‘Album Reviews’ Archives
From a Fountain – Shale and Sandstone
Score: 7.2/10 Release Date: August 31, 2010 Label: Park the Van Band Website Imagining a scenario only a bored South Dakota musician could dream, Douglas Kirby has built the debut of his project, From a Fountain, on the mythology of his home. Shale and Sandstone weaves the tale of a band of futuristic Native Americans, hidden from society until the right time, time traveling back to their [...]
Phil Selway – Familial
Score: 5.2 Release Date: August 31st, 2010 Label: Nonesuch Records Website The Radiohead Super-Fan’s Tier List User guide: The farther down the tier list you go, the bigger fan of Radiohead you are. Tier 0: Radio-wha? Tier 1: You heard “Creep” back on MTV a while ago (maybe on “Beavis and Butthead”) and you bought Pablo Honey because of it. You haven’t listened to it since [...]
BARB – BARB
Score: 3.8/10 Release Date: August 24, 2010 Label: Yep Roc Myspace The concept of the super group is hardly new or unique: grab a bunch of talented musicians, throw them in a room, give them some tools, and watch the magic happen. Unfortunately the sum of all the parts usually isn’t as great as that of the individual offerings. Such is the case with BARB, a project featuring [...]
The Soft Hills – Noruz
Score: 8.2/10 Release Date: May 25, 2010 Label: Unsigned Website The tag “labor of love” is more than a bit clichéd when it comes to music. It brings out the cynic in some of us, with its promise of profitable goods beneath the so-called blood, sweat and tears of creation. Then again, sometimes it is the ideal descriptor. Sometimes an album comes along that is clearly the work of a [...]
S. Carey-All We Grow
Score: 6.2/10 Release Date: August 24, 2010 Label: Jagjaguwar Myspace There’s no disputing that Sean Carey is one dedicated musician. Upon hearing that a Bon Iver touring band was about to be formed, the multi-instrumentalist spent two weeks in his bedroom, memorizing the drum and vocal parts to Justin Vernon’s poignant masterpiece, For Emma, Forever Ago. The young man impressed Vernon, [...]
Bodega System – Ditch Masters
Score: 6.5/10 Release Date: February 6th, 2010 Label: Grant's Tomb Bodega System MySpace The Internet tends to bring the popular audience together across vast geographic distance in the name of music. All it takes is a MySpace profile out fitted appropriately, affiliation with other groups, and the process of coming up through the musical hierarchy in a layered manner as a group gains [...]
Rene Hell – Porcelain Opera
Score: 7.8/10 Release Date: June 8th, 2010 Label: Type Records Last.Fm Jeff Witscher is a man of a thousand faces. He’s known to fans of noise music by a multitude of names (Deep Jew, Impregnable, Secret Abuse, Marble Sky, etc.). Every time he switches his moniker he also changes his point of interest, whether it is brutal noise punk, cacophonous loop-dub, or ambient meditation. But it [...]
The Books – The Way Out
Score: 8.2/10 Release Date: July 20, 2010 Label: Temporary Residence, Ltd. The Books Website It’s hard to believe that it’s been over five years since the incomparable duo of The Books released their last LP, 2005’s Lost and Safe on the Tomlab label. Some fans of their two prior records were upset at the increased reliance on vocals, unconventional though they may be. However, [...]
Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill
Score: 7/10 Release Date: August 24, 2010 Label: 4AD Website Stornoway is the name of a village on the Isle of Lewis, which lies in the Scottish archipelago known as the Hebrides. Founded by Vikings in the sixteenth century, the town is a major port and undoubtedly has had its beaches combed for various treasures many times over. Treasures that might even wind up below the window of a seaside [...]
Brendan Rivera – Body of Land
Brendan Rivera, leadsinger of NY's Looking Glass Wars has just released his debut solo LP, Body of Land. Rivera's debut solo record is a diverse collection of 15 tracks, showcasing his versatility as a songwriter and performer. The songs that make up Body of Land range from high energy songs with a full band-incorporating other members of LGW as well as the distinctive style of producer [...]
