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Wednesday, March 20, 2013
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75OL-132 MW Ensemble - 6 songs CD
MW Ensemble is Nancy Wheeler and Mike Winters, who make piano/cello music that is sometimes integrated with field recordings and/or electronic sounds. Songs are predetermined, but can also be improvised at times. Limited to 50 silkscreen copies on numbered brown and white jackets. You can purchase a copy over at the label webpage.
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Released 03.20.2013
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Monday, July 02, 2012
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Mission of Burma - Unsound (Fire Records)
After 33 years, any band could be forgiven for easing up a little, but Mission of Burma refuses to take that ticket. Their vital skronk remains potent as ever, and they've added new elements with moments of horns, some almost-funky wah spaz-outs, and some new aggressive fuzz on Roger Miller's guitar. But frankly, that's all icing. If you don't know how good MoB is by now, you just don't deserve this album.
- jeremy
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Released 07.02.2012
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012
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The Masons - Warm Days Long Shadows
It was 2007 when we last heard from The Masons. In the 5 years that have followed The Masons have sharpened, honed and refined their signature sound. They ask each song what it wants, and then give each song what it needs. The results of "The Masons' Method" is Warm Days Long Shadows. 22 songs over 2 CDs, the new double album is permeated with songs about life in the 21st Century. Warm Days features The Masons' rock 'n roll credentials with big guitars, pulsing drums and anthemic choruses. Long Shadows delves deeply into keyboard laden atmospheres, slow tempos, softly strummed acoustic guitars, and majestic vocals. Warm Days Long Shadows is the perfect soundtrack for a summer's night, a winter's day or any weather pattern. You can download the track 'Get Up', watch a video of the song 'The Only Way', and purchase a copy of the cd at the label webpage.
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Released 04.25.2012
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
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Minky Starshine - Womanity
Sonically grander than previous Minky Starshine records, 2012's "Womanity" is tightly arranged and produced, delivering bursts of warmth and color from start to finish. The songs continue to feel like memories from our past, but are fashioned to recall the most notable melody makers in todays hip indie culture. This is the birth of a new beat. Drawing upon the classic powerpop running through their blood, Minky and his camp of lovelorn bandits have pulled out all the stops this third time around. The newest addition of drummer John Sands (Aimee Mann, Liz Phair) and Tracy Bonham (vocals/violin) combined with a soundscape of horns, synths and other oddball blips and bleeps, often brings to mind the creative genius of a mad-scientist ringside at the circus. But, how can a cosmopolitan brand of indie rock still be strut worthy while offering listeners such hope and emotional sentiment? This record answers that question while turning new wave aesthetics into old wave media. Oh, the womanity of it all...Produced by Anthony Resta (Duran Duran) and mastered by Chris Gehringer (Rihanna, Lady Gaga) at various locations along the east coast. Eleven tracks in all, you can download the tracks Hard Times and Laughing Gas, and watch a video of the track
Cinematic Mojo. Digital downloads are available here and you can purchase at the label website.
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Released 04.11.2012
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
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Matador's Singles Going Home Alone Subscription Series
Matador has decided to join the limited edition seven inch singles club for 2012 with what they are calling "Singles Going Home Alone Subscription Series", a series of six singles by such bands as The Men, OBN IIIs, a split between Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks and L.A. Guns (!) covering each other's songs, and three bands to be named later. Other fun gifts include a tote bag, 10% off their online store for the entire year and some other secret items. The words "limited edition" and "Matador" rarely if ever, are used together, so you can expect the Malkmus single to be fetching big bucks on ebay for the duration of 2012, before being promptly reissued digitally in 2013. Reasonably priced, record collectors should grab this hoping the three unnamed bands are from the classic roster and not the black wearing, synth playing euro-duo's dominating their string of new signings. Read more about it here.
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Released 12.27.2011
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Wednesday, November 09, 2011
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MW Ensemble's 'Songs for Cello, Piano, and a Train' is now released. MW Ensemble is a New York based musical project comprised of Nancy Wheeler and Mike Winters. In 2008 they released their first EP entitled 'Apartment or Nepal'. In 2010 and 2011 MW Ensemble released two singles: 'Complementation and shifts by 16/15'and 'Op. 2'. Both singles include 4-track recorded solo piano compositions which can be described as repetitive parts with atonal pieces. The fall of 2011 brings the release of 'Songs for Cello, Piano, and a Train', an EP that will be available on 8" record, cd, and digitally. Limited to 50 silk screened copies, you can download the track 'II, for cello and piano', and pick up a copy at the label webpage. Also, the 8 inch vinyl is available directly from the Ionik Records website.
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Released 11.01.2011
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Thursday, November 03, 2011
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Mike Mountain's 'Hiding in the Rock' is now released. With irreal lyrics serving as the lighthouse and a pulsating three-piece providing the current, Mike Mountain charts a course that musically sticks in your craw and once hooked refuses to lighten the slack. Unafraid to stray into the abyss, the crew floats along with a deceptive calm; like the harbor before the mania of an oncoming deluge that threatens the dirty seaport. All and all, the catch is quite tasty, but like any delicacy, the sound is destined for those with a particular palate. They understand the value of salt in an earth increasingly musically bland. They're convinced the feast will leave you hungering for more. Six tracks, you can download the track Two Little Bossmen, and pick up a copy at the label webpage.
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Released 11.03.2011
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Wednesday, November 02, 2011
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The Marshmallow Ghosts - Self Titled
Graveface has gone all out for the self titled debut full-length by The Marshmallow Ghosts. The CD version is actually a DualDisc, and is in a DVD-sized package with a 24 page booklet. One side is the CD, the other the DVD of their horror film 'Corpse Reviver No. 2'. The vinyl has orange, purple and white mixed colors and a clear stenciled jacket. The music sounds similar to the 'Embryonic' album by The Flaming Lips, lots of keyboards, spooky sounds, and experimentation, most hitting the nail directly on the head. You can listen to a sampler from the album, or check out the video for The Hearst Song, or watch the 97 minute version of Corpse Reviver No 2. All physical orders receive an 11x17 poster (a digital download is also available, minus the fun), and you can purchase this all directly from Graveface.
- mark
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Released 10.11.2011
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Monday, September 12, 2011
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Marmoset - 4XLP Box Set (Joyful Noise)
Today, Joyful Noise releases the Marmoset 4XLP box set, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their second album "Record In Red". This box contains all four of their albums on vinyl, two of them for the first time. Also comes with instant downloads of each album, along with an additional download of 24 bonus tracks. This is limited to 100 hand-numbered copies, packaged in screen-printed wooden boxes and also a 40 page mini-booklet.You can dowload the tracks Peace in the Valley, Winter, Missing Man, Peach Cobbler and order your copy here.
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Released 09.13.2011
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Monday, June 20, 2011
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NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL AT ARTIST EXCHANGE CRANSTON RI
On June 24th & 25th, over 30 bands from Southeastern New England, including 75orLess performers Mark Cutler, The Propellers, Suicide Bill Cole, David Tessier, The Blood Moons, Sweet Love, and The Blood Moons will appear at the New Music Festival. Others appearing are Fall and Bounce, The Throttles, Anne's Cordial, Allysen Callery, The Pomp, Steve Allain, Kim Lamothe, Jenny White, Chris Moon, Tony Jones & the Cretin 3, Fried Miracle, The Benedictions, Kristi Martel, The Headcutters, Lee McAdams & The Cosmic Factory, Emma Joy, Red Eye Flight, Will Houlihan, Matt Fraza and more. Starts 6pm Friday and 11am on Saturday.
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Released 06.20.2011
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Monday, June 06, 2011
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Paul McCartney - McCartney II deluxe reissue (Hear)
McCartney II, recorded at home in 1980, has been remastered with a second disc of outtakes, and includes amazing gatefold packaging. As for the music, there's the big hit song, "Coming Up" and plenty of synthy weirdness on 'Temporary Secretary'. There's also the electronic instrumental 'Front Parlour' and goofy synth and handclaps on 'Frozen Jap'. This also offers it's fair share of ballads. 'Waterfalls' is a sterile ode to heartbreak, and 'One of These Days' is a sterile ode to all previous sterile odes. This is quirky and experimental, a combination of dramatic depths and light breezy electronic pop, peculiar even by post-Beatle standards. An interesting time capsule into what McCartney was up to at his farm house in 1979.
- mark
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Released 06.14.2011
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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75orLess artists have eleven nominations (Mark Cutler, Six Star General, The diePods, The Jesse Minute, Girl Haggard, Skinny Millionaires, Chris from The Blood Moons, Mandy from Girl Haggard, Mike from Skinny Millionaires) in this year's Motif Music Awards. Go here to vote. The March issue also has an interview with the founder of 75orLess on page 24.
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Released 04.27.2011
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Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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Matt the Electrician - Animal Boy (self released) [upcoming shows] [audio]
Those fortunate enough to see Matt The Electrician live know of this charming troubadour's effect on a crowd, armed only with his guitar, a gruff voice, and some stories. Listening to songs like "For Angela" give a glimpse into this experience, but the full band sound on songs like "College" and "Divided By 13" really impress. They serve as a how-to for any one man band looking to expand their sound in the studio. Expect purists to demand a stripped-down Animal Boy...Naked version of the album in thirty years.
- cormac
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Released 01.10.2010
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Tuesday, July 06, 2010
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Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade (Pias America) [upcoming shows] [audio]
Morcheeba has morphed from trip-hop to a sound that can't be put in any single category. From airy folk on "I Am the Spring" to full-out techno on "Cut to the Chase," it's amazing how many different styles Morcheeba can pull off. Sky Edwards will send chills down your spine with her vocals, which can border on downright creepy, and the Godfrey brothers will blow your mind with their mastery of sound. Morcheeba has fully matured, and an incredible album stands as proof.
- ashton
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Released 06.15.2010
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Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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Ming Toro - self titled EP (Bucket Republic) [upcoming shows] [audio]
With stabs of atmospheric guitar, Public Image Ltd. vocal wailing, and a single Sonic Youth guitar crescendo, at their most accessible there are brief moments of "Killers-esque" synth pop but with seven tracks in under 20 minutes, you will find many more proto-disco drum beats, deep groove bass, high pitched vocals and guitar/synth squeals than the brief ear friendly harmonies. Overall, a brief collection of DFA-inspired punk disco, a milder Brainiac with the hooks of Oxford Collapse.
