new kexp album reviews
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New Album Reviews:
The National: Trouble Will Find Me
- (4AD)
This Brooklyn band’s sixth album is another masterful set of dark, brooding chamber-rock, beautifully arranged and subtly detailed with ringing guitars, mournful strings, piano, occasional brass and other instrumentation accompanying Matt Berninger’s resonant baritone and smartly crafted lyrics of unease, guilt and regret.
5/17/2013 - Don Yates
Other National album reviews:
High Violet - 5/10/2010Boxer - 5/9/2007
Alligator - 3/23/2005
Daft Punk: Random Access Memories
- (Daft Life/Columbia)
This French duo’s fourth proper studio album (and first in eight years) finds them moving away from electronic music towards a sleek ‘70s disco sound inflected with prog-rock, smooth jazz, yacht rock, sci-fi soundtracks and more. Using some stellar veteran studio musicians and featuring a variety of special guests including Chic’s Nile Rodgers, electro pioneer Giorgio Moroder, composer/pop cheese-ball Paul Williams, Animal Collective’s Panda Bear, the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams and other luminaries, Random Access Memories is a lush, glittering set of meticulously arranged songs that often pack a surprising poignancy.
5/17/2013 - Don Yates
Other Daft Punk album reviews:
Discovery - 3/15/2001Majical Cloudz: Impersonator
- (Matador)
This Montreal duo’s second album is an often-stunning set of brooding, majestic ballads featuring a stark, minimalist sound with atmospheric synths and somber piano accompanying Devon Welsh’s booming, dramatic vocals and deeply personal lyrics.
5/17/2013 - Don Yates
Big Eyes: Almost Famous
- (Grave Mistake)
The second album from this Seattle trio led by guitarist/vocalist Kate Eldridge is an impressive blend of muscular garage-rock and hook-filled power-pop that’s not far-removed from bands like Visqueen and the Fastbacks, featuring crunchy guitars, tight, energetic rhythms, soaring, often double-tracked vocals and catchy melodies.
5/17/2013 - Don Yates
Saturday Looks Good To Me: One Kiss Ends It All
- (Polyvinyl)
The fifth proper album (and first in six years) from this Ann Arbor, MI band led by Fred Thomas is another well-crafted set of breezy, ‘60s-steeped psych-pop with jangly guitars, keyboards, sax and other instrumentation fleshing out a variety of smartly crafted songs with sunny melodies.
5/17/2013 - Don Yates
Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City
- (XL)
This New York band’s third album is their most mature and musically adventurous release to date. It’s stuffed with an impressive variety of beautifully crafted, intricately detailed songs with imaginative arrangements featuring colorful instrumentation, tricky time signatures, odd vocal effects, heavenly choirs and more, with typically smart, often dark lyrics about love and mortality that also carry more emotional resonance than before.
5/10/2013 - Don Yates
Other Vampire Weekend album reviews:
Contra - 1/7/2010Vampire Weekend - 6/18/2007
The Baptist Generals: Jackleg Devotional to the Heart
- (Sub Pop)
The second album (and first in 10 years) from this Denton, TX band led by Chris Flemmons is an impressive set of ramshackle, experimental folk-rock with a warm, expansive sound featuring acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, strings, woodwinds, horns, marimba, guitarron, ambient noises and more on scrappy, poignant songs of love lost and found.
5/10/2013 - Don Yates
MS MR: Secondhand Rapture
- (Columbia)
This New York duo’s debut full-length is a strong set of moody, goth-tinged pop with a dark, beautifully produced sound combining synths, piano, strings, brass, martial-influenced rhythms, Lizzy Plapinger’s powerful, slightly husky vocals and lots of potent song hooks.
5/10/2013 - Don Yates
Various Artists/Compilation: Garage Swim
- (Adult Swim)
An excellent garage-rock compilation available for free download from the folks at Adult Swim, featuring 15 previously unreleased songs from an impressive lineup including Thee Oh Sees, Black Lips, Mikal Cronin, King Khan, JEFF The Brotherhood, King Tuff, Mind Spiders, the Gories and many more. It’s a great overview of the current healthy state of the genre.
