The Black Keys – El Camino
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With El Camino, their seventh studio album, The Black Keys adhere to the adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The album, with its title translating to “the way,” is abundant with The Black Keys’ trademarks: catchy guitar riffs, a groovy beat, and Dan Auerbach’s perpetually alluring voice. Yet, it hasn’t gotten old. El Camino, at nearly 18 minutes shorter than last year’s Brothers, amps up the rock and… continue reading
The Roots – Undun
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When Spin, Slant, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, and Time all call Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy the best album of 2010, you can be fairly confident that it will be considered – at least critically – the new standard for modern hip-hop. While its brilliance can be found in its bombastic lyrics and thunderous production, Fantasy was introspective and brutally honest, and as you’d expect from the controversial icon, the… continue reading
Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials
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British indie pop band Florence + The Machine’s sophomore project, Ceremonials (released on November 1), took the dramatic notes from their 2009 debut effort Lungs and built on it tremendously, making for a large and bold album. Applying this change was deemed either a hit or miss by many critics, but I don’t just think they used it to the best of their ability. “Only If For a Night” is a dramatic opening, sounding… continue reading
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
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Anthony Gonzalez is a French musician who, under the name M83, has spent the past ten years making ambitious music that people like to call ‘powerful,’ ‘epic,’ ‘vast’ and ‘cinematic.’ His work, which mixes various influences such as shoegaze, ambient, and other electronic music, feels designed to impart everyday life with a feeling of grandeur, as if the things done while listening to it are filled with capital-M Meaning. So… continue reading
Atlas Sound – Parallax
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Parallax is Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox’s third LP using the moniker Atlas Sound. While the record features strong songwriting and great musicianship from Cox, who pulled a Dave Grohl and played pretty much everything but saxophone and wood block, it suffers from a slow pace and lengthy play time. The vocal arrangements, however, are a highlight; Cox navigates his instrumental compositions with ease and a pleasant disregard for conventional pauses…. continue reading
Los Campesinos! – Hello Sadness
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Los Campesinos! have chosen to go in a path too mellow for their own good with their album, Hello Sadness. It takes a couple of listens to try and accept that there are no lip clenching moments. Even then, there is not enough grizzle to keep a fan satisfied. Maybe they just do not want to revisit “the year punk rock broke their heart,” but we want it all. We… continue reading
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Soundtrack
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It’s that time of the year again: Twilight season. Twi-hards will gather en masse to obsess over the books and how all boys should strive to be just like Edward Cullen. Bickering is bound to ensue over who’s better, so you must choose wisely: Team Edward or Team Jacob. Lines will form well before midnight on Thursday at movie theaters across the country as part one of the last installment is released. Good grief…. continue reading
And So I Watch You From Afar – Gangs
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Instrumental music is a delicate art, and one that is perhaps not given the attention it deserves in rock, where the concept of a frontman is so alluring. There’s something to be said for the aura of the Robert Plants of today, but it’s far too easy to back up the argument that any artist without a vocalist doesn’t have the cultural appeal to make it big. Instrumental music‘s presence… continue reading
We Came as Romans – Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be
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Detroit, MI’s We Came As Romans have become quite popular in the short time leading up to the release of their sophomore album, Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be. Known for their hooks, positive themes, and unique vocals, the post-hardcore outfit’s large fan base have a lot to look forward to on this album. We Came As Romans did not disappoint. Improving upon the components of their music that made them… continue reading
The Decemberists – Long Live the King EP
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There I was, browsing the new release charts, curious to see if anything might peak my interest, when what to my wondering eyes did appear but a new Decemberists EP?! What lovely news! I then dove into the world wide web to see what info I could scrounge up. As it turns out this new release, Long Live the King, was indeed a reality. Long Live the King includes tracks recorded throughout the… continue reading
Real Estate – Days
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New Jersey has unleashed many things besides a toxic stench and Jersey Shore. The band, Real Estate, has released their new and polished second album, Days, from a backyard blow up pool on a warm Jersey day—or at least that’s what it sounds like. Real Estate has perfected a breezy and seemingly effortless approach to music. In the eyes of these band members, music doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes… continue reading