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
Demdike Stare – Sound and Vision
Demdike Stare are one of several artists in the oddly labeled musical micro-genre Witch House (also called Haunted House or Drag) who create industrial, dub-influenced electronic music that incorporates chopped-up and … Continue reading
The Best of 2010 collection
Ranking songs at the end of each year really isn’t my favorite way to share good music. I’d much rather create a mixtape of songs from the artists who stood out … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #5-1
5. “Breathe.mp3” (single) – The Prodigy – 1996 – Buy it Mechanized ticks and thumps whir throughout “Breathe” with an industrial, factory floor-like frenzy, laying a labyrinthine backdrop for the … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #10-6
10. “Protection.mp3” (single) – Massive Attack – 1994 – Buy it Massive Attack has always been smart and humble enough to enlist fantastic guest vocalists (i.e. Andy Horace, Shara Nelson) … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #15-11
15. “Postcards.mp3” – Faithless – 1998 – Sunday 8 p.m. – Buy it Faithless’ songs jump all over the musical map, combining elements of techno, house, hip-hop, and trance. This … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #20-16
20. “One More Time.mp3” (single) – Daft Punk – 2000 – Buy it Spun at clubs, wedding receptions, and even top 40 countdowns — “One More Time” was ubiquitous in … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #25-21
25. “Doom’s Night (Timo Mass Remix).mp3” (single) – Azzido Da Bass – 2000 – Buy it I first heard this track in the depths of a sweaty Dublin discoteque and … Continue reading
