about contributors submissions book series advertising contests Media Center PopMatters Picks
|
|
Recent Music ReviewsMonday, October 6 2008
Lambchop: OH (ohio)This might be the best country record of 2008. Or maybe it's the best soul record of 2008. Or the best folk record. Who knows? Lambchop has never cared much for genres. Jay Reatard: Matador Singles ‘08Unless Phil Spector is at your soundboard, you have no business writing "Danny Says". Lukestar: Lake TobaThe Norwegian band's second album has turned out to be one of the year's biggest surprises. Everlast: Love.War and the Ghost of Whitey FordIt may seem like a long shot. But with the economy in shambles, the presidential election hinging on metaphors about lipstick and pigs, and people angrier than they have been in decades, maybe what the world needs now is more Whitey Ford. Khia: Nasti MuzikIf there's an album that can mark a new era for women in hip-hop, this isn't the one. Ninja Gun: Restless RubesWith a name like Ninja Gun, you'd expect a pop-punk band or hipster indie rockers. What you get is actually a very good hybrid of alt-country and power-pop. Friday, October 3 2008Thievery Corporation: Radio RetaliationThis album, Thievery Corporation's fifth, is equal parts revolution and tradition. But it's unfortunately weighed down by too much of the same downtempo sounds we have all heard before. James: Hey MaAfter a seven year hiatus, James sound revived and hungry again on Hey Ma. Megadeth: Anthology: Set The World AfireCheck your watch -- here comes another best of/greatest hits collection from that other popular metal band whose name begins with "M". 
David Gilmour: Live in GdańskThis set showcases the immense talents of Gilmour’s longtime Pink Floyd bandmate and touring partner Rick Wright, whose unexpected death has since punctuated this release. Dusk + Blackdown: Margins MusicDusk + Blackdown are dubstep documentarians. Say that three times fast. Rosalie Sorrels: Strangers in Another CountryAs an old friend, Sorrels offers some of Phillips’ best known material as well as songs he had never published or recorded. Thursday, October 2 2008
Roots Manuva: Slime & ReasonRoots Manuva’s autonomous background singing detracts from his most stirring quality: effortlessly smooth delivery. Ani DiFranco: Red Letter YearThe Little Folksinger's latest is the perfect guest for your New Year's Eve bash. It's the life of the party, as well as the designated driver. Max Richter: 24 Postcards in Full Colour24 Postcards in Full Colour might almost be condemnable as a rotten tease were it not so powerful in its absences. The New Year: The New YearOn their first album in four years, the New Year quietly reminds the indie rock community why no one makes music for the Painfully Alone better than them. Facts About Funerals: Love Songs & Funeral HomesSeattle songwriter picks himself back up after tragedy, with a new band, a new sound, and surprisingly open-hearted music. Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko: Africa to AppalachiaThe kora, with its lacelike and intricate patterns of notes, is the more attention-catching instrument, and you could easily forget that this album is a partnership and start to think of it as a Mansa Sissoko project. Wednesday, October 1 2008Mercury Rev: Snowflake MidnightIt should be ludicrous, it probably sounds ludicrous, but (and this is the glory of Mercury Rev), it works. Monkey: Journey to the WestA musical, circus stage show based on a 16th century Chinese novel about a monkey who dreamed of being a god? Damon Albarn must have something to do with it. But stripped of the fancy visuals, the music is left wanting. Bebo Valdes and Javier Colina: Live at the Village VanguardThe veteran Cuban pianist and former "Tropicana" bandleader presents a modest but charming duet program in the great jazz basement. Seprewa Kasa: Seprewa KasaThis album is all soothe and salve, looking back to the heyday of highlife. The Enemy: We’ll Live and Die In These TownsThe Coventry trio have no dearth of axes to grind, attacking the old whipping boy of the 9-5 working life with unrelenting discontent, if not humour or, at times, logic. The Amazing World of Arthur Brown: The Voice of LoveI am the god of hellfire and I bring you… a collection of acoustic tunes. Tuesday, September 30 2008
