Album Review: Japandroids – Post-Nothing
Concept: Blunt, feel-good tunes with bare-bones instrumentation and production. Sound: The low-quality fuzz of the recordings serves the tone of the songs well. It’s a good bet you’re getting a canned version of their live show, and that’s exactly what this music would be good for. Having the leisure to sit back and focus on the songwriting [...]
Album Review: Thee Oh Sees – Help
Concept: Surfer jams with a touch of the macabre…I guess it’s the musical equivalent of an attempt at intellectualizing Scooby-Doo. No matter what you do, you can’t exactly fail. Sound: This is in fact good music to play at a Halloween party, as the cover might suggest. Bleary, rusted production quality with harsh echoing yelps, rolling drums, and rigid [...]
Album Review: The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
Artist: The Decemberists Album: The Hazards of Love Released: 2009 Reviewer: Jake Sieve Since their last release nearly three years ago, the Decemberists have created yet another twisted story, filled with danger and adventure. Released as a concept album, The Hazards of Love tells the sweet and bizarre tale of a young maiden impregnated by a shape-shifting [...]
Album Review: The Decemberists – The Hazards Of Love (2nd Opinion)
Concept: Folk rock heartthrobs release their fifth album, originally intended as a rock opera. A young woman falls in love with a forest spirit, and is pursued by its vengeful mother when she becomes with child. Sound: The strongest parts of the album are the guest vocalists, particularly Becky Stark and Shara Worden, which better evoke [...]