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Thursday, July 08, 2010
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Last One Out - Whammy EP (self released) [upcoming shows] [audio]
If Adam Duritz of Counting Crows started a rock band, it would be Last One Out. This piano centered pop/rock band attempts to find their sound on Whammy. From the catchy, sing-along pop, "Last One Out" to the rough rock "Pierce the Crust" which is dripping with sexual references, Last One Out is a new, promising band experimenting with lyrics, rhythmic lines, and piano melodies.
- kelly
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Released 03.15.2010
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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La Otracina - Woven Wanderers EP (Colour Sounds) [upcoming shows] [audio]
Strap on your seat belts, put on your helmets and prepare to be blasted into space. The album starts like Ummagumma-era Pink Floyd, strummed acoustics,congas, whispers, and delays on everything. This is spiritual music; Joseph Campbell has this piped in his coffin. Quiet for a long time, things get scary and resemble The Shining soundtrack. Heavy drums and guitars come in to end the album in a heavy psych manner. Beautiful, terrifying and trippy.
- eric b
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Released 02.02.2010
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Monday, November 23, 2009
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Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster (Interscope) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Fame Monster, like The Fame before it, is unfuckwithable where the big, banging club tracks are concerned. Lady Gaga is praised for the theatrical, visual element of her performance, but she really does write strong material to back it up. Where she's weakest is her softer side. The ballads are just self-indulgent and go nowhere slowly. "Bad Romance," "Dance in the Dark," and "Telephone" all rub shoulders with her best work, though, and she's already half way to a greatest hits album just a year into her career.
- paul
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Released 11.23.2009
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Wednesday, September 02, 2009
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Little Tybee - I Wonder Which House the Fish Will Live In (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
It's common to hear a new indie band and have them instantly hold your attention for the length of an ep, but it's rare that you feel this way because of a violin. It's Little Tybee's softly sweet violin that is the cornerstone of the band's charm, and once the strings have you so will the voice, as it glides from gruff to falsetto. Foes of electric keyboards and synthesized drums may find these elements too obtrusive, but those who can hear past them will be glad they're listening.
- cormac
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Released 08.04.2009
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Monday, August 17, 2009
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Richard Lloyd - The Jamie Neverts Story (Parasol) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Television and Jimi Hendrix are not normally connected, considering Hendrix died a few years before Television existed, but, as the liner notes detail, Hendrix and Lloyd had a brief but complex relationship. While Lloyd has nowhere near the acclaim Hendrix has as a guitarist (no one does), this album should expose Lloyd to an entire new audience of classic rock fans. The reality is that this won't happen, but even while avoiding most of Hendrix's best-known songs, Lloyd is one of the few who can pull this off.
- mark
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Released 09.01.2009
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
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Loney Dear - Dear John (Polyvinyl) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Emil Svanängen's fifth album as Loney Dear is the one he claims he's always been trying to make. And with that in mind, the deeper exploration of his own craft comes across in these eleven songs. "Under a Silent Sea," for example, is an ever-swelling surge of sound and intensity that becomes something altogether unexpected. Dear John is secretly a sophisticated romantic pop album stripped down to acoustic guitars and twinkling keyboards. How sneaky, Emil.
- paul
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Released 01.27.2009
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Thursday, February 12, 2009
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Les Issambres - Folklore of Mine (Fifth Week) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Les Issambres' charming folk pop is almost embarrassing. The type of embarrassing that leads you to publicly dance around and sing odd lyrics about how you're "lumpy like a statue made of clay" and your "lake garden kite-flying dandelion". I don't know what they're talking about, but I'm hooked. I'm a sucker for the boy/girl vocals and the cheery melodies. I'm a sucker for the foreign retro-folk sound, the confusing lyrics, the droning accented singing, and even the accordion solos. It's no surprise that Sweden is behind this.
- cormac
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Released 12.09.2008
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Monday, January 19, 2009
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Little Death EP (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
If Little Death and bands like them have their way, the guitar will again become the centerpiece of indie rock. This too-brief EP resuscitates the dying half of the genre, where shambling, loud guitars run amuck all over clever pop songs—not dissimilar from '90s faves like Superchunk and Versus. "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man" even ventures cautiously into Pixies territory, and does so ably. I didn't realize I missed this stuff so much until I heard it again from a fresh voice.
- paul
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Released 11.18.2008
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Thursday, January 08, 2009
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The Little Ones - Morning Tide (Chop Shop) [audio] [upcoming shows]
There is something very Death Cabbish about The Little Ones, from the Gibbard-esque voice to the perfectly timed "whoa-ah-oh's". You may also be reminded of Jimmy Eat World or Vampire Weekend ...basically, it's nothing you haven't heard before, but it is more consistently captivating. Listening to the album in its entirety is the best way to appreciate Morning Tide, as it's surely bigger and better than the sum of its parts. It won't be long before you'll have one bouncy song after another stuck in that big dumb beautiful head of yours.
- cormac
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Released 10.07.2008
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Friday, July 18, 2008
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Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (Cash Money) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I'm late to this buzzfest. Nothing about Weezy's radio singles got me interested at all. But the praise was so effusive, I picked this up with extreme trepidation. And hooooly shit, was my doubt unfounded. This isn't just "best of 2008" good, this is in "best rap albums of the young millenium" territory. Like if ODB was more clever and then recorded Stankonia. The beats are varied and interesting, and Wayne handles every style effortlessly. A truly unique and important voice in hip-hop. Instant classic.
- tom d.
