Thankfully my critical mauling mitts remain dusty after succumbing to music that lives up to the hype. For a debut album to take in influences as head-spinning as The Beach Boys, The Beta Band, Super Furry Animals, ELO and The Wurzels is something. Sunshine from St. Helens (between Manchester and Li...
I'm not just talking about experimental stuff either, but "pop" and "dance" and "indie," and did I mention "pop"? It's not hard to imagine this because ...
Spanning blue-eyed soul, synthpop, r&b, and geek-rock, Hot Chip's musical hybrid is a lovable (if unlikely) one-- and, mostly for utilitarian reasons, it's not one you'd expect them to...
The Keytar is quite possibly the worst instrument ever invented. No, wait. It is the worst instrument ever invented. As a keyboard player it's practically impossible to look cool anyway; hell even...
It's like a skills-exchange workshop where mechanically minded krautrockers are encouraged to share their knowledge with remedial class glam bands only interested in big beat thrills. And as the a...
Among critics and fans, the National's third album Alligator has become synonymous with the term grower. Released to minor acclaim early in 2005, the album has since quietly and steadily built up ...
In the face of every over-reaching TV on the Radio article in 2006 about race or the role of major labels or the impending re-evaluation of Peter Gabriel, the group figured out how to let the music pr...
The band — which features singer Bert McCracken, guitarist Quinn Allman, bassist Jeph Howard, and new drummer Dan Whitesides — began writing the songs on Lies in early 2006 after taking ti...
The result: songs that are not only hard-hitting but adventurously arranged and sonically fresh. Explains OZZY, "It's a well-put together album. I think it's evident that it hasn't be...
“I’ve Got To Use My Imagination” was the initial single off the album to hit the radio waves. It has guitar play, as well as modest drum work and what sounds like a trumpet, which ac...