Oh Franz Nicolay, how I miss you. Through all of The Hold Steady’s raucous bar rock, you were the calming influence, often breaking in with your keyboard halfway through songs to take down the intensity, if only for a few moments. And now we have Heaven is Whenever, the band’s first album without your influence.… Continue reading The Hold Steady gives us a solid but minor effort with Heaven is Whenever
Category: Album Reviews
The Golden Filter’s Voluspa is eerily tranquil, mostly promising
In the Norse poem Völuspá, which tells the creation and destruction of the world, the story says: “Now do I see / the earth anew / Rise all green / from the waves again; The cataracts fall, / and the eagle flies, And fish he catches / beneath the cliffs.” Poets, right? But the feeling of beauty in… Continue reading The Golden Filter’s Voluspa is eerily tranquil, mostly promising
The Radio Dept. is fuzzy but exquisite on Clinging to a Scheme
In a shocking turn of events, this review is heading to… SWEDEN! Okay fine, we (I) may overdo the Swedish stuff a bit on Knox Road (I know, impossible), but the music is so damn good. The Radio Dept. mostly affirms that on Clinging to a Scheme, only their third full-length despite originally forming in… Continue reading The Radio Dept. is fuzzy but exquisite on Clinging to a Scheme
The Scarlet Ending releases forceful new LP, Ghosts
It’s finally that time, folks. The Scarlet Ending, a much-talked about act here on Knox Road, fronted by everyone’s favorite twin sisters, Kaleena and Kayleigh Goldsworthy, released their sophomore full-length, Ghosts, a couple weeks ago. Ever since my first encounter with the sisters, they have been incredibly warm and outgoing, leading to a friendship beyond… Continue reading The Scarlet Ending releases forceful new LP, Ghosts
Caribou’s Swim does everything but sink
Caribou’s (Dan Snaith’s) most recent project/record, Swim, to nick words from the title, is, well, “swimmy.” The vocals seem to be sung inside an open-clamshell discotheque on the ocean floor, accompanied, at times, by a woodwind orchestra. His ability to somehow combine organic sounds with analog and metronomic digitalism results in one beaut of a… Continue reading Caribou’s Swim does everything but sink
Kate Nash is all over the place on My Best Friend is You
I’ll be honest: I could not find a point of entry to get into Kate Nash‘s My Best Friend is You. I mean, sure, the music is fine, and interestingly varied: there’s the faux-’50s throwback guitars of “Kiss That Grrrl;” the staccato piano of “Pickpocket;” the sludgy guitar tone of “I’ve Got a Secret;” the… Continue reading Kate Nash is all over the place on My Best Friend is You
Rafter’s Animal Feelings makes love to you on the dance floor
How badly do you want to combine the auto-tune and beats of Daft Punk with the vocals of Death Cab, the pop tendencies of Passion Pit and the crude attitude of Arctic Monkeys? Very badly? Fortunate for you! The new album by musician/producer Rafter Roberts (aka Rafter) is all of that and so much more!… Continue reading Rafter’s Animal Feelings makes love to you on the dance floor
The Tallest Man on Earth gives us some well-crafted, good ol’ folk on The Wild Hunt
It must be tiring for Kristian Matsson, The Tallest Man on Earth, to keep hearing all those brushed-over comparisons to Bob Dylan, but oh well. The similarities are striking. The songs on The Wild Hunt, his latest album, are largely bare-bones folk, not much more than strummed or picked acoustic guitar under Matsson’s unconventional voice.… Continue reading The Tallest Man on Earth gives us some well-crafted, good ol’ folk on The Wild Hunt
MGMT is jarring, surreal, wonderful on Congratulations
I think the best way to approach MGMT’s follow-up album, Congratulations, is to just pretend it’s not by MGMT. At least not by the MGMT you know and love already for their pop-indie hits “Kids,” “Time To Pretend” and “Electric Feel.” One of the things that plagued reception to the band’s first new single, “Flash Delirium,”… Continue reading MGMT is jarring, surreal, wonderful on Congratulations
Harlem’s Hippies is instantly classic bubblegum garage rock
Harlem’s sound isn’t anything new. We’ve heard such similar material recently from the likes of Black Lips, The King Khan and BBQ Show and Smith Westerns (to name a few). But there’s still something great about Harlem that makes them stand out like they’ve been here for years. They have a certain playful charm on… Continue reading Harlem’s Hippies is instantly classic bubblegum garage rock