5/10/2013 - Don Yates
Other Various Artists/Compilation album reviews:
Sub Pop 1000 - 4/12/2013What's Up Seattle: Digital Mixtape No. 1 - 8/2/2012
Oi! A Nova Musica Brasileira! - 5/26/2011
Night Slugs Allstars Volume 1 - 1/21/2011
Angola Soundtrack - 10/31/2010
Radioclit Presents: The Sound of Club Secousse Vol. 1 - 10/8/2010
Brazil Classics 7: What's Happening in Pernambuco? - 1/22/2008
Si, Para Usted - 4/12/2007
This is Reggae Music: The Golden Era 1960-1975 - 1/11/2005
Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough - 1/4/2005
Sweetheart 2005 - 12/17/2004
The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered - 9/30/2004
KEXP Presents: Music That Matters Volume 1 - 9/22/2004
Future Soundtrack for America - 8/4/2004
Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest in Funk & Soul - 8/3/2004
The Rough Trade Field Guide to Music Volume One - 6/23/2004
Wellspring: A Benefit for Bread for the City - 11/24/2003
Bay Area Funk - 11/3/2003
Deep Concentration 4: Wreckin' the Floor - 10/15/2003
We Came From Beyond Volume 2 - 9/15/2003
Brazilian Groove - 8/15/2003
Ghana Soundz: Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70's Ghana - 7/15/2003
Den of Thieves: The Sound of Eighteenth Street Lounge Music - 6/15/2003
Globalista: Import-Export - 6/15/2003
Black & Proud Vol. 2 - 2/15/2003
Dubwise & Otherwise 2 - 2/15/2003
Almost You: The Songs of Elvis Costello - 1/15/2003
Dub Selector 2 - 1/15/2003
The Now Sound of Brazil - 1/15/2003
All's Fair in Love and Chickfactor: cf mixtape 1 - 12/15/2002
Up from the Vaults Volume 1 - 12/15/2002
Arabesque - 11/15/2002
Red Hot + Riot - 10/15/2002
Urban Renewal Program - 9/15/2002
Peanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45's - 9/15/2002
Select Cuts from Blood & Fire Chapter Three - 9/15/2002
World 2002 - 8/15/2002
African Odyssey - 8/15/2002
Total Lee! The Songs of Lee Hazlewood - 7/15/2002
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - 6/15/2002
Revenge of the B-Boy: Episode 2 (Attack of the Toyz) - 6/15/2002
Mundial Muzique v2 - 6/15/2002
Africa Raps - 5/15/2002
Recorded Live at the Second Sacred Steel Convention - 5/15/2002
The Rough Guide to Afro-Peru - 4/15/2002
Rarewerks II - 4/15/2002
Booniay!! - 4/15/2002
Funky 16 Corners - 2/15/2002
Grazing in the Trash Vol. 2 - 2/15/2002
Latin Groove - 2/15/2002
Traveler '02 - 2/15/2002
Caught in the Webb - 1/15/2002
I (Heart) Serge - 1/15/2002
Irma on Canvas: Exhibition #1 - 1/15/2002
Sincerely Yours: Klein Records - 1/15/2002
Putumayo Presents Samba Bossa Nova - 12/15/2001
Future World Funk: The Third Dimension - 12/15/2001
Indian Summer - 12/15/2001
The Reggae Box: The Routes of Jamaican Music - 12/15/2001
Soul Addiction - 11/15/2001
Urban Revolutions: The Future Primitive Sound Collective - 11/15/2001
Hi-Fidelity Dub Sessions 3 - 11/15/2001
Give the People What We Want: The Songs of the Kinks - 11/15/2001
Microphone Attack: Niney the Observer 1974-78 - 10/15/2001
Viva Cuba Libre! - 8/15/2001
Wall of Sound Presents Telle - 8/15/2001
Space Jazz - 8/15/2001
Darker Than Blue: Soul from Jamdown 1973-1980 - 8/15/2001
The Funky Precedent Vol. 2 - 8/15/2001
Space Jazz - 7/15/2001
Brazilified - 7/15/2001
A Break from the Norm - 7/15/2001
Dublab Presents: Freeways - 6/15/2001
Milesahead: Incontinental - 6/15/2001
Mystic Groove - 6/15/2001
Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and B - 6/15/2001
