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Jónsi: Go
Sigur Rós frontman’s solo debut proves he’s more than just a pretty voice. There’s this thing Jónsi Birgisson does with his voice. You can hear it nearly three-and-a-half minutes into the track “Grow Till Tall” on Go, his first solo record after more than a decade fronting Icelandic ambient-rock outfit Sigur Rós. Jónsi’s fragile, luminescent tenor begins a subtle dance, climbing a few notes up the scale to a moderate plateau and then sliding back down, ascending once more to a comparable altitude, then gliding all the way back down to Earth like a well-built paper airplane. He patiently follows... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsDead Weather, MMJ Members Contribute to Karen Elson's Debut Album
Jack White met his British-bred wife, Karen Elson, when the redheaded model appeared in... read more
Found in: Music, NewsTitus Andronicus: The Monitor
We have met the enemy, and he is us If Bruce Springsteen sowed the seeds of small-town introspection, his fellow New Jerseyites Titus Andronicus are flooding the fields. The punk quintet deconstructed postindustrial life with its gut-wrenching debut, The Airing of Grievances. And the band’s sophomore LP, The Monitor, crushes the rosy spectacles of heartland rock, peeling away the façade of barroom camaraderie to reveal an entire generation inured to those highs. The comedown is a deeply pessimistic exploration of Americana and its now-quixotic quest for authenticity, loosely tethered to a fictional Civil War-era travel narrative spanning the trackless forests... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsHolly Miranda: The Magician's Private Library
Spellbinding solo debut from former Jealous’ Girlfriends frontwoman “Open up your head, we found a secret,” Holly Miranda promises on “Forest Green Oh Forest Green,” the first track of her debut LP. The soulful Brooklynite could well be referring to her album itself, which is strewn with hidden gems furnished by David Sitek’s deft production and Miranda’s skillful songwriting. High points are plentiful; on “Waves,” Sitek’s pitter-patter percussion buoys Miranda’s stirring delivery, and the shimmering guitar hooks and cymbal splashes that open “Joints” underscore her spectral narrative of being haunted by unrequited love. With a voice as gauzy as Miranda’s,... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsGil Scott-Heron: I'm New Here
A triumphant, if unlikely, comeback After years of crime and punishment, casual obscurity and a half-sung hip-hop canonization, Gil Scott-Heron has released a new album. On it, he covers Smog, enlists a guitarist from Oakley Hall, samples Kanye West and invokes Burial, all with a scant sniff of regard for what anyone might have to say about it. The prophet of revolution smolders deeper into himself—a gnarled, wise tree in an urban glade. The album sounds heavy and elusive, like a field recording, and it will surely be studied with the most powerful of cultural microscopes, but its author will... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsVampire Weekend: Contra
Brainy indie upstarts prove masterful debut was no fluke Vampire Weekend’s debut cartwheeled gleefully from one infectious musical idea to the next, seducing listeners with a syrupy-sweet cocktail of Afro-pop, squeaky-clean ’60s surf rock and harpsichord passages that nodded at Mark Mothersbaugh’s playful compositions on Wes Anderson soundtracks. It was hard to listen to that first batch of tunes without sensing vast stores of glittering pop left to mine in the endlessly forking creative arteries beneath the band’s goofy, cardigan-wrapped exterior.... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsTitus Andronicus' Civil War Album, 7" Single Get Release Dates
What do Feb. 9 and March 9 have in common? Well, they’re both dates tied to the Civil War, for starters, and it’s no coincidence that Titus Andronicus has scheduled its new record release (in the forms of a vinyl single and the album proper) to those dates respectively. The New Jersey-based band’s new album, The Monitor, uses the war as an extended metaphor throughout. (Therefore it makes sense that the 7" vinyl single for the song “Four Score and Seven,” comes out on Abraham Lincoln’s 201st birthday Feb. 9, followed a month later by the CD and 2LP release... read more
Found in: Music, NewsDownload Holly Miranda's “Forest Green Oh Forest Green”
Download Holly Miranda's "Forest Green Oh Forest Green" here.Miranda's debut full-length album, The Magician's Private Library, comes out Feb. 23 on XL.... read more
Found in: Blogs, Free MP3Listen to New Vampire Weekend Song "Horchata"
Vampire Weekend's viral marketing build-up to an upcoming album release continued today with a countdown to the release of the first track from the album. ... read more
Found in: Music, NewsVampire Weekend Reveal New Album, Contra
Her name is Kirsten. For days, the face of the preppy blond has been seen floating around the music blogosphere, though with no details of her origin and purpose. This changed yesterday, as Vampire Weekend announced details of their second full-length album and revealed the girl's vintage portrait as its cover art.... read more
Found in: Music, News
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