- mark
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Released 04.27.2010
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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The Most Powerful Telescope in the Universe - The Moonlight's Fair Tonight (Data Was Lost / Ionik) [free download] [audio]
When Ionik and Data Was Lost combine for a release, you can expect a good dose of electro-pop and indie rock. A great concept- taking members from bands in both camps - Swissfarlo, Coltrane Motion, MW Ensemble - and throwing them together in a remote cabin once per year pound out an album. "Last of the Incas" recalls the Stone Roses while "Reach for the Stars" is the closest they come to getting the inevitable New Order comparisons. On the less synthy tracks, you also have what could be a Pavement instrumental outtake and also traces of a Built to Spill influence.
- mark
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Released 09.22.2009
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Friday, November 20, 2009
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The Middle Eight - Love EP (self released) [download] [upcoming shows]
The Love EP is such a strange sound in the context of 2009 indie rock. It's not skuzzy, purposely camouflaged in lo-fidelity or derailed by gimmicks. In fact, it's all "la-la" choruses and straightforward melodies (occasionally with full brass accompaniment, as is the case with "Ain't No Compromise"). The most recognizable comparison I could make would be Sloan at their most playful, but even then I'm selling them short. The Love EP is a hard, refreshing kick in the mind grapes.
- paul
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Released 09.29.2009
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Friday, October 23, 2009
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The Mary Onettes - Islands (Labrador) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Mary Onettes' work recalls bands like The Ocean Blue or The House of Love or, when they get a tad punchier, Echo & The Bunnymen. Now that comparisons are out of the way, let me tell you about Islands. It's not a perfect album, but it does what it does well. A lot of revival bands miss the finer points that The Mary Onettes have obviously keyed in on—more complex chord progressions and basslines, era-true keyboard sounds, and reverb. So much reverb! Islands is kind of like watching 120 Minutes in 1989.
- paul
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Released 11.03.2009
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Monday, October 12, 2009
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Mos Def - The Ecstatic (Downtown) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Mos Def returns with an album that benefits as much from its attention deficit disorder as it does its musical schizophrenia. Alternating between the live band feel of 2004's The New Danger and more conventional sample-based tracks, Mos jumps from idea to idea effortlessly while ensuring the album remains engaging throughout. A lesser artist would leave The Ecstatic sounding like a demo reel of half-finished songs, but Mos Def has finally taken ownership of his impulsive style. He's the Robert Pollard of hip hop.
- paul
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Released 06.09.2009
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Tuesday, September 08, 2009
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Megafaun - Gather, Form & Fly (Hometapes) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Listening to Megafaun is like listening to an Americana mix tape, with highlights from artists of the past like Gram Parsons and The Band beside folksters of today like Fleet Foxes. Their music can be rusty and blaring, but often is a peaceful, mournful hush with soaring harmonies and plenty of banjo picking. The standout track is "The Fade", a magically emotive song that seems to perfectly capture the best of their sound.
- cormac
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Released 07.21.2009
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King (RCA) [audio] [upcoming shows]
You show me a band that had a steeper instant drop-off in caliber of output than DMB, and I will gladly shake the hands of Boston in 1977. Which is why Big Whiskey came as a total shock. I didn't think these guys had another Before These Crowded Streets caliber disc in them, but I was magnificently wrong. The songs collected here reinsert the teeth that had been missing from their pop confections in the last decade. Highlights include the infectious "Why I Am" and the soulful "Lying in the Hands of God", but it is a triumph for its entire runtime.
- tom d.
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Released 06.02.2009
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
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Marilyn Manson - The High End of Low (Interscope) [audio] [upcoming shows]
To clear the slate first, yes "LOL Marilyn Manson is old, uncool and not the least bit shocking anymore". Now, let's talk about the best album he's made in ten years. By removing a bunch of the smoke and mirrors, Manson's David Bowie leanings come through pretty clearly. Lyrics that would ordinarily be written off as abstract rage resonate more after his divorce. More than anything, he just sounds tuned in. The High End of Low isn't a retread of his '90s heyday, but a long overdue and welcome progression.
- paul
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Released 05.26.2009
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Thursday, May 21, 2009
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Megasus (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This is the debut album from filling-rattling metal Providence-based supergroup Megasus. "Swords", "Hexes/Szaadek" and "Iron Mountain" all are over six minutes long, combining slow dirge, distorted blood curdling screams, massive riffs and furious double kick pedal mayhem. At some points, I thought of a gonzo Saint Vitus. But on top of the music, this
has one of the most impressive vinyl packaging ever to pass through these hands. I doubt I could withstand their live show, as whenever I see the "No Wimps" sign I always turn around and go home.
- mark
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Released 03.03.2009
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Monday, April 20, 2009
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Meg & Dia - Here, Here and Here (Warner Bros.) [audio] [upcoming shows]
In a genre where the bar is set high by acts like Lily Allen and Katy Perry, Meg & Dia are upping their game. Here, Here and Here is an ambitious and mostly enjoyable effort. While the album is well-written and slickly produced, many moments leave a lingering feeling that they're trying a bit too hard. The faux British accent on the track "The Last Great Star in Hollywood" is just shameless. Eagerness to please can backfire sometimes.
- j.p.
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Released 04.21.2009
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Monday, March 02, 2009
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Morrissey - Years of Refusal (Lost Highway) [audio] [upcoming shows]
It took 20 years, but Morrissey finally recorded an album that captures the feel of his live show. Years of Refusal is a loud, often rousing collection that not only sounds electric, but also finds the Mozzer's voice in top form. The notes he climbs to get during "Something is Squeezing My Skull" are astounding, while "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" revisits the strong pop songwriting of his earliest solo work. "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" lives in the median; both powerful and profound. You can't pass on this one.
- paul
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Released 02.17.2009
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Thursday, December 04, 2008
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The Mountain Goats - Satanic Messiah EP (self released) [download] [upcoming shows]
John Darnielle's catalogue is so deep that there's room for hits and misses alike. Satanic Messiah definitely falls into the former category; a work of unusual subtlety based in large part on the piano and Darnielle's thin but sure voice. Only "Wizard Buys a Hat" broadens the instrumental palette, but not to the detriment of EP's overall mood. This is something of a high water mark among short-form Mountain Goats releases, consistent and dedicated to a narrative that's open to your wildest interpretation.
- paul
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Released 10.14.2008
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
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Ralph Myerz - Ralphorama! (Beatservice) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Ralphorama! reaches a height often unparalleled; a hip-hop/space age funk/disco tour de force that rolls on for an amazing twenty tracks without ever once spreading itself thin. Producer Ralph Myerz cooks beats thick and extraordinarily musical. But like most producer/performer albums, it's all about the cameos—and there are more cameos on Ralphorama! than a Jay-Z & Beyoncé Christmas Special. Notably, Devin the Dude and Talib Kweli deliver while Karin Park's Björk-like performance steals the show.
- paul
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Released 11.04.2008
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Wednesday, November 05, 2008
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The Morning Paper - It's Getting Clearer (Skipping Stones) [audio]
Musically, The Morning Paper are more than capable of putting together gauzy, lighter than air songs with key shifts and chord changes that may induce goosebumps. Atmosphere-rich synths and heavy reverb make these eight rather simple, yet effectively direct, songs sound a lot larger than they actually are. The only weak link here is David Kyhlberg's voice, which needs more improvement than any amount of studio trickery can conceal. Comparable in most ways to M83's Saturdays=Youth, but with one unfortunate flaw.
- paul
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Released 10.14.2008
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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
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Metallica - Death Magnetic (Warner Bros.) [audio] [upcoming shows]
They're going about this all wrong. Nobody has the patience to listen to seven-plus minute Metallica songs anymore, especially when the payoff never comes in any of them. Death Magnetic should have been a half hour in length with ten songs at no more than three minutes each. It's clear these guys can still engineer a nasty groove, but each one gets diluted by fighting for attention with several others in the same song. Feels like they're out to prove something, but what? Relevance? Well, good luck.
- paul
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Released 09.12.2008
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Friday, August 15, 2008
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The Major Labels - Aquavia (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Power pop geeks get excited by the strangest things. For me, finding Fit Me In by Key was an exceptional moment in my never-ending vinyl hunt. If going through the discount bins at used record shops for forgotten classics is your way to find exciting music, discovering The Major Labels in the "New Arrivals" section may leave you dumbfounded . This new trio offer genuine, quality pop rock, reminiscent of '70s favorites 10cc (see "Richard Randolph"), Wings (see "The Sweet"), and Emitt Rhodes (see "Hummingbird").
- cormac
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Released 07.01.2008
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Friday, July 11, 2008
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Aimee Mann - @#%&*! Smilers (Superego) [audio] [upcoming shows]
I love Aimee Mann the way I love ten year old worn-in t-shirts in the summer. The problem is, you really only need one of those t-shirts and you're covered. This disc contains 13 more tracks to tack onto the very-good-but-probably-long-enough album she's been releasing periodically for the last decade. There's no rule against writing great pop songs in the same style for years and years, but it'll be up to you whether you need any more in your collection, or just make your own t-shirt.
- tom d.
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Released 06.03.2008
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Thursday, July 03, 2008
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Maybe It's Reno (Teenbeat) [audio]
Maybe it's Reno? Maybe it's Unrest! Technically it is. Mark Robinson, Phil Krauth and Bridget Cross have new material together. It all revolves around Bridget this time, however, and the sound is markedly different from the Unrest records. The approach is softer, more feminine and less...hmm, immediate? Many of these songs are meticulous, even labored, and lack the looseness of the old days. Fair enough, it's a different project. Approach with caution if you're expecting a familiar thing, though. It's not here.
- paul
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Released 04.22.2008
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (ATO Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
It is a bold decision to largely abandon the sound that your fans embraced in the first place, and a testament to Jim James' songwriting talent and this band's versatility that they succeed so thoroughly. Your enjoyment at first will likely be dictated by whether you preferred Z or At Dawn, because this thing is so far out there, it makes Z sound like At Dawn. Ultimately, MMJ has hereby ripped off any label we attempted to place on them, and if this is any indication, the new journey will be extremely worthwhile.
- tom d.
