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Friday, May 08, 2009
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Jeremy Enigk - OK Bear (Lewis Hollow) [audio] [upcoming shows]
News of a Sunny Day Real Estate reunion got me much more excited than the prospect of hearing another Jeremy Enigk solo record, because they were vibrant and loud and solo Jeremy is largely the polar opposite. OK Bear follows the same track as the rest of his albums; a muted version of what we all know he can do. The limitations of his (literal and figurative) voice really stand out in these less electric moments, but it's not a dealbreaker. It's just a substitute.
- paul
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Released 05.12.2009
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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Extreme - Saudades de Rock (Open E) [audio] [upcoming shows]
After a thirteen year absence, Extreme are back with their fifth studio album which picks up right up where Waiting for the Punchline left off, but without being weighted down with too much angst and strife. This time around they're having fun again. The result is a solid and thoroughly enjoyable rock/metal album with plenty of musical twists and turns that consistently hold one's attention. If you're still skeptical, check out the tracks "Take Us Alive" and "Slide."
- j.p.
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Released 08.12.2008
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Wednesday, August 06, 2008
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Eye Alaska - Yellow & Elephant EP (Fearless) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Hailing from Orange County, you already kinda know ahead of time that Eye Alaska will be as soulless as rock music gets (really, it's been at the ass-end of pop culture for well over 10 years). You won't be surprised, then, when I tell you that Eye Alaska sounds like Maroon 5, The Killers and one of any thousand teen tv-show soundtrack bands playing at exactly the same time. It's not cacophony, just lost and inessential.
- paul
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Released 07.22.2008
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Friday, August 01, 2008
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The ESPS - Dream of the Rarebit Fiend/(Standing in the) Tellers Line 7" (self released) [audio]
Despite the fact this record sounds like it was left on a voicemail, these two exceptional songs from The Espeleta/Shafer Project—ESPS for short—are a slingshot back to '70s divinity like Big Star or the Flamin' Groovies. Aping that style is easy and has been done to death, but this couplet of guitar-pop perfection burrows down to whatever place in the soul from which music like it originated, surfacing with dazzling results when others all too often miss the mark. Instantly classic.
- paul
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Released 05.27.2008
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Friday, May 09, 2008
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Earles & Jensen - Just Farr a Laugh Vols. 1 & 2 (Failed Pilot/Matador) [audio]
Prank phone calls aren't funny, but this double-disc set often is—I think there's an SAT question in this review somewhere. The best moments usually result from either the hyper-specific pop culture references (Garfield Takes the Cake, "Lawyers in Love," Cocoon II), brilliant emphasis on word choice, or absurd physical descriptions. Earles and Jensen have elevated pranking to an art. It takes real talent to describe yourself as wearing "The Eddie Murphy Golden Child / Tom Tom Club / Do the Right Thing Worldbeat-style Hat" without breaking.
- troy
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Released 05.06.2008
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
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Eux Autres - Cold City (Happy Happy Birthday to Me) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Eux Autres offer us straightforward twee pop that can jingle-jangle tunefully throughout a slew of three minute gems. The Oregon siblings stand out from the crowd of comparable boy-girl pop bands with songs like "The Town That Never Was" and "When I'm Up" because the Sleater-Kinney-ish guitar hooks grab hold and within seconds you're entranced by Heather's effortlessly sweet voice. The Autres' simple yet sophisticated sound is ideal for fans of The Vaselines or Cub.
- cormac
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Released 12.04.2007
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007
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El Ten Eleven - Every Direction is North (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I've got a few weaknesses, and one of them is a love of instrumental rock. Not that pompous ebb and flow variety which chokes on its own importance (hello, Mogwai!), but the really fluid, uptempo kind with ringing guitars and galloping basslines like Pell Mell used to make (and Ellis the Vacuumchild for a short while). El Ten Eleven's Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty are clearly of the same mind, and are exploring the limits of the style even further with their second LP. We don't need no stinkin' vocals.
- paul
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Released 07.10.2007
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Friday, November 09, 2007
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Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty (Ferret Music) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Metalcore, or whatever the hell you call it, is an overcrowded scene. It's a bunch of jerks with shaven heads and chest-length chinbeards, detuned guitars and misdirected anger. Every album sounds like a 13th generation copy of Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power, which was pretty heinous in the first place. Every Time I Die rises above all that, digging back further, taking on late-period Black Flag and metalling it up. They've got a primitive swagger and a wicked sense of humor, so throw the horns, slam your beer and die over and over.