Samba Soul 70! - 6/15/2001
Modular Systems - 5/15/2001
Morricone Rmx - 5/15/2001
Bassic Instinct No. 3 (Stereo Deluxe) - 5/15/2001
Compost One Hundred - 5/15/2001
Train Don't Leave Me! - 4/15/2001
Traveler '01 - 4/15/2001
Quango: Music for a Global Culture - 4/15/2001
No Categories 4 - 4/15/2001
The Temple - 3/15/2001
Bollywood Breaks - 2/15/2001
The Gift - 2/15/2001
Gypsy Caravan - 2/15/2001
Come on Beautiful: The Songs of American Music Club - 1/15/2001
Rarewerks - 1/15/2001
Ethiopiques, 8: Swinging Addis - 10/15/2000
Frikyiwa collection 2 - 10/15/2000
Jack Ruby Presents the Black Foundation - 10/15/2000
Baiao De Viramundo: Tribute to Luiz Gonzaga - 10/15/2000
Atomium 3003 - 9/15/2000
Viva Cubop 2 - 9/15/2000
Latin Travels - 9/15/2000
New Latinaires 3 - 9/15/2000
Just Another Taste of Electronic Watusi Boogaloo - 8/15/2000
Master Musicians of Jajouka featuring Bachir Attar - 8/15/2000
Music from the Tea Lands - 8/15/2000
This Is Ecco-Fonic! - 7/15/2000
Down To The Promised Land - 6/15/2000
Puerto Rico - 6/15/2000
Ambient Systems: Limited Edition, Interior Horizons - 5/15/2000
Balkan Blues: The Other Side of the Balkans - 5/15/2000
Caipirissima - 5/15/2000
Salsa Africa - 5/15/2000
Best Of Cookin' - 5/15/2000
Traveler '00 - 4/15/2000
On The Floor At The Boutique: Mixed By Fatboy Slim - 4/15/2000
2001: A Rhyme Odyssey - 3/15/2000
Asian Travels - 3/15/2000
2001: A Rhyme Odyssey - 3/15/2000
No Categories 3 - 3/15/2000
Republica Dominicana - 3/15/2000
The Alan Lomax Collection Sampler - 3/15/2000
Brassic Beats USA - 2/15/2000
In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute To Dave Brubeck - 2/15/2000
Music From The Zydeco Kingdom - 2/15/2000
Future, Jazz - 1/15/2000
Return Of The D.J. Vol. III - 1/15/2000
Tektonics - 1/15/2000
The New Latinaires 2 - 11/15/1999
Soulfood - 11/15/1999
Viva Cubop! - 11/15/1999
Cape Verde - 11/15/1999
Jet Society - 11/15/1999
Quannum Spectrum - 10/15/1999
Freezone 6: Fourth Person Singular - 9/15/1999
The Funky Precedent - 9/15/1999
The Music of Nubenegra - 9/15/1999
Sacred Steel Live! - 9/15/1999
Brasil 2Mil: 1. The Soul of Bass-O-Nova - 8/15/1999
Revenge of the B-Boy presents I Saw Your Mama Breakdancing B - 8/15/1999
Soul Ecstasy - 8/15/1999
Unknownwerks: Volume 01 - 8/15/1999
Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon - 8/15/1999
The New Latinaires - 7/15/1999
Crooklyn Dub Outernational Presents Certified Dope, Vol. 3 - 7/15/1999
Loud, Fast & Out Of Control: The Wild Sounds Of ‘50s Rock - 6/15/1999
Edges From The Postcard 3 - 6/15/1999
Return Of The Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons - 6/15/1999
Brasileiro - 5/15/1999
Cuba - 5/15/1999
Doob Doob O’ Rama: Filmsongs From Bollywood - 5/15/1999
Roots Rock Guitar Party: Zimbabwe Frontline 3 - 5/15/1999
Songs Of The Siren 2 - 5/15/1999
Sub Rosa vs. Shi-Ra-Nui - 5/15/1999
Suck It and See - 5/15/1999
Traveler ’99: A Planetful of Grooves - 5/15/1999
We Come In Peace - 5/15/1999
Heavyweight 3 - 4/15/1999
No Categories 2 - 4/15/1999
Ethiopiques 3 - 3/15/1999
Mephisto: San Francisco Plasmafunk - 3/15/1999
Source Material - 3/15/1999
Studio One Showcase, Volume 1 - 3/15/1999
African Salsa - 2/15/1999
Pop Romantique - 2/15/1999
How Much For Trade? - 1/15/1999
Mali To Memphis - 1/15/1999
Tribes Of Da Underground, Vol. 4 - 1/15/1999
Out Of Perspective - 1/15/1999
