Listening to a They Might Be Giants album can be a bit like homework. That's probably not what the two Johns (Linnell and Flansburgh, respectively) envisioned when they started the band over thirty years ago. By now though, as the duo have released their 16th studio album, Nanobots, there's no denying that it takes some work to fully appreciate this band.
Eric Clapton has spent the better part of his solo career populating his albums with the material written by composers he admires. It would be safe thinking Clapton would devote the debut recording on his own label with a clutch of self-penned tunes, however on Old Sock, Slowhand continues in the vein of standards he mined on its predecessor Clapton.
Satellites, Skiggy Rapz’s newest album, showcases the 29 year-old’s fast-paced flow and intriguing and inspirational lyricism. The album, although classified as R&B, came off with a definite frat-rap feel, perfect from the upcoming summer months. Tracks like “Follow”, which features jazzy background instruments, and “Put It On”, which sounds remarkably similar to Macklemore, are fit to be played on a beach with a Corona in hand and neon bathing suits parading around.
When you have a genuine rock icon like Robert Plant not only taking a shine to you but covering two of your songs and making them infinitely better than your originals, perhaps its a non-verbal cue to completely step up your game. This is the conundrum faced by Duluth, Minnesota slow-core greats Low upon entering the creative process for their latest LP, The Invisible Way
Dormarion sounding like that of “a man figuring out exactly who he is” is not exactly a good thing. Given the variety of the songs, the record lacks cohesion, which translates to an often frustrating listening experience. The bright side, of course, is that Lerner is still young and early enough on in his career to one day truly discover himself and reach his full potential.
Maybe the most impressive thing about Screaming Females – besides leading lady Marissa Paternoster's well-documented shredding chops – is the consistency of the group's output. Since lunging out of New Brunswick, New Jersey's sweaty-basement party scene in 2006, the trio has released five full-length studio albums, not a clunker among them. On Chalk Tape, their second studio EP, the Females continue to solidify their reputation for delivering wickedly efficient DIY rock
Their relative youth, occupancy on the eminent Merge Records roster, and previous involvement in punkish outfits, they are also critically alluded as country music for the cool crowd, a band that even the bearded and cynical can get behind and support.
Between the steady, slightly scratchy vocals of Pete Quirk, the generally upbeat songs and the lyrics which traverse an emotional landscape that’s as broad as the Asian landscape, the latest release from The Cave Singers is an all around compelling effort.
The seemingly unlikely pairing of Adam Green and Binki Shapiro is a curious one. Adam Green of “Moldy Peaches” fame teams up with Binki Shapiro with her sultry and sometimes even smokey vocals. In their debut self titled album Adam Green & Binki Shapiro, they try their hand at the seemingly crowded genre of ‘60’s throwback pop’ and for the most part, succeed in creating a fun little album full of strange love songs. It’s a welcome distraction, but doesn’t leave a long lasting impression.
Allentown, Pennsylvania, was once known as one of the foregrounds of American industrial manufacturing, especially in the silk and textile markets, not to mention Mack Trucks. But while they closed many of the factories down, as Billy Joel once fastidiously proclaimed in his ode to the blue collar metropolis on 1982’s The Nylon Curtain, the spirit of the town’s metal-on-metal spirit lives large in the DNA of their local sons Pissed Jeans, who may have since relocated to more contemporary digs in Philadelphia but hasn’t lost an ounce of the post-hardcore edge they’ve branded into their creative psyche since 2005.
