Reviews

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Written by Ashley White Thursday, 19 April 2012 20:49

She effortlessly goes back to her R&B roots to pen a heartfelt, mature album about ending one thing to begin anew, fresh.

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Written by Alex Schreiber Thursday, 29 March 2012 21:44

The less cheeky and grittier sound hits right from the start, with a big wall of sound.

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Written by Tyler Cigard Thursday, 29 March 2012 21:40

On Threads, Now, Now have a much more refined sound and show their age well.

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Written by Dean Asher Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:02

Some tracks feel like they float out from behind a saloon’s swinging doors into the dusty night.

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Written by Mike Rengel Tuesday, 28 February 2012 13:49

This is a band that might cloak themselves in bedsit miserablism and Nordic chill and imagery, but mostly they just want to forge a deeper connection

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Written by Tony Van Zeyl Tuesday, 28 February 2012 13:45

Half of the album is packed with highly entertaining and original takes on Beatles tunes.

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Written by Ashley White Tuesday, 28 February 2012 13:41

“Sound: Check” created the perfect balance for all of the instruments from the keyboard to the bass and guitar to the drums, so rightly appropriate for the closing of this EP.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 17 February 2012 14:14

The British house-trance-techno duo is gracing our speakers yet again with not one but two career retrospectives, released concurrently.

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Written by Ashley White Wednesday, 15 February 2012 15:22

I want more than soulful vocals over acoustic instruments.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 10 February 2012 17:12

“The Fall” could easily be a single on alternative radio today; drawing NIN comparisons, it’s a strong display of Numan’s still-apparent talents.

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Written by Jenn Metzler Friday, 10 February 2012 13:02

While it may be easy to toss aside an album upon hearing that it’s “just some guy playing an acoustic guitar,” this is Mike Doughty.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 10 February 2012 13:00

They make good use of a wide range of instruments so that each song has a distinctively different sound.

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Written by Kyle Green Wednesday, 01 February 2012 13:04

Influences aside, The Church of Rock and Roll is all Foxy Shazam, with big guitars, piano, trumpets, and the wailing tenor and falsetto Nally is known for.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 01 February 2012 12:20

Some of the songs in this collection are well-known—”Chapel of Love,” “Be My Baby,” “He’s a Rebel,” and “Da Doo Ron Ron” among them—but the real appeal is the more obscure selections

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 01 February 2012 12:17

The variety provided by the different contexts (besides changes in the band lineup, the reactions of the audience can’t help but influence the performance) make this album worth having.

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Written by Mike Koehler Friday, 13 January 2012 13:28

There are a lot of very good things going on here; there are some clear misses, as well.

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Written by Kyle Green Friday, 13 January 2012 13:26

Offering music that is sonic, melodic, and ambient all at the same time, this duo is on the path to stardom.

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Written by Alex Schreiber Friday, 13 January 2012 13:21

The final three songs are the highlights of the album; those prior are all good individual tracks, but they do sort of blend when put together.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Thursday, 22 December 2011 12:19

A full 13 songs long (nothing new for the band; Armistice, by comparison, was 15), Odd Soul is a rather stark departure that works beautifully.

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Written by Jeffrey Ricker Wednesday, 21 December 2011 12:27

A concept album consisting of seven songs swirling around the theme of winter, 50 Words for Snow was clearly not created with a concern for airplay in mind.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Monday, 19 December 2011 11:26

You already know more or less what to expect; Tom Waits records are always good.

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Written by Mike Koehler Thursday, 15 December 2011 13:04

The Vaccines boil down the music to what’s essential, without the fat.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Monday, 12 December 2011 13:25

Some artists’ acoustic re-imaginings come off as flat or repetitious, lazy efforts to release CDs without going through the efforts of writing and recording new material. Black Lab’s Unplugged most certainly does not fall into that category.

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Written by Mike Rengel Wednesday, 07 December 2011 11:58

How much you get out of Day Is the New Night depends on your tolerance levels for hard rock in the broad vein of Bon Jovi.

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Written by Ashley White Wednesday, 07 December 2011 11:49

Little does he know he’s the only one holding on to that ongoing beautiful disaster.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 02 December 2011 16:27

The Mighty Lemon Drops guitarist David Newton and Thee Mighty Angels here provide a near-perfect five-song release.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 02 December 2011 16:24

Brian Warren’s clever lyrics and carefully constructed songs should be enough to pull you in and admire what’s filling your ears.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Friday, 02 December 2011 16:20

Steve Schiltz returns with Hurricane Bells, a new band—and a new direction.

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Written by Alex Schreiber Friday, 02 December 2011 14:29

What comes next is a mystery, so be good, be weird, have fun, and hope for the best, just like Casey Crescenzo.

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Written by Jim Dunn Friday, 02 December 2011 14:25

It is very easy to look at Billy Joel now and forget that he was once young and angry, and the world was literally his oyster.

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Written by Mike Rengel Friday, 02 December 2011 14:22

It’s wholly modern, but doesn’t sound compressed beyond recognition for the earbud age.

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Written by Nicole Madden Friday, 02 December 2011 14:18

The subtle interpretation of these songs is clearly a winner.

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Written by Glen Elkins Thursday, 17 November 2011 12:42

It is dark yet bright, American yet international, calm yet excited, much like the man himself.

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Written by Michael Morlaine Thursday, 03 November 2011 21:31

We’re All Dying to Live is a sunburst tapestry of light and color that serves as both an excellent dance record and the perfect salve for a broken heart.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Monday, 31 October 2011 10:54

After more than a few listens, the album's title begins to seem eerily descriptive of what awaits.

