Archive | Album Reviews
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Album Review: Crystal Castles “Crystal Castles”
Like some tenacious, self-replicating bacteria, Torontonian duo Crystal Castles now has two self-titled records. They're hardly the first perpetrators of this nomenclatural laziness (think Weezer), but on their new release, the retreading is worrisome.
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Album Review: Janelle Monae “The ArchAndroid”
Janelle Monáe is probably the first pop star ever to write and record a multi-suite album about robots in a made-up Metropolis. But if anyone can pull it off, Monáe can. The Kansas native and aspiring Broadway star-turned-singer-songwriter is an extremely gifted vocalist and writer.
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Album Review: Dead Weather “Sea Of Cowards”
If Jack White is a lunatic (not entirely impossible), then super group the Dead Weather is the hotwired Oldsmobile with which he runs down innocent bystanders while screaming insane one-liners about mayhem and destruction.
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Album Review: Nas/Damian Marley “Distant Relatives”
In the opening track and first single from rapper Nas and reggae artist Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's joint project, Distant Relatives, Nas says, "I'll bring the guns," and Marley chimes in "I'll bring the ganja." This pretty much sums up their partnership perfectly.
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Album Review: LCD Soundsystem “This Is Happening”
For a genre already rife with clichés and imitators, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy has always had his work cut out for him.
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Album Review: The Hold Steady “Heaven Is Whenever”
During another triumphant stretch of song work on his band’s latest release, Craig Finn repeatedly confides, “Heaven is whenever we can get together.” And for the majority of his rock ’n’ roll tenure he has validated that same sentiment.
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Album Review: Band Of Horses “Infinite Arms”
Alt-country is quite the contradiction. How does one take a genre infamous for its cheesy twang and clichéd Americana lyrics and make it appeal to a fandom of indie sycophants? It’s not so simple.
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Album Review: LCD Soundsystem “This Is Happening”
This Is Happening, the third and purportedly final LCD Soundsystem LP, finds James Murphy up to his old tricks. The nine tracks comprise more than an hour of new material from the band for the first time since 2007's indisputably perfect Sound of Silver.
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Music Review/Interview: Jason Derülo
It’s been a good year for Jason Derülo. The R&B artist came into the public eye less than a year ago when his first single, “Whatcha Say,” quickly rose on charts and countdowns across the country.