It seems that though The xx’s distinctness had put them on the map, it might also be the very reason that held them back in Coexist, as there was only slight evolution from their debut album, leaving us wanting more in the end. The question remains whether they’re up for the challenge of adding a unique and fresh sound in the future.
Overall, The Sound of the Life of the Mind stands up to the band's back catalogue, and should leave any BF5 fan who might have feared a by-the-numbers reunion album pleasantly surprised.
John Hiatt's last two albums (The Open Road 2010, Dirty Jeans Mudslide Hymns 2011) are among the most memorable of his career, in large part because of the assertive yet sympathetic accompaniment of The Combo, a streamlined three-piece band consisting of guitarist Doug Lancio, bassist Patrick O’Hearn and drummer Kenneth Blevins. No doubt inspired by their intuitive savvy, Hiatt writes with the confidence of a craftsman who knows his band can handle anything he composes and the mutual surety of the four men permeates Mystic Pinball.
On his most recent album Grand Ukulele, Jake Shimabukuro showcases the lengthening of his ukulele and range of coverage the instrument provides. In the opening trio of songs on the album, Shimabukuro identifies with several musical setups, including a tight-tempo jazz combo style on “Ukulele Five-O,” a more orchestrated foundation on “Gentlemandolin,” and his solo acoustic version of Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep.”
An ideal companion piece to The Complete Beat, the comprehensive chronicle of the Two-Tone band's recording output, this combination CD/DVD set captures the bulk of the Beat's two performances at the groundbreaking US Festival. And though the second of the two appearances occurred near the end of the band's initial run, they acquit themselves equally stylishly on a span of material from their three studio albums.
Free Magic might sound too arcane for its own good, but the title track, coupled with "Ballade in C Minor, Vergessene Seelen," interweaves the exotic sounds of the opener in almost equal proportion to the traditional piano trio approach. "Where's Sly," from their second album in 1993, It’s A Jungle in Here, thus becomes a refreshing and emphatic close to a recording that, through the course of its playing time, develops an identity all its own…much like the band who made it, by the process of constant reinvention.
Punishing and brutal; sweeping and cinematic, are just several adjectives that would not be out of place to describe Swans’ 12th proper studio album, The Seer. And at nearly two hours in length, the allusions to film are not that misleading.
On the duo’s fifth studio album, Negotiations, The Helo Sequence continues to build on their sound of enthusiastically percussive, melodic tunes. Singer Brandon Summers’ vocals remain as dreamily light and airy as always, though still, as always, suffused with an emotive intensity that drives the listener forward.
Enjoy the Company ends on a bittersweet note, with a tease of how good the record could have been.
After a May 2009 chance meeting at Bjork's memorable one-off collaborative concert with the Dirty Projectors at the Housing Works Bookstore in New York City where someone suggested they venture into a similar partnership with one another, the pair made good on the advice and got together to dream up this surprising golden nugget of an album they are calling Love This Giant.
