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Spin Cycle
Spin Cycle: Enter Shikari’s “A Flash Flood Of Colour”
If Lostprophets had continued along the path they set for themselves with their Sony debut The Fake Sound Of Progress rather than devolve into a Bob Rock-produced radio rock sing-along monstrosity that they are now, then I think they would’ve beaten Enter Shikari to the punch on making a killer drum ‘n bass/metal/pop hybrid album like A Flash Flood Of Colour. Too bad for LP, Cheers to Enter Shikari. On their third record, Enter Shikari up the ante even more […]
Spin Cycle: BLACK TAXI’s “We Don’t Know Any Better”
I almost feel bad for the rest of the artists releasing new music in 2012 because BLACK TAXI’s sophomore record, We Don’t Know Any Better, is gonna be hard to top. I’ve had this thing for over a month now and I still can’t stop listening to it (Hence all the write-ups here). We Don’t Know Any Better is addictive, it’s fun, it’s elegant, it’s dirty, it’s… seriously, if this album doesn’t make it onto most top 10 of 2012 […]
Spin Cycle: Snow Patrol’s “Fallen Empires” (Drew’s Review)
We don’t typically double-dip here at Popblerd, in terms of record reviews. But when my buddy and Popblerd brethren Mike A. had a much different reaction to the new Snow Patrol record, we decided an exception to the rule was in order; Mike would review Fallen Empires around its UK release date, while I would take the reins in time for the US release. Mike’s review can be found here , and it’s well worth a read, primarily because your reaction to Fallen Empires just […]
Spin Cycle: Guided By Voices’ “Let’s Go Eat the Factory”
There’s a tried-and-true indie rock algorithm that states that former schoolteacher and Guided By Voices mastermind Robert Pollard + anything = a song. Like Billy Corgan and Ryan Adams after him, the man’s songwriting muse is so restless that one imagines they must spend their days holed up in a smoky bedroom with the shades drawn, eagerly committing every phrase they’ve ever learned to a series of spiral-bound notebooks in an effort to mold the entire English language into a […]
Spin Cycle: Derek Sherinian’s “Oceana”
To say that Derek Sherinian is a musical outlier would be an understatement. Most keyboard players are either jazz-focused or members of goofy hair metal bands. Sherinian is neither, although he dabbles in bits of both. Here’s a guy who loves rock-jazz fusion (with emphasis on the former, straying into the latter sonically on occasion, and time-signature-wise very frequently) and, at the same time, has played keys for the likes of both KISS and Alice Cooper. He’s probably most recognized, […]
Spin Cycle: Kevin Hearn’s “Cloud Maintenance”
Although best known as the keyboardist of Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Hearn is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who has recorded several albums outside of the BNL fold. Although many of these releases were recorded along with his band Thin Buckle, the just-released Cloud Maintenance is the second full-length to be released under his name alone. It’s a whimsical affair that falls in line with the rest of his solo work. For those who have never heard Hearn’s solo work (or […]
Spin Cycle: Common’s “The Dreamer/The Believer”
Has Common regained his footing with his new album “The Dreamer, The Believer”? Read our review and find out!
Spin Cycle: Anthony Hamilton’s “Back to Love”
A lot of times when I write reviews, I like to explain how I first came into contact with the artist’s work. With Anthony Hamilton, it was at a 2003 convention headed by L.A. Reid and the folks at Arista Records. Amid songs, interviews and performances with the likes of Usher, Pink and Outkast, they also introduced a handful of their developing artists-including a soul singer by the name of Anthony Hamilton. With a voice that recalled Bill Withers and […]
Spin Cycle: The Good Natured’s “Skeleton”
Part Florence & The Machine. Part Client. Part Ladytron. All awesome. That’s The Good Natured in a nutshell. I came across them while researching a completely different genre band. Saw them on the EMI homepage and thought they looked cool (yeah, I’m admitting that). I checked out “Skeleton” the song and was intrigued by the blend of new wave and modern-day electro pop. Then I purchased Skeleton the EP and fell in love. From the minute “Your Body Is a Machine” opens up […]
Spin Cycle: Robin Thicke’s “Love After War”
Robin Thicke has to be the most unlikely R&B star of all time. His mom is a former soap star. His dad is Jason Fucking Seaver. Irregardless of his stardom, what’s proven a bit more interesting to me is how someone who seemed to be bringing a quirky, fresh attitude to pop ‘n b turned so conventional over the course of his career. I was what you might call an “early adopter” of Robin. Back in the summer of 2002, […]
Spin Cycle: David Mead’s “Dudes”
For at least a few years, David Mead’s been on my “must check-out” list: I’d just never been in the right situation to give him a chance. I remember first hearing about him via my friend Paul, who described David as the cooler alternative to John Mayer, who I love. Actually, that might have been the reason I held off on checking his music out. When you take down one of my favorites to big up someone else, I tend […]
