admin
22 December 2023
Here\'s what\'s making love to our ears this month. Click on the artist\'s name to visit their website, and click on the title to buy it on Amazon.
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ANDI CAMP - MAGNETIC (Grafton Records)
Magnetic is a nice, light album. The vocals are sweet and hypnotizing, with music to match. This is one to pop into your player when you need to relax from a long day at work.
THE GRADE: B
- Fphatty Lamar
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This DJ from Norway has her own bubbly style. Cutesy disco pop best describes Anniemal-- a sweet voice with a soulful, electronic beat. I really want to hate it, but I don\'t.
THE GRADE: B+
- Sal Swayzo
![Annie](\"http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif\"){kind=small}
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COUNTRY CLUB - FRIENDS DON\'T MAKE FOREARMS (Self-Released)
They have a horn section that rocks like Rocket From The Crypt’s always wanted to. They have the same sexy, confident swagger David Lee Roth had in his prime. And they have a weird, cinematic uniqueness to them that doesn’t sound like Mr. Bungle, but if Mr. Bungle were going to high-five any band, Country Club would be the one.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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EARTHBORN - ON DEAF EARS (Self-Released)
A thoroughly enjoyable, heavy-as-fuck album that’s a mixture of the complexity of ...And Justice For All-era Metallica, with a modern sense of vocal styles and thick riffs.
THE GRADE: A-
- Night Watchman
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FEATHERS - ABSOLUTE NOON (Hometapes Records)
Bands notoriously create interesting sounds or moods, and then totally fuck it up by laying some trite or horribly sung lyrics over it all. Feathers, however, is the exception. The Miami-based instrumental duo has done the world right with Absolute Noon, their first of three EPs to be released this year. While their sound may remind some of a Yo La Tengo vibe, it\'s distinct in its aesthetic.
THE GRADE: A-
- Wayne Chinsang
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There\'s a very strong Dark Side Of The Moon feel to this record that makes it almost instantly lovable. Innaway\'s stony sound, whispered singing, and funeralistic atmosphere on their debut album gives them a head start on blowing all the other shitty bands out of the water.
THE GRADE: A
- Bethany Shady
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JERRY FELS - HOW TO MAKE ENEMIES AND INFLUENCE STRANGERS (Nobody’s Favorite Records)
Jerry\'s organic, unfiltered voice and sound make him human. His music isn\'t necessarily melancholy, but has the quietness of an Elliott Smith song. I like to think of Jerry the way I would think of an old person who\'s not \"crazy\", but rather \"eccentric\".
THE GRADE: B
- Bethany Shady
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JOHN PLASTIC - SMOKE BREAKS FOR THE REST (Self-Released)
I used to tell people listening to John Plastic was like listening to Woody Guthrie, if Woody Guthrie was punk rock through and through. After listening to this album, I can tell them listening to John Plastic was like listening to Woody Guthrie, if Woody Guthrie was punk rock through and through... and no longer unplugged.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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LITTLE BROTHER - THE CHITTLIN CIRCUIT 1.5 (Fastlife Records)
While you salivate for their forthcoming The Minstrel Show, chew on The Chittlin Circuit-- an 18-track mixtape reminder that the Hall of Justus crew is better than your favorite rapper. Tons of guests check in, including the incomparable Nicolay, L.E.G.A.C.Y. (my fave), and the one and only Big Daddy Kane.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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MEMPHIS BLEEK - 534 (Roc-A-Fella)
Sure, this album’s gonna sell/get downloaded because Hov came out of retirement for the third track, but Bleek made a good album without Mr. Carter’s presence. The beats are right, the rhymes are nice, and the record’s hit-ready shit I can endorse without cringing.
THE GRADE: A-
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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MEREDITH BRAGG AND THE TERMINALS - VOL. 1 (Kora Records)
This band\'s morose sound would have found a perfect home on the Garden State soundtrack. They have a Shins mellow aura, with light Elliott Smith chakras spread about.
THE GRADE: A
- Bethany Shady
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ROYCE DA 5\' 9\" - INDEPENDENT\'S DAY (M.I.C. Records)
I like lyrics, and Royce has got \'em for days and extra days. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the respect he deserved from the music industry. So, he became his own industry, called Nottz and Carlos Broady, and put a record out on his terms. And it’s good, people. Real good.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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Skopic is the instrumental alchemy of one man who has no problem at all bouncing from Aphex Twin-like deconstructed chaos, to Grandmaster Flash-like groove and boom bip moodiness, all in one song. It’s jazz through the wires and circuits of modern technology-- something really nice to lose yourself in.
