Album Reviews Archives - Page 499 of 706

Phoenix: Bankrupt!

Jack Cavanaugh May 1, 2013 No Comments

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.

Midnight Oil: Essential Oils

Patrick Flanary May 1, 2013 No Comments

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.

Steve Earle: The Low Highway

Patrick Flanary April 29, 2013 No Comments

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.

Paramore: Paramore

Brian Palmer April 29, 2013 No Comments

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.

Young Galaxy : Ultramarine

Brian Palmer April 25, 2013 No Comments

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: Foolish Blood

Shawn Donohue April 25, 2013 No Comments

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

Jessica Campbell: The Anchor & The Sail

Brian Palmer April 18, 2013 No Comments

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

Rilo Kiley: Rkives

Warren Miller April 18, 2013 No Comments

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.

Iron and Wine : Ghost on Ghost

Jack Cavanaugh April 15, 2013 No Comments

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."

Stephen Stills: Carry On (Box Set)

Doug Collette April 12, 2013 No Comments

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.

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