The brilliance of the full-length debut of James Murphy (aka LCD Soundstystem) is that it sounds like a product of the most complete and intriguing record collection on Earth. The producer-turned-frontman’s 2005 release compiled the hipster’s taste into a Krautrock/indie rock/post-punk/techno/club collective. It was jagged. It was edgy. At times it was goofy. And it […]
The third LP from The Ponys finds the Chicago band following the same formula as its previous releases, proving the band is – well – somewhat of a one-trick pony. The foursome is very good at front-loading its records with vibrant, neo-glam tunes that both set the pace for the remainder of the recording and […]
The biggest surprise of Modest Mouse’s breakthrough success is not that it came a decade into the group’s career, nor is it that a conglomerate like Epic Records stuck by the Washington natives despite poor sales of the band?s label debut a few years earlier. The most refreshing revelation about “Good News for People Who […]
Ted Leo has never been short on anything – not on his overtly political views that work their way into every track, not on his flowing vocals that might be the most expressive in contemporary rock’n’roll, and unfortunately not on his tracks’ lengths. Two out of three ain’t bad. On his fifth LP with The […]
In 1989, MTV’s “Unplugged” series set out to show new sides to artists that had otherwise been played into a corner. Sometimes, it showed remarkable depth and breadth to a seemingly pigeonholed artist (i.e., Nirvana, Alice in Chains). But other times, the stripped nature of the acoustic setting highlighted a performer’s shortcomings (i.e., LL Cool […]
The High Llamas’ mastermind, Sean O’Hagan, has been called everything from a Brian Wilson protégé, to a disciple of Brian Wilson, a Brian Wilson rip-off, a Brian Wilson imitator, or a patron at the church of Brian Wilson. That?s in part because the Englishman’s music sounds like a cross between Brian Wilson’s solo career and […]
At some point, all avant-garde performers, all challenging artists, all progressive creators or expansive visionaries reach a point at which they must choose to either continue pushing the boundaries of their art, or to withdraw and refocus their attention on honing certain experimentations a second time around. As if they must choose to continue blazing […]
Following a growing trend, Minus the Bear is another name on the list of bands bridging the gap between outputs with an album of guest musicians’ remixes. While a posthumous new take on a release can serve as icing on a short-lived cake (Test Icicles, Death from Above 1979), dropping a remix disc makes little […]
Bobby Conn is an expert at duality. The master of spectacle spends his nights in make-up and boas, but his days as a humble art hander. At home he’s a quiet father and husband who claims to be an ace at changing diapers and whose wife hates when he’s late for dinner. But on stage […]
While fellow multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens approaches chamber pop with a bigger-is-better attitude, Swedish songsmith Emil Svanagen brilliantly sprinkles his falsetto-driven tunes with an “only when necessary” use of vast theatrics. This less-is-more take on sweeping melodies is a stark contrast to his American counterpart. Unlike Stevens, who uses seemingly every instrument under the sun on […]