kar4aginkar4aginpop, rock, indie, punk, hardcore, jazz and other style music Articles
Chumbawamba
2007-12-24 19:21:00 Readymades (2002) After ShelleyAll In VainDonґt pass goDonґt try this at homeHome with meIf it is to be, it is up to meJacobґs ladder (Not in my name)Jacobґs LadderOne way or the otherSalt fare, North SeaSewing up crapSong for len shackletonWhen iґm badWithout reason or rhyme (The killing of Harry Stanley) link (part_1 part_2) Once listeners accept that Chumbawamba got lucky and will never, ever have another "Tubthumping" in them, the better off they'll all be. And the sooner they recognize this, the sooner they can begin to enjoy the subtle charms of this anarchist combo. Because beneath the snarky, self-imposed label, Chumbawamba is a pretty smart pop band, heavy on hooks and even heavier on ideological grandstanding. Readymades basically follows the pattern laid out on their previous two albums. The pop is a little more forward, as is the political theorizing, but it's a consistent listen (more so than the Tubthumper album). Best moment: the wispy folk and anti-capit...
Bad Brains
2007-12-24 18:26:00 Build a Nation (2007) 01 Give Thanks And Praises02 Jah People Make The World Go Round03 Pure Love04 Natty Dreadlocks 'Pon The Mountain Top05 Build A Nation06 Expand Your Soul07 Jah Love08 Let There Be Angels (Just Like You)09 Universal Peace10 Roll On11 Until Kingdom Comes12 In The Beginning13 Send You No More Flowers14 Peace Be Unto Thee link Considering that the Beastie Boys were a fledgling punk group before they were rappers and MCA (Adam Yauch) was often seen slam-dancing front and center at Bad Brains ' legendary early performances, he would seem the perfect candidate to produce and resurrect the newly reunited group. In truth, he does a fantastic job capturing Bad Brains on Build a Nation, and they rock nearly as hard as they did in their glory days before they switched to funk metal -- Yauch explained that his goal was to replicate the raw sound that he remembers from their live shows and the first self-titled Reach Out International Records tape. Although the group recalls...
Lou Reed. Part 4
2007-10-09 14:54:00 Set the Twilight Reeling (1996) 01 - Egg Cream02 - NYC Man03 - Finish Line04 - Trade In05 - Hang on to Your Emotions06 - Sex With Your Parents (Motherfucker), Pt. II [Live]07 - Hookywooky08 - The Proposition09 - Adventurer10 - Riptide11 - Set the Twilight Reelinglink After contemplating the decline of New York City, the passing of his mentor Andy Warhol, his place in (perhaps) the greatest American rock band of all time, and the very nature of life and death, in 1996 Lou Reed finally began to consider a really important subject -- where to get a good chocolate egg cream. "Egg Cream" kicked off Set the Twilight Reeling, and for many fans it was a kick to hear Reed cranking up his amps and having some fun again, but much of the rest of the album turned out not to be as lightweight as the opener would have led you to expect. On Set the Twilight Reeling, Reed is preoccupied with relationships, as he tries to figure if he wants a long-term commitment ("Trade In"), if he's better off as ... More About: Part , Lou Reed
Lou Reed. Part 3
2007-10-04 16:33:00 Legendary Hearts (1983) 01 - Legendary Hearts02 - Don't Talk to Me About Work03 - Make Up Mind04 - Martial Law05 - The Last Shot06 - Turn Out the Light07 - Pow Wow08 - Betrayed09 - Bottoming Out10 - Home of the Brave11 - Rooftop Gardenlink If Legendary Hearts seemed like a disappointment in 1983, that was largely because the year before Lou Reed had released The Blue Mask, one of the finest albums of his career, and Legendary Hearts just wasn't quite as good. But pull it off the shelf today, give it a listen, and Legendary Hearts easily shuts down nearly anything Reed released in the 1970s; if it's a less obvious masterpiece than The Blue Mask, it makes clear that Reed was once again in firm command of his strengths, and making the most of them in the studio. Guitarist Robert Quine and bassist Fernando Saunders were both back on board from The Blue Mask, and they reaffirmed their status as the linchpins of the strongest band of Reed's solo career, and drummer Fred Maher rocked h... More About: Part , Lou Reed , Part 3
