October 26, 2009
Julian Casablancas' solo debut is an 8-song, 40-minute collection. On first glance the brevity makes the protracted promotional campaign -- its preview trailer, dramatically cut onscreen interview with its lofty claims of trying to harness "the power and seriousness of classical music" while "captur(ing) the catchiness of modern music," and sanctioned snippet stream -- seem oddly out of place. Of course, people are so hungry for new Strokes material, that the pre-release hype's inevitable. That, and Casablancas shoves so much into Phrazes For The Young, it has enough ideas for three albums twice its size. Unlike the ADD "River Of Breaklights" suggested with its weird arpeggios, breakneck beats and sudden shifts, the collection's (mostly) tastefully done, things falling more into the realm of the chipper (almost ballpark synthesized) "11th Dimension," maybe the best song on the collection. We still have lots of dissecting to do, but so far it's the most interesting of the Strokes members' solo projects. (Sorry, Nikolai.)
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young...
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Tags: Julian Casablancas | The Strokes
latest by Ample
September 17, 2009
Before we heard a single note from Pearl Jam's ninth studio album, we heard about the long-running anti-corporate band's partnership with Target and their plan to debut the first single (and arguably best rock song) in an advertisement for the retailer. The alliance was so talked about that by the time they released a proper video for "The Fixer," we thought it was a Target ad. (It wasn't, but the commercial uses the same footage.) Of course, as other songs hit the Web one by one, we moved beyond the backstory and let this latest Brendan O'Brien-produced collection stack up against PJ's canon.
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Pearl Jam - Backspacer...
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Tags: Pearl Jam
latest by Jennifer
September 2, 2009
At this point Bradford Cox releases so much free Atlas Sound material on his blog there has to be a good reason for piecing a bunch of new songs together and expecting you to pay for it. Who knows how he decides when to turn a sketch into a finished piece, but that the 11-song Logos, his second proper Atlas Sound full-length, flows together so gorgeously as a 44-minute patchwork of sounds, seems reason enough. It also showcases a marked upgrade in songwriting since Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, suggesting that maybe all that free downloadable practice paid off: The gurgling, angelic opener "The Light That Failed" quietly pours into the shuffling half-step of "An Orchid," which finds itself inside an echo chamber and blooms fully with "Walkabout." Cox has said "almost everything" on Logos "is a first take" and likens it to a live album "where a band sets up in a studio and just rolls tape." He also notes, perhaps disingenuously, that "there are songs on here I don't even remember recording." Whatever the case, that sort of spontaneity -- a decision not to over think -- is another factor in making Logos a tighter, (much) more focused collection than its predecessor.
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Atlas Sound - Logos...
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Tags: Atlas Sound | Bradford Cox | Deerhunter
latest by Coj
July 31, 2009
The Arctic Monkeys grew their hair and enlisted the ear (and heavier bass lines and guitar squeals) of Josh Homme for their third album Humbug. In interviews, they've mentioned the influence of Black Sabbath on the collection and said they listened to Hendrix and Cream while they recorded it. The brooding, sexy, minor-key "My Propeller" offered a darker, more mature sound and first single "Crying Lightning" teased with sludgy psychedelia. Those are also literally the first two tracks out of the collection's ten, so the big question is whether or not the Monkeys maintain that incense-burning/black-arts digging vibe all the way through.
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Arctic Monkeys - Humbug...
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Tags: Arctic Monkeys | Josh Homme
latest by jordan
June 11, 2009
No worries, nobody should (or could) have expected Dinosaur Jr.'s reunion record Beyond to be so alive -- and so good. The deservedly legendary Amherst, Mass band's post-split squabbling is well-documented (re-listen to Sebadoh III if you need your memory jogged), but shaking off the rust, tightening the bonds, and defying expectations, the group returned older, grayer, and seemingly on better terms, but with plenty of energy and chops for the second acts of their storied career. As we saw in the "Over It" video J, Lou, and Murph are clearly psyched and synching. So, do they wipe out on the second post-reunion collection, Farm? Not at all. When we heard "I Don't Want To Go There" live and caught site of that amusing green-minded album art, we had a good feeling about Farm, but it wasn't until we were able to listen to the dozen tracks that we knew for sure that Dinosaur's ninth studio album Farm is another satisfying collection.
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Dinosaur Jr. - Farm...
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Tags: Dinosaur Jr.
latest by Oldschool Freak-Scene
May 22, 2009
When discussing a new Sunset Rubdown album it's become pretty cliché to list everything Spencer Krug's recently accomplished, but his output remains as prolific as each release is monumental, so it does remains an important piece of the story. Since the massive Random Spirit Lover showed up a couple years ago, Swan Lake released Enemy Mine and Wolf Parade brought you At Mount Zoomer. Now, a little less than a year since Zoomer surfaced and a few months post-Enemy, Sunset Rubdown's delivering their third full-band full-length Dragonslayer. When Krug came through for a Progress Report he told us about a forthcoming marimba EP (what?) as well as misgivings he had about Random Spirit Lover, explaining Dragonslayer would use less studio trickery because "I like [live] kinds of recordings because they're very honest and it's hard to pretend that you sound any different from whatever it is." He wasn't lying.
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer...
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Tags: Spencer Krug | Sunset Rubdown
latest by Trevo
April 30, 2009
When we caught up with Thurston Moore recently, he told us, "I think the Matador record shows us in an excited and newly liberated state of play." The John Fahey bedecked Matador album in question, The Eternal, the band's followup to the duskier, tauter Rather Ripped, is indeed a rollicking good time. When you stop to think about it, it's actually hard believing this is album 16, that the band's been around since 1981, and that the core's largely in (or close to, Steve) their 50s. They've had duds, yes, but since Murray Street, they seem revitalized, so the fact that The Eternal's good shouldn't be a surprise. It's more surprising the way they go about it.
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Sonic Youth - The Eternal...
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Tags: Sonic Youth
latest by logan street
April 13, 2009
Let's start with the obvious (or at least obvious for anyone who's heard it): Bitte Orca is, on its own terms, a stunning album. Although the excitement over the record started long before, at least as far back as the first time we'd heard the bright and beautiful "Temecula Sunrise," it's fair to say that "Stillness Is The Move" put the anticipation into overdrive. If not for its ample, arty R&B charms and surprising star-turn for the cut's lead vocalist Amber Coffman, then simply for what it signaled: This was a jam welcoming listeners to the party. In the world of Dirty Projectors, this is a big deal.
Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca...
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Tags: Dirty Projectors
latest by Trevor