- paul
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Released 09.04.2007
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Friday, August 03, 2007
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The Exies - A Modern Way of Living With the Truth (Eleven Seven Music) [audio] [upcoming shows]
On the brink of calling it quits after leaving their previous label, The Exies have returned with their fourth studio album. It opens with the sublime acoustic number "Leaving Song," then the next ten tracks proceed to kick you in the ass. Skillful songwriting has infused every track on this album with its own unique personality. Coming full-circle, the album closes with two slower tracks, one being a tremendous cover of the Talking Heads classic "Once in a Lifetime."
- j.p.
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Released 05.15.2007
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Tuesday, February 13, 2007
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Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The perfect companion for a sad, silvery winter's afternoon, Emancipator's debut record Soon It Will Be Cold Enough may be perfect for chilling out to, but it is captivating enough so that it is not reduced to background music. There is little variation between each of these pretty tracks (a violin here, the gentle scratching of a record there, a songstress working her way into a song over here), but that's not the point—the soothing trip-hoppy beats are really all you need. Draw a bubble bath, slide in, and let your mind be... emancipated.
- jason m.
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Released 12.12.2006
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Thursday, December 07, 2006
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El Perro Del Mar (The Control Group) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Swedish chanteuse Sarah Assbring's first full-length solo release is a melancholy montage echoing the sentimental sounds of those pretty paper-doll singers of the fifties and sixties. Assbring laces the sweetness with valium, creating perfect accompaniment to a debutante meltdown. Wordless harmonies (shoe-be-do, la-la, whoa-oh), lulling repetition and Bacharach-strings soothe the ear with a sophisticated simplicity. Lyrics dripping with pathos are reminiscent of Skeeter Davis' "The End of the World." Lovely in its loneliness and startling in its emotional depth, self-pity has never been this pretty.
- betty
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Released 11.07.2006
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Thursday, November 30, 2006
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Echo Screen - Euphoria (Rock Out Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The drum intro to Echo Screen's "This Letter Bomb" is a dead ringer for Saves the Day's "Sell My Old Clothes, I'm Off To Heaven." They wear their influences on their sleeves and write familiar songs about brown eyes, setting things on fire, and being cold. They dabble in pop-rock for a lot of the album, but the best songs are the upbeat pop-punk ones that would do the Get Up Kids proud.
- diana
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Released 11.21.2006
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
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Evermore - Dreams (Sire Records) [audio]
Glancing through the album lyrics as I listened to the annoying first track, I had low hopes for "Dreams." But then "It's Too Late" started in its insistent waterfall guitar line, and I was hooked. Lush guitar-driven rock with a Britpop twist, Evermore evokes the sounds of Embrace, Cast, and the Chameleons UK (with a bit of Peter Adams' strings thrown in). (P.S. The three band members are home-schooled brothers ... the gloomy drama club smokers to Hanson's perky student council cheerleaders).
- meredith
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Released 05.23.2006
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006
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Envelopes - Demon (Brille) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This Swedish/French band assertively redefines Swede-pop delivering a
startlingly fresh, sophisticated debut full-length album. Their eclectic jumble of sounds mirror the Pixies, Stereolab or Talking Heads in its quirky spontaneity and instrumental complexity, along with off-kilter guy/gal vocals reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian. A little electro-weirdness a la Deerhoof peaks now and again, overlapping a catchy bit of 80’s synth-pop. The guitar is prominent and envelops (…uh…sorry) the entire album in crisp innovation and rapid variations of tone and tempo. One of most engaging and unpredictably unified albums I’ve heard in months.
- betty
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Released 04.04.2006
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Tuesday, February 28, 2006
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Edward - Forward Backward (Merl Records) [audio]
On Edward's Forward/Backward you will hear a Pinkerton-era Weezer influence throughout most of the record. This really isn't a negative since Edward really step it up on their harmonies, especially the Beach Boys-esque "Two Seasons By". The dead-on metal guitar riff in "No No No No No" showcases some of their other musical tastes and capabilities, while Sublime fans will appreciate "In a Million". On "Yours Tonight" things slow down a bit and sound like a recent Nada Surf outtake.
- kyle j.
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Released 09.08.2005
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006
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Everything is Fine - Ghosts are Knocking on Walls (Tract Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I thought I had accidentally started up “Watching Trees Decompose” by Galaxie 500 when the first track began. Marc Manning’s voice definitely echoes Dean Wareham, as well as Neil Young, but the songs vary between the spareness of a single acoustic guitar in “Burning Coals” and the almost industrial feedback fuzz of “DB Cooper.” Overall, the album has a morose feel; you wouldn’t want to play it at a party, but it’s good background noise if you’re drinking a bottle of wine.
