Real Estate Go Back to Basics on ‘Daniel’
Daniel‘s “brand-new old-fashioned” version of Real Estate is totally workable but is also a reminder that the old-fashioned stuff was better.
Daniel‘s “brand-new old-fashioned” version of Real Estate is totally workable but is also a reminder that the old-fashioned stuff was better.
The Vaccines’ new LP is a proverbial back-to-basics affair that’s all the better for it. Packed with ten punchy hook-laden songs, it’s a great-sounding record.
What’s remarkable about We Can Work It Out is how it emphasizes the Beatles’ foundation-shaking effect on culture that occurred almost from the beginning.
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark have honed their craft at creating towering, majestic synthscapes with bold analog melodies and shimmering sci-fi flourishes.
Chicago-based Slow Pulp offer more 1990s-inspired indie rock on their sophomore album. Have they taken a step forward and did they even need to?
When it comes to the late Mark Hollis’ seminal work, Modern Nature’s No Fixed Point in Space crosses the line between inspired tribute and pale imitation.
Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Spinners made some great Philly-style soul with producer Thom Bell but are still defined by a single song.
Strange Disciple finds Nation of Language’s devotion to their synthpop craft and the acts that inspired them admirably intact, even dogged.
Full of gems from the Happy Mondays, the Charlatans, the Stone Roses, and many lesser-known acts, this massive Madchester retrospective leaves surprisingly few holes.
Atmospheric British dream poppers Lanterns on the Lake gain accessibility without sacrificing their signature complexity on Versions of Us.
Beach Fossils’ Bunny is a pure, seamless combination of pristine production and newfound maturity with a post-punk-influenced, guitar-driven sound.
Norwegian synthpop trio a-ha’s not-quite-classic 1985 debut Hunting High and Low is once again reissued in expanded form, this time on vinyl.