NEW RELEASE
Rarities record is half-great
PopMatters Dec 18, 07 2:52 PM CST
(Newser)
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Onetime geek gods Weezer have been nothing but disappointing this century, PopMatters’ Evan Sawdey says, so thank heaven for Alone , lead singer Rivers Cuomo’s solo “album of one-offs, hard-to-finds, and unreleased material.” Much of the record dates from the band’s Pinkerton golden age, and the eight (of 18) songs that are listenable are some of his “strongest material” ever.
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NEW RELEASE
Always talented, Chan Marshall gains confidence
New Yorker Dec 6, 07 10:09 AM CST
(Newser)
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Singer-songwriter Chan "Cat Power" Marshall, has always been talented, but over time she has developed the confidence to be masterful, writes New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones. Frere-Jones traces Marshall's career from the mid-'90s to the present, when "now that she knows better who she is, perhaps she’s less afraid of losing herself."
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NEW RELEASE
The Ben Chasny record is his latest alt-folk, alt-metal triumph
Dusted Nov 24, 07 8:01 AM CST
(Newser)
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Six Organs of Admittance’s latest guitar-based record, Shelter From the Ash, is another masterpiece, applying “polish” to trademark “drones, more atomized sounds (and) acoustic finger-picking,” writes Matthew Wuethrich of Dusted. It’s a triumphant gamble to clean up the band's space-age sounds—which have typically succeeded by virtue of their “unfinished quality”—and the band’s “most cohesive record yet.”
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Singer/songwriter's third studio album showcases a simpler, more confident Keys
Entertainment Weekly Nov 17, 07 3:29 PM CST
(Newser)
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Alicia Keys is an undeniable talent, and Entertainment Weekly finds ample evidence of that on her third and latest studio album As I Am, out this week. Whereas previous efforts showcased her mastery over a panoply of styles—hip-hop, soul, classical—those elements have been folded this time around into a smoother, more pop package, writes reviewer Neil Drumming.
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Classic Brazilian psych-rockers still deliver the goods 30 years on
PopMatters Nov 13, 07 7:52 PM CST
(Newser)
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The reunion of Brazilian psych-rock pioneers Os Mutantes has been much celebrated by music enthusiasts. Now the band’s first new recording in 30 years shows the group hasn't missed a beat, says PopMatters’ Michael Keefe, who awards Live at Barbican 8 of 10 stars. Os Mutantes is “every bit as skillful and expressive as they were in their heyday,” writes Keefe.
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Icelandic rock gods' Hvarf/Heim is an awesome doc, even if music underwhelms
LAist Nov 8, 07 3:20 PM CST
(Newser)
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Icelandic rock gods Sigur Ros look stunning in their gorgeous new documentary Heima , which followed the band on last year’s whirlwind homecoming tour. The wilderness provides the perfect backdrop to their experimental post-rock and "homespun laissez-faire philosophy,” says LAist ’s glowing Joshua Pressman, and "their national-hero identity becomes far more palpable."
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Band's new EP isn't just an encore, critic says
Pitchfork Media Nov 6, 07 11:55 AM CST
(Newser)
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At first glance, Grizzly Bear's new EP, Friend, appears to be a reworking of material from the band's well-received Yellow House. Not so, writes Pitchfork Media critic Ryan Schrieber. Although the new disc contains old songs and covers, these are thoroughly transformed, making Friend "a very well-disguised, 31-minute mini-LP of newly recorded (and largely newly written) material," Schrieber writes.
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'SexyBack' singer pitching in on
band's 12th album
Times (UK) Nov 3, 07 9:20 PM CDT
(Newser)
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An ’80s British rocker, his supermodel wife and a US musical superstar walk into a bar. This is no joke, the Times of London reports: It’s the launch of another Duran Duran comeback. Four-fifths of the rockers who made girls swoon nearly three decades ago get some help from Justin Timberlake on their 12th studio album, Red Carpet Massacre .
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EW enjoys concept album loosely based on Scott's film
Entertainment Weekly Nov 1, 07 11:23 AM CDT
(Newser)
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''Believe half of what you see/None of what you hear/Even if it's spat by me,'' declares hip-hop mogul Jay-Z on his new record American Gangster, framing himself and other rappers as "actors." Entertainment Weekly finds the record, titled and themed after the Ridley Scott film, diverse and satisfying.