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Released 06.10.2008
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
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The La's - The La's: Deluxe Edition (Polydor) [audio]
Deluxe reissues seldom offer enough interesting bonus material to warrant a purchase, but the audio history of how the only La's album came to be back in 1990 is fully exposed here. Included is the full version recorded with producer Mike Hedges, the one that was shelved by the band's label in favor of the Steve Lillywhite version that was commercially released. Along with even more alternate recordings by notable producers and stray radio sessions, you may feel like the band's fifth member by the time it's all over.
- paul
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Released 05.06.2008
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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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Shwa Losben - Chop Chop (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The independent release Chop Chop is the first solo effort for singer/songwriter Shwa (Joshua) Losben. This is the kind of album you find yourself listening to over and over again, while gleaning something new and insightful each time. Losben's vocals are reminiscent of early Neil Young but the songwriting reminds me more or bands like R.E.M., Radiohead, Jack Johnson and others. This is a rare and great find; a true indie release that doesn't suck.
- j.p.
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Released 02.19.2008
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
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Low Scores - Battling the Grid (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This is a free, downloadable collection of beats of uncleared samples and unfinished ideas, most of it laid back, the perfect background music or possibly the groundwork for your next
remix project. Easily digestible, these tracks bounce between tranquil mellowness and the more heavy bedroom hip hop beats. While this "album" contains 47 tracks, most are around one minute long and won't overwhelm you with a lack of variety in their sampled and not so sampled beats—mostly instrumental with the occasional voice mixed in. Download and enjoy it here.
- mark
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Released 02.05.2008
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
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Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool: Anniversary Edition (Yep Roc) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This reissue was long, long overdue. And boy is it ever a kinder egg of a pinata package. You get all kinds of extra stuff that I won't go into here. Most of the songs are of the early Elvis Costello caliber, and I was excited to read in the liner notes that ol' Basher played just about every instrument. It gives me a special kind of joy to hear Lowe sing about "castrating Castro" over and over again on "Nutted by Reality." He starts the whole thing off with the absolute worst song, though.
- muffin
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Released 02.19.2008
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Friday, April 04, 2008
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Leona Lewis - Spirit (J Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Among all the winners of the American Idol and X Factor shows on both sides of the ocean, very few have turned contest success into an actual radio/video presence. 2006's X Factor winner Leona Lewis ably follows in the footsteps of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, not only breaking several records regarding US chart appeal of British singers, but by making a debut record actually worth listening to. "Bleeding Love" is a brilliant r&b-influenced pop single, percussive and moody, but "Take a Bow" is the real lion in waiting.
- paul
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Released 04.08.2008
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Tuesday, April 01, 2008
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Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies (Atlantic) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Louis XIV, if you haven't heard them, are some bizarro blend of T. Rex and Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie with a singer who frequently sounds like the prancing younger brother of Bon Scott. It's not a bad recipe on paper. Even I liked them for about five minutes back in 2005 at the time of their first major-label album, but this shit gets old faster than sushi on a hot day. Unfortunately, it probably still gets them all laid.
- paul
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Released 01.29.2008
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
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Lemuria - Get Better (Asian Man) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Welcome the return of the '90s alterna-punk sound with Lemuria! Like Velocity Girl or Discount before them, Lemuria combine female-fronted pop punk in a way that is altogether charming. Get Better is full of two minute songs that link together neatly like a freshly completed 28 minute jigsaw puzzle. In the mix is melancholy punk, a la 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, as well as fun melodic pop, a la a Dirt Bike Annie record. Totally worth getting, playing loud, singing along, and obsessing over.
- cormac
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Released 02.26.2008
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Thursday, December 06, 2007
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The Low Anthem - What the Crow Brings (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
It's peaceful and tranquil, more Damien Jurado than Will Oldham. If there was a duo ever suited to play as the Titanic slowly went down, The Low Anthem is it. So soothing, between passing out every 30 seconds, I realized that if this was pumped into every mall in America for one month, world peace would finally be achieved. Do not operate heavy machinery unless you have "Yellowed By the Sun" on repeat, with the buzzing freakout harmonica solo that reminds me of older-era Radar Brothers, The Band and Crazy Horse.
- mark
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Released 11.06.2007
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Monday, November 05, 2007
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Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends (French Kiss) [audio] [upcoming shows]
On one hand, it doesn't seem like six whole years have come and gone since Les Savy Fav last released a full album's worth of new material. On the other, listening to Let's Stay Friends makes crystal clear the realization that they've been sorely missed in the current echo chamber of lazy copycat indie bands. They're complex without being math-y, aggressive without being confrontational and melodic without being saccharine. The underground has gotten a little too cute, so our old friends Les Savy Fav had to come back and ugly it up.
- paul
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Released 09.18.2007
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Monday, October 22, 2007
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Le Loup - The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly (Hardly Art) [audio] [upcoming shows]
With that mouthful of an album title and Le Loup's affiliation with all things electro-folk, you could be forgiven that their album would be filled with yawn-inspiring poetic, pretentious drivel. Luckily for Le Loup, their music of breathily layered vocals, gently plucked banjos and minimal dance bleeping beats is more artful than artsy-fartsy and rousing numbers like "Look to the West" show that the band have got some meat behind that Stevens sound (re: both Cat and Sufjan). Slightly affected? Possibly. Still fixating? Definitely.
- ellie
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Released 09.11.2007
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Friday, October 12, 2007
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Lauderdale (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Eleven of the thirteen tracks come in between 3:18 and 3:55, so they know the formula and execute it effortlessly. "Exhale" reminds me of a grittier Gin Blossoms with Eddie Vedder-like vocals while "Breathless P.M." slows things down and adds a slide guitar. At different points they seem on the verge of anger, but instead cooler heads prevail and no punches are thrown. Overall, consistency rules and highs and lows are avoided. It echoes the Goo Goo Dolls thirty drummers ago crossed with mid-tempo Americana country rock.
