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In: _Top CDs of 2011, Albums of the Year
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Hello all! We figured we’d throw out a much-belated ‘best of 2011’ kind of list. It is nice to figure out what music from 2011 really rocked out, with enough time for it to settle in and really prove itself, as much as an extra 6 months will allow. So, here are our picks, in no particular order: Brown Bird – “Salt for Salt”:  The now-RI duo really know how to crank into a full-on, heavy gypsy groove with their new(ish) lineup. MorganEve and David (plus the occasional friend/relative) form as tight a unit as any duo we’ve seen, and even though they’re waaaay offRead More →

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Ryan Monroe – A Painting of a Painting on FireRCM Records-out now2.5 / 5 We’ve got a few criteria for how we rate albums here – gut reaction, technical prowess, memory. Ultimately, when you buy an album, you want one that you’ll play again and again, possibly find yourself humming a few tracks to yourself (hopefully not to your embarrassment). We were stoked to get Ryan Monroe’s debut solo album (of Band of Horses fame), but honestly, we haven’t spun this one up more than a few times over the same number of weeks. What gives? There’s one absolute blow-out track: “Any Way, Shape, OrRead More →

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In: _CD Reviews 2012, _Four or More 2012, Album Reviews, Recommended
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Joe Pug – The Great DespiserLightning Rod Records-out now4.5 / 5 We at the blog make no secret of the fact that we really enjoy Joe Pug. Well, mostly. On his sophomore album, the folker strums back into a sound more reminiscent of his debut EPs; acoustic, bare, laid back. And while we generally don’t up-thumb an artist who doesn’t develop their sound, strangely enough, there’s something a bit deeper on this one. Pug masters an incredible confidence in his singing and writing, pulling off relatively simple sons such as “Silver Harps and Violins,” “One of Many,” and most everything else here, never droning outRead More →

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In: 6-6-12 Middle East - Seer Group + etc., From the Management, Seer Group - Owlpine
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Hey y’all. So: http://seergroup.bandcamp.com/album/owlpine Now to bring you up to speed: Seer Group, aka, our friends behind the Boston-ish Grinding Tapes label, has put together a full-length of their own devious doing. Disclosure here’s that we personally know much of the crew involved on this one, second thing is that this one certainly took a heck of a long time to put together, and was certainly effort that paid off. We think so, anyway. So why are we throwing up this link to a space-trippy, pop turbo-charged album that came out a couple months ago? Well, ’cause we want you guys to keep open thatRead More →