Tag: review

  • A year and a half ago, Painted Palms released their wonderful debut, Forever, which was an album full of diverse songs, which seemed to draw inspiration from such artists as Passion Pit, Best Coast, The Beach Boys and Of Montreal. On their new album, Horizons, it’s not so easy to discern their influences, as their…

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  • Some songs can become too huge for their own good. Take Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” for example. For a few years there, it seemed like it would be her only mega-hit single. Especially when the album it was from, Kiss, more or less flopped. But sometimes lightning strikes twice. Earlier this year Jepsen…

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  • I like to believe that artists get better with each album they make. Of course, that’s not always the case. But there are some who keep improving with each release and I would say that is true of Beach House, otherwise known as Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. They were always amazing, but their new…

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  • If you want to avoid a headache, you should probably avoid reading this review. You see, this is the most confusing — if not even slightly controversial — album Bon Jovi has ever released. First of all, Jon Bon Jovi and camp keep calling it a “fan album,” stating that their next album will be…

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  • The band Dead Letter Circus immediately reminds me of is Silverchair — and not just because they’re both from Australia. And I’m not talking about Silverchair’s early work when they were more or less a Nirvana clone. I’m talking about Silverchair’s last three albums (Neon Ballroom, Diorama and Young Modern), all truly brilliant and eclectic…

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  • Meliora is the third full-length album by Swedish rockers Ghost. The title is the Latin adjective meaning “better,” so it should come as no surprise that this is Ghost’s best album to date. Recently, Ghost unveiled their new frontman Papa Emeritus III, who just so happens to sound like Papa Emeritus II and Papa Emeritus…

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  • I could go on and on about how Melanie Martinez should have won her season on The Voice but I’ll simply say this: she was far too talented — as a unique *artist,* not just a singer — to win a show where the singers perform cover songs almost exclusively. At the time, I had…

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  • Boots is fast becoming one of today’s leading producers, especially when it comes to artsy pop. Most recently, he worked on FKA twig’s M3LL15X, but he’s also worked on high profile albums like Beyoncé’s self-titled album. Now he’s gearing up to release his debut album, which is entitled AQUARIA and co-produced by Carla Azar and…

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  • The first time I heard Dead Lord from Sweden I was mighty perplexed. This was largely because they’re on Century Media Records, who typically release music that’s extremely heavy and entirely modern, two things you couldn’t exactly accuse Dead Lord of being. But by the time I finished listening to their new album, Heads Held…

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  • Since releasing their debut single, “Zoo Fly,” back in June, Sydney’s Green Buzzard have been lighting up the blogosphere like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, they’ve received accolades from the likes of The Guardian and NME. Recently, their cover of Tobias Jesso Jr’s “Hollywood” was our #songoftheday and Tobias himself took to social…

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  • For me, Chelsea Wolfe’s albums have always been more about an overall vibe than specific songs taken individually.  I do prefer certain songs, yes, but within the context of her albums.  They’re not songs I’d necessarily take and put on a playlist.  (They don’t necessarily play well with other artists.)  I have to be in the…

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  • “Humanity won’t save us / At the speed of light,” sings Iron Maiden’s “Speed of Light,” the first single from their forthcoming album, The Book Of Souls, which is due out on September 4th. It’s one of the band’s best singles in years and manages to both kick ass and be incredibly catchy at the…

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