I’ve had I Come To Shanghai’s Eternal Life Vol. II for quite some time now. As previously discussed here on Popblerd , Robert Ashley and Sam Frigard added an “early download & listen” incentive to their KickStarter project. Over the last month, I’ve had their record pop up on my iPhone as I go for long drives or as I do chores around the house. Much like one of my favorite albums, Chicago , there is a constantly flowing suite of music that seamlessly blends from one […]
Spin Cycle
Spin Cycle: The Ting Tings’ “Sounds From Nowheresville”
Regardless of one’s feelings about The Ting Tings – day-glo pop masterminds or mere dancefloor diversions – they’d doubtlessly be a surprising addition to the canon of 2000s artists granted pop longevity. Their debut record, We Started Nothing, was a dance-rock jackpot, spilling out a startling amount of durable singles like a generous Atlantic City slot machine; but it, as a record, never offered anything below the heavily stylized surface. Not that all music needs to, mind you – it’s just […]
Spin Cycle: Lucero’s “Women & Work”
I was first introduced to Lucero in 2001 when I saw them open a string of dates for the North Mississippi Allstars in Colorado. Prior to hearing them for the first time, I was told to expect “Jay Farrar meets emo”. I found this description to not only be fairly accurate, but musically, it was wildly successful in execution. The band’s self-titled debut and sophomore effort Tennessee were quality releases, but the third album That Much Further West is where […]
Spin Cycle: Say Anything’s “Anarchy, My Dear”
You could fill years of academic journals with research about popular music and mental illness. The chemical balances that lend themselves to musical mastery will surely never be uncovered, nor will we ever understand the tendency of artistic geniuses to commit themselves to bizarre or self-destructive behaviors (or, in some cases, both). But what happens if things get better? What if you’re able to quell your demons and triumph over adversity – does the music get better, or does the […]
Spin Cycle: HarborLights “All Would Not Do”
Hum meets Mogwai? Pelican lite? Describe Massachusetts HarborLights however you want just don’t call them boring. Destined for great things, HarborLights long awaited debut, All Would Not Do, channels all those bands yet adds so much more to create an epic eight track beast that sways effortlessly between serene moments of clarity and jaw dropping segments of heavy guitar fueled sonic ecstasy. Beginning with “All Is True”, HarborLights set a beautiful tone with guitarist Matthew Wright’s leads building to a […]
Spin Cycle: Big Wreck “Albatross”
For those of you who’ve never heard of Alexisonfire, Rush, Our Lady Peace or Big Wreck, I apologize now if your first exposure to Canadian rock bands was Nickelback. Here’s the basic difference between Chad Kroeger and Ian Thornley — Ian is a musician with something to say and he’s surrounded himself with true musicians in the band Big Wreck. Another trademark that is oft-compared is Thornley’s voice. He will inevitably be compared to ‘that guy out of Seattle,’ who’s set […]
Spin Cycle: Every Time I Die’s “Ex Lives”
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 […]
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.