Recent Articles in CD Reviews
The White Stripes – ‘Under Great White Northern Lights’
Surely, at least to this writer, one of the prevailing beliefs about this first live CD issue from the White Stripes is (arguably) that the recording is both electrifying and a shame. Electrifying for obvious reasons, because Jack White is one of the last of the true Rock Stars in the Age of Auto-Tune…
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
Murdoc the bassist is captured by bassist-lacking wankers, who attempt to squeeze the bass juice out of him to propel their own record to something other than #nein. The enemy are plenty, but the “heroes” have a thorough knowledge of the best vocal gunners in the business. Let’s figure out what happens next…
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – ‘Beat the Devil’s Tattoo’
Imagine if a harmonica-toting Dean Moriarty had a fetish for David Lynch and dug dirty-blues fuzz rock and you’ve got the sixth album by California trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in a nutshell.
Mumford & Sons – “Sigh No More”
The use of the word “authentic” has been bandied about ad nauseum regarding Mumford & Sons. Certainly, four English gentlemen could not make a genuine holy racket with banjos, mandolins and some rough acoustic strumming.
Giant Drag – “Swan Song” EP
More postcard or intimate Polaroid snap than fully realized statement piece, Giant Drag’s four-song Swan Song EP is a grungy, defiantly vulnerable effort and welcome return from the California duo of vocalist Annie Hardy and drummer Micah Calabrese.
Yeasayer – “Odd Blood”
When 2007’s All Hour Cymbals appeared, Yeasayer helped turn ears in the direction of multicultural influence mashing, which has only flourished since. Their experimental (but essentially rockist) aesthetics, and probably their Brooklyn origins too…
Adam Green – Minor Love
It’s not so much talent but a clever play on words, combined with charisma and NYC smarts, such as Richard Hell had in the 70’s, all played to the simple percussion combined with Casio and guitars on “Castles and Tassles”. That song’s true Adam Green… reinvented, or grown into a man with true singer/songwriter talents, [...]
Zambri – “Bang for Changes”
More dark than dawn, Bang for Changes, the latest EP from Brooklyn quintet Zambri, is exactly how I imagined The xx sounded, before reality sunk in and I yearned for something less blippy and subtle, and more ragged and primal.
The Soft Pack – “The Soft Pack”
It’s pretty damn tempting to take a young, jingle-jangly band that knows their way around a chunky chord, fit ‘em with some been-there-done-that ‘tude and compare them to The Strokes or The Libertines. For Southern California’s Soft Pack (formerly The Muslims), who sound like a New York band…
Beach House – ‘Teen Dream’
Teen Dream is a departure from the windswept swoon of Beach House’s previous album, Devotion, with first single, “Norway” as the bold centerpiece for the band’s latest, more expansive sound. Victoria Legrand’s vocals, and her keyboards, take on darker tones and vibrancy, as if to match Alex Scally’s pulsing new instrumentation (such as on “10 [...]
