Music
Hawk
by Isobel Campbell
August 24, 2010
Hawk is the third collaborative album between former Belle & Sebastian songbird Isobel Campbell and former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan. Like the two records before it, it draws inspiration from the sultry torch songs once performed by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. Unique to this album is a solid list of guest appearances, however, and the duo covers two Townes Van Zandt songs to boot.
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Knoxville
by Fennesz
August 24, 2010
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Tomorrow Morning
by Eels
August 24, 2010
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Versus
by Usher
August 24, 2010
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The Orchard
by Ra Ra Riot
August 24, 2010
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Surfing the Void
by Klaxons
August 23, 2010
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All Delighted People EP
by Sufjan Stevens
August 20, 2010
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Let It Sway
by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
August 17, 2010
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King of Hearts
by Camu Tao
August 17, 2010
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Modern Rituals
by Chief
August 17, 2010
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Intimacy: Album III
by Kem
August 17, 2010
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The Final Frontier
by Iron Maiden
August 17, 2010
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Catching a Tiger
by Lissie
August 17, 2010
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Foundling
by David Gray
August 17, 2010
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Alive As You Are
by Darker My Love
August 17, 2010
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Black City
by Matthew Dear
August 17, 2010
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The Trouble with Angels
by Filter
August 17, 2010
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Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
by Brian Wilson
August 17, 2010
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No Better Than This
by John Mellencamp
August 17, 2010
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Cowboy's Back in Town
by Trace Adkins
August 17, 2010
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God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise
by Ray LaMontagne
August 17, 2010
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Kaleide
by Sky Larkin
August 10, 2010
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Church with No Magic
by PVT
August 10, 2010
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Blood Under the Bridge
by Bottomless Pit
August 10, 2010
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Come And Get It!
by Eli "Paperboy" Reed
August 10, 2010
Ever since the dawn of the electric guitar, white boys have sung the blues, some with considerably more success than others. Eli “Paperboy†Reed is part of that long tradition, but he stands apart from the pack as much as he belongs to it, due in large part to his age. Raised on CD reissues of classic blues and soul -- he was not even 10 when the first Complete Stax/Volt Singles box came out -- Reed has absorbed the sound and sensibility of classic ‘60s soul but sings without any white-boy blues affectations, totally comfortable in his own skin because nobody else his age, of any race, was attempting to make this kind of music. This can cause a kind of a disconnect -- Reed sounds so white when he sings, it’s disarming -- but he pours on the passion and has fully absorbed the tight turns of Stax and loves the sound as much as the structure, so much so that Come and Get It -- his third LP and first for a major label -- feels a bit like an unearthed relic, built on songs and sounds that could pass for unheard gems if it wasn’t for Reed’s unapologetically white voice, free of affectations and ticks. Some of that may be due to producer Mike Elizondo’s work -- he manages to make this sound like a throwback without being stiff, and without having a hint of Mark Ronson’s hipster retroism for Amy Winehouse -- but he’s just articulating Reed’s gifts, letting the songs stand front and center. And that’s what’s remarkable about Come and Get It: this is not a modern-day blues album, it’s a classic soul album, with almost all the tracks clocking in at 3:30 or less, leaving very little room for showboating solos. All concentration is on the tunes themselves, with the band kicking them toward kineticism, Reed channeling all his energy into making the songs sing, and they wind up sticking, sounding a bit like forgotten classics upon first listen, then winding up as familiar favorites upon the second. If there is any fault here, it’s that Reed’s voice remains perennially boyish, sometimes preventing this from achieving a level of gravity, but there’s no attempt to hide this: it’s an honest reflection of who Reed is, a young kid from Boston in love with the Southern sounds of the ‘60s and intent on carrying them on, even if he invites ridicule or scorn. He believes it, man, and based on Come and Get It, it’s hard not to believe it too. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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All About Tonight
by Blake Shelton
August 10, 2010
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31 Minutes To Takeoff
by Mike Posner
August 10, 2010
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Order of the Black
by Black Label Society
August 10, 2010
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Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
by Original Soundtrack
August 10, 2010
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The Budos Band III
by The Budos Band
August 10, 2010
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The Suburbs
by Arcade Fire
August 3, 2010
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King of the Beach
by Wavves
August 3, 2010
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Tin Can Trust
by Los Lobos
August 3, 2010
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Transit Transit
by Autolux
August 3, 2010
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Croweology
by The Black Crowes
August 3, 2010
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Tribal
by Dr. John/The Lower 911
August 3, 2010
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Spot the Difference
by Squeeze
August 3, 2010
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The Remix
by Lady Gaga
August 3, 2010
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The House
by Katie Melua
August 3, 2010
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Where the Messengers Meet
by Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
August 3, 2010
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Trill O.G.