- mark
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Released 07.17.2007
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Tuesday, October 09, 2007
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Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian) [audio] [upcoming shows]
As precious as a baby's coo, Jens Lekman's second full-length extends his light-hearted choirboy pop into more orchestral realms. The dozen lullabies on Night Falls Over Kortedala have more bounce than any of Jens' previous work, a handful of soulful harmonies and a few mushy moments along the way—but those sweet, sweet melodies make up for it. If you like the idea of a Swedish Jonathan Richman, jump right in.
- david b.
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Released 10.09.2007
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Friday, September 14, 2007
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The Loves - Technicolour (Fortuna Pop) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Technicolour bounces around like a good mix tape, with some '60s music, some acoustic numbers and some rockers. The Loves have much to share with electro-twee-pop outfits of today like The Brunettes, but that's not what makes them interesting. The ace up their collective sleeve is a blending of sounds that are at times sweet, at times gritty, and always gratefully reminiscent of '80s alternative boy-girl bands like The Vaselines or Beat Happening.
- cormac
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Released 08.21.2007
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Thursday, September 06, 2007
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Les Issambres - Late Fairytales (Fifth Week) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Yippee, I haven't gotten a new fix of Swedish indie folk pop since... well, since Les Issambres sent in their other two albums last summer. This one sounds very similar—jangly guitars, spooky flute, sullen tambourine, girl and boy singers trading vocals—although a kind of sadness seems to hover around the edges. "Feeling Fine" mixes the sadness with anger—put it on a mix tape if you're breaking up with someone.
- meredith
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Released 06.05.2007
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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
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The Lolligags - Wired EP (Happy Happy Birthday to Me) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Lolligags sound almost exactly as you would expect them to sound by their name: a sweetly infectious blend of girlish vocals and keyboard keplunk-ery, surely a match made in electropop heaven. The first couple of tunes would not out of place at an indie-disco, but the duo shake things up with "Creep", a track exploring the finer side of stalking, and employ an unexpected folk touch on final offering "Staircase Mystery". Cute, but not on the wrong side of sickly, this EP is catchy, but just interesting enough to carry on holding your attention.
- ellie
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Released 07.17.2007
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Tuesday, July 17, 2007
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Leyode - Fascinating Tininess (Eastern Developments) [audio]
Fans of Prefuse 73 take notice: not only is his acoustic side project Savath + Savalas featured on one of the album's standout tracks, but Leyode are also inked to his label Eastern Developments. Ethereal and indiscernable vocal loops, intertwining piano lines, digital soundscapes and rock solid head-nodding beats make for an album which unveils layers of itself after repeated listens. "Irene" is probably the most accessible track, and also an excellent starting point. You could do much worse when reaching for an album to lose yourself to.
- pete
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Released 06.12.2007
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Monday, June 25, 2007
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Lillydale - The Act of Becoming One's Own Shadow (Mt. Fuji) [audio] [upcoming shows]
If you've ever wondered what power pop sounds like, the opening track "Wind Chimes" could be Exhibit A. It builds up majestically; the repeated "how you shine" soaring against a persistent guitar line. Lyrics like "Cause we're transmissive satellites/wavelengths dance from broken stereos" and "flipping through the pages/landed on a chapter/but this story's already been read" support cymbal-laden guitar rock. (The spelling of said lyrics is atrocious, but I forgive them, because I like the music. Especially the vocals, which remind me of X or Eleventh Dream Day.)
- meredith
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Released 02.06.2007
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Wednesday, June 06, 2007
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Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down - Phantom Punch (Astralwerks) [audio] [upcoming shows]
When Norwegian songster Sondre Lerche recorded a jazz cd in 2006, the
result was surprisingly good. Spreading his musical wings once again a
year later, the former acoustic pop-rocker has returned to his pop-rocking
with a heavier electric sound. This time the results are mixed, but
without much of a predictable pattern; some heavier tunes come across as
phony, while others are spot on. As expected, mid-tempo songs like "John,
Let Me Go" and "After All" are the truly memorable tracks.
- cormac
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Released 02.06.2007
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Tuesday, May 01, 2007
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Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing (RCA) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Let's agree to stop assigning adult standards of musical competence to Avril Lavigne albums, okay? She may be 22 and happily married now, but she's still making kid music. The simple truth is that 14 year-olds find depth where the rest of us see shallowness, and the fact that Avril has retained the ability to tap into that adolescent mindset is something for which she should be praised instead of ridiculed. She's sort of like Alice in Wonderland, able to fall down the rabbit hole into teen angst virtually at will—only now with F-Bombs!
- paul
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Released 04.17.2007
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Monday, April 30, 2007
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Low - Drums and Guns (Sub Pop) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Low have always been moody and dark, but this record
finds them in a cave with experimental sounds that
are up Yo La Tengo's alley and vocals that soar like
Sigur Rós—an interesting departure for Low, whose
huge songs always came out of being sparse and
intense. This record is dense with loops, piano and
interesting sounds, but not all of these songs strike
the emotional chord that I look for in Low.
- c. daltry
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Released 03.20.2007
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Friday, April 20, 2007
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Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Living With the Living (Touch & Go) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Teddy-boy and his faithful Pharmacists have been quietly reigning the
indie scene for literate, thoughtful punksters since the turn of the
century. With one damn good album after another, TL/Rx have done
everything but break into the major label TRL crowd, and after Living With
the Living, (almost) anything is possible. The album retains the
in-your-face rocking feel of Shake the Sheets while surging through
musical styles of rock, pop, soul, reggae, and punk.
