Album Review

Oakland finest own Keyshia Cole released her third studio album A Different Me on Dec 16, 2008. If you have not decided to go out and purchase the album yet hopefully this will help you. Here is what some of the critics are saying: Personally I think its a great album but that's for you to decide.BET: "At times the production outshines her voice. “Though You Should Know” is one of those mome

Since this particular entry in Built To Spill's discography is probably hard to come by these days I thought I'd post it here. This release is a collaboration between Built To Spill and Caustic Resin who both released records on the Olympia Washington indie record label K Records, ran by Calvin Johnson of indie pop pioneers Beat Happening (and the Halo Benders which I may also post here soon). I'v

The third and final edition in The Decemberists' Always The Bridesmaid series of singles was released this week.  You can read my reviews of the first two here and here.This installment is more subdued and moody than the first two.  The first track, "A Record Year For Rainfall", is a folksy and dreary down tempo number.  The song is built around a combination of strings and a banjo riff, behin

Miranda Vettrus has just released her debut EP Book of Lies.  What makes her interesting you ask?  Very good question my friend.A native of Oregon, Vettrus is a mere 14 years-old...and she grew up in an amusement park owned by her family.  How cool is that?All kidding aside, one doesn't really expect much from an EP by a 14 year old.  But Vettrus surprises.Her songs are more mature and polishe

Twelve Ways To Count is the debut album from Brighton based The Miserable Rich. I can’t get enough of this album and am in fear of severe overkill.  But for now I will keep playing on repeat and hope the shine doesn’t wilt. The Miserable Rich is a nucleus of James DeMalplaquet & Will Calderbank and [...]

The Good Graces is the band name chosen for Eskimo Kiss Records founder Kim Ware's debut solo album.  Sunset Over Saxapahaw is the name of the record from the Atlanta, GA-based Ware.Listening to the rough-edged vocals, talking about relationships and hardship, one can't help but draw comparisons between The Good Graces and the introspective and raw solo work of Throwing Muses' Kristin Hersh.  W

It is important to differentiate between theory and actuality. Theoretically, Illa J had one of the most intriguing and appealing records of the year. His recent debut release, Yancey Boys, paired the singer/emcee up with long lost instrumentals from his older brother, who just so happens to be the late J Dilla. Dilla was working with the Pharcyde for their 1995 album Labcabincalifornia, but man

Regina, SK is not exactly known as a hotbed of indie rock.  However, the 10-piece indie pop collective Library Voices may just change that.The band has recently released a fantastic EP.  The group's Myspace page proudly proclaims "pop as fuck" and it's a claim that I would find hard to dispute.The six songs on the self-titled EP are sugary sweet ditties, drenched with some of the best vocal harm

Having spent time touring with the likes of Jason Isbell and the Reverend Horton Heat one would expect Backyard Tire Fire to be all alt.country and rockabilly.  It would be a gross underestimation of the band, one quickly corrected with a listen to their new album The Places We Lived.For sure there are definitely country and southern rock tracks on the record.  Songs like "Welcome To the Factory

I know I'm way behind on this one, but I figured since they are playing in town tonight I should give it a review.Brighter Than Creation's Dark is the latest album from indie southern rockers Drive-By Truckers and the band's first without guitarist Jason Isbell.  Former Sugar bassist David Barbe is once again behind the console.With songs being contributed for the first time by each of Patterson

THE GOOD: Eclectic mix of beats and samples, soulful tracks, classic Tip flow.THE BAD: Stays a little too close to the above formula, coming off as two-dimensional at times.BOTTOM LINE: Tip returns to fine form on the mic and behind the boards.YFWB RATING: (out of 5) Hip-hop is littered with the careers of veterans who once ruled the stage and the mic, but whose glory faded over years past. Eve

What I love about this blog is that while I (Hopefully) introduce you all to new artists that you might like, I also am constantly discovering new artists myself. This is what happened in the case of John Robinson. Also known as "Lil Sci", John Robinson is a Queens native emcee with a deep voice and a smooth flow. Here is my review of his 2008 release, I Am Not For Sale...+PositiveAs stated on his

"Social Code: 'He Said, She Said' Album ReviewBy Michael Aaron GallagherReview: 4 Stars (out of 5 Stars)There’s a new band ready to lead the rush-hour drive home for modern rock stations around the country. Imported from Canada, Social Code doesn’t pull any punches on their new album, “He Said, She Said” (released in the U.S. in October 2008). With memorable lines like, “I was never good

Before I review this album I must demonstrate an example of the idiocy in spelling of the English language. "Renaissance", is not pronounced "Ren-ay-sanse", so why is it spelled like that! It's just dumb, what is the meaning of the alphabet if the rules of it don't really apply in a bunch of different words? I digress, here is my review of Q Tip's latest album...+PositiveTip's flow is ridiculous.

