James Vincent McMorrow – We Don’t Eat EP
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The steady rise of James Vincent McMorrow, a year after his release of Early in the Morning has led to a reintroduction of sorts via We Don’t Eat. A compilation of previously released songs, live tracks and covers, We Don’t Eat doesn’t offer anything new to the table for anyone who’s been following his career. On the surface, nothing is truly unique about McMorrow. A native of Dublin, his tracks… continue reading
Air – Le voyage dans la lune
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On previous releases, Air seemed an apt band name for French duo Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Yet on their seventh studio album, Le voyage dans la lune (“the trip to the moon”), they have rocketed through the air into space. And with greater altitude comes greater difficulties, some of which they have not overcome. The inspiration for the album was a 16-minute silent film of the same name from… continue reading
Dr. Dog – Be the Void
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It is nearly impossible to be a rock band without owing your bread and butter to past legends, but some definitely pay homage (or mimic, if you’re cynical) less conspicuously than others. Unfortunately, Dr. Dog is not – and never has been – one of those inconspicuous bands. Rather expectedly, then, it’s nearly impossible to navigate the pleasant waters of Be the Void without shouting out the various rock gods that Dr. Dog has impersonated…. continue reading
Lana Del Rey – Born to Die
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Don’t let her botched Saturday Night Live performance fool you; Lana Del Rey is one to watch in 2012. The self-proclaimed “Gangsta Nancy Sinatra” has been the center of controversy with people questioning everything about her – from her plump lips to her “manufactured” image and history. Media outlets like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Stereogum pimped her for months only to frantically post hypocritical reviews that tore the album apart. But… continue reading
Various Artists – Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan (Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International)
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It’s pretty bold for an artist to try to cover a song by Bob Dylan. It’s even more audacious for over 80 artists to do it. But that’s exactly what exists within the new four-disc collection, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan (Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International) - five hours of Dylan covers. There are 76 tracks in the compilation, all paying tribute to one of the most… continue reading
Die Antwoord – Ten$ion
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Between lead vocalist “Ninja” who raps into a penis-shaped microphone attached to his crotch and his freakish, circus-like sidekick Yolandi Visser, it’s no surprise that their sophomore album, Ten$ion, is just as shocking and discombobulated as the personas they have created. These South African natives have certainly made a name for themselves in America, but perhaps for all the wrong reasons, seeing as it is their violently explicit videos instead of their… continue reading
The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence
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“And it hurts to accept what I am, and how I live and what I do. But I’ve been good since Thursday,” The Weeknd croons on “The Fall,” hinting that he has settled into his fame. The mysterious R&B singer ended 2011 with, Echoes of Silence, his third mixtape of the year. Released on December 21 immediately after Drake dropped his video for “The Motto” at midnight, it seemed like the OVOXO team had… continue reading
Skrillex – Bangarang
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Sonny Moore has his place in the world; this much cannot be denied. The renegade post-hardcore vocalist has besieged mainstream dance culture since becoming Skrillex four years ago. The past two years yielded four colossally successful extended plays, of which Bangarang is the most recent and the final installment before Skrillex’s first studio album, Voltage, expected later this year. So, it’s like I said: Skrillex has found an incredibly fruitful… continue reading
Gotye – Making Mirrors
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Rock and pop flourish on Gotye’s highly anticipated American release of Making Mirrors. Multi-instrumentalist Wally De Backer is the genius behind Gotye, creating a sound much larger than himself. Five years since his previous release “Like Drawing Blood,” it becomes clear why De Backer waited so long. “Making Mirrors” and “Easy Way Out” are short and sweet numbers to start off the album. The first is a shoe-gaze track that… continue reading
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