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Released 06.10.2008
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Friday, June 20, 2008
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Men Without Pants - Naturally (Expansion Team) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This pantless duo of Russell Simins from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Dan the Automator from Gorillaz, Loveage and many other projects are helped out by members of The Hives, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Mooney Suzuki, Cibo Matto and Sean Lennon. Primarily a great rock and roll record with live drums and electronic embellishments, it's further advantaged by limitless sounds without someone screaming "Blues Explosion!" every third lyric.
- mark
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Released 07.22.2008
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Monday, June 09, 2008
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Melvins - Nude With Boots (Ipecac) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Nude With Boots opens with "The Kicking Machine," a song which begins with a subtle musical crescendo that quickly builds into driving drums, bass, and guitar driven riff rock. Just when it really starts to take off, the vocals kick in and ruin it. The vocal issues seem to be caused by severe production shortcomings. I found it extraordinarily frustrating to hear music so good completely fouled up by shitty vocals. That pretty much sums up the entire album. Go buy Senile Animal instead.
- j.p.
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Released 07.08.2008
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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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Amber Kai Morgan & Garrett Kelly - Analog America: A Four Course Meal of Found Sound (Noise Order)
23 tracks—mostly bizarre phone messages involving free baklava, overdue video rentals with celebrity voice impersonations, an intervention coordination, arguments at town council meetings, disagreements at church—exemplify how dysfunctional we all are. As if checking your own phone messages isn't irritating enough, here's a chance to hear strangers leaving nonsensical messages for other strangers. This could be a historical document, capturing the essence of miscommunication between people all speaking the same language.
- mark
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Released 03.11.2008
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Monday, May 19, 2008
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Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live! (Kill Rock Stars) [audio] [upcoming shows]
As Colin Meloy himself point out, when he sings live it's "like a campfire sing-along." This collection comes from his 2006 solo tour, so don't expect any songs from his Decemberists' celebrated The Crane Wife. Here Mr. Meloy performs a variety of Decemberists tracks with a sprinkling of cover songs, work from his former band Tarkio, and the self-described "worst song I ever wrote." Mixed in with the wisecracking banter and the ensuing crowd laughter, you'll find some earnest solo offerings from a hugely talented songwriter.
- cormac
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Released 04.08.2008
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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M83 - Saturdays=Youth (Mute) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Saturdays=Youth takes the title of a previous M83 single, "Teen Angst," as something of a mission statement here. Synth-driven waves crowd juvenile musings, with the results forming miniature epics of ennui and unease. Though the album hits its peak early with "Kim & Jessie," which is the best thing M83 has ever done, the album thankfully spreads its wealth for the duration of the running time. An ideal album for summer, the season of the Saturdays, this is the soundtrack to reliving every problem you've long since left behind.
- troy
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Released 04.15.2008
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Friday, April 11, 2008
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Stephin Merritt - The Man of a Million Faces (Nonesuch) [audio/video] [upcoming shows] Digital Single
In November 2007, NPR's All Songs Considered commissioned songwriter Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, etc.) to create an original piece of music in just two days based on the theme "1974" and this photograph. Interesting concept, but would it be any good? Well, in my estimation, it's the absolute best piece of music Merritt has delivered since anything on 2004's "i" and possibly even since 1999's 69 Love Songs. Yes, it's that good..and it was written basically on a dare.
- paul
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Released 04.08.2008
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Wednesday, April 09, 2008
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Mission of Burma - The Horrible Truth About Burma: The Definitive Edition (Matador) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Normally my ears are not able to distinguish between a remaster and an original version unless it comes out worse but I wasn't prepared for the clarity of the layers of noise and screams being sped up, slowed down and looped over each other into a giant pile of abrasiveness. A reissue done right—the original producer takes the original analog tapes, restores the tracks into the correct order, adds four tracks left off the first time, then includes a 32 page booklet and a DVD of a live show from March 12, 1983.
- mark
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Released 03.18.2008
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Monday, March 24, 2008
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Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash (Matador) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Yeah, we get it. You're too cool to wear tie-dyed shirts and go weeks at a time without showering. You have a job, after all. You'd never let your likewise cool friends see all those Dead and Phish bootlegs you have, so you keep them in a suitcase under your bed and only pull them out when your husband or wife is out of town. So how do you satisfy your inner hippie while simultaneously keeping up a non-stanky appearance? Listen to Stephen Malkmus albums. All the stoner jamz with only some of the guilt.
- paul
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Released 03.04.2008
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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The Motion Sick - The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait... (Naked Ear) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Motion Sick do what so many Boston bands do: make guitar rock. It's not strange to hear bands from the hub of the universe rock out the way TMS rock out on songs like "Some Lonely Day". The odd thing about this particular Beantown band is that they sound so evenly at ease playing a Joy Division cover as they do pop and alt-country. The stand out track is quickly "30 Lives", a bubblegum doo-wop ditty that will make you pogo until you're nauseated.
- cormac
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Released 01.01.2008
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Wednesday, February 06, 2008
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John McGregor - Maa ei oo pimee (KHY Suomen Musiikki Oy) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The enigmatic John McGregor is an ex-Briton living in Finland, writing and singing in that alien tongue (perhaps the most complex of all the Nordic languages), yet working within a realm of folk music that often sounds distinctly American. It might be nice once in a while to know where he's going lyrically, but it's really rather easy to just sit back and let the soft blanket of the music surround you. Maa ei oo pimee, comprehendible or not, is an ideal counterpart for those Sufjan Stevens and Iron & Wine albums you like so much.
- paul
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Released 09.04.2007
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Monday, December 10, 2007
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Mustard Gas and Roses - Wavering on the Crested Heft (Conspiracy) [audio] [upcoming shows]
During the first three minutes spent listening to this album, I kept waiting for the song to begin. Sadly, it had. Mark Gallagher's experimental piece, with its slow, dark textures and simple layers, fails to congeal into anything really interesting for any satisfying length of time. It contains sparse and brief moments of beautiful sound interlaced with vast periods of dullness. It just seems rather pointless...or is that actually Gallagher's purpose?
- j.p.
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Released 11.20.2007
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Wednesday, November 28, 2007
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Travis Morrison Hellfighters - All Y'All (Barsuk) [audio] [upcoming shows]
After loving Travistan and acccepting that all of Travis's post-Dismemberment Plan albums may be growers, another less-than-easily-accessible LP should've come as no surprise. Unfortunately for Plan disciples, All Y'All contains oodles of uninspired lyrics and generic booty-rocking music that may shake your faith in the mighty Morrison. The high points that will keep the album in heavy rotation are in the form of songs like "You Make Me Feel Like a Freak" and "Churchgoer"...the ones that remind you of the Plan.
- cormac
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Released 08.21.2007
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Wednesday, November 07, 2007
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Róisín Murphy - Overpowered (EMI) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Overpowered is apt, but this record could just as easily have been titled Indulgence. The production is so extravagant, it harkens back to the time when Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Eurythmics were in their prime. Furthermore, Murphy's voice recalls a young and vibrant Annie Lennox (with the urban flourishes of Erykah Badu at times). There's a dirty, sinister undercurrent to these songs, especially the chilling "Primitive," which the squeaky clean pop music of today fails to ever explore. Indulge in the pleasure. The guilt is optional.
- paul
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Released 10.16.2007
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Monday, October 01, 2007
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Mondo Generator - Dead Planet (Suburban Noize/Mother Tongue) [audio] [upcoming shows]
When Nick Oliveri isn't getting arrested for performing naked onstage in Brazil, he's recording with his now full-time project, Mondo Generator. Dead Planet is an unrelenting punk-infused rock album that features raw, unapologetic lyrics. This recording will provide long-time Queens of the Stone Age fans with a sense of comforting familiarity due the songwriting style that Oliveri has cultivated over the years. It's a sound that we've all been craving, and is once again at hand.
- j.p.
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Released 08.21.2007
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This second album from Tamil Tiger pop princess M.I.A. is a veritable triumph in melodic adventure and exploration. A colourful explosion of musical genres, blending thumping bhangra beats with drawling and politically pointed vocals, Kala weaves together a global tapestry of harmonious collaborations from sources as diverse as a children's Aboriginal chorus, as heard on "Mango Pickle Down River". M.I.A. consistently pushes the musical envelope on each track, demonstrating that she is a truly original and awe-inspiring artist.
- ellie
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Released 08.21.2007
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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Midnight Movies - Lion the Girl (New Line) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Midnight Movies may well be the yin to Stereolab's yang. Where the expressly European Stereolab draws from a list of influences that reads like Julian Cope's Krautrock Sampler, Midnight Movies have clawed and kicked their way through the Nuggets box to arrive at roughly the same place. Motorik beats and melodies barely above a drone, their West Coast psychedelic pop sounds both nostalgic and pre-futuristic at once. Gena Olivier's inviting-yet-distant vocals are even patterned as much after Grace Slick as after Laetitia Sadier. Get your haze on.
- paul
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Released 04.24.2007
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Thursday, August 09, 2007
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Midnight Juggernauts - Dystopia (Siberia) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Dystopia is sort of like a boiled-down presentation of everything that's been cool about French music in the last 10 years—Daft Punk's party vibe, the sound-upon-sound hugeness of M83, the quieter serenity of Cyann & Ben and the space cowboy disconnect of Air (with a brief stop in England to pick up some Roxy Music glitter)—but it all comes here from two Australian dudes. This is definitely the sleeper hit of the summer.
- paul
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Released 08.07.2007
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
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Pharoahe Monch - Desire (SRC/Universal Motown) [audio] [upcoming shows]
There are very few people on earth who can write a line that floors me with its elegant genius. Near the top of that list are JD Salinger, Michael Chabon... and Pharoahe Monch. My expectations for this disc have been building for eight long years, and I'll be damned if this didn't meet all of them on the first listen. This is one of the all-time great voices in rap, and this album might get more people to recognize that. Hip-hop can take the rest of 2007 off; this is the best album we'll see this year.
- tom d.
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Released 06.26.2007
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Friday, July 20, 2007
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Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full (Hear Music) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Paul, the most talented Beatle, still has a great voice after nearly 40 years of screaming "Helter Skelter". He still has a great gift for melody and songwriting, even after a couple shaky decades. Unfortunately, his creative comeback launched in 2005 is not altogether continued here in 2007. Much of the album sounds so simple it leaves the listener initially unfulfilled and requires several more listens to disentangle the banal ("Gratitude") from the brilliant ("You Tell Me"). When you read this, Paul, please know that I say this with much respect.
