Tag: reviews
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Vampire Weekend put out this 7″ featuring their current single “Diane Young” and the B-side “Step” as a special, limited edition Record Store Day release. If there’s one thing you have to give “Diane Young” credit for, it’s easily one of the band’s most sonically adventurous and experimental tracks yet, which is saying a lot…
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Phoenix — the cool cats of Versailles — had probably given up on the idea of ever becoming popular in the States by the time they released their fourth album, 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. But, to everyone’s surprise, the album became an enormous success here. Its blend of irresistible pop hooks and sophisticated art rock…
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I started off writing a very negative review of this new Lana Del Rey single from The Great Gatsby soundtrack. I wrote about the lyrics being sub par and Lana practically slurring half of them with her peculiar pronunciation. But then a funny thing happened. After listening to the song nearly 10 times, I found…
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Well, there are plenty of things you can say about The Flaming Lips but, love ’em or hate ’em, you have to admit that they’re prolific. Seems like every six months they’ve got an album for you (or whoever buys their records). One minute they’re covering Dark Side of the Moon, the next minute they’re…
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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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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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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…