Lou Reed. Part 2
2007-09-25 16:48:00 Coney Island Baby (1976) 01 - Crazy Feeling02 - Charley's Girl03 - She's My Best Friend04 - Kicks05 - A Gift06 - Ooohhh Baby07 - Nonody's Business08 - Coney Island Babylink From 1972's Transformer onward, Lou Reed spent most of the '70s playing the druggy decadence card for all it was worth, with increasingly mixed results. But on 1976's Coney Island Baby, Reed's songwriting began to move into warmer, more compassionate territory, and the result was his most approachable album since Loaded. On most of the tracks, Reed stripped his band back down to guitar, bass, and drums, and the results were both leaner and a lot more comfortable than the leaden over-production of Sally Can't Dance or Berlin. "Crazy Feeling," "She's My Best Friend," and "Coney Island Baby" found Reed actually writing recognizable love songs for a change, and while Reed pursued his traditional interest in the underside of the hipster's life on "Charlie's Girl" and "Nobody's Business," he did so with a b... More About: Part , Lou Reed
Lou Reed. Part 1
2007-09-24 08:58:00 Transformer (1972) 01 - Vicious02 - Andy's Chest03 - Perfect Day04 - Hangin' Round05 - Walk On The Wild Side06 - Make Up07 - Satellite Of Love08 - Wagon Wheel09 - New York Telephone Conversation10 - I'm So Free11 - Goodnight Ladies12 - Hangin' Round (Acoustic Demo)13 - Perfect Day (Acoustic Demo) link David Bowie has never been shy about acknowledging his influences, and since the boho decadence and sexual ambiguity of the Velvet Underground's music had a major impact on Bowie's work, it was only fitting that as Ziggy Stardust mania was reaching its peak, Bowie would offer Lou Reed some much needed help with his career, which was stuck in neutral after his first solo album came and went. Musically, Reed's work didn't have too much in common with the sonic bombast of the glam scene, but at least it was a place where his eccentricities could find a comfortable home, and on Transformer Bowie and his right-hand man, Mick Ronson, crafted a new sound for Reed that was better ... More About: Part , Lou Reed
Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 4
2007-09-14 13:58:00 Die Hamletmaschine (1991) link ***************************************** *********** Faustmusik (1996) link One of the more curious works in Einstürzende Neubauten's long and varied career, 1996's Faustmusik is a close relative of 1991's Die Hamletmaschine, their score for an avant-garde reinterpretation of Shakespeare's play. This play, by Werner Schwab, is more of an oratorio than an opera, with the focus entirely on the recitation and singing of Schwab's German verse by Einstürzende Neubauten's lead singer, Blixa Bargeld (as Mephistopheles, appropriately enough!) and other actors. Einstürzende Neubauten's musical contribution is entirely incidental, and sounds at times like they're merely playing rehearsal tapes for a low-key, nearly ambient album behind the actors. Those who aren't fans of experimental European theater, don't speak German, and are interested primarily in hearing Einstürzende Neubauten...
Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 3
2007-09-13 16:25:00 Silence Is Sexy (2000) 01 - Sabrina02 - Silence Is Sexy03 - In Circles04 - Newtons Gravitätlichkeit05 - Zampano06 - Heaven Is of Honey07 - Beauty08 - Die Befindlichkeit des Landes09 - Sonnenbarke10 - Musentango11 - Alles12 - Redukt13 - Dingsaller14 - Anrufe in Abwesenheit15 - Pelikanol link (part_1 part_2) Odds are no one banked on Einstürzende Neubauten lasting 20 years. What were the odds of such a destructive band surviving two decades? Did the Stooges ever stand a chance of writing a song called "1989"? More importantly, who would have thought that the milestone year would see the release of one of Neubauten's finest records? Though Silence Is Sexy might retain some of the band's recent song-based developments that have left some fans puzzled, its closest touchstone is 1987's Richterskala. They might not be as unsettling or destructive as they were in their early days, but they still know how to capture the imagination and warp the senses. As with Richterskala, restraint i...
Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 2
2007-09-12 09:02:00 Five on the Open-Ended Richter-Scale (1987) 01 - Zersoerte Zelle02 - Morning Dew03 - Ich Bin's04 - Modimidofrsaso05 - 12 Staedte06 - Keine Schoenheit Ohne Gefahr07 - Kein Bestandteil Sein08 - Adler Kommt Spaeterlink Imagine a child that's been given a toy with detailed directions. Frustrated with its complexities, the child throws out the directions and chucks the toy against a wall, proceeding to step on it, bite it, smash it, and ultimately break it into as many pieces as he can. Bored with merely making as much noise as possible with the toy, the child begins to examine its parts and how it works. Though the child puts it together in a way that was not intended, the child becomes enamored with the new toy. Funf Auf Der Nach is where Neubauten truly grab hold of their broken elements and fashion them into something completely unique and (relatively) contemporary at the same time. Take their sleazy, spaghetti-westernized cover of Tim Rose's "Morning Dew" for instance, and the st...
Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 1
2007-09-11 08:43:00 Kollaps (1981) 01 - Tanz Debil02 - Steh Auf Berlin03 - Negativ Nein04 - U-Haft Muza05 - Draussen Ist Feindlich06 - Hören Mit Schmerzen07 - Jet 'M08 - Kollaps09 - Sehnsucht10 - Vorm Krieg11 - Hirnsäge12 - Abstieg And Zerfall13 - Helga14 - Negativ Nein [Live]link Einstürzende Neubauten's first album, as one might imagine, is their most primitive and radical effort, the purest expression of their original aesthetic. This makes the album both historically significant and conceptually intriguing, of course, but what's most interesting about this album is that it still sounds surprising decades after its release. Often, albums that are considered extreme art statements upon their debut sound almost quaint a few years later, but while Kollaps perhaps sounds less extreme to ears that heard industrial music turned into disco pabulum by the likes of Nine Inch Nails than it did before, songs like the eight-minute title track and the rumbling live closer, "Negativ Nein," are still a ...
Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In. Pt. 2
2007-09-06 09:38:00 In on the Kill Taker (1993) 01 - Facet Squared02 - Public Witness Program03 - Returning The Screw04 - Smallpox Champion05 - Rend It06 - 23 Beats Off07 - Sweet And Low08 - Cassavetes09 - Great Cop10 - Walken's Syndrome11 - Instrument12 - Last Chance For A Slow Dancelink In on the Kill Taker is like scrubbing your face with steel wool. It finds the band relying on rusty guitar shards that scrape, seethe, and hiss, further removing itself from the sound of 13 Songs and Repeater. Harsh and grating, Fugazi surprisingly produces sheer noise at times, best witnessed in the lengthy closing of "23 Beats Off" and the unintentional Gremlins homage that opens "Walken's Syndrome." Joe Lally's bass and Brendan Canty's drums are relegated to acting as a guide; they're pushed -- but not squashed -- down in the mix, allowing for Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto's guitars to take control, corrosively so. It's probably Fugazi's least digestible record from front to back, but each track has its ow... More About: Ambush
Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In. Pt. 1
2007-09-05 08:19:00 13 Songs (1990) 01 - Waiting Room02 - Bulldog Front03 - Bad Mouth04 - Burning05 - Give Me the Cure06 - Suggestion07 - Glue Man08 - Margin Walker09 - And the Same10 - Burning Too11 - Provisional12 - Lockdown13 - Promiseslink Disregarding all the wordiness and adjectives that can be heaped like a pile of horse dung at Disneyland upon great, timeless albums, the importance of this record can perhaps be more suitably measured by the number of people who remember the first time they heard it. 13 Songs (a combination of the Fugazi and Margin Walker EPs) is usually among the first records that spring to mind when defining alternative rock. Furious, intelligent, artful, and entirely musical, it's a baker's dozen of cannon shots to the gut -- not just a batch of emotionally visceral and defiant songs recorded by angry young men, but something greater. Nearly every song here reaches an anthemic level without falling prey to pomposity. Most of these songs are anthems of the self rather than ... More About: Ambush
