June 2009
You are browsing the archive for June 2009.
Album Review: Future Of The Left – Travels With Myself And Another
Concept: The second album for the second Mclusky, which is the closest you’ll get to a “real” living punk band that everyone could know about. In a world where the genreish movement is either dead or in hiding, the idea of punk is all about the blame game, and frontman Andy Falkous always plays to win.
Sound: A continue reading…
Album Review: The Mars Volta – Octahedron
Concept: Somehow, freak-out specialists The Mars Volta manage to restrain themselves and crank out a jam-packed, multifaceted pop-rock album.
Sound: Keyboardist Ikey Owens is the first thing long-time listeners will notice. He bridges every track, and offers much more atmosphere throughout the album, which is generally slower than the bands’ usual fare. Vocalist Cedric-Bixler Zavala’s harmonies continue reading…
Album Review: Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Concept: Dream Theater produces another technically impressive but musically tired soundtrack for a movie based on a videogame, making an extra effort this time to be morbid with the aid of an autobiographical close call.
Sound: Like most…okay, all prog rock bands, Dream Theater borrows quite a bit from King Crimson and Rush. As far as I continue reading…
Album Review: Todd Snider – The Excitement Plan
Concept: Getting produced by Don Was can still turn a lot of heads. The question — is this solo performer more like Bob Dylan or Randy Newman?
Sound: Well, the sound has a tendency towards simplicity. His voice isn’t so hot, and the songs aren’t very elaborate. The high-end production actually hurts him, adding a reediness to a throaty honk, none continue reading…
Album Review: Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Concept: From the label that brought you Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand comes a markedly softer and brighter pop rock album that is being lifted above its own hype, although probably not on par with the frontman’s staggering pretensions.
Sound: First things to be noted are the eccentric and derailed guitar and rhythm, that bring to continue reading…
Album Review: Dangermouse / Sparklehorse – Dark Night Of The Soul
Concept: Various artists, from The Strokes to The Shins to The Flaming Lips to Iggy Pop to The Pixies, lay down their personal touch for Sparklehorse’s bandwork and Dangermouse’s mixing, with David Lynch granting his visual media stylings and teasing publicity boosts, all of them composing and producing in hopes of an overhaul tearjerker. There’s no story, but the continue reading…
