Sheer Mag
"Sheer Mag"
(Wilsuns (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK){)
Praise be, has a full-length LP at long last arrived from the riff-rocking quintet fronted by powerhouse vocalist Christina Halladay that's one of Philadelphia's most deservedly ascendant bands? Well, not exactly. "Sheer Mag" is a 12-song 180-gram vinyl release that compiles the formidable fivesome's three EPs, previously available only as seven-inch records or streaming on the group's Bandcamp site.
The set looks great, from the boss embossed band logo on the album cover to the photo collage in the gatefold sleeve within. And the newly remastered set, recorded in South Philly and Port Richmond, sounds terrific, too, with the Thin Lizzy crunch of "Fan the Flames," feminist kick of "Nobody's Baby," and gentrification observations ("The streets are changing, a white breeze is blowing through them") on the rugged "Point Breeze." The compilation bristles with the raw energy of the band's punkish twin guitar attack and whets the appetite for a true full-length debut, hopefully coming this year. _ Dan DeLuca