Clutch. Pt. 3
2007-09-02 07:56:00 Pitchfork & Lost Needles (2005) 01 - Wicker02 - Arcadia03 - Juggernaut04 - Far Country05 - Neros Fiddle06 - Passive Restraints07 - Bacchanal08 - Milk Of Human Kindness09 - What Would A Wookie Do10 - Bottoms Up Socrates link Pitchfork & Lost Needles includes Clutch 's debut 7" in its four-song entirety and augments that with unreleased tracks and demo versions. As this set proves, the veteran quartet began as a band crouched between the Melvins, a viscous form of hardcore (think a slower, more economic Sick of It All), and the literate but still loud post-punk of Jawbox. "Wicker" is in blistering half-time, its layers of needling guitars and Neil Fallon's yawping proclamations ("Pacemaker! LIFE TAKER!") skinned to their barest, most powerful essence. "Arcadia" is three minutes of stocky thud, the sort of thing flannel-shirted bullies would blast from crappy boom boxes in the early '90s. The unreleased tracks are equally strong, from the low-slung grind of the perfectly name...
Clutch. Pt. 2
2007-09-01 08:33:00 Live at the Googolplex (2003) 01 - Who Wants To Rock?02 - Pure Rock Fury03 - Sea Of Destruction04 - Immortal05 - Careful With That Mic...06 - Impetus07 - El Jefe Speaks08 - Rock And Roll Outlaw09 - 12 Oz. Epilogue10 - Big News 111 - Big News 212 - Brazenhead13 - The Soapmakers14 - Escape From The Prison Planet15 - Rats link (part_1 part_2) Although they may look more like a group of scientists or librarians than a rock band, don't be fooled by their appearance -- Clutch are easily one of metal's top live acts. While the majority of modern-day metal bands stick close to the studio versions on-stage, Clutch is an exception, as they've been known to follow in the same "jamming" path as pre-punk '70s-era rockers. However, Clutch's 2003 concert set, Live at the Googolplex, does not include a smorgasbord of jamming, like some fans who have caught the band live would expect. The group's guitarist, Tim Sult, has long been one of metal's most underrated guitarists (especially in the r...
Clutch. Pt. 1
2007-08-31 09:40:00 Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes & Undeniable Truths (1993) 01 - A Shogun Named Marcus02 - El Jefe Speaks03 - Binge And Purge04 - 12 Ounce Epilogue05 - Bacchanal06 - Milk Of Human Kindness07 - Rats08 - Earthworm09 - Heirloom 1310 - Walking In The Great Shining Path Of Monster Trucks11 - Effigy link On the surface, it may sound as if Clutch is mining the same vein as contemporary metal artists like Korn and Corrosion of Conformity, but with a solid set of grooves to keep their humorous material from becoming too hokey, they set themselves above most of their peers through dogged hard rocking and consistent songwriting prowess. Highlights on Transnational Speedway League include the entire first side, most notably "A Shogun Named Marcus" and "Binge and Purge." The latter song makes good fun of the ultra-macho posturings most modern metal bands are guilty of, while retaining the light/heavy contrast that has become a part of the genre. Although the material wa...
Mick Harvey
2007-08-31 08:38:00 Two of Diamonds (2007) 01 - Photograph02 - I Don't Want You On My Mind03 - Sad Dark Eyes04 - Here I Am05 - Blue Arrows06 - No Doubt07 - Everything Is Fixed08 - A Walk On The Wild Side09 - Little Star10 - Slow-Motion-Movie-Star11 - Out Of Time Man12 - Home Is Far From Here link Two of Diamonds is Bad Seed Mick Harvey's fourth proper solo album -- there are a number of soundtracks out there that also bear his name -- and his third recording overall in two years. Other artists' songs principally make up the set -- particularly Australians who've moved and influenced him -- with a few tunes of his own placed strategically. The album opens with a killer reading of the Saints' "Photograph" that bring out all the pathos and grief in the original, but is added to by Harvey's use of Rosie Westbrook's double bass and Thomas Wylder's drumming. The bookend track is a nod to his ex-bandmate Simon Bonney, frontman of Crime & the City Solution; Harvey was their musical director after t...
