Album Reviews
A collection of album and EP reviews written and published from 2004 onward.
- Victor Scott “Good Times” Review ()
It’s amusing to learn that Victor Scott approached Good Times, his second full length, influenced heavily by soundtracks. Not necessarily influenced by those those similar to The Big Chill, but rather the idea that albums don’t have to follow a pattern, or a set genre to make sense and maintain their flow. As such Good […]
- Turbo Fruits “Turbo Fruits” Review ()
It is not considerably hard to categorize Turbo Fruits as something similar to last year’s sensation Be Your Own PET, especially so considering their sounds are both vibrantly based in a lighter, southern-whipped style of punk, and both self-titled releases come from bands that include drummer John Eatherly and guitarist Jonas Stein. Prefix Magazine‘s Eric […]
- The Chemical Brothers “We Are The Night” Review ()
The Chemical Brothers‘ latest album attempts to build momentum and create its own unique atmosphere, like so much of the duo’s back catalogue has done, but We Are The Night ultimately suffers the same fate as its title track: delivering tons of possibility with little result. “We Are The Night” sounds similar to “Star Guitar,” […]
- Simian Mobile Disco “Attack Decay Sustain Release” Review ()
“What makes Simian Mobile Disco a better pop band than Justice or the Klaxons is their commitment to clean danceable beats,” suggests Jess Harvell in his review for Pitchfork. And throughout Attack Decay Sustain Release that thought remains a constant, with James Shaw and James Ford combining efforts to create something with its roots seeded […]
- Voxtrot “Voxtrot” Review ()
My attempts at avoiding the hype throughout the blogosphere surrounding Voxtrot ended last fall when DJ Neverforget aired a track on his Little Radio show – I was unexpectedly surprised as the song (its name slips my mind) was subtle and fantastic. Though my reaction at the time was that of a positive one, I […]
- Noisettes “What’s the Time Mr. Wolf” Review ()
In April of last year when tracks were starting to roll out in anticipation of What’s the Time Mr. Wolf it seemed as though the Noisettes were attempting to maintain whatever positive publicity the band had incurred during its first years together. The group had released its Three Moods of The Noisettes EP to a […]
- Clutch “From Beale Street to Oblivion” Review ()
Has it ever crossed your mind how bands like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin released albums so frequently and so consistent that it absolutely crushes the modern three year turn around many bands consider safe? It seems that Clutch has put an album out every year since the mid 1990s (though while not entirely […]
- Social Distortion “Live at The Roxy” ()
The album that had the greatest influence on the way I listen to music is Social Distortion’s 1998 live album Live at The Roxy. It isn’t entirely important for its musical influence, as I’d already been a fan of the band for a number of years and was quite familiar with the songs before purchasing […]
- Air “Pocket Symphony” Review ()
Why is there air; or for that matter Air? As humans our bodies necessitate the need for air but since electronica’s booming 1990s wave it doesn’t seem as functional to still maintain a similar relationship with Air. The French-electropop duo still elude even the finest of dancefloor fan with its latest release, Pocket Symphony, a […]
- Klaxons “Myths of the Near Future” Review ()
One of the most relieving aspects of actually hearing Myths of the Near Future is that new-rave sounds nothing like it sounds…that makes sense, right? New-rave, a term self proposed by the band to surround the idea of its music, had the overwhelming charm of jock-rock when it first crossed my path and still does […]
- Bloc Party “A Weekend in the City” Review ()
With the release of A Weekend in the City London’s Bloc Party has tried to council its fans with the attempt of again finding a solid voice, all the while attempting to atain its remarkable critical acclaim. And somewhere in there lies the challenge of explaining the life of a group of twenty somethings (exception: […]
- Fu Manchu “We Must Obey” Review ()
Much of the reason groups along the lines of Thin Lizzy have any relevance to me today is because of Fu Manchu. Coursing through the past twenty years with a number of lineup changes, the current members of the sun-streaked metal outfit have never ceased bleeding stoner rock and We Must Obey follows the same […]
- “The Good, The Bad & The Queen” Review ()
Continually looking to its musical patriarch for advice and acceptance through the better part of the 90’s North America continually scoured incoming news from England as to what was to be considered musically abrasive, shiny, dormant or even the next big thing. For instance, Canada’s music video mainstay, Much Music, had a love affair with […]
- Audionom “Retrospektiv” Review ()
As Retrospektiv stands it is the lone rearviewmirror to a band that most, including myself, unfortunately knew little to nothing about, it fortunately also serves as an indicator of what may come for Audionom. The group itself has physically changed throughout the years with a large number of comings and goings but has evolved around […]
- The Postmarks “The Postmarks” Review ()
Throughout the course of The Postmarks’ self titled debut the question of whether the group’s French-pop overtones are smoothly beautiful or agonizingly painful becomes an overt one. The vocals of singer Tim Yehezkely are so stunningly sweet that even the album’s most downtrodden of songs, such as “Leaves,” come off as something similar to pack […]