Ben Folds: Way to NormalWay to Normal is about the realization that the very concept of "normal" may well be a myth. Jack’s Mannequin: The Glass PassengerFormer Something Corporate frontman bounces back with what should be an outright celebration of his pop-rock skills as well as his defining musical moment, but is weighed down by its sense of self-importance. Boduf Songs: How Shadows Change the BalanceSparse and stunning, Mat Sweet's third full-length wraps images of shocking violence in gossamer arrangements. It's always the quiet ones you have to watch. Jesu: Why Are We Not Perfect?Why Are We Not Perfect? continues Justin Broadrick’s ascent, skimming past the bounds of Metal and safely into shoegaze airspace. Carrie Rodriguez: She Ain’t MeRodriguez is clearly searching for her own identity as she tries on different roles. Chumbawamba: The Boy Bands Have WonChumbawamba sing songs of change, but the new album is more of the same. Monday, September 29 2008
Blitzen Trapper: FurrFurr is a brilliant album, one that becomes more and more of an American Music history lesson the more it unfolds. XX Teens: Welcome to Goon IslandFive guys from London set sights on the Fall's manic, percussive surrealism and come up, predictably, a bit short. Their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink rock and roll cuts, though, suggest a band to watch. Bomb the Bass: Future ChaosFirst album in 13 years from renowned British DJ/producer Tim Simenon. Created almost entirely on Minimoog. Sasha: Invol2verSasha releases the long-awaited sequel to Involver, in which he redefined his DJ mix modus operandi to include remixing on every track. Natalie Walker: With YouDreary and instantly forgettable second album from former Daughter Darling vocalist. U.N.K.L.E.: End Titles … Stories for FilmJames Lavelle releases yet another lackluster album filled with guest appearances and dull piano ballads. Friday, September 26 2008
Serena-Maneesh: S-M BackwardsThe back catalogue of this Norwegian band, released in the U.S. for the first time, is hugely rewarding. Otis Redding: Live in London and ParisCommercially issued in their entirety for the first time, these live sets from March 1967 show Redding and Booker T. & the MGs at their incendiary best. Roy Hargrove: EarfoodA tour-de-force in hard bop funk and romantic balladry, Roy Hargrove's Earfood stands out as one of the finest musical moments of 2008. Mark Erelli: DeliveredStrong writing and singing abounds, but there’s a sense that a real breakthrough could involve just a hair less control and perfectionism. Burning Spear: Jah Is RealBurning Spear's roots reggae, to indulge a cliche, is very much alive and true to its original colors on Jah Is Real (red, gold, and green, to be precise). And the Moneynotes: New CornucopiaAnd the Moneynotes bring a little of everything to the hootenanny table. Thursday, September 25 2008
Jenny Lewis: Acid TongueThere's just enough good here to suggest that the next Jenny Lewis album might be something worth looking forward to. Old Crow Medicine Show: Tennessee PusherOld Crow Medicine Show is the rare band that has found a way to be all things to all people without ever sacrificing their integrity at the oft-visited altar of universal appeal. Restiform Bodies: TV Loves You BackTurns out TV and consumerism are bad. In one way or another. Thanks, Restiform Bodies. Kardinal Offishall: Not 4 SaleEven if the title is misleading, Not 4 Sale has something for everyone. Venetian Snares: DetrimentalistWinnepeg's golden boy of breakcore blitzkrieg unleashes an opus to the drum and bass aesthetic with his 20th-odd long-player. Walls of Jericho: The American DreamJust when you think you're out of the hardcore, it pulls you back in. Wednesday, September 24 2008
Mogwai: The Hawk Is HowlingMogwai's sixth marks a return to the spacious dynamics of their early years, even if what they do in that space is different. Kenny Larkin: Keys, Strings, TambourinesKenny Larkin, a wildly inventive luminary in the second wave of Detroit techno, returns with a renewed sense of focus and purpose to deliver one of his best albums to date. Kimya Dawson and Friends: AlphabuttMonster babies, tigers in underwear drawers, farts that smell like the zoo...this is a kid's album, right? Mason Proper: Olly Oxen FreeMason Proper's second album is a focused, brisk effort. Lasting only 37 minutes, this is atmospheric low-rock with a dark edge and bursts of punk energy. Sir Victor Uwaifo: Guitar Boy Superstar 1970-1976This ekassa sits on a borderline between the tightness of West Africa’s acoustic dance bands, and loose-limbed rock. DJ Yoda: FabricLive 39Superstar DJ mixes it up for the Fabric audience. Tuesday, September 23 2008
Kings of Leon: Only by the NightA return to their Southern Strokes roots with a banal serving of typically unemotional, formulaic stadium rock for hipsters who could care less. Tom Verlaine: Dreamtime / Words from the FrontFunny how the best moments on Verlaine's early solo albums sound the least like Marquee Moon. Intriguing portraits of a brilliant artist in transition, but fans only need apply. The Howling Hex: Earth JunkAnother selection of twisted rambles from the former Royal Trux man. The Tough Alliance: The New SchoolThe Swedish electropop group's debut gets reissued for America through the Summer Lovers Unlimited label. Grayson Capps & the Stumpknockers: Rott ‘N’ RollCapps holes up in his farmhouse with some friends for a vibrant display of his talents. The Birthday Massacre: Looking GlassThe Birthday Massacre pads their catalogue with another EP, remixing and rehashing previous material and throwing a few new bones to die-hard fans. Monday, September 22 2008