- meredith
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Released 08.23.2005
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Thursday, January 26, 2006
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Elba - st ep (self released) [audio]
Although created by only two people, this recalls Hit to Death-era Flaming Lips or a pissed off Pinback, epic in its own little way with five of the six tracks coming in at over four minutes each. The glue holding it all together is the persistant smashing drums and cymbals, walls of buzzing guitar and ethereal reverb-coated vocals (which is probably just someone with a really bad headcold, but who cares.) The entire EP has a genuinely home recorded feel, but it's just sloppy enough to make it endearing.
- mark
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Released 10.01.2005
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Thursday, January 19, 2006
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Elekibass - Welcome Wonderful World (Happy Happy Birthday To Me) [audio]
If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, the Elephant 6 collective, specifically the Kevin Barnes-led band Of Montreal, needs to give this a listen and take a bow. Although these English singing Japanese imitators seem to be a few albums behind, there is no mistaking the bizarre fragile indie pop, Beatle-esque melodies, layered Brian Wilson vocal harmonies and oddball sound effects. Anyone missing the heyday of the Athens lo-fi psych pop movement can rest easy knowing it has spawned some quality spinoffs.
- mark
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Released 11.12.2005
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Monday, September 19, 2005
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Evil Queens - First It Boils, Then It Spills (Addison) [mp3s] [upcoming shows]
Be prepared for quasi-metal riffs and screeching vocals kicking you in the chest, reminescent of the Touch 'n Go bands of the late 80's. Perfect if you are looking for the band that bridges the gap between early Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, while also touching on the stoner rock bands and Supersonic Storybook-era Urge Overkill. It walks that precarious line, the kind of music both the metal dudes and the indie kids can agree on. I can only imagine their live show.
- mark
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Released 07.26.2005
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Wednesday, September 14, 2005
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Esthero - Wikked Lil Grrrls (Reprise) [audio]
In her seven-year hiatus from recording, Esthero has matured and added many more elements to her pop-as-collage sound. The production doesn't just span cultures; it spans eras in a way that Kanye could only dream of. Her voice is as expressive as anything you can find on modern radio, and has an alto strength that roots even the most ambitious high notes. Adult-oriented pop is rarely this danceable or compelling. It's a lot harder to enjoy your Nelly Furtado albums after you hear this.
- tom d.
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Released 06.28.2005
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Tuesday, August 23, 2005
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Embrace - Out of Nothing (Independiente UK) [audio] [upcoming shows]
My family of Britpop is expanding! Cousins Doves and Ocean Colour Scene will be at the christening; nephew Chris Martin even wrote a song, "Gravity," to celebrate. (Luckily the baby didn't inherit his silly falsetto - except in Track 4.) Out of Nothing offers up a solid collection of hook-laden songs with mopey lyrics. The Alarm-like anthem "Ashes" will find you driving around with the windows open, singing along defiantly... at least until the last line admits defeat. A worthy addition to the clan.
- meredith
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Released 06.14.2005
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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
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Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (Vagrant) [video] [upcoming shows]
This two-disc set is the first Eels album I've owned since Electro-Shock Blues, and color me shocked. The first disc is an entrancing set of stripped-down pop, instantly inviting and familiar. The spell continues onto the second disc, and only after multiple listens can you shake the opium cloud off long enough to realize how many wonderful stand-alone songs there are in the latter half. If this is what I've been missing out on, I apparently need to backfill my collection.
- tom d.
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Released 04.26.2005
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Monday, May 16, 2005
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Esmerine – Aurora (Madrona Records)
I grew up playing the violin, but always secretly wished I had gone with the cello. If only I had known then that it could play music like this... Aurura is full of drama: atmospheric and somewhat spooky. A mournful cello over lone piano lines and gloomy percussion. It’s like the soundtrack to a film filled with sighs and ending in suicide. In a good way.
- meredith
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Released 05.31.2005
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Monday, April 11, 2005
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Ellis The Vacuumchild - Peace By Extermination (Chalksounds) [mp3s] [buy domestic!]
The School of Indie Rock dictates that bands who choose to remain instrumental must flaunt grandiosity. Ellis The Vacuumchild, a six-piece collective from Sweden, skipped class that day. They take the bendable guitar lines that used to be a dime a dozen in the '90s, accent them with lively rhythm dynamics, and only sparingly resort to using the tired quiet/loud/quiet trick that puts food on Mogwai's table. In fact, these songs would work as well with vocals as they do without them.