- cormac
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Released 03.20.2007
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Tuesday, March 06, 2007
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Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir (Sub Pop) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Loney, Dear's Loney, Noir in three words? Thoughtful, heartbreaking, impressive. Complex, moody arrangements surround Loney, Dear's pretty voice and therapeutic guitar. This soulful, Swedish, Elliott Smith-like dude composes tunes imaginatively sans pretension. What about a clarinet behind his acoustic guitar and crooning vocals? Gorgeous. Or his upbeat, Simon & Garfunkel-like " I Am John" presenting delicate harmonies? Tearfully amazing. This album honestly captures slices of life's beauty and pain through fluid music and honest lyrics.
- miriam
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Released 02.06.2007
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007
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Locksley - Don't Make Me Wait (self released) [video] [audio] [upcoming shows]
Locksley has taken a lousy band name, great influences, and occasionally matching outfits to a fun yet familiar territory. They took their name from The Adventures of Robin Hood, sound simultaneously like the early Beatles and the Libertines, and at times dress like the Hives. The songs can be quite good—many a toe-tapper indeed. But the problem lies in the presentation: this retro gimmick is just as annoying as wearing eyeliner and torn vintage suits (I'm rolling my eyes at you, Panic! at the Disco).
- cormac
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Released 01.16.2007
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Monday, November 13, 2006
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La Pieta -
Inside Out (Contraphonic) [audio] [upcoming shows]
If you liked Madder Rose, you will like La Pieta. Too short at only five songs, the EP's sound is that of a sweeter, higher-pitched Kim Deal singing slow indie pop over simple guitar and bass lines, complemented by subtle harmonies and counterpoint. The hooks will get
you humming, the lyrics are wistful and lovely ("broken
glass sparkles / stardust falling"), and I LOVE that
the cover art refers to the "mustached man on the couch
from the party last night."
- meredith
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Released 10.10.2006
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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
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Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire CD + DVD (Capitol) [video] [video trailer]
Eight years after the eclectic Into the Sun, Sean Lennon returns to
parade his songwriting flair on Friendly Fire. Time and heartache have
influenced a more consistently gentle sound, with a continued focus on
introspective lyrics. Couple that with his undeniable 60's-influenced
sound and love of melody, and you're left with a slightly Elliott Smith-esque
experience at times, perhaps most noticably on the opener "Dead Meat." 75
words is certainly not enough for such a beauty. Friendly Fire is
easily one of the year's best. Highly recommended.
- cormac
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Released 10.03.2006
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Tuesday, September 26, 2006
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Ladyfuzz - Kerfuffle (Transgressive) [audio and video]
[more audio]
[upcoming shows]
The Slits once wrote a song they called "Difficult Fun." I'm sure they had no idea that a quarter-century later one band would take that notion to heart and document its viability with the songs that comprise Kerfuffle. It is a difficult sort of fun, as Ladyfuzz clearly put having a good time ahead of anything else. Yet for every one moment of straight ahead Elastica-styled pop rock, Kefuffle has twice as many moments of backwards rhythms, curious instrumentation and exhausting obfuscation of melody. Where the new-wave and the no-wave meet, Kerfuffle resides.
- paul
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Released 04.04.2006
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Friday, September 15, 2006
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Vivian Linden - Watch the Light Fade (Tarnished
Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
In "Pass the Wires," the first of nine bluesily country tracks, Linden murmurs that "I am restless; I am sleepless; I am weary." Those qualities lace the entire album of sorrow-soaked slow songs, shot through with Cowboy Junkies and embroidered with Mazzy Star. Singing of "love, lust, lonesomeness and loss," Linden's plaintiveness recalls a deeper-voiced Iris Dement or Emmylou Harris. If you like your music darkly acoustic and sweetly bitter, add this to your collection.
- meredith
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Released 08.22.2006
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Tuesday, September 12, 2006
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Pop Levi - Blue Honey EP (Counter) [audio] [video] [upcoming shows]
Pop Levi is the anti-Jack White. On his Blue Honey EP, Led Zeppelin and the blues-folk tradition are mined with a suppler hand and a gifted ear for the beat that's lacking on most of the newer White Stripes recordings. It doesn't hurt matters, either, that Pop Levi is fully capable of flexing his experimental muscle if needed (see his work in Super Numeri) but sensibly quells the impulse to better suit his own material. Pop's getting his boots dirty by choice, not by limitations.
- paul
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Released 08.22.2006
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Thursday, July 20, 2006
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Let's Be Active - Keep The Fuzz Off My Buzz CD + DVD (Sickroom) [video] [audio]
This 15 track compilation was packaged together with a dvd movie of these four bands on their spring 2004 tour through the midwest. Paradise Island plays dance electro, lo fi guitar and spoken female rant. William Elliott Whitemore is a husky-voiced, banjo playing troubadour while Jarrett Hilarious mixes humor and spoken word snippets throughout the comp. The discovery here is The Shadow Government (FT)- their track "Noble Flavor" is a heavy, trippy ride, while the footage of the double drummers in their live show left me floored.
- mark
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Released 07.18.2006
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Thursday, June 29, 2006
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The Lonesome Heroes - Don't Play to Lose (Floodwater Records) [audio]
If Maryrose Crook and the Renderers are the jaded souls playing to the barflies as closing time looms, then The Lonesome Heroes are the still-hopeful opening act. The haunting lap steel belies that hope, however, lurking beneath strummed guitars with a lonely yearning. In the title track, Rich Russell declares, "country songs ... have got a strange hold over me." With their roots firmly planted in Hank Williams territory, The Lonesome Heroes structure their songs well, blazing their own path through alt-country style.
- meredith
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Released 03.30.2006
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Thursday, June 15, 2006
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Les Issambres (Fifth Week Records) [audio]
Les Issambres sent in two albums; I slightly preferred Sand Theater Poetry, but am reviewing the newer one in the interest of currency ... and hoping they forward their third effort this summer. These Swedes have the formula for my favorite imported sound - going so far as to name track 5 "Pop Song." Their folky version is Ray Davies and Emmylou Harris with a cold taking turns over acoustic guitars with a flute and some Mazzy-Star tambourine thrown in. And a side of "My Name is Earl" ... karma plays a part in several songs.