by Bun B
August 3, 2010
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Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3
by El-P
August 3, 2010
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All Night Long
by Buckcherry
August 3, 2010
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On the Ones and Threes
by Versus
August 3, 2010
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Str8 Killa [EP]
by Freddie Gibbs
August 3, 2010
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Many Colored Kite
by Mark Olson
July 27, 2010
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That's How We Burn
by Jaill
July 27, 2010
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Nightmare
by Avenged Sevenfold
July 27, 2010
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Mines
by Menomena
July 27, 2010
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Crazy for You
by Best Coast
July 27, 2010
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Praise & Blame
by Tom Jones
July 27, 2010
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Beach Fossils
by Beach Fossils
July 27, 2010
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Fortress
by Miniature Tigers
July 27, 2010
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The Darkside, Vol. 1
by Fat Joe
July 27, 2010
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Hunting My Dress
by Jesca Hoop
July 27, 2010
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Lazers Never Die
by Major Lazer
July 27, 2010
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Terror of Cosmic Loneliness
by Gruff Rhys
July 27, 2010
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The Runaway
by The Magic Numbers
July 23, 2010
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Sun Comes Up Again
by I Am Arrows
July 20, 2010
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Pink Graffiti
by Silver Cities
July 20, 2010
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Obadiah
by Frazey Ford
July 20, 2010
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Teflon Don
by Rick Ross
July 20, 2010
Losing none of the momentum put in motion by his 2009 effort, Deeper Than Rap, Rick Ross keeps a very good thing going on Teflon Don, arguably his best album to date. You want rap-style luxury? Then Deeper is the better fit, but Teflon plays up the chilled and soulful elements of its predecessor, meaning Ross has graduated to a level where words like “organic†and “poignant†come into play. The former is best represented by “Mayback Music III†and it’s swirling, ‘70s-flavored dreamscape created by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production team. Ross allows guests T.I. and Jadakiss to go first on the cut, then grabs his cigar for an uplifting story of ghetto triumph that goes from pushing to pleasing the folks (“Parents never had a good job/Now it’s black American Express cards"). When it comes to “poignant,†the evidence is dotted throughout the album with the rapper reflecting on where he’s been, and he often questions his own lust for fame. He chants the title to the opening “I’m Not a Star†as if it was a remindful mantra, but it’s his new love of contrasts that’s really interesting, following Kanye’s swaggering on “Live Fast, Die Young†with “Seems to me we gettin’ money for the wrong things/Look around, Maseratis for the whole team/Look at Haiti, children dyin’ round the clock/I’d send a hundred grand but that’s a decent watchâ€. The familiar party and thugging tunes work too with “B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast),†“No. 1,†and the mixtape favorite “MC Hammer†-- now with added Gucci Mane verse -- all coming correct. Add all the Illuminati references in the Jay-Z team-up (“Free Masonâ€), a decent smoking song (“Super Highâ€), and a track where Cee-Lo’s performance just might make you misty (“Tears of Joyâ€), and it’s obvious Ross’ albums are no longer just vessels for his singles. ~ David Jeffries
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The Long Shadow of the Paper Tiger
by Mahjongg
July 20, 2010
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Infra
by Max Richter
July 20, 2010
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Record
by Zero 7
July 20, 2010
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It'll Be Better
by Francis & the Lights
July 20, 2010
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What Lasts
by These United States
July 20, 2010
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100 Miles from Memphis
by Sheryl Crow
July 20, 2010
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Archive 2003-2006
by Department of Eagles
July 20, 2010
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The Way Out
by The Books
July 20, 2010
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I Heart California
by Jason Lytle
July 13, 2010
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Libraries
by The Love Language
July 13, 2010
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Flaws
by Bombay Bicycle Club
July 13, 2010
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Admiral Fell Promises
by Sun Kil Moon
July 13, 2010
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Masts of Manhatta
by Tracy Bonham
July 13, 2010
Tracy Bonham’s career trajectory seems to run in reverse; with each record, she gets riskier, coming a long, long way from the bottled-up furious angst of her ‘90s alt-rock staple “Mother Mother.†Masts of Manhatta, her fourth album and first since 2005’s Blink the Brightest, ups the ante from that haunting record by accentuating its elliptical turns, its songs dodging conventional routes in favor of left turns. Bonham is assisted greatly by Beck guitarist Smokey Hormel and his trio, who lend her songs earthiness and art, giving this heft and welcome unpredictability. To an extent, Bonham lays out her album’s thesis on “We Moved Our City to the Country,†a knowing satire of hipsters fleeing the urban jungle for faux authenticity, where she feels the pull of the two extremes as evidenced by how her sawing violin contrasts with the cabaret shuffle of Hormel’s group. Masts of Manhatta walks this line throughout, sometimes getting quite a bit livelier, sometimes indulging in decidedly moody textures, always twisting just slightly from the expected, making for a record that’s quite intriguing upon the first listen and better on repeats, where the songs begin to dig in and all the textures gain resonance. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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Serotonin
by Mystery Jets
July 13, 2010
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Sky at Night
by I Am Kloot
July 13, 2010
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Dark Night Of The Soul
by Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse
July 13, 2010
Originally, the album was to be released with a book of photographs by director David Lynch and vocals by such artists as The Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, Jason Lytle, the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Frank Black, Iggy Pop, the Shins' James Mercer, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chestnut, The Cardigans' Nina Persson, and David Lynch.
