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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
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Jawbox - For Your Own Special Sweetheart: Remastered (Desoto) [upcoming shows] [audio]
1994 started a mid-'90s trend of punk bands switching to major labels to make great punk albums. One of those bands was Jawbox, whose For Your Own Special Sweetheart hit the airwaves with a thud. A thud that left jaws hanging in exuberant disbelief throughout the punk and alt-rock crowds, but didn't come any closer to the mainstream than 120 Minutes. This is an often overlooked gem, and the remastered & extended re-release puts every instrument out front, sonically showcasing how this album is so essential.
- cormac
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Released 12.09.2009
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Monday, January 18, 2010
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Kelly Jones - SheBANG! (self released) [audio]
SheBANG! is a superb combination of '60s girl group swagger and '80s pop rock. On the opening track "There Goes My Baby", Ms. Jones struts her sweetness with such shockingly shameless self-assurance that you'll want to be sitting down before hitting the play button, while new wavy tracks like "Girl with the Silver Lining" prove she's more than pure bubblegum. With the Northeast's finest power-poppers on board (including Mike Viola, Ducky Carlisle & Adam Schlesinger), the result is one delightful toe-tapper after another.
- cormac
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Released 10.16.2008
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Monday, August 03, 2009
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The Jim Jims - Bottom of the City EP (Fly Apart) [audio] [upcoming shows]
A deep-throated vocalist in the style of Interpol, angular guitars shifting between an amped up Sonic Youth when it's loud and early U2 when it's soft. In either case, everything is much more catchy than dissonant. The lyrics on the Devo-esque "Horny" blatantly crow "She's drunk, I'm horny, we're gonna have some super sex tonight" while "Strobe Light" directly quotes Men Without Hats. If this is what's to come from what the kids are calling aggressive nu-wave, as long as the emphasis remains on aggressive, I am sold.
- mark
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Released 05.26.2009
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Friday, July 31, 2009
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Jeremih (Def Jam) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Poor Jeremih. He seems like a good kid, but he came along at the perfect time to be used by Def Jam as an in-house hybrid of Kanye, Ne-Yo and The-Dream, competing on the charts with those very artists. In a vacuum, his debut album would be something special. There's a lot of melody in his voice, and in the club-oriented arrangements (the best of which, "My Sunshine," packs a punch like Em's "Lose Yourself"... except sweet). The timing invites comparisons, though, and those comparisons will forever damn Jeremih to underdog status.
- paul
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Released 06.30.2009
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care (Domino) [audio] [upcoming shows]
When I first heard Begone Dull Care, I nearly pulled a muscle trying to bestow all sorts of praise upon it. But the inviting pop sheen that then seemed so brilliant has worn off over time, exposing a collection of songs not as strong as originally believed. Begone Dull Care collects sparkling arrangements and beats, and even some hummable melodies, but at its core it's just a going-through-the-motions kind of record compared to the duo's earlier work. Beware the sugar high.
- paul
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Released 04.07.2009
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
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Jonquil - Whistle Low EP (Acuarela) [audio] [upcoming shows]
They're one of those bands of late who try incorporating any and all instruments they can find into their sound, and where it fails to gel for others, it works for Jonquil. At the heart of these complicated songs is a melody, and rather than let that get obscured by a wall of sound, Jonquil simply uses the sound to enrich what's already there. This is detail-oriented stuff, but light and easy at the same time. The perfect middle ground between Crooked Fingers and, say, Arcade Fire.
- paul
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Released 11.18.2008
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Monday, November 03, 2008
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Jesus H. Christ & The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse - Happier Than You (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Imagine that Sarah Silverman never decided that saying "fuck" and shocking people was clever, and it actually made her funnier. And then while working on Mr. Show, Jack Black played her a Tenacious D demo and she decided to steal the idea and rework it as horn-laden power pop. That's basically what we've got here, and it is fantastic. Any album that teaches me a new song to sing for my 2 year-old, including the lyric "Like an anorexic needs self-esteem/you gotta have a dream" ...well, that's a winner.
- tom d.
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Released 10.21.2008
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Monday, September 22, 2008
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John & Jehn (Faculty) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This wasn't the easiest album to get into. It's sooo French; and not that really cool, sexy Serge & Brigitte kind of French either. It's more like that grainy, black and white Godard movie kind of French. They make quite a racket for just two people, mostly with Farfisa and drum machines. "Fear Fear Fear" comes closest of anything here to sounding like what I suspect they were going for (The Velvet Underground), but over all it satisfies in unexpected ways.