- meredith
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Released 11.22.2005
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Tuesday, May 02, 2006
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Lo-Fi-Fnk - Boylife (La Vida Locash) [audio] [upcoming shows]
If Junior Senior are playing the big room downstairs, Lo-Fi-Fnk have been booked for the exclusive VIP room one floor up. The Swedish duo of Leo Drougge and August Hellsing have been turning out eccentric electro-pop singles for a few years now, none of which have been easily categorized and have therefore been ignored en masse on this side of the world. 2006 brings about their first full-length album, though, and with any luck fans of everyone from Basement Jaxx to Death Cab will find something about Boylife they can love.
- paul
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Released 04.24.2006
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Monday, April 24, 2006
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The Lovely Feathers - Hind Hind Legs (Equator Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
What a mind-blowing breakthrough for this unclassifiable Canadian band. Messily mesmerizing, their sound is a tangle of musical threads - Franz Ferdinand’s spastic energy, The Bravery’s anthemic absurdity, and an artful spontaneity a la Modest Mouse. Endearingly schizophrenic, ludicrous lyrics shout “We will take off our pants- Kiss the corn and dance” and “Pope John Paul- Where’re you from?- Krakow, POOOO-land, Krakow POOOO-land!.” OK, can you tell me how to get to Sesame (via Crack) Street?; a CD worthy of that bizarre road-trip, arousing gratuitous play – with or without pants.
- betty
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Released 04.18.2006
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Friday, February 24, 2006
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The Light Footwork - One State Two State (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Ramshackle indie pop, featuring panning point-counterpoint vocal exchanges bouncing between strained, cracking female vocals and vitamin deficient male vocals. The brief "$$" is full of electronic squiggles, while "Yellow Smoke of Progress" is the hit that never happened. Not unlike Eleventh Dream Day and Teenage Fanclub at their most casual with minimalist Pavement-y guitar lines, and some Pixies and Pony-like moments of loud, tumbling rock. Any band that acknowledges the death of Strom Thurmond to a musical beat can't be all that bad.
- mark
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Released 11.12.2005
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Tuesday, December 27, 2005
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Living Things - Ahead of the Lions (Jive) [audio]
Without so much as a single whack of the cowbell, Living Things gets the ears ringing with a hearty show of modernized classic rock and punk a la Iggy, the Stones or Blue Oyster Cult on their much-delayed debut, Ahead of the Lions. Somehow, they’ve even managed to write "Don’t Fear the Reaper II." Creepy. If there’s a secret rockstar guild out there, then now would be the time for its' members to start thinking about teaching Living Things the secret handshake.
- jason m.
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Released 10.04.2005
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Tuesday, December 20, 2005
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The LeeVees - Hanukkah Rocks (JDub Records) [upcoming shows]
This album transcends novelty status due to the actual songwriting talents of its creators, including Adam Gardner of Guster. If you didn’t listen to the words, you’d figure it was just another indie pop record. But if you do listen to the words … “How Do You Spell Channukkahh?” gives a shoutout to the National Spelling Bee; “At the Timeshare” includes mom on the phone from Florida; and “Kugel” laments the low-fat trend. Fun stuff.
- meredith
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Released 10.25.2005
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Thursday, December 15, 2005
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Lousy Robot - The Strange and True Story of Your Life (Traveling in Place Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
You know how sometimes you love pulling on your comfy sweater that still fits even though you got it in high school? And it's still stylish after all of these years and makes you happy? That's what listening to this album is like - think Jesus and Mary Chain and the Pixies (on Valium). Lousy Robot isn't breaking any new ground, but they definitely have the indie pop sweater formula down: warm, fuzzy, and incredibly catchy.
- meredith
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Released 03.25.2005
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Wednesday, November 02, 2005
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The Like – Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? [audio] [upcoming shows]
So why can't the rest of the teenage girls out there sound like this? The Like kicks the asses of Ashley Simpson and her ilk. Descendants of the Sundays, but tempered by the hard edges of L.A. (and perhaps advice from their industry-veteran dads), Charlotte, Z and Tennessee are the younger, huskier-voiced, fuzzier-guitared sisters of Rilo Kiley. Some tracks completely rock out, others are more pensive, but they all demonstrate that girls can play their instruments, too.
- meredith
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Released 09.13.2005
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Thursday, May 26, 2005
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Love Of Diagrams - We Got Communication (Unstable Ape) [mp3s]
[upcoming shows]
Though the band's first album consisted of ten winding, angular
instrumental pieces (think Sleater-Kinney without singing), the
decision to incorporate vocals into the material on their follow-up EP was a wise one. Not only are these new songs more eruptive, but the dynamic male/female vocal interplay lends more depth to the material and a resolute foundation that had only been hinted at before. There's only one reason people aren't talking about Love Of Diagrams; people haven't heard Love Of Diagrams.
- paul
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Released 10.11.2004
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Wednesday, March 30, 2005
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LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (DFA) [audio/video] [upcoming shows]
Guys, have you ever dreamed of throwing a party where you can dance
with hot dorky girls in black-rimmed glasses with great bodies and
that know the difference between the Clash and the Knack? Have you
ever thought about what music you might play at said party?
Danceable, not mindless, something that would make one of the
aforementioned hot nerdy girls approach you asking what was playing?
And are you tired of Basement Jaxx? Well, here ya go. And it is
really good too.
- tom d.