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Written by Ashley White Monday, 31 October 2011 09:59

There is no one in the industry who can top her vocal skills and talent.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Wednesday, 26 October 2011 13:20

These may be quiet songs, but they’re anything but simple.

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Written by Justin Curia Friday, 14 October 2011 11:20

It’s now obvious that Stephen Malkmus is well over the years of running around naked in bohemian footwear. “I saw you streaking in your Birkenstocks, a scary thought in the 2Ks” are the words that cordially open “Tigers,” the first song of Mirror Traffic, Malkmus and the Jicks’ latest effort.

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Written by Glen Elkins Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:10

The group breaks the mold of what you’d expect from a three-minute pop song by twisting and turning through hip-bending hooks and heart-warming verses.

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Written by Jennifer Manjarez Wednesday, 05 October 2011 12:05

I drool at the thought of what this album could have been had it been filled with harder rock tracks like these.

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Written by Mike Koehler Monday, 26 September 2011 20:45

 The music itself is grand and fitting, an excellent blend of folksy acoustic guitar-driven tracks to harder-rocking, punk-like tracks.

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Written by Justin Curia Friday, 16 September 2011 17:43

Follow the album all the way through, and it ends up as a ’90s nostalgia ride with a confident, effortless songwriting ability.

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Written by Glen Elkins Friday, 16 September 2011 17:31

This EP is a slow burn, with a huge payoff.

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Written by Mike Rengel Thursday, 08 September 2011 08:16

Admirably, Allan wants to reach every single person in the world, but in attempting to do so he loses sight of the small stories that connect single lives into a greater web.

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Written by Brett Berliner Wednesday, 24 August 2011 12:28

Mark Ronson’s influence has pushed the band even further into the realm of retro for this album; most of the best tracks sound like something straight out of the 1960s.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Tuesday, 16 August 2011 20:36

“Room @ the End of the World” introduces us to Nathanson’s lovely falsetto, a delectable sound we’ll hear more of before the album’s through.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Tuesday, 16 August 2011 11:36

 Justin Furstenfeld’s got one of those voices that works across a range of genres, conveying strength, anger, pleading, pain, and acceptance.

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Written by Mike Rengel Saturday, 06 August 2011 09:58

I’m not one to badmouth sincerity, but there’s a fair bit of too-precious warbling going on here.

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Written by Jim Dunn Saturday, 06 August 2011 09:39

Short, sharp songs alternate with and illuminate the ruminations of Big Trev, a man thoroughly disillusioned with the world yet harboring a secret wish to be accepted by it.

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Written by Tony Van Zeyl Wednesday, 03 August 2011 15:11

This struggle could come off as cliché in different hands, but the self-effacing, conversational tone of the lyrics and the varied musical ideas keep things fresh.

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Written by Brett Berliner Thursday, 21 July 2011 06:10

By now, you should have a pretty good idea what you’re going to get with each Ben Harper release—his style is his style.

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Written by Bruce Matlock Thursday, 14 July 2011 11:01

Standouts like “Switchblade”, “In the Company of Wolves”, and “Thieves” more than save this album from what quickly could have been the Brandon Boyd show.

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Written by Jenn Metzler Monday, 11 July 2011 14:21

Taylor Goldsmith and the gang perfect and fine-tune their sound, not to mention the art of analog recording.

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Written by Tony Van Zeyl Monday, 11 July 2011 13:57

My notes from initial listens were generally favorable; however, when I listened to it again I found it generally annoying.

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Written by Laura Hamlett Thursday, 07 July 2011 19:58

Such a clever, classic approach; I appreciate it anew with every listen.

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Written by Jenn Metzler Wednesday, 22 June 2011 17:53

Regrettably, pristine production is one of a (very) few highlights to glean from Life Fantastic.

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Written by Alex Schreiber Monday, 20 June 2011 16:03

Moment Bends combines all the strengths of previous efforts and molds them into an incredibly delightful whole.

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Written by Alex Schreiber Monday, 20 June 2011 15:55

Mid-song a filing cabinet can be heard being thrown across the room while Sheff sings about the world shaking and breaking.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Monday, 20 June 2011 15:47

Morrison's Broadway credentials attest that he has the goods, but you won't find evidence on this album of anything that would set him apart from any number of other sweet-voiced pop performers.

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Written by Brett Berliner Friday, 17 June 2011 13:58

I believe Tyler intentionally made Goblin hard to listen to all the way through, as if it would be a badge of honor to succeed.

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Written by Christopher Sewell Tuesday, 14 June 2011 14:46

There are plenty of catchy melodies to be found here, a wealth of warm analog-sounding synths, and solid production courtesy of Flood and Alan Moulder.

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Written by Jim Ousley Thursday, 09 June 2011 11:32

It’s clear that Johansen and the gang are thrilling us with the same music that thrilled them so many years before.

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Written by Jason Neubauer Tuesday, 07 June 2011 10:00

The 10 tracks serve as a litany of classic new wave styling that may well have sounded at home in their catalog 30 years ago.

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Written by Mike Rengel Tuesday, 07 June 2011 09:51

You get a sense throughout this album that these are songs transcribed from glyphs on the walls of recently excavated pyramids, with attendant tricks and sonic mysteries attached.

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Written by Mike Rengel Tuesday, 07 June 2011 09:45

It’s a yearning, stretching paean to youth, partially imploring hangabouts to do something magnificent with those meandering, formless teenage moments.

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Written by Brett Berliner Thursday, 19 May 2011 10:33

The band made some changes with this record, most notably by recording it entirely on tape in Dave Grohl’s garage with legendary Nirvana producer Butch Vig.