- cormac
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Released 06.05.2007
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
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Megadeth - United Abominations (Roadrunner) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Megadeth returns on United Abominations with a new line-up, a new label and a renewed enthusiasm. Dave Mustaine pulls no punches with his politically charged lyrics, backed by straightforward and catchy riff-laden metal music. The subject matter can be thought provoking, and at times you may find yourself googling the lyrical references to find meaning. The duet with Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia on the remake of "A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)" is just one of the highlights on this album.
- j.p.
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Released 05.15.2007
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
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The Mitchells - Slow Gears (Pigeon) [audio] [more audio] [upcoming shows]
You know, there's something to be said for the slow and steady
approach. Over the course of their 12+ year career, The Mitchells have
taken their time to grow into their sound and the results are perfect.
Slow Gears is a master-class thesis on indie rock since the '90s—ten
well-crafted story-songs propelled by churning guitars, with calculated
dissonance and woozy textures weaving in and out under Caleb Wetmore's
confident baritone vocals.
- jeremy
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Released 01.16.2007
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Tuesday, June 05, 2007
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Eleni Mandell - Miracle of Five
(Zedtone) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This album starts with a lullaby, drifts into a waltz, and then meanders
through a loungy haze of jazz-tinged sultriness. Mandell croons, whispers, and
growls about how she needs "true love just like sugar in my coffee," about how
the make-out king is "singing like he could be crying," about how her "sinking
prayers drift by waving their handkerchiefs." All the while, she strums her
guitar against a background of upright bass, mellotron, sax and clarinet. She's the smoky bourbon next to the fizzy seltzer of Erin
McKeown's latest.
- meredith
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Released 02.06.2007
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Friday, May 11, 2007
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Mediavolo - A Secret Sound (Kalinkaland) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Most bands reliving the dreampop genre of the early '90s go to great lengths getting the sound right, tweaking the guitars and synths just so, but treat the vocal component of the work with no respect. Odd, since singers like Lush's Miki Berenyi and The Sundays' Harriet Wheeler were what made the original work within the genre so brilliant after all. Enter Mediavolo, who succeed where others fail thanks to the sweet honey tones of Géraldine Le Cocq's perfect voice, completing the whirling pastiche of sound and ennui that defines dreampop. This is the new standard.
- paul
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Released 02.13.2007
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Thursday, May 10, 2007
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The Masons - Let You Down Easy (75 or Less Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Masons are not your typical band. Boasting sixteen Rhode Island indie rock veterans—including members of Throwing Muses and Velvet Crush—and led by studio mastermind Kraig Jordan, members trade off vocal duties and mix the varied genres into a cohesive collection of songs. Lyrics focus on dark comedy; a baby being eaten by bluefish and everyday observations such as dog sitting. It's a melting pot of Leonard Cohen, ELO, Television, Devo and Ween. Yes, 75 or Less released this cd but don't hate us because we heard them first.
- mark
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Released 02.06.2007
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Monday, May 07, 2007
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Mew - Frengers (Sony Music) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Mew's third CD, a 2003 release in the UK (pre-Glass Handed Kites), emerged stateside to much acclaim in January 2007. Equal parts new wave and shoegaze, light-as-ether castrato-like vocals and lush erupting guitars
echo the Cocteau Twins, Sigur Rós and Sparklehorse. Frengers is a sophisticated pop symphony
of orchestral joy and jangle; an impressive work with both fevered intensity and cool clarity of sound. "And for a summertime groove/this will prove/inevitable to choose/for a VW cruise."
- betty
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Released 01.23.2007
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Friday, April 13, 2007
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Massive Attack - Collected (Virgin) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Here is a fat collection of classic and new material from trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack. Collected includes a greatest hits cd, new and rare cd and dvd of all videos. Disc 1 showcases gems like "Teardrop," "Protection," "Karmacoma" and "Angel." New track "Live With Me" features soul great Terry Callier, who joins the ranks of impressive collaborators including
Horace Andy, Elizabeth Fraser, Tracey Thorn and Mos Def. Most exciting is the dual cd-dvd, with new songs, remixes and intriguing videos. The ultimate Massive Attack experience!
- j. daltry
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Released 12.04.2006
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Friday, March 16, 2007
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Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Full disclosure: I've been a chronic Modest Mouse hater since album #2. What they were doing then, Built to Spill and Archers of Loaf had done first and had certainly done better. But now the sound of the band is so far removed from those days, even more now than on their ubiquitously popular 2004 album, that it's only fair I revisit my stance on Brock & Co. Know what? This shit is great—and it's not the Johnny Marr factor, either (I can scarcely hear him). Modest Mouse just finally don't remind me of anyone worthier than themselves.
- paul
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Released 03.20.2007
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Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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Minmae - 835 (Grey Day) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Their ninth full length release starts things off with the eight and a half minute "Pay More," a cross between Mogwai and Japancakes with piercing feedback and the distorted words "Goddamn motherfucker" repeated on a loop. Aside from your typical guitar, bass and drums, there's keyboards, shortwave radio, Korg MS2000 and saxophone. It's a challenging release because it covers so much ground—drawn out jams, splashes of space rock, meandering jangly country—all grounded in indie rock but varied enough to pass off as a compilation.
- mark
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Released 03.13.2007
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007
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Minky Starshine & The New Cardinals - Hooray For L.A. (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Oh Minky, you slut! While I wasn't looking, you went to town and brought ex-Posie Ken Stringfellow back to "produce your record." He made your "harmonies" smoother and your "arrangements" looser—I'm just beside myself with jealousy over the way he must've touched you. In his hands, your moans intensified from lowly demo quality to classic AM Gold. Now when I look at you I see a vampy but vibrant band I don't recognize, Minky... and damn, you look good!
- paul
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Released 09.26.2006
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Friday, February 16, 2007
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My Teenage Stride - Ears Like Golden Bats (Becalmed) [audio] [more audio and upcoming shows]
My Teenage Stride sound like The Smiths. But the Stride's latest album Ears Like Golden Bats is far from an uninspiring rip-off. Obviously, the moody lyrics and aching vocals clearly nod to Morrissey. Yet subtle, dance-inducing beats, strong basslines and jangly guitars are cleverly combined to produce upbeat, listenable songs that remain distinct from one another. And if you listen closely, you can definitely pluck out a few Bowie references from amongst The Smiths' rubble.
- miriam
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Released 02.27.2007
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Monday, February 12, 2007
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Mas Rapido! - Pity Party (Parasol) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Sonny & Cher, The White Stripes, Quasi, Viva Voce, and now Mas Rapido! Apparently, and mathematically speaking, one guy + one girl = a powerful band, and Mas Rapido! is power(ful) pop. Pity Party, the duo's second LP, has obvious classic rock influences, often reminiscent of '70s guitar pop. Songs like "Emily Lloyd" and "Chasing Rainbows" will make you groove despite your best efforts and facades. There's no fighting it. When you throw your next shitty party, put on Pity Party.
- cormac
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Released 02.06.2007
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007
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Erin McKeown - Sing You Sinners (Nettwerk) [audio and upcoming shows]
I only listened to this because one of the songs had "Rhode Island" in the title. (It should be the new state song, btw.) This is one of the most pleasant musical surprises I've had in a while. Much of the album reminds me of Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine"; it is a decidedly confident meld of jazz, folk, and pop that can only be described as "toe-tappingly dope." Erin has that kind of old-style swagger in her voice where she almost dares herself to miss a note while imbuing a warm personality into her tunes. Highly recommended.
- tom d.
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Released 01.09.2007
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Erin McKeown - Sing You Sinners (Nettwerk) [audio and upcoming shows]
Where Sondre Lerche's Duper Sessions and Brian Setzer's Dig That Crazy Christmas meet, Sing You Sinners resides. That is to say the album lies somewhere between honest talent and the soundtrack to a Gap commercial...or between fun and annoying. Generally speaking, doing cover songs is a dangerous practice. Making a throwback album is another risk. So let's focus on the positive: Ms. McKeown has some really fun music, a great voice, and a talent for choosing good songs (e.g., "Rhode Island Is Famous For You").
- cormac
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Released 01.09.2007
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Friday, February 02, 2007
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Mika - Life in Cartoon Motion (Island) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Pure pop albums that reference the past without being suffocated in self-awareness or irony are on the verge of extinction, making the debut by Mika something of a rarity. It's abundantly clear the man has done his homework, but the resulting music has a wide-eyed childlike quality about it—so pure and innocent. If the Scissor Sisters lived on Sesame Street with Freddie Mercury as their landlord and Harry Nilsson delivering their mail, they still couldn't make an album as cheerfully poptastic as Life in Cartoon Motion.
- paul
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Released 02.06.2007
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Friday, December 22, 2006
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Melvins - (A) Senile Animal (Ipecac) [audio] [upcoming shows]
You'd think that after 23 years, the Melvins would be pussing out with bad records and an image makeover. Well, it ain't happening. Not only does (A) Senile Animal give new meaning to the word "barbaric," it's also the best
Melvins record this side of Houdini. Come bask in the impossible rhythms of "Blood Witch," the silliness of "A History of Drunks," the chilling "Civilized Worm," the grinding "The Hawk," or the creepin' "Mechanical Bride." My advice? Buy this record, then buy everything else.
- jason m.
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Released 10.10.2006
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Wednesday, December 20, 2006
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Milkymee - Songs for Herr Nicke (Tsunami Addiction) [audio]
Emilie Hanak could use a third-party editor now and again, beacuse the 17 tracks that comprise her debut begin blurring into one another before the end comes. Though it's chiefly arranged with guitar as her sole accompaniment, a few songs utilize a full band. Everything else would benefit from this more substantive treatment, however, as "Kick the Crap" and "Silver Dollar" hold their own against the likes of Cat Power or PJ Harvey. Write the name down kids, because her next album might be brilliant.
- paul
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Released 02.13.2006
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Monday, December 18, 2006
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M Coast - Say It In Slang (Happy Happy Birthday To Me) [audio] [more audio] [upcoming shows]
First impression: these songs stink, but "damn, I dig that sound, man." Alas, I was (partially) wrong, as M Coast creates truly fine songs. Although there is a good chunk of this disc that doesn't grab me where it counts, the remainder is enough to warrant recommendation. Playing out like the soundtrack to an Of Montreal dream, the album is both melodic and breezy. For added fun, I developed a game where I listen and guess musical influences: Brian Wilson? B&S? Joe Jackson? Q And Not U? Listen and play along!
