A year after Biophilia, Bjork is back with a remix album. Bastards, the newest album by the Icelandic artist, features remixes of tracks from her 2011 album, Biophilia. Unlike Biophilia, which was released in the form of several smartphone apps, Bastards was released on 12″ vinyl, CD, and digitally. Read More »
Less than a year after announcing the breakup of his well-received group, former Girls frontman Christopher Owens is back with his first solo album, Lysandre. Ostensibly telling some sort of love story involving the eponymous female, the album clocks in at just under half an hour and consists of both the sort of well-constructed pop songs one would expect after listening to Girls as well as more wistful acoustic pieces. While certainly decent, Lysandre falls short of any degree of greatness and remains relegated to the domain of passable indie pop.
★★★★1/2
If ¡Uno! was the lead up to a party, Green Day’s album ¡Dos!, second of a trio to be released this year, is definitely THE party. ¡Dos!, like the other albums in this trilogy, is described by Green Day as a bit harkening back to their roots; in this case, these are the deep roots. A number of the songs on ¡Dos! feel very worthy of The Ramones; the adolescent and wild lyrics, the simple, rapid rhythm guitar playing, and the ability to capture and express chaos. Read More »
Yeasayer’s latest album follows the 2010 release of their disappointing and seemingly slapped-together sophomore album, Odd Blood. Fragrant World showcases Yeasayer’s distinct sound, more so than did Odd Blood; however, it manages to do this only to the extent that it offers a taste of what the band used to be, leaving the listener wishing for a return to the organic, mystical sound of their 2007 debut album, All Hour Cymbals. The rest of the album is lost in the band’s apparent attempt to appeal to the masses, as it mimics popular trends from today’s music scene, while only weakly projecting the innovative, daring spirit that once defined Yeasayer’s music.
★★1/2
It is clear that Nicki Minaj was not exactly sure what type of album she wanted to make when approaching her latest offering, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Caught between making a “hardcore” rap album and a happy-go-lucky pop album, Roman Reloaded sounds confused at best and horribly disjointed at worst. Individual songs may be strong, but as an album, Roman Reloaded is bipolar, transitioning abruptly from violent, absurdist lyrics to sing-song hooks and dance beats.
Anthony Gonzalez, the driving force behind M83, has described his group’s latest effort as “very, very, very epic.” Most reviewers seem to agree that he’s spot on, but it would appear that the bulk of the music press has taken his assessment to mean something entirely different. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming was released in October to overwhelmingly positive reviews from the cream of the crop of indie taste-making journalism. I’m an M83 fan, but I can’t jump on-board with their glowing assessment of what I can only describe as a sprawling, dull, and overwhelmingly long album, littered with far too many interludes. Read More »
Commenting on band names is a bit like asking people to explain the slogans on their graphic t-shirts. The name Gauntlet Hair, however, can’t escape mention. While the group’s name choice still eludes me, the idea behind Gauntlet Hair is pretty easy to pin down. Their sound is a consistent and oddly current blend of chillwave fuzz and the Myths of the Near Future-era Klaxons with a touch of Jane’s Addiction shouty-ness and vibe.
J. Cole’s name has been floating around the hip-hop community for a few years now, but nobody quite knew what to expect from Cole World: The Sideline Story. Releasing an album isn’t nearly as easy as it used to be, and gone are the days when a debut album was truly a debut. To release an album in the hip-hop world today, an artist must first establish themselves by releasing hundreds of free songs and multiple successful mixtapes. Cole has done this over the past 4 years or so, but getting a record label (in Cole’s case Roc Nation) to approve a debut album is merely the beginning. Often times labels will force artists to commercialize their music to boost sales, causing artists to abandon the style which garnered them fans. Couple this with the expectations that accompany an album years in the making, and artists face the seemingly impossible challenge of pleasing both fans and their label, while still putting out a quality piece of work that is true to the vision of the artist.
These were all concerns that I and many others rightfully had as Cole’s album was continually pushed back, particularly because Cole has a raw style that is tough to release to a broad audience. However, the album finally arrived, and to the relief of many he stayed true to himself and released an album marked by its impressive production, creative lyrics, and unmatched rhymes. Read More »