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Pilot Talk
by Curren$y
July 13, 2010
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Wildwood
by Chatham County Line
July 13, 2010
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Blue Giant
by Blue Giant
July 13, 2010
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Disconnect from Desire
by School of Seven Bells
July 13, 2010
On their second album, School of Seven Bells cast themselves as an update of a specific kind of misfit band. Alpinisms reconstituted late-’80/early-‘90s shoegaze. Disconnect from Desire, however, updates the sound of a kind of band that would have opened for Peter Gabriel and Eurythmics, or headlined over Revolver, rather than tour with the likes of Lush, Ride, and Pale Saints. Here, a focused songcraft and central placement of the Deheza twins’ alluring vocals -- which tend to be lower and more earthly than they were on the debut -- disallow School of Seven Bells from being squarely shoegaze. At the same time, the band is too left of center, too odd, to be considered anywhere near the mainstream. Their cleaner, less wispy, more muscular sound, combined with more traditional songwriting, is not that radical a change. It’s closer to a slight shift that registers after a couple spins, once it becomes apparent that deeply emotive and relatively sparse songs like “I L U,†“Joviann,†and “The Wait†would have made excellent tracks buried throughout Sire’s Just Say series. They have shoegaze lyric-generator staples like wind, waves, ocean, storms, and even talk of “slipping away.†And yet, the words are not merely functional, written solely for the sake of complementing the sound as an additional instrument. They’re either poetically vague or vaguely poetic -- stuff like “Let me will the dial to turn and gild the air with silver pearls of rain†and “When’s the wait a cradle in which you’re lulled from time to time, soundly spun into an insensate lie.†The thicker, more driving songs resemble a polished, warm Curve, whipping up squalls of noise over robust played-and-programmed rhythms that soar more often than batter. No matter the amount of layering, not a single element is obscured. This vivid directness suits them very well. ~ Andy Kellman
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Korn III: Remember Who You Are
by Korn
July 13, 2010
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Intriguer
by Crowded House
July 13, 2010
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MAYA
by M.I.A.
July 13, 2010
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Symphonicities
by Sting
July 13, 2010
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Butterfly House
by The Coral
July 12, 2010
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Again & Again
by Thieves Like Us
July 6, 2010
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Custom Built
by Bret Michaels
July 6, 2010
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How To Destroy Angels
by How to Destroy Angels
July 6, 2010
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Flesh Tone
by Kelis
July 6, 2010
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Aphrodite
by Kylie Minogue
July 6, 2010
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Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
by Big Boi
July 6, 2010
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Street Songs of Love
by Alejandro Escovedo
June 29, 2010
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Perch Patchwork
by Maps & Atlases
June 29, 2010
Maps & Atlases’ second EP, You and Me and the Mountain, found the band moving in a lighter direction than the mathematical frenzy of their first EP Trees, Swallows, Houses. Their first full-length sees them fully morphed into a sophisticated indie pop group. Perch Patchwork is a bold debut, filled with bombastic arrangements, twisting modal progressions, and percussive layers. The skill set is high, but it’s far less showy. Guitarists will still be enthralled by Dave Davidson's and Erin Elders' fingertapping, but acoustics take precedent, and moderately slow tempos maintain the album's balladic feel. If Trees, Swallows, Houses felt like a cousin to Don Cab or Hella, their first Barsuk outing has adapted the organic spirit of their Northwestern labelmates (particularly that of Menomena, the Long Winters, and John Vanderslice.) Of course, with Maps & Atlases' virtuosic chops and syncopated leanings, they kind of resemble BLK JKS or Minus the Bear, albeit with a Jethro Tull influence. Trendy South African rhythms and austere strings spin a web around Davidson’s poetic lyrics, and in this intricate, introspective setting, their talent becomes very clear. ~ Jason Lymangrover
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Night Work
by Scissor Sisters
June 29, 2010
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Streets Of Gold
by 3OH!3
June 29, 2010
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Expo 86
by Wolf Parade
June 29, 2010
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Steel Train
by Steel Train
June 29, 2010
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Acolyte
by Delphic
June 29, 2010
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