- cormac
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Released 10.24.2006
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Friday, November 24, 2006
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Mark McAdam - Cavalcade (March) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This one could easily pass you by. There are scores of acoustic-driven indie-rock singer-songwriters who can pour their hearts out over a dozen personal songs at a pop. Meet Mark McAdam: he doesn’t have songs that stick out as obvious singles. There's no palpable excitement here either, but rather a solid album's worth of consistently good songs. This is neither an overly pop nor a down-in-the-dumps folk album, as McAdam seems to use genre influences at his own pace.
- cormac
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Released 08.10.2006
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Thursday, November 02, 2006
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The McKassons - Tripping Maggie (self released) [audio] [upcoming shows]
With fiddling that sizzles and swirls through the air and evocative piano, the McKassons give Celtic folk music a contemporary touch without sacrificing the classic qualities of the genre. Deeply respectful of the music's Scottish and Irish origins, the McKassons walk unafraid in flirting with bluegrass and even Bruce Springsteen, whose "If I Should Fall Behind" is given a delicious Celtic kiss that the Boss won't forget.
- michael s.
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Released 08.15.2006
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Monday, October 02, 2006
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The Monkees - Deluxe Edition (Rhino) [video]
Put together by a TV studio and singing the songs of hired songwriters- who undeniably know how to churn out hits - the only composition by an actual Monkee to appear on the original release, Michael Nesmith's "Papa Gene's Blues," is a clear step above the rest of the material - in that it's not just simple, catchy and forgetable. Lots of music here- the stereo and mono versions plus fifteen bonus tracks on two cds. Extensive liner notes detail the members struggle to avoid becoming the Milli Vanilli of the late sixties.
- mark
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Released 08.15.2006
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Thursday, September 28, 2006
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the 'mericans - 'merican recordings EP (self released) [audio and upcoming shows]
I fucking loved Purple Ivy Shadows. Chris Daltry creates beautiful, lonesome, wistful country folk music. Using sparse backing instrumentation and threadbare, world-weary singing, Mr. Daltry and a rotating cast of musicians wind their way through tales of sadness and redemption and, I assume, epic drinking. Plaintive harmonica and banjo add drops of color to a sometimes bleak soundscape, but bleak good, not bleak like, it’s all over now, baby blue. Haunting and delicate; search it out.
- eric
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Released 10.21.2006
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
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Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast (Matador) [audio] [more audio] [upcoming shows]
As ever with Matmos, there are a few moments on this album where their unconventional instrumentation pays off, mutant disco being created from sounds such as the burning of live flesh. Unfortunately, this album has also confirmed my suspicions that the duo’s concepts are ultimately more interesting than the results. Certainly a band to talk about, with maybe the odd listen.
- rf scott
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Released 05.09.2006
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Thursday, August 03, 2006
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Juana Molina - Son (Domino Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This fourth effort by eclectic Argentinian song-sorceress Juana Molina is a soothing auditory elixer blending the acoustic, electric and organic. With vocals reminiscent of Stina Nordenstam and -at times of improvisational flow - Rickie Lee Jones, comparisons to Bjork are obvious due to Molina's melting of dichotomous styles: but as the Icelander uses technology to create frigid layers of echoing sound, the Argentinian submerges 'neath an otherworldly ocean of sound to birth a pulsing and and intimate organic voice. Blips and beeps becomes a sweltering breeze or swarm of bees. One of my top listens of 2006!
- betty
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Released 06.06.2006
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Thursday, July 13, 2006
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Mission of Burma - The Obliterati (Ninja Tune) [audio] [upcoming shows]
There are few albums that I would argue the 75 or Less credo over. This
is one of them. Almost every one of the songs on this album warrants at
least 75 words on its own. Concisely convoluted, dissonantly melodic,
and bursting with creative muscle, each one of these twisted avant-punk
nuggets is a puzzle begging the question that anyone who’s seen MoB
live must wonder: how the hell do they keep cranking out this amazing
stuff?
- jeremy
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Released 05.23.2006
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Monday, April 17, 2006
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Gunnar Madsen – Fall of Troy (G-Spot Records) [audio] [shows]
Creating "soundtracks" for literary classics is nothing new ... consider "Scheherezade" by Rimsy-Korsakov, or ballet scores. But a soundtrack to a (never-completed) videogame ... that's modern. Even if it's for one of the oldest stories ever: the Trojan War. Laid-off composer Madsen developed some of his "musical sketches" for the game into this album of ominous atmosphere. Ponderous cello in "Crossing the Plains" evokes a marching army, while timpani and a buildup of horns and strings signify that something big is about to happen during "Behind the Gates." Horse not included.
- meredith
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Released 05.16.2006
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Monday, April 10, 2006
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Richard McGraw - Song and Void, Vol. 1 (Non-Utopian Records) [audio]
An heir to Lyle Lovett and Richard Thompson, Richard McGraw sings of loss and resentment over a variety of musical moods; they range from sorrowful swing to rolling accordion to epic rock guitar. His voice shifts from plaintive to fierce; at one point, he declares, "If I have to kill to keep you safe, point to the man and I will plan his end." With his unique, sometimes antique, always unpredictable sound, I predict McGraw will get much further in his career than "long-haired, 45 and still rockin out at the county fair."
- meredith
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Released 03.26.2006
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Thursday, March 30, 2006
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Mates of State - Bring it Back (Barsuk Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
You may have to brush your teeth after listening to this one, it’s so sugary sweet. Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel’s trademark husband-and-wife choruses shout exuberantly over a myriad of keyboards.... it’s not bubblegum, but it could be classified as, oh, I don’t know.... starlight mints (the candy, not the band)? And while I tend towards salty snacks, sometimes a really good, quality, delicious confectionery treat is in order. To quote track 2, "You will surely find this pleasing to your ears."
- meredith
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Released 03.21.2006
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Friday, March 17, 2006
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MC Lars - The Graduate (Nettwerk Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
MC Lars is brilliant ... brilliant! When not adapting classic literature to rap or imagining what he'd do in a time machine, he is making pointed statements about the music industry and pop culture in general. While he is sometimes heavy-handed in his criticism, who really cares when he delivers such songs as "Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock" or "Generic Crunk Rap" (complete with random yelps of "what??"). "Signing Emo" is destined to be a classic, and articulates the reasons that 75orless exists—the listeners, not the label execs, should determine who they like.
- meredith
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Released 03.21.2006
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Thursday, February 23, 2006
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Marc Maron - Tickets Still Available (Stand Up! Records) [video]
Marc Maron is neurotic, paranoid and, by his own account, a chronic
masturbator. But he's also been blessed with the gift of turning his
faults into the most alternately cringe-inducing and gut-busting
performances I've heard from any comedian in recent memory. Maron's
albums (this is his second) aren't like traditional stand-up albums.
They're musical in a sense. They follow an almost operatic story
arc―all points along the curve eventually lead to one tragic bombshell
of an ending, but funny.
- paul
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Released 01.17.2006
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Monday, February 20, 2006
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Roy Moller - Fermez La Bouche (Pickled Egg) [audio]
Tracks one and three on this 10-minute maxi-single are bouncy bubblegum pop, with a sound that echoes the Kinks and George Harrison. "First You Fall in Love" adds in the Modern Lovers and Of Montreal, and "Speak When I’m Spoken To" has a hook that won’t leave you alone. I wasn’t as crazy about "Leave It Well Alone," although its lyrics carry on the apparent theme of a person who can’t live without love, but kills it (like Chris Farley’s roll/sale in "Tommy Boy") when it appears.
- meredith
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Released 05.15.2005
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Monday, February 06, 2006
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Modern Skirts – Catalogue of Generous Men [audio]
This band jumped ... leaped! into the "these guys are GOOD" pile of CDs culled from the submissions mailbox. Sounding uncannily like Idlewild, or Billy Bragg jamming with Guster, the Modern Skirts are piano- rather than guitar-driven. NYC should dump Sinatra's cheesy "anthem" for the first track, "New York Song." And there are some great lyrics, like "the local dam was getting tired of holding you" and "in between her wine sips, she scaled down the ivory and pine."
- meredith
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Released 08.23.2005
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Friday, February 03, 2006
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Mustache Ride - 20,000 Leagues Under the Scene (Redtide Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Throw the following bands into a blender- Social Distortion, Ramones, Against Me and Superchunk then add a bottle of gin and a ten pack-a-day smoking habit to the singer's glass and you are taking a Mustache Ride. Full of power chords, pop hooks, deft guitar solos, one acoustic number to prove they aren't afraid to hold your hand and an offer to slow dance on "Stare at the Sun". Includes a cover of "Show Me the Way to Go Home" from the movie "Jaws" - complete with accordion to keep the sea shanty authentic.
- mark
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Released 01.27.2006
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Monday, January 09, 2006
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Miller - Complete Buffoonery (Fred's Crack Records) [audio] [recent shows]
During an uncomfortable conversation, Seinfeld’s George Costanza might say "I really don’t think we should be talking about this." But Miller- who proudly harnesses the power of the keytar- would probably write a song about whatever strange topic was at hand. With his geeky delivery, which sounds like a mix of Weird Al and Jello Biafra, Miller ponders sex with amputees, the downfalls of spooning, flensers, and the perfect pick-up line. Find the closest humorless bastard and let this redheaded enigma work his magic.
- jason m.
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Released 10.20.2005
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Wednesday, December 07, 2005
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My Morning Jacket - Z (ATO) [audio]
If this is MMJ's The Bends, does that mean we get their OK Computer next? This will be remembered as the point when the band found their focus, both in their writing and sound. That wet, luscious reverb is largely abandoned in favor of (gasp!) catchy-as-hell melodies and a cleaner sound, which is a revelation in their musical development. Further proof that when your band has a vocalist whose pipes are anointed from on high, you are best served to get out of his way as much as possible. Z's place in my Best of 2005 is all sewn up.
- tom d.
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Released 10.04.2005
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My Morning Jacket - Z (ATO) [audio]
The sound of MMJ's Z is a departure from their last three records and it works wonders. The guitar-driven southern rock sound is still there, but this time around they add a lot more organ as well as some electronic noises. "Off the Record" is their biggest and catchiest pop song to date, the organ in "Into The Woods" gives off an evil carnival groove, while "Wordless Chorus" shows off Jim James' love for R&B. MMJ 's sound is evolving and it will be interesting to see what they do next.
