Album Reviews

For a band pushing the 40-year mark of existence, Iggy and the Stooges blast through these songs with a strong, vital sense of purpose and confidence. Ready to Die has some hiccups, but it is more a statement of timely purpose and a reminder that they’re still around and capable of hanging in there with a new generation of rock fans. You get the feeling that Iggy will be around a while to grind out his continued power strokes to the masses. 

After two years of exhaustive touring supporting their debut LP, Pickin' Up the Pieces, Fitz & the Tantrums faced the daunting task of recording a follow-up album that would live up to the newly heightened expectations without simply releasing a carbon copy of the music that made them famous. Perhaps as a way of delegating that problem, front-man Michael Fitzpatrick this time opted against producing the album himself, instead handing the reigns to Tony Hoffer (Beck, The Kooks).

It only takes a few seconds for Dark Horses to establish the tone of their debut album. Black Music begins with swirling directionless noise, creating a desolate landscape. Lisa Elle’s distant vocals then join the mix, her pained voice combining with the flowing ambiance to create an uneasy feeling like waiting for expected bad news. The fact that the crescendo never happens leaves all the built-up tension unresolved and it lingers throughout the remainder of the LP.

Recorded in London, New York City, Echo Park, CA and Tornillo, Texas with such high profile producers as Dave Sitek, the DFA's James Murphy, legendary UK post-punk/new wave producer Nick Launay and longtime Yeahs associate Sam Spiegel (aka Squeak E. Clean), Mosquito is the Like A Prayer to Fever to Tell's Like A Virgin, right up to the rousing gospel choir that roars at the coda of the explosive opening track "Sacrilege".

When compared alongside her complete repertoire, Raven will undoubtedly stand tall as one of Cole’s top albums.

Junip makes no effort to outdo or dramatically alter the sound they have developed since their first EP, but they have clearly focused on improving their overall balance in writing this album. In time, Junip could easily prove to be the band’s best effort yet.

One CD might have done the job, but there’s little bloat here and more than enough to entice die-hards and new listeners with a proper reflection on the group’s genesis, process and closure. Essential Oils draws from all 14 of their recordings between 1978 and 2002. At 36 songs, the album traces a journey of demanding social justice through song, ones that evolve from polished punk to textured pop to industrial mayhem.

Any fans concerned that Bankrupt! will be freakishly different than the Phoenix they've come to appreciate have nothing to worry about.  Basically, Bankrupt! is a melodic and slightly gentler version of Wolfgang, and while this album could be considered experimental for them, but all of the songs are easily recognizable as a Phoenix song upon first listen.  Taken in isolation, it's catchy, but maybe not with any songs capable of reaching megahit status.  If they set out to make an album that's compositionally divergent from anything they've ever done before, they didn't do so well.  If they set out to make an album of easy-on-the-ears pop songs with a few subtle twists, they did pretty well. 

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Paramore is one of the more interesting bands in music today. This power pop rock band has been churning out rock hits for a handful of years now, and more than its fair share of band drama as well. With the departure of the Farro Brothers at the end of 2010, fans have been split about whether the band could really continue on as a trio after losing so much talent. But Hayley Williams & Co. pressed on, and three and a half years after releasing Brand New Eyes, they are back with an eponymous record which takes them in a bold new direction.

While four-letter words like “road” and “town” have never strayed far from Steve Earle’s songbook, his latest trip veers from the familiar to the expected. On The Low Highway, Earle sounds strained, even gruffer than usual, on predictable travel themes that otherwise serve up welcome surprises from his wife Allison Moorer and longtime live band, The Dukes.

Ultramarine is a middling experience. It doesn’t really have much of a direction and in the end it’s hard to make head or tail of what you’ve just listened to.

Two Hours Traffic is content slurping soda-pop love songs keeping things short, upbeat and sweet. 

RKives is far from perfect. It hardly comprises Rilo Kiley’s best material. To be fair, though, it is a rarities compilation, and a bulk of the songs on the album remained unreleased until now for good reason. But while the beautifully curated record will never replace The Execution of All Things or More Adventurous as anyone’s favorite album, it is an essential addition to any Rilo Kiley fan’s collection and a pleasant enough collection of songs for even the most casual listener.

The latest release finds Jessica Campbell using her beautiful vocals to compliment the country, folk, Americana and pop sounds that accompany the album’s ten tracks, and she does so in a way that is engaging. Campbell’s presence is enough to elevate the album’s largely familiar subject matter and turn it into something more memorable than it would be in the hands of a lesser performer

Samuel Beam, better known as Iron and Wine, has now released his fifth studio album Ghost on Ghost and first on Nonesuch Records.  On top of changing labels – previous albums were released on Subpop and Warner Bros./4AD – Beam has also changed his approach to songwriting, as stated on the band's website: “Beam sought to move from what he called the 'anxious tension' of his two previous records.  'This record felt like a reward to myself after the way I went about making the last few."

With 82 tracks carefully collated over four CDs with a triple fold package  designed to hold them (alongside the accompanying 116 page booklet), the Stephen Stills anthology Carry On is borderline cumbersome but ultimately enlightening, as much perhaps for the light it sheds on such history-spanning collections as on this particular artist. Like any great album, the continuity of the vivid graphic design of Carry On mirrors that of the music inside.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, CWK's fourth release, finds the band continuing to look forward rather than imitating their older music. Once again, the album is too slick, with only hints of the grungy garage minimalism of their grand debut Robbers & Cowards. The good news is that they pull off the pop music much better this time. Yes, the drums are played in time, Willet’s vocals are in key, and the songs are more streamlined and predictable, but at least this time they have hooks. At least this time around, the pop songs are interesting.

On their first three releases Frightened Rabbit have more closely resembled an outfit fronted by a budding songwriting/front-man with backup players than a full band; that is not the case with Pedestrian Verse as it has all come together for the group with this release.  

By alternating between expressive and easygoing folk-balladry and narrative, mid tempo rock n’ roll, Stories highlights Dawes’ enduring melodic focus. While many young bands fall prey to cheap songwriting thrills of loud n’ long histrionics, from the beginning Dawes has been cut from a different mold.

Curren$y hardly fails to impress his fans, and his newest mix tape, New Jet City, is no exclusion. The tape is a compilation of well-produced tracks stressing the fact that he has made it as an artist, and depicting the struggles that accompany the fame. The mix-tape starts off with the title track, a powerful introductory sample, trumpets and an upbeat instrumental background help lift the mood instantly. Although the mix-tape had more features than usual, Curren$y still managed to come out on top and was able to showcase his relaxed flow and catchy lyricism.