I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness belongs to a different genus of indie rock, one that I mentally file as S.I.R., or "Serious Indie Rock."  Full text...

"Fear Is On Our Side" is definitely more Depeche Mode than Spoon, definitely more electronica than math rock. Luckily, it doesn't lose either side of these equations, the atmospheric tension or the songwriting.  Full text...

What's most provocative about this lean, effective debut, is that Fear is on Our Side doesn't merely meander around this tension, they use it to write strenuous, resonant pop.  Full text...

The band is trying on an ambitious new wardrobe, exploring the limits of what they can do with it and not quite fitting into it yet. The problem seems to be a not yet fully developed understanding of how to make their pop moments gel with the layered atmosphere they seem committed to.  Full text...

The album's closer track, "If It Was Me," is a pulsating, driving, swirling sledgehammer, playing heavily on the long, sprawling jam but never losing the thread, never seeming like they're just messing about, never coming across as a hack act. Such is the album.  Full text...

Fear Is On Our Side seems intent on distancing itself from that auspicious debut. New producer Paul Barker -- of Ministry fame -- imbues the band with a heavier, arena-ready sound more akin to Depeche Mode or Modern English.  Full text...