Volcano Choir is a project featuring Justin Vernon from Bon Iver and the members of experimental rock group Collections of Colonies and Bees. Sonically, the album is not too much of a departure from Bon Iver’s sophomore album; however, Vernon’s vocal stylings do differ quite considerable. He frequently abandons the falsetto for a more anthemic Springsteen-esque howl. Surprisingly, it works well, and this album is a pleasure to hear.

- Lucas Hilliard

Ducktails fires on all cylinders for its fourth album. Matt Mondanile (also of Real Estate) finds the perfect niche and gives indie pop its next great band. The Flower Lane starts off with two great Mark Foster-esque tracks (“Ivy Covered House”, “Under Cover”). Future Shuttle’s Jessa Farkas gives a great performance on Letter of Intent, one of the album’s best. The band’s grooves are great (Assistant Director”), and it’s incredibly hard to stop listening. This record hooks you from the start, and is a great ride from beginning to end. Ducktails seriously could be the next big thing in indie pop.

Austin Lyons 2/4/13

Speedy Ortiz has been getting a good deal of attention lately for bringing back the kind of angsty, well-written, female rock that artists like Liz Phair pioneered.  Although I don’t think the singer’s voice is as compelling as her predecessors, fans of this genre of music can still find something to enjoy here, as this album contains hints of other female-fronted rock bands like Rilo Kiley and has enough going on to keep it interesting. -N. Cotter            8/25/13