TV on the Radio: Dear ScienceThe NYC band's dense sound is all one, a sonic totality of post-industrial digi-funk and the paranoid, lovesick blues of the Information Age. Karl Blau: Nature’s Got AwayThe Washington musician's latest album is, as expected, only slightly skewed indie folk Nagisa Ni Te: YosugaIt’s a fairly pretty album. It’s quite nice. Catie Curtis: Sweet LifeMaybe Cate Curtis's life is too sweet. sBach: sBachNintendo-era synths, rocking guitars, and drums that sound like they're being played by a talented chimpanzee. Spencer Seim of Hella serves up an interesting mix as sBach. Randall Bramblett: Now It’s TomorrowMuscle Shoals sound meets Oasis-like pop hooks and the occasional burst of funk horns in an irresistible blend from one of music's great unknowns. The Shanghai Restoration Project: Instrumentals Day and NightDave Liang -- a one-man music-making machine -- and his numerous collaborators have turned what could have been elevator music into an album full of style and substance. Friday, September 19 2008
Josh Rouse: The Best of the Rykodisc YearsTwo-disc, peak-period retrospective from the only singer-songwriter named Josh who really matters. Amanda Palmer: Who Killed Amanda PalmerThe Dresden Doll singer's solo debut is, not surprisingly, Dresden Doll-ian. Boston Spaceships: Brown SubmarineRobert Pollard's best album may still be in the future, and may be born of the past. Rodriguez: Cold FactThere's still three more months left in the year, but the rediscovery of Rodriguez and his modest debut masterpiece may just be the most pleasant surprise of 2008. Janis Ian: The Best of Janis IanIt makes for a surprisingly meaty chunk of pop-folk that has aged quite gracefully. Skillz: The Million Dollar BackpackThe third official album from underground hip-hop impresario Skillz is a quality LP that won't draw many new converts, but should, however, keep the Okay Player crowd pleased. Syleena Johnson: I Am Your Woman: The Best Of Syleena JohnsonJohnson warms up fans by offering a solid best-of set. Thursday, September 18 2008Young Jeezy: The RecessionWith all apologies to Nas, if there’s any rapper suited to make an overarching concept album about living in 2008, it’s the self-made hit king from Atlanta. Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See ItRaphael Saadiq serves up twelve songs that recall the magic of the Motor City, among other geographic centers of soul music. Does the album hold up on the strength of Saadiq's reverence? Joan Osborne: Little Wild OneThe record is essentially, in lyric and spirit, a tribute to several distinct ideas that Osborne pulls together with skill and sincerity. Oneida: Preteen WeaponryBrooklyn trio contains multitudes, this time letting them out in droning, jammy Krautrock form. Benji Hughes: A Love ExtremeHughes crafts songs that reflect the many feelings caused by love, while spanning several genres. Cyro Baptista: Banquet of the SpiritsFar-reaching, yet efficiently crafted, Banquet of the Spirits reigns in "world" music to refine and define its own distinctive world. Wednesday, September 17 2008
Portastatic: Some Small HistoryMcCaughan has given us a glimpse into his archives not to show us a set of products, but to show us a process, and to see Portastatic grow from a 4-track solo side project into an essential indie rock band. Michael Franti & Spearhead: All Rebel RockersAll Rebel Rockers might not be perfect, far from it, but it proves that Michael Franti & Spearhead can remain relevant. Mother Mother: O My HeartManic, mellifluous, and moving, Mother Mother's sophomore album borrows the best from the best while remaining startlingly original. The Goo Goo Dolls: Greatest Hits Vol. 2: B-sides and RaritiesTiny shreds of esteem separate the Goo Goo Dolls from, say, the James Blunts of the adult-contemporary galaxy. Tagaq: Auk/BloodAuk/Blood has the feel of a poetry reading, something in a closed theatre, hermetic and impressionistic. KRS-One: Maximum Strength 2008Maybe surprises are overrated. You can probably guess KRS-One's subject matter before he delivers it, but his overall consistency is enviable. Various Artists: Rock the Net: Musicians for Network NeutralityThe compilers do a wonderful job of planting a seed in the listener's mind as to just what might be at stake. |
|
