Nothing ruins a good idea more than poor execution, a point exemplified by “fusion” concepts. The world is full of them: the “Southwest eggroll,” hybrid cars less efficient than cars from the 1980s, countless movie sequels, etc. It takes a determined bit of genius to merge two concepts…
When I was in middle school, my musical abilities could be summed up by a few stagnant years of piano lessons and proud ownership of first chair in the band’s trumpet section. When the Tiny Masters of Today were in middle school, on the other hand, David Bowie was calling their music “genius”…
At the end of the day, I have to admit it’s the accent that makes Fever Ray’s self-titled debut so strangely, darkly alluring. Fever Ray everything-woman Karin Dreijer Andersson, who’s made her name as half of oddball Swedish electro-pop duo The Knife, has that Scandinavian lilt to her high- (and low-, but I’ll get to […]
Listening to XX Teens’ debut album, Welcome to Goon Island, it’s quite obvious that they’re British. This five-man band of London college friends have crafted a collection of songs so delectable that you want to call your travel agent and book a trip to Goon Island yourself…
It’s a problem of expectations. When I first heard M83’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, I was blown away. I fell in love with Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau’s primary-color-shaded walls of melodic, ethereal-yet-visceral noise…
Initial response: um, what? I’ve caught snatches of Goldfrapp over the past several years, alternately lulled into a Brave New World coma by the ’50s sci-fi lounge stylings and thrilled by the bumping, grinding robo-sex of “Strict Machine,” and now…this?…
Consider this truth: Liars has produced a solid new album. With three respectable records and a national tour with indie favorites Interpol behind them, Liars’ should be prepared to greet new and old fans and much well-deserved attention. Liars is a haunting unraveling…
Richard Hawley has been around for longer than you think. Richard’s been here the whole time, in the corner of your mind, in the corner of your room. It’s easy to see, though, why artists such as Hawley are quickly looked over are passed over. We’re not talking about some hunky white guy…
The album art for subHuman, the latest album from ex-Depeche Mode man Alan Wilder’s Recoil “project” after a six-year hiatus, is about as ill-suited to the music as it could possibly be. I mean, what are listeners supposed to expect when they see the blank, sleek parts of fashion mannequins…
Mick Harvey, the once partner of Mr. Nick Cave, was the second half of Australian noiseniks, The Birthday Party. Two of Diamonds, the latest release from Mr. Harvey, is a long way from those Birthday Party days. Yeah, there’s a musical maturity…
If they had any other band name, you could probably take Liars to court for some of the most jarring stylistic changes since Neil Young got sued for transmogrifying his roots-rock sound into Trans. Their first album fit snugly in the school of spastic dance rock…
