Category: Reviews
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Empire of the Sun’s 2008 debut Walking On A Dream was an electro-pop masterpiece that ranked very high on most critics’ year end best lists and was almost universally loved. I read several music magazines — not to mention websites — and I don’t recall reading a single negative review. Now the Australian duo of…
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The Joy Formidable’s proper full-length debut album was called The Big Roar and roar it did. They were all about the roar, singer/guitarist Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan mad like a rabid wolf, howling in the night. On the cover of their new album, Wolf’s Law, the wolf is dead and has flowers growing out of it.…
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The Knife is a duo comprised of brother and sister Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer Andersson, the later of which has released some glorious electro-pop during recent years under the name Fever Ray. Shaking the Habitual is their first proper album of new material since 2006’s Silent Shout. It’s difficult to put my thoughts about…
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When Sneaker Pimps dismissed their intoxicating singer Kelli Ali after just one album — the brilliant trip-hop masterpiece that is Becoming X — I was devastated. There were two bands I was obsessed with at the time, Garbage and Sneaker Pimps. And the idea of Sneaker Pimps sans Kelli was as absurd as the idea…
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It’s old news by now: during December of 2010 two of Paramore’s founding members, brothers Josh and Zac Farro, quit the Nashville, Tennessee-bred band, shocking fans who had no idea that they were even having trouble. Initially, it was said to be an amicable split, but Josh eventually blogged his version of the story (http://joshnfarro.blogspot.com/2010/12/josh-and-zacs-exit-statement.html),…
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Night & Day is Spanish singer/songwriter Virginia Labuat’s first album entirely in English, but you’d never know that from listening to it. Her pronunciation is better than that of many artists whose only language is English and her command of the language in her lyrics is always spot on, sans awkward phrasing. Suffice to say…
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It’s appropriate that the album cover of Carla Bruni’s fourth album, Little French Songs, is a simple photo of the Italian-French singer and a presumably acoustic guitar because, well, that’s what the majority of this album consists of, Carla simply singing along to acoustic guitar. To that end, it’s so very mellow that it could…
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Although Wavves new album has been released on Mom + Pop records in affiliation with Warner Bros., whom I’m assuming are handling the distribution, there was no record company involvement in the making of this record. The group, which now consists solely of guitarist/vocalist Nathan Williams and bassist Stephen Pope, hired producer John Hill themselves…
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Kelli Ali is probably still most famous for being the singer on the late British trip-hop/electro group Sneaker Pimps’ first album, Becoming X, which was released in 1996 at the height of the electronica frenzy. Sneaker Pimps had a big hit with their single “6 Underground” and the single “Spin Spin Sugar” was hugely successful…
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I remember loving Cold Cave’s debut, Cherish The Light Years, but I don’t remember it having anything quite so upbeat. “God Made The World” is like a cross between Depeche Mode, The Smiths and The Cure. It packs a super fast, snappy beat and some gorgeous synth that calls to mind the synth on the…
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“Let it be printed, let it be known, I’m leaving you, I’m going home, and all you can do is watch me go” — those are the appropriate opening lyrics from “Let Me Back In,” the first song — and one of the strongest tracks — on the late band Rilo Kiley’s cleverly titled rarities…
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Aerosmith’s new album, their first of new material in 8 years, Music From Another Dimension is a welcome addition to their catalog. There are many positive things to say about it which will encourage old fans and new ones as this is one of the more consistent efforts at a return to the band’s roots…
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Charlene’s 2011 release Moonchild was a truly remarkable album of singer/songwriter indie/folk music that garnered her more critical acclaim than most artists who released albums that year. To that end, she ranked high on more year end best lists than one could count. That much praise is always a lot to live up to, but…
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I have sworn off musicians four years ago. In fact, four years and three weeks, to be exact, and I promised to everyone who had the patience to listen that I would never ever, ever ever listen to a man with a guitar. Those are treacherous, emotionally violent and physically draining waters to swim…
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When Dido first started talking about this album she said that it would have more of an electronic sound than her previous albums, but apparently she changed her mind when she was working on it. Or maybe the songs just naturally didn’t go in that direction. Because, honestly, I don’t feel like Girl Who Got…
