Music reviews
I suppose, as it goes, “discovering on a Seth MacFarlane cartoon” isn’t the most auspicious of band introductions… but if it makes any difference, it was American Dad, the best of them (and, like, at least it wasn’t The Cleveland Show). But the great thing about music is that it doesn’t really matter how you find out about it, but that you find out. And besides, I really like American Dad, so there. Continue reading
When Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark reformed its original lineup and released History of Modern, I wasn’t sure what to expect. OMD’s post-Junk Culture material left me a bit cold, but I decided to give the album a chance. I was pleasantly surprised to find OMD keeping pace with contemporary electronic pop. Though the album was uneven, it showed that the band could still teach the kids how its done. It was enough to get me to see them live on the History of Modern tour, though I only bought my ticket after contemporaries The Human League cancelled their show. The show was a high-energy synth-fest, with new material standing side by side with tracks from across the band’s career. I left hoping they’d keep at it for a while. Continue reading
Ah, Stryper. If you’ve heard of them at all, chances are you’re of my generation and barely recall ‘that Christian metal band’ that had a couple of videos on MTV and showed up on the Billboard charts every so often. They were a brief, occasional flash across the screen, or the radio, in a time that was absolutely dominated by big-haired ballad-crooning metal groups. I’m not surprised if even their logo fails to jog your memory. Continue reading
The Wild is the new EP (and his third release overall) from Lewis Watson. His previous EPs were called It’s Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW and Another Four Sad Songs; despite the naming convention change, The Wild isn’t necessarily a change of theme. The first track, “Into the Wild” has a bit of an uplifting feel, but the next track “It Could Be Better” dashes the narrator’s hopes. “Little Darling” isn’t much happier (despite the refrain of “Little Darling/You’re mine”), nor is “Hold On”. Presumably the EP is called The Wild because Three More Sad Songs and One That’s Not Really That Sad doesn’t really have a good ring to it. Of course, that’s not a bad thing for the listener — it’s really quite enjoyable. Continue reading
I am willing to make this declaration about Nanobots, They Might Be Giants’ newly-released 16th album: It is the one of the absolute best things they have done in the last 18 years. As someone who builds my life around this band, even I admit that a fair amount of their output in recent years has been underwhelming. But Nanobots can take its place alongside some of their best work. Continue reading
Amazon Women From Space is the new EP from H3rwig Maurer’s New World Revolution is a collection of unreleased tracks dating as far back as 2000, right after the demise of the Mankind Liberation Front. Maurer says that the reason they weren’t released before this is that he “never felt fully aligned with the lyrical content, basically kind embarrassed about some of it” — but fan interest drove him to finally release them while he continues work on the upcoming NWR full-length Operation of the Sun. Honestly, he doesn’t have anything to worry about — whether or not he’s a fan of the lyrics, the music is strong — and something that should make everyone excited for the new LP. Continue reading
by Domenica Clark
For beginners to the decades-spanning career of Sparks, their seminal art-baroque-glam-pop Kimono My House has been often noted as the obvious place to start. Kimono is super pop-y, accessible and has classic stompers such as “Amateur Hour” and “Talent is an Asset”. After you’ve found that you enjoy Kimono and are ready to graduate to higher Mael plains, I would suggest mostly looking to their pre and post-Kimono output, most notably their albums Indiscreet and A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing. While Kimono is by far their most accessible album, there are albums and songs that truly illuminate what makes them so darn special in rock music history. The Mael brothers’ output is notable for their acerbic, witty lyrics and clever songwriting. The following songs are some of their most wild and unusual and highlight why they are (often) great. Continue reading
I talk to a good number of people who are into indie* music, and am always thrilled to find others who are fans of the more obscure bands I enjoy. There is one band, however, that I find to be less well-known than any other: The Nelories**. Continue reading
The first sound on the self-titled album by Eskimeaux is a deep drone that sounds like it’s being played back from a 78 RPM shellac disc. It is soon joined by Gabrielle Smith’s vocals, layered on top with crystal clarity and multitracked harmonies at key lyrical points. Soon, church organ and occasional guitar feedback join in. When the rumbling drone cuts out in the song’s climax, the effect is startling, and yet feels organic and right, putting just the right amount of emphasis on the plaintive vocals detailing a story of escape into a cold night. The effect is a stunningly and appropriate opening to a series of songs musing on change—or the lack thereof. Continue reading
Dear Tori Amos,
It’s me again. Remember when I wrote you that letter in Italy, but I never made it to the concert to give it to you? And then I brought it to your show in Toronto instead? I’m sorry about that letter, and I hope you didn’t read it, or this one, because it’s kind of mean. Continue reading