- paul
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Released 02.28.2005
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Thursday, March 31, 2005
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Eux Autres - Hell Is Eux Autres (Bon Mots) [mp3s]
Hey kid! No, not you. The one with the backpack and the iPod blaring
Keren Ann. Here's your chance to leapfrog those SPIN-reading
friends of yours. Eux Autres sing some songs in French as well, but
they back it all up with crisp guitar pop that incorporates every
great trick short of the kitchen sink. Handclaps, call-and-response
vocals, mad reverb - you name it. As a bonus, they're the coolest
brother/sister duo to surface since The Carpenters. Hell isn't Eux
Autres, heaven is.
- paul
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Tuesday, February 08, 2005
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Eisley - Room Noises
(Reprise)
[audio]
[video]
[upcoming shows]
Eisley falls into that very narrow category of bands with underground
buzz who are on the verge of becoming widely known. Poor kids, the
pressure must be immense. Though they should be applauded for writing
and performing better material than a host of their peers, Room
Noises betrays the band's penchant for overcompensation; clever
musical and lyrical turns simply for the sake of cleverness. What
could have been a wonderful pop record is tainted by its desire to be
something more.
- paul
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Released 02.08.2005
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Friday, December 31, 2004
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Engineers - Folly (Echo) [audio]
[upcoming shows]
Folly is as enjoyable to listen to as it is frustrating to write about. It's quiet and personal, but it's also ambitious and epic. Much like fellow atmosphere-conscious Brit rockers Doves, Engineers wrap slow burning melodies around the most intricate of arrangements. Walls of affected guitar prevail at times while near-ambient synths and gently strummed chords build the foundations at others. Folly is sort of like dreaming while you're awake or living life while
you're asleep. It's a depository of lofty contradictions.
- paul
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Released 09.27.2004
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Tuesday, August 10, 2004
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Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts... Now (Artemis) [album stream] [upcoming shows]
This is the work of a frustrated patriot, a man who romanticizes the
civil rights movement of the '50s and '60s and man who sees a better
country beyond the horizon ("The Revolution Starts...", "F the CC").
It's the work of a man who's had his heart broken by a woman he loves
("I Thought You Should Know"). It's the work of a comedian who's sent
a love note to Condoleeza Rice ("Condi, Condi"). It's the work of
Steve Earle, and it's his best album in ages.
- paul
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Wednesday, June 09, 2004
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Eyvind Kang - Virginal Coordinates (Ipecac)
Possibly containing the quietest ensemble of musicians on earth, which includes horns, strings, eastern percussion, and the cooing of Mike Patton and his sedate electronic pets, this is at once captivating and saddening. Anxiety laces itself around the lengthy and repetitive reveries and pocket-sized nuggets, and at times it's like Sigur Ros perching on a rain-soaked ledge. At others, it's like a creepy sauna party hosted by Miles Davis. For these reasons I say long live the Kang.
- jason m.
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Friday, April 30, 2004
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Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal (Ant Acid Audio/RekordsRekords) [mp3] [video]
How do you make Peace Love Death Metal yourself? Take your old Steve Miller, Steeler's Wheel, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and disco-era Rolling Stones records out to the California desert. Leave 'em out there to bake for a couple of years. When they're done, see if they play - if they do, pick the best songs from each (they should sound markedly similar, yet equally ass-kicking by this time), and make a massive mix. Then proceed to dance your ass off.
- jeremy
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Tuesday, November 04, 2003
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Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not A Cold Dead Place (Temporary Residence) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
Some time ago I went to an ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead concert. Explosions in the Sky were the openers. After they played, and about 30 minutes into Trail of Dead's set, the singer was writhing on the ground screaming at my feet. I looked at him bemusedly and thought, "Yeah, this is okay, but it doesn't hold a torch to Explosions' set." This record cements EitS's stature in the post-post rock world.
- kate
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Thursday, August 28, 2003
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Erase Errata - At Crystal Palace (Troubleman/Blast First) [mp3s] [upcoming shows]
Like a spazzier and less overtly-politicized Le Tigre, Erase Errata are easily the coolest thing going in San Francisco right now, a cleansing rain of lo-fi disco punk helping to erase any lingering patchouli odor wafting off of Haight. Not for everybody, but I bet this makes those cool girls from your art class dance around all jerky like Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang.
- nick
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Tuesday, December 03, 2002
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Missy Elliott - Under Construction (Elektra)
Although I've always loved Missy and followed her work, I haven't felt compelled to buy one of her albums until now. This is her most cohesive album to date, and blends old school with futuristic Timbaland beats in creamy soulful goodness. "Slide" is one of the best cuts I've heard on any record, period. She also gets props for making a track with Jay-Z that's better than the entirety of his Blueprint 2.