Marc Almond. New
2007-08-30 07:52:00 Stardom Road (2007) 01. I Have Lived02. I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten03. Bedsitter Images04. The London Boys05. Strangers In The Night06. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men07. Stardom Road08. Kitsch09. Backstage (I'm Lonely)10. Dream Lover11. Happy Heart12. Redeem Me (Beauty Will Redeem The World)13. The Curtain Falls link Visions of Excess is the title of a collection of essays by the late French writer, bibliophile, cultural critic/anthropologist, and pornographer Georges Bataille. Bataille's work has always been close to Marc Almond 's heart, so much so that he's been part of a tribute gig to him released as The Violent Silence. Almond's work as a solo artist apart from Soft Cell has been so wide-ranging and abundant -- wildly careening between post-pop R&B, cabaret songs, electronics, classic and kitschy pop, glam, French chanson, disco, and more -- that it embodies the entire notion of "excess." That's far from a bad thing, and though he's missed the mark with his rec...
65daysofstatic
2007-08-27 17:25:00 The Fall of Math (2004) 01 - Another Code Against the Gone02 - Install a Beak in the Heart that Clucks Time in Arabic03 - Retreat! Retreat!04 - Default This05 - I Swallowed Hard, Like I Understood06 - The Fall of Math07 - This Cat Is a Landmine08 - The Last Home Recording09 - Hole10 - Fix the Sky a Little11 - Aren't We Running? link ****************************** One Time for All Time (2006) 01 - Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here02 - Await Rescue03 - 23kid04 - Welcome To The Times05 - Mean Low Water06 - Climbing On Roofs (The Desperate Edit)07 - The Big Afraid08 - 65 Doesn't Understand You09 - Radio Protector link ****************************** The Destruction of Small Ideas (2007) 01 - When We Were Younger & Better02 - A Failsafe03 - Don't Go Down to Sorrow04 - Wax Futures05 - These Things You Can't Unlearn06 - Lyonesse07 - Music is Music as Devices are Kisses is Everything08 - The Distant & Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties09 - Lit... More About: Static
Alan Vega
2007-08-20 08:47:00 Lonely Jukebox [bootleg] 1984 01 - Jukebox Baby02 - Je T'Adore03 - Wipeout Beat04 - Video Babe05 - American Dreamer06 - Goodbye Darling07 - California Girl08 - Magdalena09 - So Lonely link ******************************* Cubist Blues (1996) 01 - Fat City02 - Fly away03 - Freedom04 - Candy man05 - Come on Lord06 - Promised land07 - Lover of love08 - Sister09 - Too late10 - Do not do not11 - Werewolf12 - Dream baby revisitedlink (part_1 part_2) One half of the seminal electronic duo Suicide, Alan Vega was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1948. He began his career as a visual artist, gaining notoriety for his "light sculptures"; eventually Vega opened his own lower Manhattan gallery space, which he dubbed the Project of Living Artists. The Project served as a stomping grounds for the likes of the New York Dolls, Television, and Blondie as well as the 15-piece jazz group Reverend B., which featured a musician named Martin Rev on electric piano. Soon, Vega and Rev formed ...