- kyle j.
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Released 10.04.2005
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Tuesday, December 06, 2005
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The Mars Volta - Scabdates (Universal) [audio]
Scabdates is essentially an aural collage of stuff you might hear at a Mars Volta concert, along with stuff you might hear if you're traveling with or hanging out backstage with the band (crying babies, voices in Spanish and English, individual instruments). There's plenty of spacy, effects-laden noodling, and improvised stream-of-consciousness lyrics. If you think of their marathon jam session concerts as transcendent experiences, you're going to love Scabdates. But if you've written off the band as trying too hard to be artsy, this CD will help make your case.
- karen m.
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Released 11.08.2005
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Thursday, October 13, 2005
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Marriage Records Compilation [upcoming shows]
Normally I do not bother with compilations. Most are a disjointed string of songs without flow or consistency. The Marriage Records comp on the other hand, streams so fluidly that you might think that it is a concept album. Each artist delivers a fine song that compliments the next. Marriage Records has produced a wonderful document of the sound of music now in the Pacific Northwest. Highlights include tracks from Thankgiving, Manta, Mount Eerie, and Little Wings.
- s. finch
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Tuesday, October 04, 2005
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The Midget (Impko) [audio] [cd baby]
The songs are built using gently strummed acoustic guitars, banjo, flute, and accordian but are backed by electronic components, such as drum machine rhythm tracks and artificial hand claps. Produced by Dave Fridmann, this could possibly be a co-ed version of Portastatic, a more pop-leaning Giant Sand, made for fans of Sparklehorse or Lambchop. At other times, this borders on indie lounge music, filled with simultaneous boy/girl harmonies, characterized by the Jad Fair-ish geeked-out male vocals and sweetly spaced-out vocals by Amber Rossino.
- mark
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Thursday, September 29, 2005
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The Mutts - Life in Dirt
(Fat Cat) [audio]
[upcoming shows]
A train filled with raucous, reverb-drenched garage rock leaves
Detroit at 7:00 while a separate train filled with chugging,
riff-heavy stoner rock departs Phoenix at 8:35. At maximum velocity,
what time will the two trains collide and splatter their combined
musical contents all over the hillsides? Nobody gives a damn about
the details. All you need to know is that the Mutts were there to
pick up the pieces and assemble one hell of a loud, gritty record
named Life in Dirt. Math schmath.
- paul
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Released 09.20.2005
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Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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Erin McKeown - We Will Become Like Birds (Nettwerk) [audio] [upcoming shows]
To me, good lyrics make for good songs; if your words are painfully trite, why bother writing them? Just go instrumental. If, however, you are going to include such musings as "It's Victorian this embroidering offering and sorting of memory to museum quality," well, then, sing it out. Erin McKeown's latest album could be deconstructed in poetry class: images of air, birds, flying, the moon and stars are woven throughout. A blend of folk and rock, she sounds like a raspier Suzanne Vega, a less-country Michelle Shocked.
- meredith
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Released 06.28.2005
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Wednesday, July 27, 2005
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Maxïmo Park - A Certain Trigger
(Warp)
[audio]
[upcoming shows]
You wouldn't fault a contemporary trumpet player for sounding like
Miles, would you? Yet it's all too easy to dismiss a band like Maxïmo Park for sounding like XTC or the Jam without really understanding that post-punk is a musical form as valid as any other. So, considering they've chosen to work with such a specific palette, you should realize that what A Certain Trigger accomplishes is quite extraordinary. And, in the context of the current revival craze, it's an even more impressive feat to make such a timeless album.
- paul
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Released 05.31.2005
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Friday, July 22, 2005
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The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer
(Arts & Crafts) [audio]
[upcoming shows]
Had they been around a decade earlier, the Most Serene Republic might
have been invited as the only international members of the homespun
Elephant 6 collective. In 2005, however, the E6 is no more and, by
virtue of geography, they're now a part of the notoriously ambitious
Arts & Crafts family of Toronto. Their brand of densely arranged
psychedelia-tinged pop seems a comfortable fit, though. Somewhere
between the extremes, the Most Serene Republic has found a fertile
middle ground which is already yielding delicious fruits.
- paul
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Released 07.12.2005
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Friday, July 15, 2005
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Math and Physics Club – Weekends Away (Matinee Recordings) [audio] [upcoming shows]
Before I heard this delightfully enchanting EP, I thought that math and physics sounded like moaning and weeping... the noises I made back in high school when checking my answers in the back of the book and getting them all wrong. But perhaps if I had joined the club, I could have bounced around to sweetly grave incandescence. Like Belle and Sebastian at its poppiest best. But way better. New EP out in a few days. I can't wait.
- meredith
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Released 02.28.2005
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Monday, June 06, 2005
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MED - Push Comes to Shove (Stones Throw) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
Following the Stones Throw formula, the label's latest outing features production chiefly from Madlib, their in-house super producer. Push Comes to Shove is the artist debut by Los Angeles MC MED (aka Medaphoar). Although his flow doesn't differ greatly from that of his roster mates Oh No and Wildchild, MED has plenty to say and a plethora of great beats over which to spit the truth. Push Comes to Shove may just prove to be the crossover gem Stones Throw needs to dispatch the bunch into pseudo-mainstream terrains.
- will
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Released 05.31.2005
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Monday, May 23, 2005
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Milton Mapes - The Blacklight Trap (Undertow)
[mp3]
[upcoming shows]
I grabbed the last bit of cash from behind the counter and she held
the front door open. We sped out of that tiny Texas town in her
cousin's rusty Chevrolet as the sky opened up and a bolt of lightning
kicked up dust in the distance. After the first drops a rain began to fall, I hurled the gun out of the window and rolled up the glass.
"What's playing?" I asked. "This is Milton Mapes," she offered in
return. "It's almost perfect, isn't it?"
- paul
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Released 03.08.2005
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Thursday, March 17, 2005
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The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute (GSL/Strummer/Universal) [audio] [upcoming shows]
NOT. FOR. EVERYONE. This makes De-Loused in the Comatorium look like a B2K album. If you don't have an hour to dedicate to it, don't even bother. Mostly rewarding, if not always toe-tapping, but it still has its problems. "Cassandra Gemini", the much-discussed 32 minute track, has surprisingly little "filler noise" - so why is "Miranda" chock full of it?! The five songs on the album play like four character studies done by an artist in preparation for their masterpiece ("Cassandra Gemini"). I love it, but you have permission to disagree.
- tom d.
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Released 03.01.2005
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Monday, March 14, 2005
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Miracle of 86 - Last Gasp (Immigrant Sun) [mp3]
Miracle of 86 commands admiration. In fact, everything mini-god Kevin Devine has ever done is often filed in the "respect or be damned" category. The band's six-song EP, Last Gasp, is stuffed with upbeat acoustic and electric pop rock, a grungy emo ditty ("We Keep You Honest") and the peculiar "Jesus Christine," all of which have, dare I say, important lyrics. If this is indeed the last gasp, at least we still have our Kevvy.
- jason m.
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Released 10.26.2004
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Wednesday, January 19, 2005
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Cass McCombs - PREfection (Monitor) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
You might think this is a little crazy, but I hear the ghost of John
Lennon's early solo work flying around the room at times while
PREfection is playing. The pleasant, understated pop of A has been transformed into the rich, articulate work of a veteran in little more than two years. McCombs, who recently relocated to London, has become so very "British." The album's best track, "Sacred Heart," brings to mind the defining works of one of England's other most literate bands, Pulp. How surprising.
- paul
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Released 02.01.2005
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Wednesday, December 29, 2004
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The Muffs - Really Really Happy (Five Foot Two) [audio] [video]
Kim Shattuck benefitted from the early-'90s alternaboom just like many of her peers. But what set the Muffs apart from the pack was her attention to the charms of timeless pop songcraft, much like the Ramones had done twenty years prior. Now that the Muffs have been around for a decade themselves, they still sound at odds with their surroundings in the best possible way. If the world revolved around leather and lollipops, any of these 17 tracks could be a #1 hit. Maybe in the next life?
- paul
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Released 08.10.2004
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Tuesday, October 26, 2004
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Mos Def - The New Danger
(Geffen) [audio]
I wasn't one of those people who'd been waiting five years for The
New Danger to arrive, so pardon me for not greeting it with the
disdain some of Mos Def's longtime fans have shown. I'm familiar with
his past, though, and from the very beginning it's always been
apparent that man likes to break ground. Sure, the fusion of hip-hop
and rock is hardly revolutionary anymore, but in Mos's capable hands
it sounds loose and immediate, alive and breathing. A "safe" record
would have been the real disappointment.
- paul
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Thursday, October 21, 2004
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Money Mark - Demo? Or Demolition? (Chocolate Industries)
Oh Money, Money, Money... who put you up to this, man? You can tell me, it's o.k. Was it Biz Markie? That Biz he's such a trickster. You know, when he said it was a good idea to release an album of leftover Luscious Jackson instrumental tracks with half-finished lyrics sung over the top, he was probably just kidding.
- jeremy
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Thursday, September 30, 2004
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März - Wir Sind Hier
(Karaoke Kalk) [mp3s]
The phrase "German engineered" has applied only to automobiles for far too long. März deconstructs glitch electronic, folk, and chamber pop the way others have been trying to since late in the '90s and refashions them all together in one of the more aurally impressive records I've heard all year. Imagine a collaborative effort by Sufjan Stevens, Stephin Merritt and Matmos, listen to Wir Sind Hier, and then realize you're only half the way there.
- paul
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Thursday, September 23, 2004
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Meshuggah - I (Fractured Transmitter Record Co.) [mp3]
One track. Twenty-one minutes. Pure technical metal insanity. Despite its depth and length, this actually feels like one long, fluid song. Another impressive aspect of this is that it blows the last offering, Nothing-a 10 song album-out of the water. No one in the band said a word when they wrapped this thing up, but they were all thinking the same thing: "I hope we never play this live."
- jason m.
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Thursday, August 12, 2004
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The Mice - For Almost Ever Scooter (Scat Records) [mp3s]
Scat Records has rescued and reissued music by the mid-80's Ohio band The Mice, combining a Europe-only EP and their never-released second LP. Although lead singer Bill Fox has two solo records over the past eight years, finding material by The Mice has always been difficult. This collection of songs combines bits of Hootenanny-era Replacements, early Who, low-fi pop, and Portastatic's skinny white boy vocals. A classic slice of power pop in its purest form, long before production values sacrificed personality.
