By:
On:
In: _CD Reviews 2010, _Four or More 2010, Album Reviews, Recommended
With: 0 Comments

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – “Before Today”4ad Records-out now!4 / 5 Nah nah naaaah naaah… so sorry, we’ve just been grooving to Ariel Pink’s latest retro-80s offering. The LA-based group mashes together all the 70s funk bass and falsetto you can take on a platter of 80s synth-pop (with just a dash of surf-music harmonies), and the result is…well, far less confusing than that sentence. Like a mad scientist shooting his creation with electricity, Ariel Pink’s album jazzes and boogies to life; if you doubt us, go ahead and check out “Round and Round,” the best thing to hit late-night driving since the invention ofRead More →

By:
On:
In: _CD Reviews 2010, Album Reviews
With: 0 Comments

Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos – Buzzard+1 Records-out Sept. 212.5 / 5 With a name like “Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos,” you can’t really go wrong, can you? And the third original release from the Indianapolis indie-rock band doesn’t seem to go exceptionally wrong, either. But the one question that it doesn’t seem to answer is how their sound distinguishes it from the pack. Consider the following: Fleet Foxes has a classic, baroque feel to it; Wilco has great, laid-back guitar solos; My Morning Jacket has, well, Jim James. On “Buzzard,” Margot strikes too middle-of-the-line: the choruses aren’t quite singable enough,Read More →

By:
On:
In: _CD Reviews 2010, Album Reviews
With: 0 Comments

The Acorn – No GhostBella Union-out now!3 / 5 As the fourth album from the Ottowa, Canada indie rock group The Acorn, No Ghost is a pleasing little album. With enough charm to win over some of the rock crowd, the only thing No Ghost lacks is more musical personality. We admit it’s written well enough to work, but what makes it stand out from the crowd? While we enjoy the downtempo of “On the Line,” much of the album is spent in a near-middle pace; what we look for is whether an album makes a strong, if not bizarre, statement (“musical statement,” not LadyRead More →

By:
On:
In: _CD Reviews 2010, Album Reviews
With: 0 Comments

Dead Confederate – “Sugar”Razor & Tie-out today!3.5 / 5 With great grungy pop songs such as “Run From the Gun” and “Giving It All Away,” it’s not difficult to imagine a world in which Athens, GA rock group Dead Confederate could hold their own against My Morning Jacket and other top current rock acts. While “Sugar” doesn’t quite measure up to MMJ’s “Evil Urges,” still the above tracks showcase a band capable of jamming, crafting songs, and performing memorable songs. While “Run From the Gun” and “Giving it All Away” are the exceptional tracks here, there are moments where the material lags, such as “FatherRead More →