Contributors
All articles
-
This Weeks Review: On ‘World,’ Noah and the Whale blow indie scene out of the water
I hate their name, but goddammit I like their music. I have been listening to Noah and the Whale's debut album "Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down" nonstop since I bought it in December. While I'm still struggling with my British accent, I think it's fair to say that I now speak whale. The members of Noah and the Whale are what we look for in our indie crooners: they aren't Americans, they play cute instruments that are littler than usual (ukulele, mandolin, glockenspiel, kazoo...), and are an adorable couple that may or may not be dating.
-
This Weeks Review: Lanois shows off production skills with cohesive tracks on ‘What Is’
You don't know it yet, but you want to party with Daniel Lanois. He has been behind the console of legends like U2, Emmylou Harris, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and the tambourine man himself, Bob Dylan. If that who's who of undeniable coolness doesn't do it for you, then you are cool—approaching Prince-levels of cool. For the rest of us, living our lives in the Jason Segel regions of the hip spectrum, Daniel Lanois is a god.
-
This Weeks Review: On the indie music circuit, band looks to strike a chord
Hey, do you remember in the future when we're always talking about that band Phoenix, and their stellar album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"? THIS IS THAT MOMENT. Since we're on the topic of the future, there are some things you should know: The Office will continue to be unfunny, Vitamin Water will flow through taps, and Gossip Girl will play a track off of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. You have been forewarned.
-
This Weeks Review: Animal Collective maintains hipster cred on "Merriwether"
Lent, the Christian season of fasting, began this Wednesday. For me, these 40 days have evolved from a show of faith to an exercise in self-control. This Lent I have decided to abstain from two things: 1. Wearing my Boy Scout sash underneath my clothes. 2. Folk music. I know what you are thinking: "Take my eyes, but not the folk." Folk music has had a good run on this column, but it's time to move on. Do you hear me, Textile, Bugling, and Rabbit-Raising badges? It's time to move on. So for the next 40 days, This Weeks Review will abstain from all things pertaining to red squirrels, meadowlarks, or easy plateaus.
-
This Weeks Review: Bird sings same old song on recent release 'Noble Beast'
What do you get when you make the same album three times in a row? Subquestion: Is it still awesome? The first answer is Andrew Bird's "Noble Beast," and the second: sorta. In the grand scheme of pop music, the average listener is subjected to the same song over and over again. We are fed the same chord progressions from the same instruments that accompany lyrics about the same thing. Andrew Bird is a welcome departure from the monotony of pop listening.
-
This Weeks Review: Bon Iver warms cold hearts on "For Emma, Forever Ago"
February is coming—get your sad albums ready. The newfangled Genius function on your iTunes knows it, and while you aren't looking, it will arrange the most heart-wrenching compilation its robot "heart"—probably a wrench—can wrangle. I suggest that you beat Genius to the punch and listen exclusively to Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago."
-
This Weeks Review: The Killers succeed on ?Day?
Before I begin, I'd like to get something out of the way. I'm sure, if they exist, my readers will be curious about Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy." I will tell you what everyone else is saying: It's not bad, it's not good, it just is. It exists, and after 17 years and 13 million dollars, that's an accomplishment in and of itself. But amid the Axle anxiety, during the last three-week frenzy over the cornrow-comeback, another album made its quiet debut.
-
This Weeks Review: Oasis tries to relive glory days on ?Soul?
For the past five years, Oasis has been the punchline of many a pop culture joke. Liam and Noel's brotherly antics have landed them on countless VH1 countdowns, and they are even satirized in one of the world's hippest TV shows. Liam Gallagher is the not-so-subtle inspiration for LOST's Charlie Pace, from Driveshaft ("You All Everybody"). Charlie Pace and Liam Gallagher represent what we all love and look for in our rock gods: a healthy appetite for self-destruction and a fiery British temperament. But if there is one thing we all crave more, it is the comeback album.
-
This Weeks Review: Stand-out Thile invents ?bluegrassical? on latest folk albums
About seven years ago, I was thumbing through the folk aisles of the local record shop and came across a record that made me laugh. It was a cruel sort of laugh, born out of my own pubescent insecurities. On some level I knew this, but I laughed anyway. The disc was plucked from its spot far back on the shelf: a spot that no artist wanted, no record-store clerk could ever find to restock, and no customer would entertain. The disc was placed face up, resting next to its old home. I didn't even have to listen to it. On the cover, smiling up at me, was a portly young boy hovering over the home plate of Wrigley Field.
-
This Weeks Review: Fleet Foxes' self-titled stands out
We are in the presence of genius. As with all staggering geniuses, they have beards. Just like Randy Nichols's security report, it is my duty to make you all aware of these beards. These beards go by the name Foxes.
-
This Weeks Review: Krauss and Plant croon duets
This may sting, so let's get it over with. We'll do it fast, like a band-aid. Ready, set, go: celebrity duet. While each on its own possesses enough venom to kill a full-grown album, the two together have been known to maim even the artists themselves-just ask Willie Nelson. Duets have become a swan song for popular musicians. Like elephant graveyards, they are now the last stop for artists who are "on their way out," and you can pay your respects at every Starbucks in the world.