Revolting Cocks
2007-08-15 09:51:00 Big Sexy Land (1986) 01 - 3802 - We Shall Cleanse The World03 - Attack Ships On Fire04 - Big Sexy Land05 - Union Carbide (West Virginia)06 - TV Mind07 - You Often Forget (Malignant)08 - No Devotion09 - Union Carbide (Bhopal Mix)10 - Attack Ships On Fire11 - No Devotion12 - TV Mind (Remix)13 - On Firelink (part_1 part_2) ***************************** You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (1988) 01 - You Goddamned Son Of A Bitch02 - Cattle Grind03 - We Shall Cleanse The World04 - 3805 - In The Neck06 - You Often Forget07 - TV Mind 08 - Union Carbide09 - Attack Ships On Fire10 - No Devotion11 - Stainless Steel Providers Live In Glasgow12 - P.I.L. Live In Glasgow link (part_1 part_2) Beers, Steers + Queers (1990) 01 - Beers, Steers & Queers02 - (Let's Get) Physical03 - In The Neck04 - Cattle Grind (Studio Mix)05 - Stainless Steel Providers06 - Something Wonderful07 - Can't Sit Still08 - At The Top09 - Razor's Edge10 - Get Down11 - Beers, Steers & Queers (Drop Your B...
XTC. Pt. 4
2007-08-14 08:21:00 Apple Venus, Pt. 1 (1999) 01 - River Of Orchids02 - I'd Like That03 - Easter Theatre04 - Knights In Shining Karma05 - Frivolous Tonight06 - Greenman07 - Your Dictionary08 - Fruit Nut09 - I Can't Own Her10 - Harvest Festival11 - The Last Balloonlink Seven years is a long time between records, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Apple Venus is a significant step forward from Nonsuch, but the sparse strings and circular arrangements of "River of Orchids" nevertheless come as a shock, especially since its slow build-up feels as ominous and intellectual as 20th century classical music. It provides the keynote for the album, setting the stage for an ambitious, unpredictable, and strangely beautiful record. Although there are similarities with the pastoral Skylarking or parts of Nonsuch, there is really no comparable record in XTC's canon, given its sustained mood, experimentalism, and glimpses of confession. Colin Moulding wrote the brightest tunes on the record, and while the bou...
XTC. Pt. 3
2007-08-13 13:32:00 Skylarking (1986) 01 - Summer`s Cauldron02 - Grass03 - The Meeting Place04 - That's Really Super, Supergirl05 - Ballet For A Rainy Day06 - 1000 Umbrellas07 - Season Cycle08 - Earn Enough For Us09 - Big Day10 - Another Satellite11 - The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul12 - Dear God13 - Dying14 - Sacrificial Bonfirelink Working with producer Todd Rundgren didn't necessarily bring XTC a sense of sonic cohesion -- after all, every record since English Settlement followed its own interior logic -- but it did help the group sharpen its focus, making Skylarking its tightest record since Drums and Wires. Ironically, Skylarking had little to do with new wave and everything to do with the lush, post-psychedelic pop of the Beatles and Beach Boys. Combining the charming pastoral feel of Mummer with the classicist English pop of The Big Express, XTC expand their signature sound by enhancing their intelligently melodic pop with graceful, lyrical arrangements and sweeping, detailed instrumentation...
XTC. Pt. 2
2007-08-11 07:53:00 English Settlement (1982) 01 - Runaways02 - Ball And Chain03 - Senses Working Overtime04 - Jason And The Argonauts05 - No Thugs In Our House06 - Yacht Dance07 - All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late)08 - Melt The Guns09 - Leisure10 - It's Nearly Africa11 - Knuckle Down12 - Fly On The Wall13 - Down In The Cockpit14 - English Roundabout15 - Snowmanlink (part_1 part_2) Andy Partridge's discovery of the 12-string guitar set the tone for English Settlement, an album that moved away from the pop gloss of Black Sea in favor of lighter, though still rhythmically heavy, acoustic numbers with more complex and intricate instrumentation. There are plenty of pop gems -- "Senses Working Overtime" stands as one of their finest songs -- but the main focus seems to be the more expansive sound; most of the songs are drawn out to near-epic length, ultimately taking some of the impact of the songs away. Despite several terrific tracks, English Settlement seems more a transitional album than anything else, ...