- sam
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Released 04.15.2008
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Monday, July 28, 2008
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Jaymay - Autumn Fallin' (Blue Note) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Jaymay's voice reminds me of Brandi Carlile (see "Sycamore Down") and Erin McKeown ("Hard to Say" could be an outtake from Sing You Sinners), but she carves out her own niche: NYC girl falling in and out of love with boys with and without girlfriends. Clever lyrics ("and he tried to win my heart but it's taken...time") are crammed, practically a syllable per note, into hummable melodies based on acoustic guitar. Now all suburban and settled, I can't relate as well to mooning about, but I do like the way she sings about it.
- meredith
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Released 03.11.2008
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Thursday, July 17, 2008
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Joan as Police Woman - To Survive (Cheap Lullaby) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Stop me if you've heard this one: Attractive woman in her thirties releases pleasing but ultimately disposable piano-based album. Too smooth and wispy to really stick, the lounge-pop songs of To Survive slosh around without leaving any stains on your memory. Sadly, Joan as Police Woman will probably never live up to the greatness of her moniker, and this album presents her as the TGI Friday's of indie chanteuses—not terrible, but never anyone's first choice.
- troy
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Released 06.10.2008
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Monday, April 28, 2008
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Jong Pang - Bright White Light (Tigerspring) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The opening moments of "A House in Heartbeats" make it very clear that Anders Rhedin creates vertically instead of horizontally. Layers of sound are stacked one by one until the songs are so full they have nowhere to go but outward in all directions, which actually holds true for most of Bright White Light. It's percussive, but divinely melodic throughout. It's not "all-sound-all-the-time", though. Rhedin leaves breathing room in everything he writes, which is good. You'll need to catch your breath.
- paul
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Released 03.25.2008
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Thursday, April 24, 2008
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Joe Jackson - Rain (Rykodisc) [audio] [upcoming shows]
It's easy to say Rain is the best Joe Jackson album in years: his discography reads like a free-falling line chart of both popularity and listener satisfaction. Beginning in '79 with one of the best albums ever, Mr. Jackson has faced an uphill battle, and his triennial release of disappointments hasn't helped his standing. Maybe it's getting the old band back together or maybe it's his previous collaboration with Ben Folds (who inspired who?), but Rain is the first album worth hearing since Night and Day.
- cormac
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Released 01.29.2008
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Friday, February 22, 2008
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Janet Jackson - Discipline (Island/Def Jam) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Before you even start listening, program the nine skit tracks right out of the playlist. And since you're already removing things, go on and take out the title track while you're there. As you've read elsewhere, it's really creepy and shines a light on way too much of what's going on in Janet's bedroom (eew!). So now you're ready to listen to the album proper, except you realize you'd be happier just listening to Control instead. Discipline is not terrible, really, but this can't be the same person who once owned r&b. Can it?
- paul
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Released 02.26.2008
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
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Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light (Interscope) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Jimmy Eat World was part of that punk explosion of '94, and it wasn't long until their crossover to the major labels in '96 paid off with a world-full of fans. In the new millennium, the band's sound seemed to take on two completely antagonistic characteristics: it became MTV-friendly and at the same time it actually improved. Chase This Light follows Futures both chronologically and stylistically, somehow commingling catchy emo-rock and popular appeal. Could-be hits like "Carry You" and "Always Be" will insist that you hum along.
- cormac
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Released 10.16.2007
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Monday, December 03, 2007
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Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This (or any) album by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings is kinda sorta like digging through the boxes of dusty old R&B 45's at the back of the used record store, picking out six or seven that you've never heard of and then taking them home and playing both sides of each one. Not every song is as awesome as you'd hoped it might be, but many of them completely pay off—and the best of them are as good as any classic R&B song you've heard a thousand times in your life.
- sam
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Released 10.02.2007
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Thursday, July 19, 2007
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The Jesus Lizard - Live DVD (MVD Visual)
This disc contains a great 50-minute live set—The Jesus Lizard ripping it up at Boston's Venus de Milo circa 1994. Whether you're a fan of the band or not, it would be in your best interests to see the raw intensity of The Lesus Lizard live on this DVD. David Yow was always a great frontman and, in this performance, you can clearly see why. The disc is pretty bare bones, unfortunately, but there are five more live cuts from a 1992 CBGB's set appended as bonus footage.
- kyle j.
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Released 06.05.2007
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Friday, June 22, 2007
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Joan as Police Woman - Real Life (Cheap Lullaby) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Garnering UK esteem and an idiosyncratic status with Antony and Rufus, Joan Wasser (Dambuilders, Black Beetle) seduces listeners with slippery-as-silk vocals ranging from raspy falsetto to pulsing vibrato. "The Ride" is lightened by R&B vibe, "Save Me" features bizarre chant and harmony and "Christobel" exudes weird energy. Overall pace is slow, but serious listeners of voice will be thrilled. Brief peaks of vocal fervor, rapturous harmony and artful instrumentation tease with future masterpiece potential.