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Remade songs from 'I'm Not There' packed with great impersonations
Pitchfork Media Oct 31, 07 3:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
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In keeping with the movie it supports, the soundtrack for Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There is packed with imitators. Twenty-nine singers cover Dylan tracks on the 34-song tribute, which traces every phase of Dylan’s career—from folk highs to gospel lows—proving each to be “as potentially rewarding as any other,” Pitchfork's Stephen M. Deusner crows in awarding the soundtrack 8.0 out of 10.
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New Yorker explores the world of this indie group
New Yorker Oct 27, 07 6:56 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Those with adventurous musical tastes may want to visit the odd world of Animal Collective, which smashes together electronic and acoustic elements into a brilliant mixture often called, if somewhat inaccurately, "avant-garde" and "psychedelic," says the New Yorker. Sasha Frere - Jones explores the group's eighth album, Strawberry Jam , and finds it slightly more accessible, if no less uncompromising, than previous works.
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Babyshambles' latest draws thumbs up, thumbs down
Uncut Oct 24, 07 4:11 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Kate Moss' ex, Pete Doherty, may have a rep as a “tawdry drug monster,” but detractors' opinions are sullying his band's great music, says Uncut , giving 5 of 5 stars to Babyshambles’ new release, Shotter’s Nation . The band's previous effort succeeded on “flinty spectrality,” but this one wins by sobering up: Babyshambles is “frighteningly functional” as Doherty goes to war against mediocrity.
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Led Zeppelin frontman and bluegrass queen harmonize nicely
Boston Globe Oct 23, 07 11:33 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Alison Krauss’ clear mountain voice might seem an odd match for former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, but their collaboration, Raising Sand, is “the stuff of which music lovers’ dreams are made,” says the Boston Globe . Traversing a range of root styles, Krauss and Plant harmonize beautifully, USA Today says, with the “reliably gorgeous” Krauss reining in Plant’s “mannered excesses.”
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Tiny Mix Tapes Oct 9, 07 1:41 PM CDT
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The provocateur sibling musicians behind Fiery Furnaces can’t be bothered to care about what’s popular—which makes for an outstanding new record, says Tiny Mix Tapes in awarding Widow City 4 of 5 stars. The prog-rock throwback band has reined in “their experimental proclivities”—or rather “streamlined” them—on their “toughest-as-nails” new tracks to create their best new album since 2004's Blueberry Boat .
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Or maybe the
CCR frontman
never left
Allmusic Oct 2, 07 12:37 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Heartland rock legend John Fogerty is finally reclaiming his Creedence Clearwater Revival youth with an excellent new solo record, aptly titled Revival . The release marks a major turning point in the CCR frontman’s story, as he’s back with original label Fantasy Records and is finally discussing his old band, says Allmusic in awarding his triumph 4.5 of 5 stars.
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New album mixes pop and politics - and gets rave reviews
New York Times Sep 30, 07 1:25 PM CDT
(Newser)
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In an era of has-been acts making a mockery of themselves, Bruce Springsteen rolls out his fourth album in five years—a poppy album with steely political undertones that proves he's as relevant as ever. Magic drops sugar-coated bombs on the Bushies, the New York Times' A.O. Scott writes, and the Boss is taking his E-Street Band polemic on world tour.
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Mitchell’s first
new work in a
decade is ‘biting,
sartorial and poetic’
Allmusic Sep 25, 07 6:25 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Joni Mitchell has dropped new material for the first time in 10 years, and Shine is wowing critics. It “isn’t a coffee table record,” raves AllMusic, in awarding it 4 of 5 stars; “it won’t attract record execs looking for a resurrection." That’s because it’s “unsettling” and darkly political. Rather than pandering, Mitchell’s done a frontal expose on the “increasing uninhabitability of the planet.”
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New CD from hipster elder statesman Thurston Moore
Pitchfork Media Sep 19, 07 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Bandleader to experimental music pioneer Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore dropped his first proper solo record in 12 years today; "Trees Outside the Academy "drew a strong if