Real: The Tom T. Hall Project - 1/15/1999
French Fried Funk, Vol. II - 12/15/1998
Joe Gibbs Mood: The Amalgamated Label 1968-71 - 12/15/1998
King Size Ska - 12/15/1998
Two Cries Of Freedom - 11/15/1998
From The Tobacco Road Of Cuba - 11/15/1998
Deeper Concentration - 10/15/1998
The Spirit Of Cape Verde - 10/15/1998
Land Of Baboon Vol. 2: The Return Of The Illclectic - 10/15/1998
Nuggets - 10/15/1998
Earthjuice Volume 1 - 10/15/1998
Compost 50 - 9/15/1998
Future Sounds Of Jazz, Vol. 5 - 9/15/1998
Silver Top Collection - 9/15/1998
Classic Elements - 8/15/1998
Cinematique - 8/15/1998
Next Step - 8/15/1998
Skatalites & Friends at Randy's - 8/15/1998
Increase The Beats Vol. 2 - 6/15/1998
State Of The Nu-Art, Volume 2 - 6/15/1998
The Freestyle Files: Crackers Delight - 6/15/1998
Afro-Latin - 5/15/1998
China: Time To Listen - 5/15/1998
Funkungfusion - 5/15/1998
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca - 5/15/1998
Q-Burns Abstract Message - 5/15/1998
Endlessnessism - 4/15/1998
Chess Blues Guitar - 4/15/1998
The Horse Whisperer - 4/15/1998
Metalheadz: Platinum Breakz II - 4/15/1998
The Secret Museum Of Mankind: East Africa - 4/15/1998
The Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol. 5 - 4/15/1998
Ska After Ska After Ska - 4/15/1998
Sty Wars - 4/15/1998
The Afro-Latin Groove: Sabroso! - 3/17/1998
Monster Breaks: A Collection Of Big Beat Finery - 3/15/1998
Songs Of The Siren - 3/15/1998
Deutscher Funk - 2/15/1998
DJ Morpheus Presents: If You Can Beat 'Em, Break 'Em - 2/15/1998
Kickin' Some Brass - 2/15/1998
No Categories - 2/15/1998
Promised Land 3: Future History - 1/15/1998
Subterranean Hitz Vol. 2 - 1/15/1998
Salsa Mundo - 12/15/1997
Unblocked: Music Of Eastern Europe - 12/15/1997
Beg Scream & Shout: The Big Ol' Box Of '60s Soul - 11/15/1997
Cuban Gold 4 - 11/15/1997
Dubwise & Otherwise - 11/15/1997
Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg - 11/15/1997
Shake The Nations - 11/15/1997
The Corners Of The - 10/15/1997
Cup Of Tea Records: Another Compilation - 10/15/1997
Dubmission 2: The Remixes - 10/15/1997
In The Red: The Essential Collection Of Classic Dub - 10/15/1997
Renegade Continuum - 9/15/1997
Ska Island - 9/15/1997
South Texas Polka Party - 9/15/1997
Audio Alchemy 2 - 9/15/1997
Digital Dust - 9/15/1997
The End Of Violence - 9/15/1997
The Future Sound Of Jazz Vol. 4 - 9/15/1997
Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach - 9/15/1997
Grooverider Presents The Prototype Years - 9/15/1997
Island 40th Anniversary, Volume 1 1959-1964: Ska's The L - 9/15/1997
Island 40th Anniversary, Volume 2 1964-1969: Rhythm & Blues - 9/15/1997
Louisiana Blues - 9/15/1997
Skampler - 8/15/1997
Offering: The Past & Present Of !K7 - 8/15/1997
East-westercism - 8/15/1997
Smithsonian Folkways World Music Collection - 7/15/1997
Son de Santiago - 7/15/1997
Water Communication - 7/15/1997
African Troubadours: The Best Of African Singer/Songwriters - 7/15/1997
The Bahamas: Islands Of Song - 7/15/1997
Dubbed Out In DC - 7/15/1997
Fly African Eagle: The Best Of African Reggae - 7/15/1997
Freezone 4: Dangerous Lullabies - 7/15/1997
Sourcelab 3 - 6/15/1997
Promised Land Volume Two - 6/15/1997
Anokha: Sounds Of The Asian Underground - 6/15/1997
Travis County Pickin' - 6/15/1997
Audio Alchemy (Experiments In Beat Reconstruction) - 6/15/1997
A New Breed Of Dub - 5/15/1997
Blame Presents Logical Progression Level 2 - 5/15/1997