- Menomena “Friend and Foe” Review ()
Whispering sweet nothings into the heart of indie darlings’ ears everywhere is Menomena, who have returned recently with a new album which follows the band’s string of unique success with 2005’s Under an Hour and 2003’s I Am the Fun Blame Monster! As a whole the album is a cluster, fueled by the band’s in-house […]
- Animal Collective “People EP” Review ()
Animal Collective are at such a stage in their career which its members can take liberties with its fans, this is no better reflected than with the band’s People EP. Its three studio tracks deliver a fully functional prog rock interpretation clouded with futuristic overtones all seemingly set in a time when it is a […]
- Deerhoof “Friend Opportunity” Review ()
It used to be that Deerhoof made little to no sense to the average listener and lived within the outskirts of musicianship. But with a sly shift towards the sound developed for Friend Opportunity, the recently dubbed trio (resulting from Chris Cohen’s departure) has now embraced a sound that was once never imagined when listening […]
- Sonic Youth “The Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities” Review ()
Moments into “Fire Engine Dream,” an outtake from the Sonic Nurse sessions in 2003, Sonic Youth begins to deliver an almost encyclopedic, note for note, version of themselves; a noisy, brash Sonic Youth reminiscent to a version of Public Image Limited lacking the electronics and boasting heavier emphasis on crass audible devolution. Surprisingly are the […]
- Campamento Ñec Ñec “Alimana” Review ()
How is it that the band with one with the year’s best EP in disguise as a LP can be so unknown? Not even in sense that your borderline indie, borderline corporate music mag hasn’t written about them. Not in the sense that the once-underground, now far above sea level internet hype hasn’t touched them. […]
- PJ Harvey “Peel Sessions 1991-2004” Review ()
It will take Rid of Me another half decade before it settles in with a new audience, the children of those who it was first adopted by. Harvey’s music was timely and appropriate considering her surroundings and the ears it originally fell upon, but it will prove itself instead timeless. A period where there was […]
- Roger O’Donnell “The Truth in Me” Review ()
“It seems the bigger the band the more removed you are from the actual music.” As such Roger O’Donnell’s appropriately titled album The Truth in Me is what some might consider a realization of roots for an artist who has upheld quality and generated celebrity with all of the bands he has worked with in […]
- Cacoy “Human is Music” Review ()
Time is a remarkable thing. Let’s say that you’re one of the many many millions of people who choose to tie their shoes each day, how long does that take? And to get to work? And how long does it take you to complete any number of other tasks throughout the day? Let’s say, continuing […]
- LCD Soundsystem “45:33 Nike+ Original Run” Review ()
DFA President and LCD Soundsystem patriarch James Murphy laces up his shoes and takes to the track as he follows the pace set by the Crystal Method for the second recording in Nike+ Original Run series. For those unfamiliar with the series, the music is made for running, that’s it; no dramatic inspiration, just one […]
- Deftones “Saturday Night Wrist” Review ()
Inching the band closer to a sound that it began realizing with 2000’s White Pony, the Deftones return after a three year hiatus with the dramatic Saturday Night Wrist; an album that not only characterizes the band’s direction but displays also what has made it vital since it first released Adrenaline in 1995. Shifting from […]
- …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead “So Divided” Review ()
Was it only last year when the boys in Trail of Dead released the critically snubbed Worlds Apart? An album that startled with waves of both brilliance and drudged self-mockery? Since the album’s release fans wondered where their Texas sized heroes had gone and if there would ever be a sincere conclusion to Source Tags […]
- Still Got Licks? The Search for Modern Relevance Amongst Yesterday’s Artists ()
Rock music as we know it is relatively young compared to the distinct genres that classify any number of nation around the world. Even compared to that of basic American jazz and blues it finds itself a younger sibling, stemming from a later seed, which finds itself further down the musical food chain. It’s humorous […]
- Jóhann Jóhannsson “IBM1401: A User’s Manual” ()
Roughly a month ago it was brought to my attention that Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson would be releasing an album of new material, this time with an interestingly historic running theme surrounding his relationship with both his father and one IBM1401. After initially reading about the project I began to search further as to where […]
- The Walkmen “Pussy Cats: Starring The Walkmen” Review ()
Outside of a certain realm of music fan, despite his overwhelming catalogue and history, Harry Nilsson is still a slightly obscure reference, much like The Walkmen. Despite being “music fans” there is a large segment of people who haven’t had the opportunity to hear music by either Nilsson or The Walkmen, and for the longest […]
- Oxford Collapse “Remember the Night Parties” Review ()
Whenever a band is labeled as transitioning from independent to label there comes, for one reason or another, a discrepancy in reputability. In the situation of Sub Pop and Oxford Collapse, however, it seems a perfect match for both sides, on the surface, without anyone really scratching their head wondering where the street-cred has gone. […]