An arm is pinned under the hood of a pink Cadillac—it comes free, flops into the desert dirt and kicks a dust cloud into the air. He drops the gun and walks back to the vehicle. There are pink fluorescent lights taped inside the trunk, shining on a book of gnostic gospels with seaweed rot, a riot shield with the initials “H.L.” written into a strip of duct tape, a fire-axe with a broken neck and a grocery bag […]
Posts tagged "Spin Cycle"
Spin Cycle: Bruce Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball”
The Boss is back with his first new album in three years. How does it hold up to his lengthy list of classics?
Spin Cycle: The Magnetic Fields’ “Love at the Bottom of the Sea”
Digestible and lean, The Magnetic Fields’ latest record, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, attempts to have it both ways: while each Fields album after their massive, masterful magnum opus 69 Love Songs has been more laser-focused than that thrillingly kitchen-sink record, Love at the Bottom packs 15 swift tracks into its sinewy 34-minute runtime. For this we can thank Stephin Merritt, Magnetic Fields maestro and patron saint of indie kids who scrawl their lyrical sketches on cocktail napkins and dog-eared […]
Spin Cycle: Ja Rule’s “Pain Is Love 2”
Remember this dude? He has a new album. And we were brave enough to review it!
Spin Cycle: The Cranberries’ “Roses”
Chugging bass notes and rhythmically-scrubbed acoustic guitars scamper across a vaguely martial 4/4 drumbeat; Dolores O’Riordan’s distinctive Irish lilt, alternately forceful and airy, flits over the whole enterprise, dreamy harmonies and counter-melodies rising from the ether to join O’Riordan in a chanting, cyclical chorale of Dolores O’Riordans, all cooing in one accord the wistful dissolution of a relationship that simply wasn’t meant to be. Worried that you accidentally gunned the Delorean up to 88mph last night and have found yourself […]
Spin Cycle: The Robert Glasper Experiment’s “Black Radio”
Want an excellent album of jazz-inflected soul with some left-field stuff thrown in? Look no further. Robert Glasper’s “Black Radio” is your album and we’ve got the review.
Spin Cycle: Estelle’s “All Of Me”
Sometimes simply being refreshing is enough. Take Estelle: she’s a good singer, but not a vocal powerhouse. She’s a fine emcee, but not a magnetic one. And yet, 2008’s Kanye duet “American Boy” was such a shot in the arm; the London vocalist’s flirtatious interplay with Ye was engaging, the hook burrowed deep into the brain, and the splashy electro-funk production sounded like both a fresh diversion and a remarkably spot-on prediction of the direction pop music would take in […]
Spin Cycle: Sinead O’Connor’s “How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?”
There’s a quip that’s been fluttering around music circles for the past year. The wording varies, but it boils down to this: “So, when Adele’s happy, does she just stop writing songs, or what’s the deal with that?” The witticism is a bit played-out in the wake of the singer’s Grammy sweep, but it poses an interesting question: can a singer known for spinning their depressive notions into musical gold excel when they’ve arrived at a place of relative contentment? […]
Spin Cycle: Antlered Man “Giftes 1&2”
Imagine a Desert Sessions album with Josh Homme and King Buzzo on guitar, Nick Oliveri on bass, Dave Grohl on drums and John Lydon (In PIL mode) singing his ass off behind the mic. That, my friends, is Antlered Man in a nutshell and Giftes 1&2 is what that Sessions disc would sound like, only better. Now I bet a bunch of you are saying “Who the hell are Antlered Man?”. Have no fear, Popblerd is here to sort you out. Didn’t […]
Spin Cycle: Baddies’ “Build”
If Devo ever decide to call it day, Baddies is the band that the torch needs to be passed to. Part Devo (“Man Made Man”), part Queens of the Stone Age (“These Animals”), part Oingo Boingo (“The Lightmen”), UK’s Baddies are simply delightful and on Build, the band’s second full-length, they keep it delightfully simple. On the follow-up to Do the Job (Please tell me you’ve heard this record!), Baddies streamline their sound, keep it at a concise 10 tracks and […]
Spin Cycle: fun.’s “Some Nights”
You’ve heard “We Are Young” all over the place, now check out what we think about fun.’s new album.
Spin Cycle: Burial’s “Kindred”
Dubstep/electronic act Burial have a new EP out called “Kindred.” Check out our review.