Cuban Gold 3: El Mambo Me Priva! - 5/15/1997
Deep Concentration - 5/15/1997
Sweet Mother: Free Activation Series No. 1 - 5/15/1997
Legally Stoned Volume One: A New High In Drum & Bass - 5/15/1997
Promised Land Volume One - 5/15/1997
White Elephants & Golden Ducks: Enchanting Musical Treasures - 5/15/1997
The Edge Of The Forest: Music From Transylvania - 5/15/1997
Kerouac -- Kicks Joy Darkness - 4/15/1997
2 Heavyweight - 4/15/1997
Artcore 3 - 4/15/1997
Klezmania: Klezmer For The New Millennium - 3/15/1997
The Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol. 4 - 3/15/1997
The Secret Museum Of Mankind: North Africa - 3/15/1997
Straight Outta Boone County - 3/15/1997
Audio Alchemy (Experiments In Beat Reconstruction) - 3/15/1997
The Wheels Of The World Volumes 1 and 2 - 3/15/1997
By The Rivers Of Babylon: Timeless Hymns Of Rastafari - 3/15/1997
Critics' Pick Sampler (Vol. 1) - 3/15/1997
Divine Divas - 3/15/1997
Dope On Plastic! 4 - 3/15/1997
The Gathering - 3/15/1997
Celtic Mouth Music - 2/15/1997
The Sugar Hill Records Story - 2/15/1997
14 Fathoms Deep - 2/15/1997
The Power Of The Trinity - 2/15/1997
Sacred Steel - 2/15/1997
Ebn E Sync - 1/15/1997
Les Voix Du Monde - 1/15/1997
Freezone 3: Horizontal Dancing - 1/15/1997
Macro Dub Infection - Volume 2 - 1/15/1997
Metalheadz Presents Platinum Breaks - 1/15/1997
Family Album - 1/15/1997
Divas Of Mali - 12/15/1996
Headz 2 - 12/15/1996
The Moon and the Banana Tree - 12/15/1996
Resting Place Of The Mists - 12/15/1996
Axiom Dub - 11/15/1996
The Sweet Sunny North, Vol. 2 - 11/15/1996
Incursions In Illbient - 11/15/1996
Jali Kunda: Griots Of West Africa & Beyond - 11/15/1996
Klezmer Music: A Marriage Of Heaven and Earth - 11/15/1996
The Rebirth Of Cool Four - 11/15/1996
The Doo Wop Box II: 101 More Vocal Group Gems - 10/15/1996
Folk Scat - 10/15/1996
Holding Up Half The Sky: Women In Reggae - 10/15/1996
Succour - 10/15/1996
True Life Blues: The Songs Of Bill Monroe - 10/15/1996
Pop American Style - 10/15/1996
The Soul Of Cape Verde - 10/15/1996
Source Lab 2 - 10/15/1996
Nashville: The Other Side Of The Alley (Insurgent Country Vo - 9/15/1996
Deep In The Heart Of Tuva - 9/15/1996
Jazz Jungle - 9/15/1996
Rig Rock Deluxe - 9/15/1996
Tibet: The Heart Of Dharma - 9/15/1996
Masters Of Jazz - 8/15/1996
The Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol. 3 - 8/15/1996
Altered Beats - 7/15/1996
Batucada: The Sound of the Favelas - 7/15/1996
El Caiman: Sones Huastecos - 7/15/1996
Crossroads: Southern Routes - 7/15/1996
Lone Star - 6/15/1996
Artcore 2 - 6/15/1996
Cowabunga! The Surf Box - 5/15/1996
Dope On Plastic! 3 - 5/15/1996
1975-1995 Independencia - 4/15/1996
Collectors' Choice - 4/15/1996
Endless Records Complication One - 4/15/1996
La Haine - 4/15/1996
Loungin' Vol. 2 - 2/15/1996
Planet Dub - 2/15/1996
Heavyweight Sound - 2/15/1996
Jesus Alemany's Cubanismo! - 2/15/1996
Kastle: Kastle
- (Symbols)
The debut album from SF-based electronic DJ/producer Barrett Richards (aka Kastle) finds him working with a handful of guest singers and heavily-tweaking their vocals to help accent his sharp, simmering productions that ably mix up bass, house, dubstep, garage, 2-step, and R&B flavors throughout. Boasting a nice balance between slower, moodier numbers and kinetic tunes aimed for the dancefloor, Kastle steps out with a strong crossover electronic/pop record.
