Tag: review
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Chairlift vocalist Caroline Polachek isn’t an artist you can pin-down. Just when you think you know her, she goes and does something different, like this, her debut solo album, released under the pseudonym Ramona Lisa, a purposeful parody of Mona Lisa. But she was using pseudonyms to play secret shows and debut new material before…
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Following two much beloved records on the indie label Wichita, Stay Gold is Klara and Johanna Söderberg’s first major label release. The album was recorded at Conor Oberst’s ARC Studios out in Omaha with Oberst’s Bright Eyes buddy Mike Mogis in the producer’s chair. He produced the band’s previously album, 2012’s The Lion’s Roar, the…
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We love it when Mika sings in French. His songs are always bursting with joy and love and no language is better suited for expressing these things than French, which our editor has studied for years (and still isn’t halfway fluent in). And he can tell you that this song is about sex. “You and…
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Rebecca & Fiona’s debut album, I Love You, Man, was as perfect as any pop debut could be. Astounding from start to finish, really. Compared to their new sophomore effort, Beauty is Pain, I Love You, Man is a bright and shiny sky with a double rainbow. And I suppose it always was, the ladies’…
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“They wanted to make to make it ugly and bitter,” states the press release that arrived at our office (read: E-mail) with this one. And I’ll come right out and say it: they did exactly what they set out to do. Trap Them’s backstory: Ryan McKenney (former vocalist of Backstabbers Incorporated) and Brian Izzi (guitarist…
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Mo Parker is actually two people: Classically and jazz trained pianist and singer Mo and trippy R&B beat-maker Domzilla. Their union here couldn’t possibly be more intriguing as Mo’s piano and soulful vocals ride Domzilla’s super deep, low end bass perfectly, resulting in something that sounds like a slightly more organic Massive Attack. Perhaps it’s…
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written by Barnaby Thornton When Brett Gleason opens his mouth, honey-tarred bullets fly out. A slow-fire of piercing lyrics wrapped in the syrupy shell of his beautifully rich baritone voice… On his debut album (self-titled), the Brooklyn-based singer continues to pair the blood and thunder of electronic rock, with more intimate piano-centric songwriting. Funded by…
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Love is Pop favorite Poliça is releasing a deluxe edition of the band’s incredible Shulamith album, a record that shimmers with enough kaleidoscopic colors to temporarily blind you. One listen to the beautiful work of alt/art pop and you’ll never forget it. It’s the audio equivalent of seeing a famous painting in person at Le…
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I have to begin this by saying that it took some effort — I’m talking several listenings — before this album started to grow on me. I think it’s because I am so in love with her last album, Flesh Tone, and I wanted her to make another futuristic electro-pop album like that. So, when…
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If you like danceable hip-hop anthems by artists like Pitbull and Example then you’re in for a real treat with this one. “Bus Pass” by A.M. SNiPER featuring Wiley packs all the bass you’ll need to turbo charge you with kinetic energy en route to your next party or rave. We’re talking about massive beats,…
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Kairos is the ancient Greek word for “the defining moment,” so it’s no surprise that Seattle’s Lena Simon has not only taken the word as her performing name but as the name of her new EP, which is, in fact, her defining moment du jour. What is a performing name? It’s what St. Vincent is…
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“In the end, I wasn’t innocent, but we could still pretend,” sings LP, an insanely talented new pop rock-ish singer/songwriter who’s bound to skyrocket to fame this year. The song in question is “Night Like This” and it’s got happiness-inducing boom clap beats and a swirly, feel good melody. Best of all, it has LP’s…
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I remember when The Black Crowes debut album Shake Your Money Maker came out in 1990. I was primarily listening to hair bands at the time, like most people. When Shake Your Money Maker came out it was like a breath of fresh air. The only other bands of the era that came close to…
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War Eternal is the first album by death metal legends Arch Enemy to feature new vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, former vocalist of the Canadian band The Agonist. Angela Gossow, who joined the band in 2000, has stepped down from the spotlight in order to focus on being the band’s manager. Meanwhile, Chris Amott has presumably retired…
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Kate Miller-Heidke is a classically trained singer/songwriter hailing from Brisbane, Australia. That said, she’s been making a career for herself as an alt pop artist for the past fourteen years or so now. And while she’s had her share of major label record deals, at this point in her career she is proudly independent. Her…