XTC. Pt. 1
2007-08-09 08:48:00 White Music (1978) 01 - Radios In Motion02 - Cross Wires03 - This Is Pop04 - Do What You Do05 - Statue Of Liberty06 - All Along The Watchtower07 - Into The Atomic Age08 - I'll Set Myself On Fire09 - I'm Bugged10 - New Town Animal In A Furnished Cage11 - Spinning Top12 - Neon Shuffle13 - Science Fiction14 - She's So Square15 - Dance Band16 - Hang Onto The Night17 - Heatwave18 - Traffic Light Rock19 - Instant Tuneslink XTC's first full album, White Music shows the band going full-throttle in true punk spirit. More dissonant than their latter period, the young band shines with directionless energy and a good sense of humor. Highlights include the catchy singles "This Is Pop" and "Radios in Motion" as well as a jumpy version of "All Along the Watchtower." Their first release, 3D EP, has been appended to the CD version. Drums and Wires (1980) 01 - Making Plans For Nigel02 - Helicopter03 - Day In Day Out04 - When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty05 - Ten Feet Tall06 - Roads Girdle T...
Pelican
2007-08-08 09:16:00 Australasia (2003) 01 - Nightendday02 - Drought03 - Angel Tears04 - GW05 - Untitled06 - Australasialink (part_1 part_2) Although they already released a self-titled EP that was longer than many bands' regular albums, Australasia is the first official full-length by Chicago art-metal instrumentalists Pelican . It's maybe too easy to draw comparisons to Isis, especially since that band's Aaron Turner signed them and released this album on his label, but there are similarities: the layered guitars, the sense of dynamics, and the expansive, slowly unfolding songwriting approach. One major difference is that while Isis uses vocals, sparingly at least, Pelican don't use any vocals. Another difference is that their songs actually veer into major keys for extended periods. Still, there is plenty of darker minor-key riffing as well, the band splitting the difference between Sabbath-Melvins-Neurosis-style heaviness and more post-rock epic tendencies. This CD has six tracks, clocking in at ...
Against Me!
2007-08-06 08:41:00 New Wave (2007) 01 - New Wave02 - Up The Cuts03 - Thrash Unreal04 - White People For Peace05 - Stop!06 - Borne On The Fm Waves Of The Heart07 - Piss And Vinegar08 - American Abroad09 - Animal10 - The Oceanlink There is a legion of Against Me! fans who want only for the band's music to sound exactly as it did on Reinventing Axl Rose -- scrappy punk/folk and nothing else. But with as talented a songwriter as Tom Gabel leading the way, it's ridiculous to think that the band would be satisfied complying. Growth is necessary; change is inevitable. In the case of New Wave, different doesn't automatically mean bad. As their first album on major label Sire, it's a straight-up rock record. Especially thanks to Butch Vig in the production seat, New Wave is crisp, direct, and sharp. It's clean, but not glossy; it's defiant; it's brash; it's heartfelt. And while it's true that New Wave doesn't initially hit with the same force as prior albums, a few spins later and the record has foun...
Broken Social Scene
2007-08-06 08:18:00 Feel Good Lost (2001) 01 I Slept With Bonhomme At The CBC02 Guilty Cubicles03 Love And Mathematics04 Passport Radio05 Alive In 8506 Prison Province07 Blues For Uncle Gibb08 Stomach Song09 Mossbraker10 Feel Good Lost11 Last Place12 Cranley's Gonna Make It link Broken Social Scene cast an abstract web of dream pop, shoegaze, and indie rock for their debut album, Feel Good Lost. Essentially, it's an album of instrumentals. The title itself hints at the collective's effort in composing a lush soundscape of strings, brass, guitars, and pianos with an added dash of electronic beats. Songs such as "Guilty Cubicles" and "Blues for Uncle Gibb" alone showcase the band's well-crafted mind trip. For a first album, though, Broken Social Scene 's care in allowing each song to breathe without the constructs of fancy production and contrived lyrics is what makes the dozen-track selection so impressive. It's expressive without expressing too much. Broken Social Scene leave it up to the mixture ... |
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