Album Reviews

Dinosaur Jr.: Beyond

Shawn Donohue April 27, 2007 No Comments

From the SST looking cover to the first fuzzed bass and ripping guitar lines in the opener “Almost Ready,” it seems like 1988 all over again.

Bassnectar: Underground Communication

Jason Gershuny April 27, 2007 No Comments

Bassnectar’s Underground Communication will be speaking loud and clear to anyone who is listening carefully for a musically diverse album that begs the spine to move in incomprehensible ways.

Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity

Brian Gearing April 26, 2007 No Comments

To simply dismiss Deerhoof as weird would be a bit unfair. Sure, they’re not pumping All-American rock ‘n’ roll like The Hold Steady or Kings of Leon, but on the weirdometer, they’re still topping out before the Van Vleit Zone.

Harlem Shakes: Burning Birthdays

William Helms April 26, 2007 No Comments

On the Harlem Shakes’ self-released debut EP Burning Birthdays, the Brooklyn band shows an adept ability to write and play catchy, indie-rock, pop songs. Certainly, with their DIY ethos, this particularly lo-fi recording will probably remind the most ardent indie-rock fan of a harder rocking Shins.

Cyann & Ben: Sweet Beliefs

Jamie Lee April 25, 2007 No Comments

Cyann & Ben find very little difference in post-rock’s deconstructions and dream pop’s swirling overtures. The Paris-based quartet spins them into one sound, one experience which drifts through the doors and out the windows of Sweet Beliefs, its third offering.

LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver

April 23, 2007 No Comments

Given that LCD Soundsystem’s 2005 self-titled debut nailed most critic’s best of lists, it’s easy to presume the pressure was on LCD's James Murphy’s for his follow-up, Sound of Silver.

Rock Plaza Central: Are We Not Horses

Sarah Moore April 23, 2007 No Comments

Nothing short of brilliant, Are We Not Horses sends its complex concept to listeners with twelve tracks of sonic bliss. Its troubadour-pop, neo-chamber folk-rock sound is the perfect platform for the ambiguous story of giant, robotic horses.

Menomena: Friend and Foe

Jamie Lee April 23, 2007 No Comments

Menomena bang out songs like they are exorcizing demons. The Portland-based trio ignites fires beneath hook-ready compositions, adding melodic tension to their auditory experimentation. Friend and Foe, the band’s sophomore release, manages to maintain an explosive urgency within accessible throwdowns.

Aqueduct: Or Give Me Death

Jason Keil April 20, 2007 No Comments

Aqueduct's follow-up, Or Give Me Death, feels like Terry has grown up a little bit. Instead of opening with keyboards and a drum machine, he begins with acoustic guitar and solemn piano for "Lying in the Bed I've Made," where he talks about singing sorry songs to amuse himself, feeling remorse toward himself and women he has wronged throughout the years.