I reviewed Black Milk's latest album, Tronic, for The Badger Herald, and the article was published today. If you're interested in learning more about the album, hit the link below to jump to the review. As mentioned before, I can't cross-publish these sorts of things.Black Milk: Tronic Album Review

Statik Selektah is one of my favorite current producers. He can hook up a beat and his use of samples is always interesting. Here is my review of his 2nd 2008 release, Stick 2 The Script...+Positive Production on this album lives up to Statik Selektah's standards which are pretty high. The best track in terms of production is "Get Out The Way", where he uses some crazy foreign instrument along wit

Ryan Adams is one of the most prolific artists working today.  Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes that's a bad thing.  On his latest album with the Cardinals, Cardinology, Adams strikes the right balance.  Sprinkled amongst the country ditties are some gritty rockers.  "Go Easy" and "Magick" show Adams with some attitude.  He lets his inner metal head out with very good results.  He so

Jackson Square is the new album (out Oct. 28th) from Hamilton, ON rock band The Arkells.The album is not a groundbreaking artistic statement.  But not everything these days needs to be.  What Jackson Square is is a solid rock album.  What the listener doesn't get in bells and whistles is more than made up for by the heart and honesty of the band.The songs, like the lead-off single "Oh, The Bo

It's been a little while since we've heard from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (henceforth referred to as Trail Of Dead).  The good news is the band has ended a bitter dispute with their former label and are set to release a new full length album early in 2009.  In the meantime we have the new EP Festival Thyme.The EP sees the band straying further from their Sonic Youth feedback t

Montreal's The Dears are back with their new studio album Missiles.  The new record doesn't deviate much from their TV On The Radio meets Echo & the Bunnymen sound.  Missiles is bookended by 70's tinged tracks.  It kicks off with "Disclaimer" and it's AM EZ-rock horn arrangement.  The record closes with "Threats" which boasts a full-bodied 70's funk bass line.In between the album features

Well, Colin Meloy and The Decemberists are up and at 'em again.  This time it's with a series of three singles, collectively known as Always A Bridesmaid.  The first of the series was released this week.The A-side is your standard Decemberists fare.  The track, "Valerie Plume", is a mid-tempo indie folk rocker with quirky verses and a hooky refrain.  Where the track gets interesting is about a

I must admit, I am quite ashamed to say that until now I had never even heard of The Mighty Underdogs, one of hip hop's few active supergroups consisting of rappers Gift Of Gab (Of Blackalicious), and Lateef (Of Latryx), along with producer Headnodic (Of The Crown City Rockers). Here is my review of their October 2008 release, Droppin' Science Fiction...***This review will be the first of most lik

Now On is a progressive LA hip hop trio consisting of emcees IX Lives, Jackson Perry, and Haircut (Of The Athletic Mic League). I am coming into this review completely unbiased as I had never heard of them before until this.First off let's talk about production...Beats in Tomorrow Already range fall into the downbeat, headbanger category. They aren't big and complicated which provides a simpler so

Welcome and once again its another Hipe Hope album review, this is the one and only D.J Sizzle, and today we'll be getting into Holy Hip-Hop artist Brison's debut CD Escaping Me. Released in August the album has received a warm welcome from the Holy Hip-Hop community and gained a lot attention and air play in the process. As CEO and head producer at God Chaserz ent. Brinson has steadily been on t

The long awaited junior album from reach records artist Lecrea was well worth it. When so many of the headline issues being focused on by the media and what we see on a day to day basis. Lecrae manages to direct our attention to some of the less talked about but equally important issues. Such as the great need of missions work abroad and discipleship within our own communities. As always Lecrea's

The Jesus & Mary Chain boxset, The Power Of Negative Thinking, is out and it's a doozy.  Spanning 4-CDs and 81-tracks it's a powerful shot of feedback-drenched guitar pop.  Right off the bat I will warn you, if you own the previous b-sides collections Sound Of Speed and Barbed-Wire Kisses you already have about a third of these songs (like "Bo Diddly Is Jesus" and "Penetration").  Howeve

"The Status: 'So This is Progress' Album Review"By Michael Aaron GallagherReview: 4 ½ Stars (Out of 5 Stars)If you’re looking for the perfect anthem for your New Year’s Eve bash, the title track, “So This is Progress,” from the debut album by The Status is the song you’ve been waiting for. It’s the type of sing-along, party song that begs you to play air guitar and drag out the karaok

There's little as charming as an Irish lass (except my wife).  Singer Gemma Hayes is proof of this theory.Hayes' new album, Hollow of Morning, is a look into a fascinating soul.  Sometimes delicate, sometimes fierce, her songs are always intimate and intense.Songs such as "In Over My Head" and "At Constant Speed" seem to be walking the minuscule tightrope between control and beautiful chaos whil