5/10/2013 - Alex
Savages: Silence Yourself
- (Matador)
This British band’s debut full-length is a powerful set of dark, aggressive post-punk, with a lean, brutally efficient sound combining squalling, wiry guitar lines, taut rhythms, seething vocals and boldly uncompromising lyrics of self-empowerment.
5/3/2013 - Don Yates
Deerhunter: Monomania
- (4AD)
This Atlanta band takes a sharp left turn on their often-bracing sixth album by shifting towards a more raw and scuzzy sound with noisy garage-rock guitars and distorted vocals, though there are also some sweeter, more melodic moments. More important, the songs are a consistently strong batch with lots of potent song hooks.
5/3/2013 - Don Yates
Other Deerhunter album reviews:
Halcyon Digest - 9/22/2010Microcastle - 9/23/2008
Cryptograms - 1/11/2007
Mikal Cronin: MCII
- (Merge)
The second album from this San Francisco-based rocker (and frequent Ty Segall collaborator) is an excellent set of aggressive, hook-filled power-pop with well-crafted, sunnily melodic songs featuring crunchy guitars along with occasional piano and strings accompanying Cronin’s smooth vocals and bittersweet lyrics.
5/3/2013 - Don Yates
Classixx: Hanging Gardens
- (Innovative Leisure)
This LA production duo’s debut full-length is an intoxicating set of breezy electro-pop steeped in funk, disco, house and Prince, combining propulsive grooves, sparkling synths, sunny yacht-rock melodies and occasional special guest vocalists.
5/3/2013 - Don Yates
The Child Of Lov: The Child Of Lov
- (Double Six)
The debut album from Amsterdam’s Cole Williams (aka The Child Of Lov) is a promising blend of woozy R&B, funk, hip hop and electronic grooves, combining bleary synths, druggy guitars, funky hip hop beats and Williams’ soulful layered vocals.
5/3/2013 - Don Yates
The So So Glos: Blowout
- (Shea Stadium)
This Brooklyn band’s second album is an excellent set of anthemic punk inflected with bits of classic rock, power pop, surf and other primal rock influences in ways reminiscent of Titus Andronicus, The Clash and The Replacements, featuring an adrenaline-fueled sound with revved-up guitars, punchy rhythms, impassioned vocals, infectious sing-along choruses and irresistible song hooks.
4/26/2013 - Don Yates
Daughter: If You Leave
- (Glassnote)
This British trio’s debut full-length is an often-moving set of dark, goth-tinged folk-pop with a haunting, atmospheric sound featuring melancholy reverbed guitars, stark percussion, Elena Tonra’s soft, smoky vocals and lovelorn lyrics.
4/26/2013 - Don Yates
Hanni El Khatib: Head In The Dirt
- (Innovative Leisure)
This LA-based rocker’s excellent second album was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, and he provides El Khatib with a more fleshed-out yet still visceral sound for his expansive, blues-tinged garage-rock, taking in elements of old-school R&B, ‘60s girl groups and other styles.
4/26/2013 - Don Yates
Other Hanni El Khatib album reviews:
Will the Guns Come Out - 1/6/2012Femi Kuti: No Place For My Dream
- (Knitting Factory)
The seventh album from this Nigerian artist (and son of the legendary Fela) is an impressive return to the more undiluted Afro-beat sound of his early records, featuring a fiery set of consistently strong songs with funky, percolating guitars, stabbing horns, interlocking rhythms, call-and-response choruses and politically charged lyrics.
4/26/2013 - Don Yates
Other Femi Kuti album reviews:
Fight to Win - 10/15/2001Shoki Shoki - 2/15/2000
Still Corners: Strange Pleasures
- (Sub Pop)
The second album from this London-based duo comprised of multi-instrumentalist/songwriter (and Austin, TX native) Greg Hughes and vocalist Tessa Murray features a bigger and cleaner sound for their reverb-drenched dream-pop, moving in a more decidedly ‘80s synth-pop direction with layers of sparkling synths, crisp drum beats and Murray’s breathy vocals.
4/26/2013 - Don Yates
Other Still Corners album reviews:
Creatures of an Hour - 9/30/2011