For all the beauty in the New York duo’s appropriately titled third full-length, Ratatat still sounds like a band that veered a bit off course – possibly as early as its 2004 debut – and now finds itself struggling to get to where it best fits in. That’s not to say LP3 isn’t an interesting […]

There’s something historic about The Music. Not in the way that NME hilariously predicted, labeling them “potentially the most important group since Oasis,” when they formed at the early part of the decade. Rather, it’s because there is an undeniable British lineage that runs throughout the band’s third record. Oftentimes, when performers look to the […]

There are a number of “cellar door” phrases so sincerely constructed that hearing them said to you is exhilarating. “Zero calories.” “Tax deductible.” “You were right; I’m sorry.” The beauty of these expressions is that we convince ourselves they will always be true. There’s an emotional contract we presumably sign during these sorts of dialogues […]

The Kills is a duo. So is The Black Keys, The Raveonettes, The White Stripes and Quasi. The two-piece isn’t a new phenomenon, and with the ever-growing list of rock ‘n’ roll pairs, it certainly is a popular one nowadays. But that doesn’t mean musical tandems don’t still possess a sense of novelty about them. […]

There was a rag-tag danger on The Fratellis’ debut, Costello Music, that sounded as if the English group was as likely to raise a pint and lead a cheerful sing-a-long as it was to smash your head in with their guitars. They were the guys whom everyone wanted at the party but preferred to watch […]

From the opening Zeppelin-lifted riff of “Diamond Hoo Ha Man,” the faux title track that commences Diamond Hoo Ha, there’s a staggering retrospective aura to the sixth Supergrass release. It recalls some of rock’s most brazen personalities and time-honored stereotypes. It’s every bit as sexually charged and debauchery-driven as an album that rips Jimmy Page’s […]

Man Man’s Chris “Pow Pow” Powell and Bablicon’s Griffin “Blue Hawaii” Rodriguez recruited an often-changing cast of characters to piece together this boundless mostly-electronic LP. Miami Ice incorporates all the spastic melodies and hyper-elusive structures from the two songwriters’ primary acts, as this strange side project treks through nine songs with the same free-flowing demeanor […]

Someone get a hold of Dr. Phil, stat. Actually, no, call Doctor Robert, instead. Come to think of it, better get them both on the line. And it couldn’t hurt to also dial up Dr. Feelgood, Dr. John, Dr. Ruth, maybe even Doc Ock, and throw in some Dr. Pepper for good measure. Neva Dinova’s […]

There’s a moment less than two minutes into Islands’ sophomore LP when front man Nick Thorburn muses, “You faded into a different shade/a completely different hue.” He bellows the line during the lead single, “The Arm,” hanging on each word seemingly for both melodious and contextual emphasis. Sure, each note needed to be dragged out […]

Making a mark using homespun, lo-fi production can be dangerous territory, as there needs to be a balance between message and medium for the striped-down aesthetic to work. Sound too gritty, too murky, and the fidelity can outweigh the structure. But be too pristine, too glossy, and loose the heart that sounds so good worn […]