- betty
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Released 06.12.2007
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Monday, November 06, 2006
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Elton John - The Captain and The Kid (Interscope) [videos]
You can take Elton John out of Broadway, but you can't take the Broadway back out of Elton John. But c'mon, we didn't need a "Modern Times" from this guy. He has earned the right to fill his catalogue with solid offerings like this. Don't worry about finding some hip, new Elton here; I feel like I found this record while digging through my mother's college albums. So what if the whole album sounds like a Tim Rice remake of Rent? There is little more comforting in pop than hearing a legend smile their way through a collection of songs like this.
- tom d.
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Released 09.19.2006
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Tuesday, August 08, 2006
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Jade - Banned in America (Arg Productions) [audio]
Apparently, the album title derives from a time when Jade was stopped from entering the US for “dressing like a prostitute” - bizarrely resulting in a ban from the US for 5 years. Anyway, just when you thought bands such as Evenassence & Linkin Park couldn’t get any worse, along comes Jade. The lyrics are, quite simply, the worst I’ve heard in my entire life and after just 30 seconds of listening, your left wishing Jade and her gothic, nu-metal, pop trash was banned from every country on the planet.
- colin
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Released 06.13.2006
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Friday, June 23, 2006
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Jets Overhead - Bridges (Microgroove) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I think that Jets Overhead and Venice is Sinking were separated at birth. Between the boy/girl harmonies, the lush arrangements, and the overall sound, the two bands could easily share a stage, trading riffs as Galaxie 500 tries to figure out who is playing at any given moment (one hint: where Venice uses viola, Jets employ Dandy-Warhols-inspired bright guitars). Overall, "Bridges" is a lovely album of moody indie goodness. I can't pick a favorite track, because I have 13 of them.
- meredith
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Released 04.25.2006
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Monday, February 27, 2006
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Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love) [audio] [upcoming shows]
As front-woman of Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis is a little bit country. On "Rabbit Fur Coat," she trades in rock and roll for a smidge of gospel, a smattering of folk, and a whole lot of twang. Taking cues from Laura Nyro, Loretta Lynn and Bobbie Gentry, the storytelling chanteuse spouts poignant, cynical lyrics ("I'm in love with illusion so saw me in half"). Harmonies of Kentucky-based duo the Watson Twins add charm and depth. As do indie favorites Conor Oberst, Ben Gibbard and M. Ward, backing her up on a Traveling Wilbury's cover.
- stacie d.
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Released 01.24.2006
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Thursday, February 09, 2006
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The Jai-Alai Savant - Thunderstatement EP (Gold Standard Labs) [audio]
Ralph Darden's voice will fuck your shit up. Part Gordon Sumner and
part Ian MacKaye, he stands in front of the Jai-Alai Savant conducting
the greatest mixture of clashing styles I've heard in some time.
Without a voice like his, uniting the ska-influenced shuffle of early
Police material with the jagged guitars and bottled lightning of
Fugazi would be too volatile a prospect for any band. But don't
misunderstand; the Jai-Alai Savant aren't a warmed-over memorial to
the past. If anything, they've arrived ahead of schedule
- paul
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Released 11.11.2005
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Tuesday, August 02, 2005
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John Guilt - By Any Other Name EP (Android Eats Records) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
What's in a name? according to John Guilt (who is the name of a band, not a person), not much. It's what's inside that counts (awww...). So, if you want to know what's inside this EP, it includes wistful, gentle acoustic strumming, brushed drums, violas, plaintiveness, and the declaration that "sometimes life is a piece of cake; sometimes it's cake on an infant's face". If the thought of taking three valiums and sitting in on a jam session with Bread is your ultimate rock and roll fantasy, this is as close to "Baby I'm-a Want You" you will ever get.
- junco tibet
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Released 05.11.2005
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Thursday, April 28, 2005
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Japanther - Master Of Pigeons (Menlo Park) [upcoming shows]
Have you heard anything lately that's just enjoyably weird? The
members of Japanther relish the opportunity to record ideas as they
happen. Provocative sound collages and samples are nudged up against
rapid-paced, fuzzy pop songs. These songs, both tuneful and
aggressive, are not only made better by their immediacy, but also by
the fact they invite you into Japanther's little bubble of a world.
In fact, you finish the album feeling like you've just gotten a
postcard from a good friend. A weird postcard.
- paul
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Released 01.25.2005
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Wednesday, February 09, 2005
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Jesu (Hydra Head) [mp3]
Jesu makes it nearly impossible to crack a smile. Or take a breath. Or love life. In fact, this sounds so unhealthy that it's hard to even recommend listening to it. But even sadness can lend a comforting hand. In his latest incarnation, nihilism fetishist Justin Broadrick goes off the deep end to invoke human decay and all its crippling effects via super heavy guitars and fittingly grimy production. You'll want more even as you question why.