THE GRADE: A
- Ignatius P. Cheese Sandwich
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SPIDER - YOUTH INSURANCE (Basement Records)
Spider is an endangered species that makes me feel the way I felt the first time I heard Suicidal Tendencies or Circle Jerks. I hope they get lots of money or guns and take over the airwaves, so all these little woe-is-me pussies with hairstyles from the Seventies will stop passing their favorite high-art emo band off as punk.
THE GRADE: FUCKIN\' A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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This is some fucking balls-to-the-wall, drinking-down-some-grog, kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck rock \'n\' roll. Their Spinal Tap-esque humorous presence doesn\'t at all take away from their ability to kick your ass with their music as they bring the rock!
THE GRADE: A
- Bethany Shady
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THE CRIBS - THE NEW FELLAS (Wichita Records)
While listening to The Cribs\' second album, The New Fellas, I’m reminded of my life as a worshiped cat goddess during the New Kingdom of Egypt. Well, not really. But the album kicks ass as far as indie/poppy-pop goes. The album is fun, has great \"fuck you\" lyrics, and makes me want to boogie.
THE GRADE: A-
- Hellkat
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THE REDWALLS - DE NOVA (Capitol Records)
Holy fuck. It\'s been too long since something this good has come along. Bluesy rock \'n\' roll, and a lead singer whose voice sounds so much like John Lennon it\'ll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, make this album a timeless masterpiece.
THE GRADE: A-
- Bethany Shady
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THREE PIECE COMBO - THREE PIECE COMBO (Feast Or Famine Records)
Three Piece Combo is an enjoyable instrumental group. Strange and unique guitar riffs make for a somewhat retro sound. Definitely a great CD to play while you are working on something or just chilling out. My favorite track is \"First The Bad News\".
THE GRADE: B+
- Das Bork
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TSAR - BAND GIRLS MONEY (TVT Records)
They call themselves \"L.A. rockers\". Well, little mister, I haven\'t been this ashamed of the word \"album\" in a long time. I\'ve polished my eyeglasses in the nude with more enthusiasm, and looked better doing it. It just goes, \"wheedley wheedley wheedley wheedley wheeoww!\" And the cymbals are like, \"Crash! Crash! Crash!\" As for the lyrics, they suck, suck, suck. It lasted longer in my microwave than it did in my CD player.
THE GRADE: G+
- Smokin’ Joe Blow
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VARIOUS ARTISTS - FANTASTIC FOUR: THE ALBUM (Wind-Up Records)
Forget the theater. Go to the record store. Wind-Up Records has a fantastic 20 for you. And while every single track might not be up my alley, it’s a great, diverse listen, with some seriously bad-ass cuts from Joss Stone, Miri Ben-Ari with Pharoahe Monch, and Velvet Revolver.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Fantastidonuts
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VARIOUS ARTISTS - SHAMAN WORK PRESENTS: THE FAMILY FILES, VOL. 2 (Shaman Work Recordings)
Sucka Free Sunday ain\'t nothin\' but suckas, especially in the face of a compilation as dope as this. It’s the Shaman Work family at its finest-- including Emanon, MF Doom, and my personal favorite, Wale Oyejide. And it clocks in at 23 hefty tracks of high-quality hip-hop soul music.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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VALIENT THORR - TOTAL UNIVERSE MAN (Volcom Entertainment)
Oh, sweet fucking metal! I mean, sweet fucking punk rock! I mean... aw, fuck it. If you built a robot out of both Van Halen and Motorhead parts, this would be the awesome fucking result. The production is kinda shitty, but you’ll forget about it when you start doing David Lee Roth jumps in front of a mirror.
THE GRADE: B+
- Garbage Can
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WE ARE LIONS - EIGHT ARMS MADE THIS (At One Records)
Good is a flavor you can recognize in music, even if it sits outside the realm of your own personal tastes. We Are Lions is something I wouldn’t normally listen to, but I did. And if you like well-crafted, catchy pop punk, you should, too.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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Xiu Xiu’s remarkably bizarre La Foret is a mix of crass clamor turned into glittering goodness. The music makes your head spin and shakes up your insides until you puke up lovely. After that, in spite of the album\'s brilliance, it gets a tiny bit repetitive, which puts you at risk of lying in the sun and playing with a ball of yarn.
THE GRADE: A-
- Hellkat
artid
3216
Old Image
7_11_reviewlisten.jpg
issue
vol 7 - issue 11 (jul 2005)
section
entertainmental