The RattleSnakes explore new and uncharted territory with ‘Spine’
Posted on December 05, 2011 by Kevin Steeves in Album Reviews
There is an inherent danger in musician’s revisiting and pillaging their youth for inspiration. For those less-than-successful in the endeavor, the results are mundane melodramas of unrequited love that bring more pity and embarrassment than longing for the salad days. For those successful — and luckily there have been many — the material is passionate, universal and often reckless, the [...]
Despite setbacks, ‘Radioactive’ is a solid statement from Yelawolf
Posted on December 02, 2011 by Nick Capeless in Album Reviews
Hailing from the slums of Gadsden, AL, Yelawolf is no stranger to white trash. Hell, he even has “Red” tattooed on his neck. (Get it?). As the newest addition to Eminem’s Shady Records roster, Yelawolf has proven he’s an exception to the often disastrous “White Southern Rap” game. His influences in Southern rock, country and blues are clear [...]
Kate Bush’s ’50 Words For Snow’ is her best in years
Posted on November 25, 2011 by Ryan Cutler in Album Reviews
Kate Bush captures the spirit of winter in a dioramic snow globe with her newest album 50 Words for Snow. Earlier works, like her 1978 debut single “Wuthering Heights” and 1985′s Hounds of Love, earned her a reputation for eccentric storytelling, avant-garde musical arrangements and theatrically eclectic choreography. Here she strips off her quirky red dresses and princess get-ups for a warm, [...]
From suburbanite to superstar, ‘Camp’ is a success for Gambino
Posted on November 25, 2011 by Nick Capeless in Album Reviews
For an artist who started as a comedian, creating a serious hip-hop album is still a pretty outlandish concept; for it to actually be good is even more so. Enter the world of Childish Gambino. With his fourth full-length studio album Camp, Gambino – better known as comedian/actor Donald Glover – examines his new-found fame and the various ways of [...]
With ‘Take Care’ Drake embraces maturity, darkness
Posted on November 10, 2011 by Nick Capeless in Album Reviews
Since his switch from actor to musician in 2006, Canadian star Drake has been able to find a solid balance between both his hip-hop and R&B tendencies. On his 2010 debut, Thank Me Later, Drake strived to create a more pop-friendly hip-hop sound intertwined with plenty of soulful production and seductively low vocals. With his [...]
‘Crazy Clown Time’ a not so surprising affair for Lynch
Posted on November 06, 2011 by Kevin Steeves in Album Reviews
Like his most genius works of film and television, David Lynch’s full-length debut Crazy Clown Time shouldn’t work – in theory. Aside from his steady reliance on American composer Angelo Badalamenti to score his infamous surrealist psychological thrillers, there is little over Lynch’s 40+ year career that gives credence to palatable musical genius. Whether it’s his cigarette and [...]
Wale’s ‘Ambition’ avoids the slump, for now
Posted on November 05, 2011 by Nick Capeless in Album Reviews
It’s all-too-common for a hip-hop artist to come out with a strong debut only to experience a sophomore slump with the next album. Washington D.C.’s MC Wale’s debut album Attention Deficit hit shelves in 2009 to critical acclaim but failed to achieve commercial success. For his second full-length Ambition, the MC was looking like he might fall into that same category as he [...]
For better or worse, ‘Lulu’ is here
Posted on October 30, 2011 by David O'Donnell in Album Reviews
Lou Reed isn’t shy about saying that Lulu, a brand new collaboration with ‘80s thrash demigods Metallica, is his baby. He’s also not shy about sharing that its depth and beauty reduces him to tears: “It’s maybe the best thing done by anyone, ever. It could create another planetary system. I’m not joking, and I’m not [...]
Jacob Augustine’s new American gospel
Posted on October 28, 2011 by Ryan Cutler in Album Reviews
Americans today are faced with an unpromising future. We walk underneath night skies unlit by stars, often lost in our path. Close to home, there are few who exemplify qualities that would relight these paths. Jacob Augustine is a saint: a voice of old inhabiting the body of a humble Portland resident. He is our [...]
Justice goes pop with ‘Audio, Video, Disco’
Posted on October 20, 2011 by Nick Capeless in Album Reviews
Upon the release of their first album † in 2007, French duo Justice broke a sad tradition that many other electro/house musicians had started years earlier – they released an album that was actually good and not just pop filler compared to their acclaimed live set. Now, four years later, Justice makes their long anticipated return with [...]
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