- jason m.
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Released 01.25.2005
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Thursday, July 01, 2004
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Jucifer - War Bird (Velocette)
Thank you, Lucifer and O.J. "The Juice" Simpson, for making Jucifer possible. This EP of six songs and an excerpt from a camping trip unveils huge crusty riffs (and huge crusty drums) executed by a married couple. And it's just our luck that the wife has the voice of an angel. Besides the revving "Haute Couture," the real highlight here might actually be an uncharacteristic banjo-plucking ode to America.
- jason m.
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Monday, August 25, 2003
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Junior Senior - D-D-Don't Stop The Beat (Atlantic) [video] [upcoming shows]
However sublime it may have been, the Jackson-esque funkiness of Junior Senior's debut single, "Move Your Feet," was a bit of bait and switch - the rest of their album is all twangy guitar mashed up with the stoopidest big beat this side of Fatboy Slim. But who cares, it's still pure, unadulterated joy. People who don't like this must hate animals or some shit.
- nick
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Monday, April 07, 2003
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Daniel Johnston - Fear Yourself (Gammon) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Few write more convincingly about love, obsession & heartbreak than Daniel Johnston, probably because nobody else believes in the power of love more. Fear Yourself, produced by Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), delightfully surrounds Johnston's fragile, child-like voice with lush strings & goofy orchestral indulgences (glockenspiel!). Most songs are drenched in a sweet melancholy, & have a surprisingly mature feeling, a world away from Johnston's early lo-fi masterpieces. However, the best tracks are a quartet of up-beat rockers, that sound most like great, lost hits, from weird old 1993.
- jeff l.
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Tuesday, October 15, 2002
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Jets To Brazil - Perfecting Loneliness (Jade Tree) [mp3, mp3]
The third chapter in the JTB trilogy is stuck somewhere between the rocking super-brilliance of Orange Rhyming Dictionary and the cheesy shitbox of Four-Cornered Night. Utilizing the huge orchestration so popular this year, Blake Schwarzenbach and crew mix some perfect folk pop, epic spacerock, and familiar guitar singalongs with another batch of his, (yawn), introspective piano ballads where he channels Elton John. Though it needs an editor armed with a razor blade (almost every song is at least a minute too long), I still love this record.
- cory
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Wednesday, October 02, 2002
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Calvin Johnson - What was Me (K Records) [mp3, mp3]
First off, let's dismiss the four acappella "songs" as the pretentious crap that it is. What's left are six bare, stripped down quality acoustic guitar tracks by everyone's favorite chain smoking troubadour. This compilation of older material is pretty far removed from his other various musical projects and its good to see another facet to his talent. I was secretly hoping for a cover version of the Anna Nicole Show theme song because nothing screams prescription drug overdose quite like Calvin's voice, especially on this release.
- mark
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Friday, August 30, 2002
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Mike Johnson - What Would You Do (Up Records)
Sounding nothing like his former band and now sharing a genre with brother in arms Mark Lanegan, ex-Dinosaur Jr. bassist Johnson favors chainsmoking over track marks which leads to some sorrowful, intricate musical compositions on his fourth full length release. Definately somber mood music, it's not recommended for family gatherings but better suited for people needing that musical shove off the cliff to end it all. Keep this away from anyone who suffers from authentic, crippling can't-get-out-of-bed-today depression.
- mark
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Monday, June 03, 2002
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Joi - Star Kitty's Revenge (Universal) [audio]
Macy Gray decided to hit the gym, give up the whole homeless person schtick, and change her name to Joi. Star Kitty's genuinely ill live instrumentation provides the right balance between booty and Bootsy, while the mix of slowjams ("Munchies For Your Love") and Dre-esque funk ("You're A Whore") keeps the whole thing moving. Don't forget the thoroughly cracked-out secret track ("written and sung" by Joi's 4-year-old daughter). About time the dirty south got a feminine touch.
- nick
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Wednesday, November 28, 2001
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Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (Dreamworks)
Whenever I listen to something this happy sounding, I automatically think of sugar. It's not Britney pop ('if you love me at all, don't call.' and 'you rip my heart right out' in the track Your House), but it still makes me feel happy, giddy, and guilty. A smarter blink 182? No, better. Covers the gambit of human feeling quite well with power punk styling. Buy before "Bleed American" gets stricken from the album artwork.
- kate
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Tuesday, November 13, 2001
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Michael Jackson - Invincible (Sony/Epic)
TLC plus Johnny Gill divided by King of Pop era disco beats multiplied by family friendly (and we all know this means faux hetero and kid safe) themes equals "Invincible." Rather than state all the other obvious things one could about MJ, it'll improve your life more to learn that club soda is still the best way to remove all manner of stains including red wine and mustard. Remember: Blot, don't rub!
- leslie
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