Bloom – Beach House – album review
Great albums can transport you to another place, but to truly appreciate Beach House’s latest effort I had to physically go there first. Although Bloom had been on my docket … Continue reading
Isn’t Anything, Loveless, and EP’s 1988-91 Reissues – My Bloody Valentine – album reviews
For many in my age bracket, nothing was ever quite the same after the four chord intro to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but music historians know it was Loveless, not … Continue reading
Port of Morrow – The Shins – album review
In many ways, the Shins’ albums have always had a seasonal quality to them. Their June 2001 debut, Oh, Inverted World, harkens back to that last summer of innocence before September … Continue reading
Kindred EP – Burial – review
Burial’s Street Halo EP and the “Ego”/”Mirror” collaboration with Four Tet/Thom Yorke were welcome additions to Will Bevan’s catalog in 2011, but they served as mostly a deluxe paint job and a … Continue reading
Visions – Grimes – album review
Claire Boucher has an affinity for in-between spaces. When describing her inspiration for a series of Mesoamerican and manga-inspired drawings she created as an art student at Montreal’s McGill University, … Continue reading
Born to Die – Lana Del Rey – album review
Inauthentic is the disconcerting, whispered word that seems to hound Lana Del Rey wherever she goes, but perhaps a gentler term would be contradictory. She seems to be everywhere, yet … Continue reading
Attack on Memory – Cloud Nothings – album review
OK, first the elephant in the room — yes, Steve Albini produced Cloud Nothings’ Attack on Memory. Few studio engineers can consistently construct a sound so distinct and desired that their name in … Continue reading
The Smiths – Complete – The Smiths – album review
Smith’s legends abound: Johnny Marr being unable to reproduce the exact steps that went into crafting the oscillating, vibrato-flooded guitar line in “How Soon Is Now” (prompting Oasis’ Noel Gallagher … Continue reading
Mylo Xyloto – Coldplay – album review
Several years ago, an ambitious Amazon reviewer published a ten-step checklist, a sort of “indie music for dummies” guide to albums you should own and listen to in precise order to achieve … Continue reading
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – M83 – album review
For nearly a decade, the pieces have been in place for Anthony Gonzalez’s one-man act M83 to make a truly outstanding album, but it’s still a wonderful surprise to hear … Continue reading
Biophilia – Bjork – album review
Bjork has made a career out of breaking barriers. She’s one of only a handful of artists in the last two decades who have truly innovated in popular music, combining … Continue reading
The Whole Love – Wilco – album review
Jeff Tweedy is no stranger to hardship. He’s front man for one of alt/indie rock’s most well-respected bands, but Wilco wouldn’t even have existed if not for the collapse of … Continue reading
Strange Mercy – St. Vincent – album review
Annie Clark is a slight, strikingly beautiful wisp of a woman who’s also musically gifted, poised and intelligent. So it was a shock to hear her gently sigh “I spent … Continue reading
Skying – The Horrors – album review
Whether it be a critique of ladies’ headwear at the Royal Wedding, opinions on the News of the World scandal or the near-pathological desire to crown British rock music’s next … Continue reading
Within and Without – Washed Out – album review
One song does not a genre make. But in the summer of 2009, “Feel It All Around” came damn close. It was the standout track on the Life of Leisure … Continue reading
Bon Iver, Bon Iver – Bon Iver – album review
Bon Iver’s 2007 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago was an album of unveiled emotions, made almost legendary by the painful circumstances of its creation, yet incapable of escaping them. Its … Continue reading
Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 – Beastie Boys – album review
The 90’s were very good to the Beastie Boys. During that decade, the New York City trio released two great albums (Check Your Head and Ill Communication) and one good … Continue reading
Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes – album review
For nearly three years, Fleet Foxes have wrestled with how, where, and when to make the sequel to their critically acclaimed, self-titled debut. Lead singer/songwriter Robin Pecknold and his band … Continue reading
House of Balloons – The Weeknd – album review
R&B music has always been about those things that happen when the lights go out, and by things, I don’t mean bedtime stories. From early pioneers Bo Diddley and Sam … Continue reading
Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”
The dirty, chugging organ riff that begins “Make Some Noise” is a welcome sound to those familiar with the Beastie Boys circa 1992, three MCs fresh off their genre-defining career … Continue reading
Civilian – Wye Oak – album review
They can be found in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, and St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City — those high-vaulted, elliptical chambers whose … Continue reading
Angles – The Strokes – album review
Once crowned saviors of rock n’ roll by the UK press before they’d even released a proper album, then crucified for not living up to the ludicrous expectations attached to … Continue reading
Emergency & I – The Dismemberment Plan – album review
Listen to Emergency & I on Grooveshark. The vinyl reissuing of the Dismemberment Plan’s landmark 1999 album Emergency & I and the group’s subsequent reunion shows should go a long … Continue reading
The King of Limbs – Radiohead – album review
Radiohead detractors may argue that the band makes music for taking anti-depressants (and that’s a fair assertion), but I can’t think of a single artist or group of the past … Continue reading
James Blake – album review
The human mind craves order, and as much as electronic artist James Blake excels in creating edginess and imbalance in his music, what makes him exceptional is his ability to … Continue reading
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