The new A Tribe Called Quest album is really good. These are words I didn’t expect to ever write, and having typed them out, I’m exhaling, relaxing for a moment, taking a second to step back from the craziness of…
Tag: album reviews
Album Reviews: Luscious Jackson, The Shondes, Mike Doughty
Luscious Jackson – Magic Hour (City Song Records, 2013) It’s been fourteen years since the last Luscious Jackson album. In their late-90s heyday, their infectious tunes spanned the divide between the underground and overground, breaking into modern rock radio playlists…
Album Reviews: Locust, vintage electronic soul, Justin Timberlake
Locust- You’ll Be Safe Forever (Editions Mego, 2013) Locust is the name that composer/musician Mark Van Hoen recorded under around the turn of the millennium, producing a series of influential (and highly regarded) albums between 1993 and 2001. The records…
Album Reviews: Johnny Marr, Bastille, They Might Be Giants
Johnny Marr – The Messenger (Sire Records, 2013) Over his tenure with The Smiths, and in the two and a half decades since that band split, Johnny Marr has built a reputation as the greatest guitarist of a generation. His…
Album Reviews: Czarface (7L/Esoteric/Inspectah Deck), Jamie Lidell
Czarface- s/t (Brick Records, 2013) Czarface is a new project that features the dynamic rap duo 7L and Esoteric joining forces with Inspectah Deck (of Wu-Tang Clan) to produce fourteen tracks of action-packed boom-bap, and it’s an inspired combination. The…
Album Reviews: Pillowfight, Karthala 72
Pillowfight – s/t (Bulk Recordings, 2013) We open with a creepy organ line that could be scavenged from some forgotten low budget horror film. A strutting beat kicks in over the top. A voice joins, purring a decisive kiss-off in…
Album Reviews: Madness, Viv Albertine
Madness – Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da (Lucky 7 Records, 2012) Three years after an acclaimed comeback LP and following this summer’s triumphant appearance at the London Olympic closing ceremony, Madness have returned with a new record…
Record Reviews: Mucca Pazza, Rob Swift’s Roc Raida Mix
Mucca Pazza- Safety Fifth (Electric Cowbell Records, 2012) Mucca Pazza are a few-dozen strong group from Chicago, an ensemble that blends a bewildering array of styles (tango, spaghetti western soundtracks, and heavy funk, to name just a few), delivers the…
The Beach Boys- That’s Why God Made The Radio (Capitol Records, 2012)
That’s Why God Made The Radio is a nearly inconceivable thing – a Beach Boys album in 2012. It marks the group’s 50th anniversary. And it’s their first new release in ages, though exactly how long is largely a matter…
EP Reviews: Mobb Deep, Kendra Morris
Mobb Deep- Black Cocaine EP (Infamous Records, 2011) The first release in five years from Queesnbridge’s most infamous duo is something of a mixed bag. The five featured tracks are lyrically proficient, but suffer from overly formulaic production. Mid-tempo synth…