- mark
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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
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Minus the Bear - They Make Beer Commercials Like This (Arena Rock)
Usually, I would never use the phrase "sounds like Depeche Mode" along with the term "awesome" in any sentence unless it read like this: "It would be awesome to kill every band that sounds like Depeche Mode." Well... I guess there's a first time for everything, huh? The band with the name inspired by BJ and the Bear (think about it) drops a new EP filled with sweet hooks, great riffs and... depth. So... yeah... it sounds like if Depeche Mode were awesome.
- brian
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Wednesday, May 26, 2004
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Midlake - Bamnan and Slivercork (Bella Union) [mp3]
Though it's fairly common for unsolicited discs to show up on my desk, it's fairly rare for one of them to really worm its way into my ear. Midlake managed to do it easily though, with their latest, Bamnan and Slivercork. Their sound comes off something kinda like Grandaddy over a base coat of Neutral Milk Hotel, and damn, that rubs me just the right way.
- ryan
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Thursday, May 20, 2004
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Mono - Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (Human Highway)
[audio] [upcoming shows]
| Memo |
To: Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Kinski, Do Make Say Think and associates
Re: The new Mono album |
It is with much regret we inform you that your services are no longer needed. We've outsourced our post-rock contract to Japan, and are ecstatic over the results. Please feel free to use us as a reference regarding your future employment and best of luck in all your endeavors.
- paul
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Thursday, May 06, 2004
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Mission of Burma - ONoffON (Matador) [audio/mp3s] [upcoming shows]
From the very first note, it's immediately clear that MoB has not lost an ounce of energy or dissonance since breaking up in 1807. If anything, they've somehow become more coherent as songwriters, without losing that "train about to veer off the tracks" feeling of old. There are no anthems like "Revolver" or "Academy Fight Song" here but I don't miss 'em. MoB has effectively proved (again) that rock doesn't have to be a young person's game.
- jeremy
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Thursday, April 01, 2004
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Muse - Absolution (Warner) [audio] [upcoming shows]
This isn't new. Like the Bulletboys before them, who forged a career out of aping David Lee Roth-era Van Halen, Muse aim to ensure their notoriety with an in-your-face brand of thievery - their victim: Radiohead. Where Absolution succeeds is the difficulty you'll find in pin-pointing the precise instances of theft. With the exception of Matt Bellamy's spot-on Thom Yorke impersonation, you never hear Radiohead being directly lifted. But when the album's over, your next move will instinctively be to throw on OK Computer.
- paul
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Tuesday, March 23, 2004
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Meow Meow - Snow Gas Bones (Devil in the Woods) [audio] [upcoming shows]
If it weren't for the guitar squealing and the static hiss that permeates the CD, Meow Meow's debut would undoubtedly earn comparisons to Granddaddy and Fountains of Wayne. But with the extra credit effort supplied by guitarist/noisemaker Kirk Hellie, Meow Meow invades the Dinosaur Jr./Jesus and Mary Chain fuzz rock world and does it with unrelenting passion and energy. The warped Beach Boys style harmonies ("Sick Fixation", "All I Ever Got") do nothing but add to the gorgeous and experimental sound.
- chip
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Wednesday, March 17, 2004
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Múm - Summer Make Good (Pias America) [upcoming shows]
This marks the band's first release since sister Gyda's departure, reducing múm to a trio. Whether or not this chain of events sparked a more organic turn in múm's sound remains unknown. What is known, however, is that the near absence of stuttering beats and synthetic embellishments clears the way for their most direct and poignant record yet. I imagine this collection represents the sounds of an Iceland childhood; one I missed out on by being born elsewhere.
- paul
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Tuesday, March 16, 2004
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Moby - Moby.com (He Beat Us Bad)
Yuck it up Moby. You burned us. You burned us bad. But you know what? I'm gonna let it slide. Just this once. You seem like a nice guy. I like your politics. Savor the flavor though, because we aren't gonna let it happen again.
- jon
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Monday, February 09, 2004
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Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard (Hidden
Agenda) [mp3s/video] [upcoming shows]
I love an honest deal as much as the next schmoe, so when I saw a promo disc
of The Orange Billboard in my local shop's budget bin, I threw down a couple bucks without hearing a single note. I gleaned two things from the CD cover: Moonbabies are a duo and Moonbabies are from Sweden. What I know now, however, is that Moonbabies actually deliver the sprawling, gorgeous mindfuck I was led to believe I'd get from Broken Social Scene last year.
- paul
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Friday, February 06, 2004
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Malcom Middleton - 5:14 Fluoxytnie Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine (Chemikal Underground) [mp3] [upcoming shows]
Wallowing away in a full pint and with tear-filled eyes, Malcolm Middleton - one half of the Scottish-duo Arab Strap - sings woe-begotten dark tales of love (mostly lost) and loneliness. It's desperation-rock at it's finest – "I'm so lonely, I'm going to go out with a slut who will hold me," Middleton sings with a thick accent on "Speed on the M9". But while the album can be morbid and cynical, Middleton also injects some humor, albeit twisted, into songs like "Crappo the Clown" and "Devil and the Angel".
- chip
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Thursday, February 05, 2004
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Man in Gray - No Day / No Night [mp3] [upcoming shows]
The rest of their borough can wax nostalgic for scarcely-remembered
decades, but Man in Gray remain proud citizens of Alternative Nation,
circa 1993. With such dissonantly catchy (and refreshingly unpretentious)
tunes, however, it's impossible to complain - from the flailing
Thurston-isms of "Incommunicado" to the Kim Deal-worthy "Brakelights," these
young Brooklynites harness a melodic urgency far more then the sum of
their influences.
- nick
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Tuesday, February 03, 2004
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The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed (4ad) [mp3] [upcoming
shows]
John Darnielle craps out albums like nobody's business. We Shall All Be Healed is the 6,784th release from the Mountain Goats, and is, big surprise, another great one. Much like 2002's Tallahassee, this one leans toward the "more-produced" end of the spectrum, and what's more, nearly half of the songs here even feature (gasp!) drums. Die-hard of fans of the old "lower-than-lo-fi" Mountain Goats sound can always copy the album to tape, drop it a mud puddle, and pretend it's still 1993.
- ryan
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Monday, November 10, 2003
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Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (Everloving) [audio] [video] [upcoming shows]
Metric may specialize in the new wave/post punk du jour, but their keen ear for melody and vaguely classical flourishes set them apart from the hordes of Casio-toting pretenders to the throne. The ten tracks vary from total electric sugar-rush to subdued longing, shot along by Emily Haines captivating vocal delivery. Hey, it's not like Elastica is going to get back together or anything, so get on this shit early so you can gloat.
- nick
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Monday, October 27, 2003
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My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves (ATO/RCA) [audio] [upcoming shows]
"So what's all the noise I'm hearing about this band?" you ask. "How the hell are some long-haired hippies from Kentucky going to be the saviors of rock?" is another question you might throw out there. My question to you: "Have you bothered listening to this fucking record?" Seriously... miles and miles of reverb, ass-shakin' rock tunes standing next to wonderfully heartfelt songs about everyday life, Jim James' monumentally beautiful (and haunting) voice... did I mention reverb? No kidding... build a temple to this shit and call it a day.
- brian
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Monday, September 29, 2003
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MxPx - Before Everything and After (A & M)
MxPx are punk veterans. By punk, I mean producing perfect music for tearing out of the mall parking lot after losing your job busing tables at the Newport Creamery. At their best, they sound like Green Day. At their worst, Good Charlotte and a million other over-produced Hot Topic boy bands overcompensating for a lack of creativity by coating themselves in an abundance of tattoos and piercings. Musically, they arent rebelling against anything and the song lyrics stick to girls and how much they hurt boys.
- junco tibet
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Friday, August 01, 2003
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Mrs. Children - Basement Demos [mp3, mp3] [upcoming shows]
Basement Demos is a collection of infectiously melodic and instantly catchy pop-rock gems from these wide-eyed and bushy-tailed kids from Columbus who seemingly only owned Beatles, CS&N, Beach Boys, and Gram Parsons records through their teenage years. A few years wiser, and with expanded record collections (Wilco, Pernice Brothers), Mrs. Children's songwriting maturity shines. These demos are the most pleasant songs I've listened to this year and the best part - you can download them all for FREE from the band's website.
- chip
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Monday, July 28, 2003
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Miranda Sound - Engaged in Labor (Standard Recording Company) [mp3, mp3] [upcoming shows]
This is as honest and real as it gets. Miranda Sound's latest is an intelligent indie rock record with dark and angular riffs and lyrics that accurately reflect what it's like to realize that you're an adult. Delivered by co-lead vocalists Billy Peake and Dan Gerken, lyrical realities include "The most important thing has gone from alcohol to children, good employment and occupation" ("Midas") and "Old men were dinosaurs, but now they are my friends and neighbors" ("We Could Be Landowners"). Welcome to your 30s boys.
- chip
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Friday, May 30, 2003
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The Mitchells - Hear Where You Are (Pigeon Records) [audio] [upcoming shows]
The Mitchells have made an indie-rock Calder mobile, a funky balancing act that defies gravity: matching woozy, discordant guitar textures with rockingly snappy rhythms as endearingly off-kilter lyrics flit in and out of the clouds of fuzz and clang. Complex without mathy polyrhythms, atmospheric without shoegazy pretensions, "hear where you are," is a solid slab of weirdly uplifting un-pop pop. In Bizarro-indie world, this is what you’d hear banging out of car stereos this summer.
- jeremy
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Thursday, February 20, 2003
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The Mendoza Line - If They Knew This Was the End (Bar/None Records) [audio]
Reissue of The Mendoza Line's 1996 debut album (with six bonus tracks), recorded during the group's Athens, GA days, and amidst the band's releases on Kindercore. Straightforward college pop with male/female vocals and quirky lyrics, born from a natural migration from Pavement and Sebadoh into friendly and harmonious Southern indie rock. They may be creating more distinctive material nowadays, but we all have to crawl before we can bat our own weight.
- ryan p.