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Released 02.15.2005
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Tuesday, November 30, 2004
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Le Tigre - This Island (Universal) [mp3] [video] [upcoming shows]
Everything Kathleen Hanna has ever touched has set my hopes high and my heart on fire. Until now. If you like your infectious dance beats without a severe dose of feminist politics, then you’re sure to love Le Tigre’s This Island. After all, though your heart is safe, I assure you that your dancing feet are still quite flammable.
- s. finch
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Wednesday, October 27, 2004
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Luna - Rendezvous
(Jetset)
[upcoming shows]
When you heard Luna was going to break up, you probably thought "yeah,
that makes sense." And it's not that Dean Wareham has been entirely
static or single-minded for twelve years, but that the intent has
become exhaustive for both the band and its fans. I find it fitting
that any album in their catalog could have replaced this as the final
release, because it means Rendezvous is as true a document of Luna's
gift to music as anything they've ever made.
- paul
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Wednesday, October 20, 2004
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n. Lannon - Chemical Friends (Badman)
[mp3s]
[upcoming shows]
Setting aside the bold similarities between Lannon's voice and that of
the late Elliott Smith, we're left with a warmly original record that
brings together the traditional loneliness of acoustic songwriting
with the epic futurism of synthesized instrumentation. "The Nature of
Things," with its programmed drums and 4AD-style reverbed guitar
atmosphere, is simply gorgeous. "Fortune Cookie" is more like Dylan
reimagined in a naive, embryonic state. The bulk of the album rests comfortably between these extremes and its missteps are few.
- paul
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Monday, September 13, 2004
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Daniele Luppi - An Italian Story (Rhino) [audio]
[video]
It would have been so easy for a project like this to fall prey to the
style-over-substance curse, but Luppi made an honest effort to
authenticate every second of this homage to '60s Italian film scores.
From recording the music at the legendary Telecinesound Studio to
recruiting Alessandro "The Whistler" Alessandroni, whom you've no
doubt heard in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western films, An Italian
Story is remarkably and innovatively fresh for music altogether
inspired from another time.
- paul
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Friday, August 27, 2004
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Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum (Beggars Banquet) [audio]
First off, don't worry about that Weird Chill. Lanegan's earlier odds & sods EP was just that, and the recordings that they were culled from are stronger without 'em. Bubblegum runs the gamut of Lanegan's loves, from Beefheart/Watsian howlers, to silkily depressing ballads, to QOTSA robot-rock pounders, with some duets thrown in to boot (yay for PJ Harvey!). Somehow all that variation makes for Lanegan's most consistently listenable solo release to date. That there's some mighty chewy bubblegum.
- jeremy
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Friday, July 16, 2004
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James Leroy - Distinction
[audio]
James Leroy is not a man, but a band hailing from Lethbridge in the Canadian province of Alberta. There's no PR push and no underground hype, rather a simple request on a p2p network to download their album before downloading anything else. That's how I found them and haven't been able to stop listening since. Vocals resembling a younger Mac McCaughan, earnest use of live playing, drum machines and dubious sampling... all amazing. The only thing holding back James Leroy is geography.
- paul
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Tuesday, June 22, 2004
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Les Savy Fav - Inches (French Kiss)
A compliation of the crème de la Les Savy Fav crème. Covering 1996 (the Rhode Island years) to 2004, the disc spans nine singles in eighteen tracks. For $14 bucks you get all of the hits and most of the energy of their live shows without having to ward off a sweaty, mostly-naked, out of control Tim Harrington. Catchy enough to hook newcomers and comprehensive enough to wow die-hard fans.
- jon
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Friday, May 28, 2004
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Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop (First Look) [trailer]
In trying to take the viewer from Thatcher's England to Britpop and New Labour in the mid-nineties to Pop Idol and S Club Juniors today, Live Forever tries to do too much. But with extra interview footage, the DVD accomplishes what the theatrical release did not. Even rabid American fans of British music might never understand the fascinating political and class dimensions of Britpop, but this flick gives us a shot.
- dave r.
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Friday, May 14, 2004
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Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (Interscope) [upcoming shows]
The hype surrounding Jack White and Lynn's collaboration is proven here to be well deserved. Even so, it's odd that the creation of a superlative rock record, using traditional country and blues forms and instrumentation, is lauded as an achievement. White's production is occasionally creative (like the space-rock opening of "Portland, Oregon"), but for the most part this record illustrates that songcraft and attitude together account for 99.44% of what makes rock great. The lusty foot-stomper "Have Mercy" is destined to be played in every strip bar this summer.
- jay
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Monday, May 10, 2004
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Lali Puna - Faking the Books (Morr Music) [audio/video] [upcoming shows]
Some may bemoan the Notwist-ification of Lali Puna, based on the increased
use of rock instrumentation alongside the latter's usual gentle electronics,
but the resulting more aggressive production makes this one of the best listens of 2004. Valerie Trebeljahr's trademark whispered vocals are even more striking set against occasionally giant drums, bass and dense guitar. With lyrics more minimal and yet apparently more political, Lali Puna successfully proves that both less is more and more is more on a single, dreamy record.
- jay
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Monday, April 12, 2004
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Mark Lanegan Band - Here Comes That Weird Chill (Beggars Banquet) [audio]
Why take one of music's purest voices and electronically process the shit out of it? This is almost as disasterous as the time the Laughing Hyena's John Brannon, one of the late 80's greatest screamers, became convinced he was really a crooner - or last year when Bon Jovi rerecorded his classics into a even bigger giant steaming pile of crap. It takes a few tracks before you can be positive that Lanegan is the vocalist and more than one track features bad spoken word over industrial noise-dominated backing tracks. Avoid.
