Album Reviews
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ALBUM REVIEW: Geographer thrives ‘Down And Out In The Garden Of Earthly Delights’
Note from the editor: The new album by Geographer (Mike Deni) had been postponed twice, most recently to Dec. 4. After the publication of this review we found out it has been pushed out again, to April 2021. The review now reflects this. As with so many artists in…
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ALBUM REVIEW: The Smashing Pumpkins attempt an experiment on ‘CYR’
There’s a scene in “The Simpsons” in which a group of children is brought in to serve as a focus group to give their opinions on the long-running cartoon “Itchy and Scratchy.” Naturally, the kids want the show to remain true to its origins, but they also want the…
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REVIEW: Miley Cyrus shape-shifts again as vintage rock hero on ‘Plastic Hearts’
Miley Cyrus has covered a staggering amount of musical territory over her seven-album catalog. Each time she reinvents herself, it’s not simply just adding a few new influences; rather, a complete shape-shift that transforms the 28-year-old pop star in every facet. In recent years, Cyrus has gone from a…
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REVIEW: Jahari Massamba Unit makes order out of chaos on ‘Pardon My French’
Jazz, as the cornerstone of practically all modern American music, doesn’t always get critical acknowledgment—particularly in an era where people are increasingly listening to eclectic and peculiar genres like folktronica or vaporwave. Hip-hop producer legends Madlib and Karriem Riggins, who teamed up once again as Jahari Massamba Unit on Pardon My French,…
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REVIEW: Hatebreed channels the feelings of the forgotten on ‘Weight of the False Self’
Back in the late ’90s, Hatebreed was innovative and bordering on groundbreaking. By performing heavy metal within the boundaries of hardcore punk, the Connecticut band helped set the template of the dominant form of metal in the early ’00s. Others had done the same but it remains a pillar…
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ALBUM REVIEW: NCT expands its ‘boys to men’ statement on ‘RESONANCE Pt. 2’
It’s been just about a month since K-pop collaborative group NCT—which includes members of SM Entertainment stalwarts NCT 127, NCT U, SuperM, WayV and NCT Dream—released Resonance Pt. 1. The 21-member group didn’t wait long to expand the offering (previously at 13 songs) to a 21-song version. RESONANCE Pt. 2…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Megan Thee Stallion comes bearing ‘Good News’
Megan Thee Stallion comes bearing Good News amid her chaotic year. Between legal issues with her record label, being shot and dropping the monumentally viral “WAP” with Cardi B, she seems to be burning the candle at both ends. Her artistic vision with this album was to emphasize the importance of…
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ALBUM REVIEW: King Gizzard builds on its strengths and adds new ones on ‘K.G.’
By Thomas Richards The everchanging Australian group King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard keeps its reputation of being one of the most eclectic bands intact with its 16th full-length album, K.G. This being the first album released after the departure of band manager and drummer Eric Moore, some were…
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REVIEW: Mike Campbell, The Dirty Knobs ride with a ghost on ‘Wreckless Abandon’
Novelist William Faulkner famously wrote, “The past isn’t dead. It’s not even past.” The maxim is not simply applicable to the study of history. People are haunted by the things they have and haven’t done, as well as those they’ve known. Artists are haunted by their influences, desperate simultaneously…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Neil Young quantifies the 1970s on ‘Archives Volume II’
In the first half of the 1970s, Neil Young—like a number of rock stars of his generation—battled to stay relevant as industry demands attempted to direct his creativity. After a pair of commercially successful albums, he struggled to get one released as the now-classic Tonight’s The Night sat on the…