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Xiu Xiu's Women Breaks Ground

Intense indie musician drops electronics in 6th album

(Newser) - One of indie music’s most intense projects, Xiu Xiu is always innovating, and sixth album Women as Lovers is no slouch—at least its first half, says Tiny Mix Tapes’ Julie. Frontman Jamie Stewart has dropped electronics, hired a virtuoso drummer and reversed his recent “stasis.” But... More »

Critics Split on Jukebox

Some love Cat Power's 2nd covers record; others dismiss it

(Newser) - Indie crooner Cat Power's second album of covers is dividing critics. Many agree that Jukebox is a state-of-the-career effort, but they part ways on where the musician (real name: Chan Marshall) stands. After transforming from blues folkie to soul singer and overcoming depression, the Marshall who “savored” her songs... More »

Magnetic Fields Score Again

Stephen Merritt makes a glorious return to his indie pop roots

(Newser) - The Magnetic Fields have hit the jackpot on their eighth album, Distortion. Frontman Stephen Merritt ignored his penchant for “cleverness and theatricality,” turned up the “1960s pop fetish,” and let the feedback roll. It’s a rebound from 2004’s i, says Pitchfork’s Matt LeMay,... More »

Sia's Real Problems Pleases

First album from songstress in 4 years is a winner

(Newser) - Folk and acid-jazz queen Sia Furler has returned with her first record in four years, and critics are singing the praises of Some People Have Real Problems. The New York Sun’s Bret McCabe pokes fun at Furler for signing with the Starbucks label—provenance of “laid-back background music... More »

Blige Airs Growing Pains

8th record a celebration of "hard-won happiness," says Boston Globe

(Newser) - Mary J. Blige has moved on from empowerment to soulful diva on her first disc in two years, the Boston Globe’s Joan Anderman writes. "A celebration of the artist's hard-won happiness," Growing Pains won Anderman over by "revealing her weaknesses." Blige still urges listeners to... More »

All Rivers Cuomo, All Alone

Rarities record is half-great

(Newser) - 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... More »

Cat Power Grows Up

Always talented, Chan Marshall gains confidence

(Newser) - 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’... More »

Six Organs Scores With Shelter

The Ben Chasny record is his latest alt-folk, alt-metal triumph

(Newser) - 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... More »

Keys Finds Her Groove

Singer/songwriter's third studio album showcases a simpler, more confident Keys

(Newser) - 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... More »

Os Mutantes Returns in Force

Classic Brazilian psych-rockers still deliver the goods 30 years on

(Newser) - 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... More »

Sigur Ros' Film Stirs, Tunes Safe

Icelandic rock gods' Hvarf/Heim is an awesome doc, even if music underwhelms

(Newser) - 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... More »

Grizzly Bear Makes New Friend

Band's new EP isn't just an encore, critic says

(Newser) - 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... More »

Justin Time: Duran Duran Nets Timberlake

'SexyBack' singer pitching in on band's 12th album

(Newser) - 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... More »

Jay-Z Spins a Gangster Tale

EW enjoys concept album loosely based on Scott's film

(Newser) - ''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... More »

Soundtrack Dylan Covers Score

Remade songs from 'I'm Not There' packed with great impersonations

(Newser) - 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... More »

Animal Collective's Odd Wonder

New Yorker explores the world of this indie group

(Newser) - 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,... More »

'Gripping' Album Tops Doherty Tabloid Drama

Babyshambles' latest draws thumbs up, thumbs down

(Newser) - 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... More »

Plant, Krauss Make Sweet Music

Led Zeppelin frontman and bluegrass queen harmonize nicely

(Newser) - 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 ... More »

FFs Are at Their Best on Widow

(Newser) - 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... More »

Fogerty Comes Home on Revival

Or maybe the CCR frontman never left

(Newser) - 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... More »

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