I blame Grey's Anatomy for this, but when I think of singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile I generally envision a slick, polished performer.Imagine my pleasant surprise then when I listened to her new iTunes EP- Boston.  What I heard was grittier and more soulful than I ever expected.  Instead of polished pop songs, Carlile provides us with raw, country/bluesy renditions.Throw in a cover version of

In many ways Way To Normal is a return to form for alt-piano man Ben Folds.  Being brutally honest, other than the odd song here and there Ben Folds has been pretty damn boring.Way To Normal fixes that problem.  Folds veers away from the bad lounge singer act and moves back to a rockin' piano plunker.  Songs like "Brainwascht" and "Dr. Yang" bring back the glory days of Whatever and Ever Amen

Most album reviews are usually just the writer trying to impress you with big words and complex sentence structure and not really getting to the point.  They will usually mention the history of the artist and how this album works in comparison to their other efforts and some other worthless babble.  I am going to [...]

I'll call it like I see it, Strange Attractor is not the greatest piece of work in the Mercury Rev catalogue.  But nobody expected it to be.Strange Attractor is the free instrumental album and companion piece to the proper record Snowflake Midnight.  All you need to do to get your copy of the 11-track effort is submit your name to the Mercury Rev mailing list (here).On the album, the Buffalo b

Plod rock gains a new meaning Oasis’s previous album “Don’t Believe the Truth” was a return to form of sorts for Oasis. Noel Gallagher’s impeccable songwriting was matched with a creativity missed since “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants”, even as this later album had its obvious missteps. With the new lineup firing on [...]

Modey Lemon - Season of Sweets is released on Birdman Records Modey Lemon are a loud, expansive mix of garage rock, post-punk aggression, spasmooodic moogs, fuzzy guitars, a good helping of psychedelia and synthesizer kraut-rock. The success is in the way that Modey Lemon seamless blend of all of these influences into one massive album. The album [...]

TV On the Radio is one of the most highly regarded indie rock bands on the planet.  After the enormous success of 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain TV On the Radio were on top of the world.Having heard lots of negative evaluation of the album prior to its release, I have to say that those saying ill of the new album Dear Science have no idea what they are talking about.While there is nothing as

Who Killed Amanda Palmer (gotta love a Twin Peaks reference) is the new solo album from one half of the Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer.Produced by piano man Ben Folds, the album is a stripped down version of the Goth/punk cabaret that we've come to expect from the Dresden Dolls.  Piano and strings are the main instruments used here.Unfortunately, the songs are fairly unimaginative.  We get neith

Heavy Jack are a garage rock trio comprised of brothers Ben, Adam, and Jon Falk.  They've recently released their debut album Multiply.The album's opening guitar riff and drum clatter can't help but leave the first impression that Heavy Jack have listened to their fair share of Mudhoney records in their day.  There's a sludgy quality to many songs that evoke the Seattle grunge godfathers.As one

The Good: Innovative sound, great lyrical content, rude boi swaggerThe Bad: His reggae/dancehall/hip-hop hybrid sound is not for everyone, a few forgettable jointsBottom Line: Kardi drops a fresh original LP that bangs in the club, the dancehall and the radio.YFWB Rating: (out of 5)Full disclosure - I represent the T-Dot, so I've been up on Kardinal for a minute. Even before I listened t

I finally got a chance to listen to the whole NKOTB CD - The Block and I have to say it was SO MUCH BETTER then I anticipated. This is the come back group of the year! I was expecting...

There's been a lot of mixed reviews generated by The Verve's new comeback album Forth. Most of the criticism seems to revolve around the style, complaining that the band hasn't progressed since 1997's massive hit Urban Hymns. Well the band hasn't written songs together in 10 fricken' years, how are they supposed to "progress"?Now the quality of the songs can be a legitimate criticism. They tend to

Syracuse, NY's Ra Ra Riot has taken an interesting path to their first full length release. After the release of their EP, tragedy struck as they lost their drummer John Ryan Pike. But the band soldiered on after their loss, and as a result we now have The Rhumb Line.The Rhumb Line consists of ten tracks of dramatic indie rock. The songs are punctuated by cellist Alexandra Lawn and violinist Rebec

The Game L.A.X. Geffen Records/Interscope 6.5/10 Written By: Samir Siddiqui The Game’s eagerness to engage in any and all rap beefs might be perceived as a legitimate hunger for competition,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Who is Joy Whitlock?  Maybe you have heard of her already?  I hadn’t.  She has toured with Todd Agnew and Rush of Fools and has a couple of EPs under her belt. Joy grew up in Mississippi where her dad was a minister.  She wanted nothing to do with Christianity and left home at 17 to [...]

