The Silent League – “But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker”Something in Construction Records-out Jan 264 / 5 The Brooklyn septet’s third album is a grand, loosely conceptual affair. The opening, “WHEN STARS ATTACK!!” is the kind of intro that would put a smile on Wayne Coyne’s face (circa 1999); it is gorgeous and glorious, perhaps a bit overstated, but definitely in a good, operatic way. Why, then, do they devolve into “Yours Truly, 2095,” the following track? It seems all the great intentions should build into something better than mainstream pop chock with superfluous effects and annoying auto-tuned vocals. This is the biggest gripe onRead More →

OK Go – “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky”Capitol Records– out tomorrow4.5 / 5 With five years since their pop-oriented “Oh No,” Chicago’s OK Go takes a heavier turn on their third full-length, “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky.” If we were to characterize the colo(u)r of this album, it would be dark, distortion blue; and if we were to characterize how good it is, it’d be more than OK. While it should be noted there are explicit lyrics, and this album starts right away a touch darker (“the kinda thrill that could just kill you,” from opener “WTF?”) it is ultimately upliftingRead More →

Tegan and Sara – “Sainthood”Sire/Wea-out now4 / 5 Almost the perfect bookend to Phoenix’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,” Tegan and Sara churn up a beat-oriented popfest in their sixth full-length. While this album isn’t quite up to par with Phoenix’s there is still plenty here to recommend it: driving music, great melodies and choruses, and simple, sugary fun. Out of the thirteen presented here, “Arrow,” “The Cure,” and “Alligator” are the sure bets, with the best choruses out of the bunch, but that’s not to say there is a weak track in the mix. Rather, the biggest complaint is that, like Phoenix, these songs are fairlyRead More →

Karen O and the Kids – “Where the Wild Things Are” (Soundtrack)Interscope Records-out now4 / 5 With a fuller version of her excitable Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O would seem like the exact opposite of the person you’d want to make a soundtrack for a famous children’s book adaptation. But here she plays dead on, with playful, organic music that both adults and children will enjoy. Her second album released this year, she loses no steam in conducting a fuller orchestra, bringing an incredible innocence by utilizing a children’s chorus, fingersnaps and claps, and acoustic instruments. Performances on the simple and somber “Worried Shoe” andRead More →