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Monday, January 27, 2003
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Mudvayne - The End of All Things To Come (Epic/Sony)
If Slipknot decided to go for a smidgen less bestiality, and embrace their inner Calculus nerd (don't worry, he's still a dark, dark, nerd who HATES THE WORLD BLEEAAAARRGHHH!) they might sound a lot like Mudvayne. Imagine King Crimson (or, less charitably, Genesis) with a jones for math metal and elaborate horror-movie makeup. This stuff is probably a little too tweaked for Ozzfest rugrats, and a little too awful for people who like… um… regular music. Nice time signatures, though.
- nick
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Tuesday, November 05, 2002
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Mountain Goats - Tallahassee (4AD) [audio]
What happens when a smart, clever singer/songwriter whose straight-to-a-boombox songs about food and figures from Roman history earned him a fanatical cult following signs to the 4AD label, records an album at Tarbox studios (home to the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev) with Tony Doogan (the man who makes Belle & Sebastian sound slick & pretty) about a married alcoholic couple who move across the U.S. desperately trying to save their gin-soaked relationship by buying a house in Florida? Talla-fucking-fabulous-hassee.
- cory
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Monday, November 04, 2002
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Metroscene - First Light At Last Orders [audio]
I am of the opinion that every city in North America needs its own version of an English rock band, complete with the accents and floppy hair. Metroscene make Atlantans luckier than most with their danceable mod-rock, spacey guitars and head-bobbing rhythms tied together with smiling sweet melodies. Drawing equally from UK influences like Blur, Pulp, and Teenage Fanclub, almost any of these songs would fit into a Britpop club's playlist. Quite possibly the best self-released disc I've ever danced in my chair to.
- cory
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Monday, September 30, 2002
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Rhett Miller - The Instigator (Elektra)
"Like the Air Suppliers said," Rhett? "I cannot believe that you're my lover," Rhett? Ken and Murray and Phil must be rolling in their graves with laughter. Oh, I know the Old 97s are still together, supposedly. But they would be forgiven for never wanting anything to do with you ever again. It seems loooooove has taken its toll on your cheese detector. The most annoying thing? Some of the songs are actually damn catchy. But who wants to be singing stuff like "unless you come around/so come around"? Triple fucking gag. Call the boys, beg forgiveness, and then we'll talk.
- catherine
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Thursday, September 26, 2002
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Mark Mallman - The Red Bedroom (Guilt Ridden Pop)
Mark Mallman once played for 26 hours straight, calling his 300 page opus that featured 28 musicians and resulted in a 3 month case of laryngitis "Marathon." Though not quite the Fox News Channel buzz band the stunt potentially afforded the singer, this glam-obsessed Minnesota cat today has traded novelty for efficiency on this lean album bent on recapturing a time when disco + whiskey = give me the fucking mic stand, it's my turn.
- matthew r.
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Tuesday, September 17, 2002
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Doug Martsch - Now You Know (Warner Brothers) [audio]
Doug Martsch must be reading my weblog. After a wintery trip to Boise, drinking Olympia lager stubbies at the bar where every Built To Spill LP is in the jukebox, I found myself listening to less indie rock and more country & blues. Now You Know, the bearded frontman of Idaho's rock heros first solo album is a wonderful mish-mash of bottleneck slide guitar (liberally borrowed from Mississippi bluesman Fred McDowell) and Martsch's gift for combining sweet Northwest pop with bitchin' guitar solos. This is exactly what I wanted to hear in 2002.
- cory
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Friday, September 06, 2002
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Maestro Echoplex - Last Night I Saw God on the Dance Floor (Android Eats Records) [mp3 · mp3]
I defy you, dear reader, to listen to the opening track of Maestro Echoplex's debut EP, "My Eyes Are Disconnected From My Head Is Disconnected From My Body", and not have it plant itself firmly in your head. The Maestro's style is most closely related to that of the intelligent-indie-folk pioneered by messrs. Oldham and Molina. The finely-crafted songs, delivered via simple, hollow-body guitar and Hammond organ, coupled with Andy Goldman's intimate lyrical style, make this a truly amazing debut. And their cover of Shellac's "Prayer to God" - Whoa.
- ryan
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Monday, July 15, 2002
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Mull Historical Society - Loss (Blanco Y Negro/Beggars XL) [videos, mp3]
Strings, xylophones, 12 string guitars, and all that other stuff that makes record-store-clerks wet themselves, with soaring vocals - and a song about Xanadu - to boot. Music for eyeglasses that (thank heaven) is summery enough to stave off boredom. Lush, orchestral jams from across the pond are nothing new; fortunately, the Scotsmen (Scouses?) of MHS do a helluva lot with a tired formula.
- nick
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Thursday, July 11, 2002
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McLusky - McLusky Do Dallas (Too Pure)
I would like to get the McLusky hype machine started right now, please. The second album from this British trio belongs at the top of your "rocks a lot" pile, right above the Hives. Sounding alternately like Damon Albarn and someone who just got stabbed in the toe, the singer spits out hit after melodic punk hit, deftly satirizing pretty-boy modern rock along the way. Funny, fierce, and boasting song titles like "The World Loves Us and Is Our Bitch," this should please fans of the Pixies, the Wedding Present, and their brethren.
- catherine
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Tuesday, July 09, 2002
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My Morning Jacket / Songs:Ohia - Split (Jade Tree)
Dear My Morning Jacket and Songs:Ohia,
Thanks ever so much for the split ep. MMJ, I literally couldn't get "O Is the One That is Real" out of my head for a month. And for the other two songs proper, you must get a lot of comparisons to old Neil Young. Personally I think that's a good thing. And Jason Molina, just based on "Translation", I would like to have your babies. Keep it up.
- kate
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Thursday, May 23, 2002
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Moby - 18 (V2) [video]
Okay Moby, you get a by on this for three reasons: 1. You've done more to advance and evolve stylistically than most artists do in a lifetime. 2. Your sincerity is real, but you maintain a good sense of humor, especially in the face of the recent dissing by Eminem. 3. There are bright spots on 18, as long as by "bright" you understand I mean melancholy and depressing in the beautiful way. Not your best, but I still feel you.
- leslie
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Monday, April 22, 2002
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Midtown - Living Well Is The Best Revenge (MCA Records) [audio]
Sam Goody's ad for this album bears the slogan "hardcore emo pop punk with a Jersey accent" – that's nothing less-than-apt, but far less dire than it appears. Like the (cough) modern rock hits (cough) of Jimmy Eat World - who's last album this polished release is obviously modeled upon - Midtown have made the guilty pleasure of the year. Hide it under the seat from your cool friends, but that only insures the disc won't melt while being in your car all summer.
- nick
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Monday, April 08, 2002
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Mates of State - Our Constant Concern (Polyvinyl) [mp3]
MOS start their second release off with "Hoarding it for Home", an example of call and response indie pop done right. Following tracks fail to reach a similar height, yet remain interesting enough to warrant attention. A guest trumpet is fittingly added to the drum/organ mix on "Uber Legitimate", while "Halves and Have-nots" glows when Kori Gardner sings the line 'Never stay alone'. Complimenting the Yamaha Electone that defines MOS are the emotionally mature lyrics of two bandmates in love. Although at times redundant, the album is so short and sweet it's guaranteed repeated play.
- jules
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Friday, February 15, 2002
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The Mr. T Experience - ...And the Women Who Love Them (Lookout!) [mp3s]
There's only one person who can get away with using the word "apocryphal" in the context of a pop-punk song, and that's Dr. Frank, frontman of the Mr. T Experience and the most clever songwriter of the 1990s. This disc gathers EPs, b-sides, compilation tracks, and demos from the band's remarkably consistent '93 to '97 period, and forms both a testament and a fine introduction to the wit, wisdom, and stellar compositions present in the group's catalog. Recommended for fans of smart word-turns, ironic humor, and songs about girls.
- chris
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Thursday, November 29, 2001
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Mogwai - My Father, My King EP (Matador)
This EP is one track lasting twenty minutes featuring their trademark sound- starting slow, building, soaring, crashing into nothing and beginning over again, turning it up a few notches the next time around. This band is a dense noise orchestra, that somehow seems to keep applying layers when it seems impossible to add to the avalanche of sound. Without any vocals, this is more similar to the material on Ten Rapid than Rock Action. Anyone who hasn't liked them so far won't be convinced of anything by this new release. Until then, it's our secret.
- mark
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Thursday, November 01, 2001
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Mariner- Hurry up and Wait (Arbeid)
This music seems to fall between two distinct camps- Rachel's or Low with a kick on the tracks with female vocals and The Sword Project, Tortoise or Eleventh Dream Day at their most ethereal moments during the instrumentals. Intricate and delicate, but equally bland, with multiple transitions per song, this music requires a bucketfull of the listener's patience. Although it's all well done, it's also sterile and after ten listens, I was still staring blankly at my ceiling. Most likely and hopefully, this band is much better live.
- mark
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Wednesday, October 31, 2001
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Mercury Rev- All Is Dream (V2)
From the opening notes, it is obvious this is a departure from their past recordings, more subtle and atmospheric, less guitar influenced, a whirlwind of orchestras, strings, lush operatic voices, slide guitars, pianos, and understated drums that appear sporadically throughout the album. The vocals sound similar to Neil Young, Mark Linkous and Wayne Coyne, while as a whole, this made me think of what would have happened if Daniel Johnston had appeared on Pink Floyd's release "The Final Cut". Fans of Spiritualized and Sparklehorse might be especially pleased.
- mark
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Thursday, October 18, 2001
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The Microphones- The Glow pt 2 (K Records)
Picture Illayah Kuryakin holding a gun to Mark Kozelek's head and forcing him to record an entire album in three hours. Reluctantly, he agrees and finds although it was rushed, it seems to be his most original release to date. This hushed, fuzzy collection will not give you muscles, nor do I recommend driving long distances late at night to this. But added bits of horns, keyboards, highly personal lyrics and chunks of acoustic guitars mixed with a few brief instrumental interludes varied enough to defy genres equal out to a solid release.
- mark
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Tuesday, October 16, 2001
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Modest Mouse - Everywhere and his Nasty Palour Tricks EP (Epic)
Less is more. if you have heard Califone and Modest Mouse doing their cover of Slayer's "South of Heaven", you will be familiar with the sound of this new EP. Tim Rutili's influence seems pretty apparent on certain tracks and anyone who may have thought the last LP was a little too slick sounding will be pleased with the sound here. "Night on the Sun" has been part of the live set for over three years and at 30 minutes its a good sized EP worth your time.
- mark
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Released 10.15.2001
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