Juliana Hatfield – How To Walk Away (Ye Olde Records) - Album Review The 10th solo album from Juliana Hatfield begins with The Fact Remains. Like many of the tracks on How To Walk Away, the song sounds instantly recognisable as a Juliana Hatfield bitter-sweet melodic pop song; and from its opening vocal, sounds familiar in [...]

I recently took a big gamble and spent $30 on a Japanese import album by a UK artist from which I had never heard an LP. Having just discovered the Canterbury scene over the past year or so I had heard all of the classic Soft Machine, Caravan, Matching Mole, Gong, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Hatfield and the North, National Health, etc., but had never managed to get a hold of an Egg album. Curi

Pitchfork has a review of See You In Magic. I pretty much agree with it, it's a good, but not great album.

By Faisal QuraishiShehzad Roy pulls off another Saali in Qismet Apnay Haath Mein.lt’s easy to see where Shehzad Roy is coming from with his latest album, Qismet Apnay Haath Mein, launched this Friday, given his efforts to introduce wide-scale reforms in the government’s education sector under the aegis of the Zindagi Trust, along with Sami Mustafa of CAS. A case in point is the Fatima Jinnah G

Camper Van Beethoven (CVB) is one of many groups that miraculously reunited after I developed a serious interest in them (others include: The House of Love, Mission Of Burma, Pixies, Wire). A lucky man I am indeed. Unlike the Pixies, CVB managed to both reunite and record a new album. New Roman Times (2004) is a welcome gift from a band that dissolved at the height of their creative zenith. Follo

It really is surprising that Working Man’s Café is only 64 year old Ray Davies (lead singer/songwriter in the immortal Kinks) fourth official solo LP. Another surprise is how good Davies has become again through his recent solo efforts. After the Kinks disappeared following the abysmal Phobia (1993) [which was the rock-bottom point of a long slow decline following the Kinks half-decent late 70

Mancunian duo the Ting Tings have recently stormed the chart with their feisty, punky anthems and the critics have claimed that We Started Nothing is the soundtrack of the summer. What did the folks at Other Clothing think though, that’s the important thing! Admittedly I’m a big fan of singles Great DJ and That’s Not My [...]

Probably about three years ago I was in the mood to hear something radically new and exciting. I went down to my local tiny used record store where I spent many a Saturday afternoon. The owner of the store runs the place basically by himself so he's always there. As a result the guy had a pretty good understanding of my tastes (as well as an influence upon my taste) so I trusted that he would

I recently took a big gamble and spent $30 on a Japanese import album by a UK artist from which I had never heard an LP. Having just discovered the Canterbury scene over the past year or so I had heard all of the classic Soft Machine, Caravan, Matching Mole, Gong, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Hatfield and the North, National Health, etc., but had never managed to get a hold of an Egg album. Curi

Album review - The Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto (Domino Records) The Wild Beasts are truly original.  As I listen to Limbo, Panto - their debut album again, I really can’t compare them with anyone else.  Hayden Thorpe’s beautiful voice is reminiscent in parts of Billy Mackenzie’s golden tonsils, but apart from sharing an uncompromising, unconventional [...]

What’s good people’s, its ya boy D.J Sizzle hooking you up with a review of the hot new JIHAD album from a spirit filled brother that goes by the name Jovan Mackenzy. First off I know you might be wondering about the title but he’s talking about all out spiritual war. He explains it a lot better than I can. I guess you’ll have to get it to know what I’m talking about. And before I go any

Mancunian indie kids The Courteeners have released their debut album St Jude. Are they one of the up and coming bands of 2008, or have they just spent too much time in their rooms listening to The Smiths? Single What Took you So Long was very dour and whiney and I wasn’t a fan, but there [...]

N*E*R*D Seeing Sounds Interscope Records 4/5 Written By: Samir Siddiqui For superstar producer Pharrell, there’s not much at stake when he decides to gather his N*E*R*D cohorts for a new album.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Northern rockers The Futureheads are back with their third album. It’s been quite some time since they released their last album so was it worth the wait? Opening track and single The Beginning of the Twist is a great starter, a frantic singalong which leaves you wanting more - whilst Walking Backwards is a loud and [...]

Here is a random find that’s well worth mentioning. Ben Ratliff is a New York singer/songwriter originally from Austin, Texas. He has recorded under the names Ben Ratliff, Earlwine and most recently as aMerkin. Songs For The New Depression presents and interesting and frequently rewarding variety of blues inflected rock, tasteful electronic work and compelling songwriting. The album bounces back

Lil Wayne Tha Carter III Cash Money/Universal 3.5/5 By: Samir Siddiqui He’s been self-proclaimed and dubbed by others as the ‘best rapper alive,’ has enjoyed over a year of being... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]