Wednesday, January 5 2011
Depeche Mode: Tour of the Universe - Barcelona 20/21:11:09
Depeche Mode's latest live document shows the synth-driven trio once again proving its capabilities in a live context.
Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday
Oftentimes, Nicki Minaj sounds just as confused as the rest of us about exactly what she's supposed to be.
The Sights: Most of What Follows Is True
With windmilling power chords, driving B4, coruscating guitar skirmishes, and echoes of the freewheelin' rock-a-boogie of the early '70s, the Sights are back -- and they've cut their finest record yet.
Various Artists: From the Land of Ice and Snow: The Songs of Led Zeppelin
This gathers recognizable names with lesser-known talents from the Pacific Northwest to rethink the melodies, tweak the vocals, and play with the arrangements of some of the most familiar of classic rock staples.
Mushroomhead: Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children
More than a decade in, Mushroomhead continue to stall in the "has potential" file. Not doom metal, nor death metal Just scrap metal.
Tuesday, January 4 2011
T.I.: No Mercy
Oft-delayed and seldom promoted, T.I.'s latest release arrives as perhaps the final nail in his popstar coffin. The King isn't dead, but he's certainly been dethroned.
Billy Joel: The Hits
After listening to The Hits, you’ll either get really depressed about American masculinity, or you’ll admire the naked hustle of our sixth-biggest recording artist.
The Big Pink: Tapes
The second installment in the Berlin-based electronic label !k7’s Tapes series is a set of drag and other electronic music mixed by The Big Pink’s Milo Cordell.
Various Artists: G.I. Disco
The music belongs to the technology of the time. It is filled with funky, bass-heavy synthesizer sounds, electronic drum beats, and scratchy rhythm guitar lines. Like the fashions of the period, there’s a flashy cheesiness to it.
Tiefschwarz: Chocolate
The first album in five years from the German house duo finds them in a minimal mood, with a few wrinkles.
Monday, January 3 2011
Michael Jackson: Michael
Michael Jackson's posthumous 2010 album Michael, the first in nine years, reminds us that the best of Michael has already been released.
Charlie Louvin: The Battles Rage On
On this war-themed album, the octogenarian country-western veteran sounds like just that, for better and worse.
Weekend: Sports
On its debut album, Weekend never transcends its transparent influences long enough to become anything more than Generic Noise Pop Band.
Various Artists: Dark Matter: Mutliverse 2004-2009
Dark matter is an argument for the influence of the space between, those negative dub apertures which imbue those notes and interspersed riddims with so much more intensity.
The Capstan Shafts: Revelation Skirts
At a time when all the kids are going back to hiding behind tape hiss, one of the lo-fi OG's used the studio to get louder and, amazingly, a whole lot better.
Thursday, December 16 2010
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals: Cardinals III & IV
Don't get too excited – Ryan Adams is just clearing the cupboards.
Norah Jones: ...Featuring
What does it sound like to be a guest at your own party? This collection reveals that it is quite a variable affair.
Omar Souleyman: Jazeera Nights
Omar Souleyman is far from being a "typical" world music artist, even if he remains a fine example of what many musicians typically do around the world, namely experiment with, extemporize, and extend musical styles.
Sam Amidon: I See the Sign
Talented reharmonizer of classic folk songs (and unreleased R. Kelly tunes) makes his second classic in a row.
The McMakens: Sleep Easy
The gorgeous, eclectic debut from Chicago husband-and-wife duo the McMakens jumps from traditional folk to '90s-throwback chick-rock to alt-country to weird jazz-chamber fusion, channeling the Americana of Hem and Over the Rhine but establishing a sound all its own.