- mark
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Tuesday, March 30, 2004
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Lone Pigeon - Schoozzzmmii (Whizz Kidzz/Revolver USA) [audio]
Reviewers can't seem to write about Gordon Anderson (aka The Lone Pigeon) without mentioning a couple things. For starters, he was an original member of the Beta Band. Secondly, he seems to directly channel the mojo of Syd Barrett. While both are true, it should be noted that the material on Schoozzzmmii is most assuredly not tied to the past. Instead, it's a mélange of uninhibited action and timeless optimism... all recorded on a 4-track.
- paul
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Monday, March 08, 2004
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Liars - They Were Wrong, So We Drowned (Mute) [audio] [upcoming shows]
First things first, ok? This album rocks about as hard as a lonely gym sock
in a clothes dryer full of silk lingerie. However, I've got to give those Liars credit for destroying their career on their own terms. Why make the same record over and over again and let the music buying public's indifference culminate in ultimate dismissal of your work five years down the road when you can release a turd like this and get it over with right now? So bravo, Liars. Bravo!
- paul
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Monday, February 16, 2004
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LCD Soundsystem - Yeah 12" (DFA) [audio]
Whether the lyrics of "Yeah" are actually meant to chide the rest of the dance/punk revival clan ("Everybody keeps on talking about it/and nobody's getting it done") or simply to fill space ("Yeah yeah yeah/yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah..."), there's no doubt this the most dynamic and fantastically hedonistic jam DFA's James Murphy has produced yet. Each minute of the song builds a heavier layer atop the one before it, finally erupting like a volcano of squelching synths and feverish percussion. Somebody is getting it done after all.
- paul
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Wednesday, November 26, 2003
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Ted Leo - Tell Balgeary Balgury Is Dead (Lookout!) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
As I wavered from favorite song to favorite song on Hearts of Oak, I overlooked this one, until now. Buy this fantastic EP for the Ewan McColl (and Pogues), Jam, and Split Enz covers, then worship it for the great new originals. Most of the record is Ted solo, stripped down, Billy Bragg-style. Every bit as indispensable as Hearts of Oak.
- bryan b.
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Tuesday, September 09, 2003
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The Long Winters - When I Pretend to Fall (Barsuk) [mp3s] [upcoming shows]
A collection of songs that give you the bittersweet feeling of overhearing some guy at a party tell stories you can feel in your heart, then right as you decide you're going to talk to him, some completely hot girl drops in his lap and says "Are you ready to go?" An indie rock star studded record for those who like records you can leave on repeat.
- leslie
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Tuesday, August 05, 2003
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Ben Lee - Hey You. Yes You. (Modular/F2 Music) [audio] [video] [upcoming shows]
One would think that a collaboration between Ben Lee, Dan the Automator and Jason Schwartzman might draw a little more attention. Haven't we been waiting like a year for this disc to drop on American soil? I mean, yeah - Automator's production has a tendency to drown out Ben's songwriting. And sure - it's probably a little more diluted than Ben's early pop sing-alongs. But there are a few really nice tracks ("Running With Scissors," "Chills") hidden throughout the disc that are screaming for your affection.
- jon
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Monday, March 24, 2003
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Longwave - The Strangest Things (RCA)
I certainly thought the 80s fucking rocked. What I remember of them, anyhow (hey, that's what we have John Hughes and VH1 for). While also just barely old enough to recall that era, Longwave heartily agree. Bunnymen, U2 (before they got all "I'm Jesus" and "Save Africa" on our asses), Depeche Mode, and shoegazing Britpop all gets mixed together on The Strangest Things, and the mélange is damn good, too. Strokes/Interpol better get their drool handkerchiefs ready.
- nick
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Tuesday, February 11, 2003
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Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak (Lookout!) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
We've had less than 2 years to repair the damage caused by the devastating power pop blast of 2001's Tyranny of Distance, but Ted Leo's gone and blasted anew with his latest release, Hearts of Oak. Damn, this is hot. Hooks for days, tell ya. It's not as instant as Tyranny, but it still holds the payoff. Whereas Tyranny's fruit was sweetly overripe and falling straight from the tree, Oak requires some tending and watering; be prepared to invest some time raising this bitch from seed. It's worth it.
- ryan
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Thursday, December 19, 2002
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Large Professor - 1st Class (Matador) [mp3s] [upcoming shows]
I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. Yet in a pinch, Large Professor's vintage mid-90s beats will do. Extra P comes through with a selection of tracks that instantly sound like "lost classics," emphasized by appearances from Busta, Q-Tip, and LP's muse Nasir Jones. However, nothing here reaches the hights of anything the Professor has produced on Nas' solo albums, and he spends too much time away from the boards spitting workmanlike rhymes to make this disc unforgettable.
- nick
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Monday, November 11, 2002
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Luna - Close Cover Before Striking EP (Jetset Records)
Dean Wareham has a balance problem. He can't quite find the perfect level between writing cutely whimsical songs and dense, VU/Television influenced jams. To my ear, he gets it right every other album. Romantica didn't quite make it for me. Close Cover Before Striking, however, brings the scales back into equilibrium - only the Stones cover falls a little flat, and the two Quicktime videos actually make me appreciate Romantica a little more.
- jeremy
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Wednesday, October 16, 2002
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Low - Trust (Kranky) [audio]
One assumption was that next logical step from their last LP was a more pop orientated sound. Instead, Low head back into their shell and release a collection of dark songs, including atmospheric, pounding percussion and some shockingly loud moments. Recorded in a church, Low utilize the space to allow ambience to seep into their songs, most creeping along at a snail's pace. No radical changes from the band, still stark and hushed. In fact, its reminiscent of their earlier releases with the unexpected addition of noise and feedback.
