refuse to go gently into that good night. So many artists have fallen to darkness but there are those that some of us refuse to just let go of because there’s no ignoring great music. Now while Seattle’s post-punk rockers Kinski has shown no signs of slowing down Stumbledown Terrace (Comedy Minus One) is the group’s first release in 7 years.
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2 months ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
Independence is important. This is something that becomes more and more relevant in various ways. Artists have the freedom to conjure up innumerable releases with the freedom of not having to answer to anyone. But it can also be a complication filled with stumbling blocks. It’s easy to share something with the world at the last possible moment although faced with the drawback of publicity. Yes, those are two different things.
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2 months ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
When it comes to some artists, I have considered myself a casual fan, with decisions that are deliberate to not search out a group’s music. Now while I understand the UK’s The Wombats may have over half a million fans, I sometimes find myself needing more to quench my palette. Agree or disagree, The Wombats are a good pop band and their songs are filled with catchy melodies and hooks but will you find yourself searching them out time and time again? Probably not, but again, catchy sometimes.
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2 months ago | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
A.M. Architect is more than just an electronic duo, listening to the group’s new album Avenir, is an experience. Ideas have been reworked, shifting landscapes, as they drown out the noise of the rest of the world. While blisteringly soulful, the musical constructions remain edgy with electronic samples and blips strewn across its colorful vistas. Interestingly enough, there are several tones and watery textures that shift the energy but allow for a variety of emotions from track to track.
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
ghettoblastermagazine.com | Eddie Ugarte
Not everything moves in a singular straight line, which could be said of Benjamin Booker’s new album LOWER (Fire First Records). Booker’s breathy vocal delivery is searing throughout and never seems to get old here. Even when his voice makes a much more dominating entrance on “Pompeii Statues,” we still get that airiness but it’s so captivating.