- kate
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Monday, December 02, 2002
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Elf Power - Nothing's Going To Happen (Orange Twin) [audio] [upcoming shows]
An album consisting entirely of cover songs, there's tons of potential when covering The Flaming Lips, Buzzcocks, The Frogs, and The Misfits (among others) - a challenge for a talented fuzzy pop band like Elf Power. The best are Flaming Lips "Felt Good to Burn", Bad Brains "Pay To Cum", and The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog", While Husker Du's "Never Talking To You Again" and Roky Erickson's "I Walked With The Zombie" aren't so much bad as uninspired. Highly varied and enjoyable with many more hits than misses.
- mark
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Friday, November 22, 2002
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Eyes Adrift - Self Titled (SpinART) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Curt Kirkwood is one of those guitar heros who peaked way too early to ever cash in on his talents and the commercialization of alternative music in the mid-90's. By recruiting musical heavyweights Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and the drummer of Sublime, Kirkwood makes a brilliant career move and the result is his most inspired studio work in a decade. For those familiar with the Meat Puppets, this falls somewhere between Up On The Sun and Huevos, including the first musical tribute to Jon Benet Ramsey to not involve Elton John.
- mark
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Wednesday, October 23, 2002
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Egon - Behind The Curtain (Has Anyone Ever Told You?) [mp3]
Not to be confused with the trippy-pop group Enon, this trio hail from the dusty border town of El Paso and play their own brand of jangly indie rock. At times it's surprisingly clever, especially on the jaunty "I'll Help Myself," while other times the songs sound indistiguishable from each other. Still, with the occasional plinks of electric piano and Victor Talamantes' slighty airy (dare I say emo?) voice, it's well worth the $5 PPD to order it direct from the label. Isn't getting mail fun?
- cory
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Thursday, August 01, 2002
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Enon - High Society (Touch & Go) [mp3] [video]
High Society introduces us to a kindler, gentler Enon. There's still the abrasive scouring power of Brainiac, but now with a milder Malkmus-y pop sensibility. There's also a feminine touch, added by newest member Toko Yasuda, giving High Society an intermittent dose of Blonde Redhead delicateness. That being said, High Society does tend to do quite a bit of musical genre-bending. Overall, it's a pretty eclectic collection of tracks. Fortunately, the solid songwriting anchors everything well. The results are less "Man, this is all over the place", and more "Wheeeeeeeeee!"
- ryan
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Friday, May 24, 2002
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Eminem - The Eminem Show (Interscope/Shady Records)
Eminem's career has always bobbed somewhere between battle-rhyme underground style and 3-minute commercial jams, and his latest LP is the strongest effort he's mustered yet far to fuse those two ends of his rap spectrum together. This time around, he adds a whole new cache of styles to his quiver, from the Outkast/Nelly-esque southern-funk of "Square Dance" to the Jay-Z pimp-posturing of "Superman", and he even tries, er, singing on "Hallie's Song." Sick flow and beats throughout, however.
- aaron
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Thursday, April 11, 2002
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Eels - Souljacker (Dreamworks)
Treading a fine line between amusement and farce, Souljacker's quirky bouillabaisse (distorted surf guitar over live breakbeats and crisp string arrangements) makes it easy to assume the Eels' tongues are firmly planted in their Unabomber-beard-covered cheeks. But don't take for granted that frontman E's lyrical preoccupation with "Friendly Ghost"s and "Bus Stop Boxer"s is just another special effect in the mix; there’s sincere empathy for the freaks here, along with an underlying musical tenderness for even the homeliest "Dog Faced Boy."
- nick
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Tuesday, November 06, 2001
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The Eyeliners - Sealed With a Kiss (Panic Button)
For the past four years, the Eyeliners have been releasing mostly unheralded records, all of which feature their engaging brand of female-fronted, melodic, fast-paced rock and roll. Sealed With a Kiss finds little change in the formula: perhaps problematic for cynical critics, but a boon for the listener who has fallen for the band's simple, catchy style. Universal songs about friends, love, and music abound here, all of them wide-eyed and containing more than a small dose of charm.
- chris
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Monday, November 05, 2001
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Explosions In The Sky -Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die (Temporary Residence)
More layered vocal-free noiserock from Texas, this time by the band from Austin who, rumor has it, the American Analog Set discovered on tour and sent a cassette back to the label with a note that read "THIS TOTALLY FUCKING DESTROYS." Good stuff that sounds like the guitar and rhythm sections of Godspeeed You Black Emperor! partnered with Duster in the big Wrestlemania event: sometimes they fight together behind the official's back in a big loud violent romp, others they let their individual flair shine.
- cory
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