- mark
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Thursday, September 26, 2002
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Lone Pigeon - Concubine Rice (Domino/Fence Records) [live mp3s]
Here the former lead of Scottish flyboys The Beta Band got himself sorta well after leaving his mates because of an undisclosed bad humor and released a record that is weird and funny and maybe out for a little payback. There is candid white boy rapping on the whimsical "Beatmix Chocbar Wrap" and a nine minute patching of one minute improvised numbers in "The Rainking" that really does work, for the first six minutes at least. And no gratuitous use of the adjetorial cunt. Bonus.
- matthew r.
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Thursday, August 29, 2002
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Les Savy Fav - Go Forth (French Kiss) [mp3, mp3]
Les Savy Fav are prototype postmodern pop stars. Challenged to follow up the Emor: Rome Upside Down Ep, their third full length is an energetic ride through an art-rock funhouse. Who the fuck yells 'woop.woop.' or sings about filing tax returns? Tim Harrington, that's the lyrically literate bastard who. Backed by the start -stop- loudloudloud sound of the incomparable Syd Butler, Seth Jabour and Harrison Haynes, Go Forth is fucking irresistible!
- jules
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Wednesday, July 24, 2002
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Jason Lowenstein - At Sixes and Sevens (Sub Pop) [mp3]
For any Sebadoh fan who experienced one of Lou Barlow's onstage rampages, this might be the most anticipated and overdue solo record since Wendy & Lisa left The Revolution. This collection of songs is loud and stripped down, angular and consistant - just what disenchanted Sebadoh fans have been dying for in vast quantities but have settled for hearing once every four songs. Hopefully, this release signals an end to the whine-fest as Lowenstein realizes his day job may offically be considered optional.
- mark
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Monday, May 20, 2002
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Lunchbox - Evolver (Magic Marker Records)
Oakland-based Lunchbox offer up an indie rock version of those variety packs of little boxes of cereal- musical variations of many different styles are tossed out, falling into three basic categories: carnival pop, similar to The Apples In Stereo jamming with The Blues Brothers, space rock with tweaked electric noises peppering the background while pounding walls of fuzzy noise swallow the song alive, and some straight up indie pop complete with horns and handclaps that reminds me of The Beatles' "Revolver". Fun, fun, fun.
- mark
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Tuesday, April 02, 2002
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Leels - self titled (Emporer Jones Records)
The Leels is a side project of the Florida-based band Home with backing from members of the band Merigue. Home's prolific output declined severly when they decided to spend money on their recordings instead of just putting out throw away full length low-fi pop masterpieces every six months. Essentially, this sounds like early Home material, which always resembled the Flaming Lips, Giant Sand and the Grifters having a jam session. A nice collection of simple catchy understated space anthems that declare nothing at all.
- mark
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Tuesday, March 19, 2002
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The Liars - They Threw us all in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top (Gern Blandsten) [mp3]
The post-punk-slap-ass-funk child that is The Liars will wake you up. An amalgam of intensity erupts from the minimal looking album with a Don Caballero-esque title. Aussie born vocalist Angus, electrifies tracks with whispers, wails and guttural effects, building an urgent core within a hurricane of driving beats, digital samples and energetic bass reminiscent of Shellac. The album culminates in a 30 minute conundrum conjuring an urban post-apocalyptic fantasy, leaving only the question - "what the hell just happened?...."
- jules
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Thursday, January 03, 2002
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Loveless - 5 Song EP (Q Division)
I've spent the better part of this afternoon listening to the debut EP by Loveless which happens to feature Jen Trynin (remember her?) on rhythm guitar/backing vocals. Not as spacey/experimental as My Bloody Valentine (whose 'Loveless' album the band is named after), but occupying the same shoegazing pop region, the Boston-based band skips the studio experimentation (tape loops, delayed guitars/vocals) and replaces it with lucid and dreamy songwriting. A relaxing chill pill for the early days of 2002.
- chip
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Friday, December 21, 2001
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Lali Puna - Scary World Theory (Morr Music)
Lali Puna's newest release continues the subtle tug-o-war between Valerie Trebeljahr's delicate vocals and their analog electronic music. Never overriding the tight sound of the band, Scary World Theory becomes that rare album of German avant electronica which allows the vocals to compliment the instruments. This album was released too late to make many 2001 top 10 best album lists, but it will definitely be on mine.
- jules
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Thursday, November 29, 2001
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Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - The Tyranny of Distance (Lookout)
You will be tempted to pass off the latest from the former Chisel front man, Secret Stars member and Punk Planet hero as yet another foray into the already overcrowded singer/songwriter realm ...that is, until you wake up the next morning and find yourself singing the album to yourself in the shower. At that point, you will realize that this is near-perfectly written, produced and executed pop rock. Reminiscent of a young Costello if D.C. rockers had kidnapped The Attractions.
- jon
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Wednesday, October 24, 2001
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Laptop - The Old Me vs. The New You (Trust Me)
This nightmare of a release conjures up a million memories of disasterous junior high school dances long buried beneath a suitcase full of adulthood failures. Imagine EBN-OZN and Soft Cell style euro-synth pop with spoken word interludes about as hip as a David Bowie rap album. This all adds up to only one thing- Laptop are destined for greatness in the same way that Men Without Hats once were. Maybe I'm lame because I cut my hair with a Flo-Bee but this was about as tasty as rotting flesh-flavored sorbet.
- junco tibet
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Wednesday, October 17, 2001
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Love as Laughter - Sea to Shining Sea (Sub Pop)
A solid piece of indie pop that does actually rock, a band that sounds like it prefers not wasting time or money over-producing their material, a big plus. Whether fast or slow, it's always loud, driving music that proves what might have been if Mac and Laura had not broken up. Rumor has it that an hour before they were scheduled to record this album, the singer caught the beating of his life and decided to record the album anyways. Worth every drop.
- mark
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