Album Reviews Archives - Page 571 of 712

Unnatural Helpers: Cracked Love & Other Drugs

Shawn Donohue April 28, 2010 No Comments

This make-shift muscle rock outfit from Seattle does a lot with very little. At its core Unnatural Helpers is Dean Whitmore’s baby, but he added a few extra capable rockers to accent Cracked Love & Other Drugs. Nothing pretentious, just raw rock on display that never lasts longer then two and a half minutes with most songs ending before the two minute mark is even sniffed.

Girl In A Coma: Adventures in Coverland

Bob Lange April 27, 2010 No Comments

Girl in a Coma’s latest release, a series of 7" EPs titled Adventures in Coverland, is their stab at this critically (though not always commercially) dangerous plan. So, how do they fare? Well, with selections ranging from Richie Valens to Joy Division, they certainly succeed in laying out the influences of what has become, in a very short time, a remarkably rich musical palette. The selection is also culturally diverse, spelling out the trio’s cultural history as well. In conjunction with their last album, 2009’s Trio BC, these EPs make the source of Girl in a Coma’s rapidly expanding vision quite clear. Taken as a whole, there is no question that Adventures in Coverland succeeds where similar albums, often by bands with far more experience, fail.

Big Light: Animals In Bloom

Joe Adler April 27, 2010 No Comments

f there is any justice in the world, Big Light’s, Animals In Bloom will dominate and help define your summer days this year. It is an album that is meant to be played loud, very loud, with your windows down. The music is deeply textural, brilliantly cleaver, and very centered on the words and vocal inflections of the band’s songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder Fred Torphy. It is powerful, emotional music in the vein of some of the classic modern songwriters like Jeff Tweedy and Brad Barr, but with Torphy’s distinctive spin.

Infamous Stringdusters: Things That Fly

Jason Rooks April 21, 2010 No Comments

Infamous Stringdusters began their career as a super group of Nashville pickers that blew away fans and critics with their caliber of songs and jaw-dropping instrumental skills which transformed into an impressive live act. On their latest release, Things that Fly, they had the privilege to record at Dave Matthews’ Haunted Hollow studios in Charlottesville, Virginia and enlisted renowned producer Gary Paczosa.

Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore: Dear Companion

Bryan Rodgers April 21, 2010 No Comments

Superficially, Dear Companion appears to be a protest record, one with songs aimed squarely and angrily at the target – in this case, the horrifyingly irresponsible act of mountaintop removal coal mining. You can read all about the proceeds going to Appalachian Voices (an organization dedicated to stopping the practice) and about how three musicians from Kentucky – Daniel Martin Moore, Ben Sollee, and Jim James – came together to write about their love for their home state. But Dear Companion isn't full of the fire and brimstone you'd expect from musicians trying to make a point about a controversial issue. Instead, the record uses honey in place of vinegar, and the result is an experience with a broader worldview.

Untied States: Instant Everything, Constant Nothing

Shawn Donohue April 19, 2010 No Comments

This is angular, complex rock and roll. Untied States has put together a jigsaw puzzle of riffs, tempo changes, click’s, synth’s, distortion and words with their third album Instant Everything, Constant Nothing. Experimental post-punk may be the easiest way to describe it, but the fellas do everything they can to defy labels.

Color Of Clouds: Satellite Of Love

Shawn Donohue April 19, 2010 No Comments

This aptly named trio works within a sparseness that is commendable. Lead vocalist Kelli Scarr (great name by the way) emotes on a spiritual (“Haunts Me”)/physical (“I Want You”) split level while Dan Chen and Nate Greenberg support her with textures of sound. There is room to breath on these tracks; the lyrics take center stage and while some seem a bit too personal (“The Look”) others ring true for everyone (“Come Back to Me”). Pianos, strings and soft drums are par for the course and when the fluid guitar notes show up they are welcomed with open arms.

Graham Parker: Imaginary Television

Doug Collette April 15, 2010 No Comments

It's not necessary to be aware of the thought process behind Graham Parker's Imaginary Television to appreciate the rare combination of immediacy and understatement that permeates its material and musicianship. But knowing the story behind the album's concept elevates the author's acerbic commentary on the television medium (and the culture at large it reflects) while also reaffirming the record album as a potent means of making a statement.

Ozomatli : Fire Away

Patrick Flanary April 14, 2010 No Comments

To its credit, Ozomatli offers something for everyone. Each member of the group, after all, represents a different part of the world. Ozo's sound, rich with hip-hop, salsa, funk and jazz, has underscored the band's outspoken crusade for social justice since the mid-'90s. "Gay Vatos in Love" proudly salutes gay marriage over Ulises Bella's wailing '50s-era saxophone, while the psychedelic "Love Comes Down"—Fire Away's finest moment—hits home for lovers everywhere but arrives too late in the album.

MGMT: Congratulations

Nick Gunther April 12, 2010 No Comments

If you approached MGMT’s newest release,Congratulations, with any expectations, than expect to be thoroughly perplexed after your first listen – or fourteenth as well. Contrary to their breakout 2008 release, Oracular Spectacular, the core duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, constructed a record that may not contain a “Kids,” but rather an assembly of ecstasy wave inspired surf odysseys that embody what they believe is a whole sense to their formation of the nine piece collection.

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