Album Reviews
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REVIEW: The Mountain Goats explore action movies on ‘Bleed Out’
The Mountain Goats, “Bleed Out.” There are two consistent things about The Mountain Goats: Only-member-turned-frontman John Darnielle and inconsistency. What started as a one-man lo-fi project recorded on a boombox has, over the course of 20 albums, touched on all sorts of subject matter and styles. From Goths (inspired by Bauhaus…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Erasure goes post-apocalyptic disco on ‘Day-Glo (Based on a True Story)’
Erasure, “Day-Glo (Based on a True Story).” Since 1985, Erasure has churned out pop hits that have been no less subtle (or less fun) than a queer revival. They’re kind of like an Erasure live show, with background singers in rainbow-colored lamé suits and an equally colorful Andy Bell,…
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REVIEW: Danger Mouse and Black Thought maintain control with ‘Cheat Codes’
Danger Mouse and Black Thought, “Cheat Codes.” The last time audiences were graced with an official collaboration between renowned producer Danger Mouse and a prominent hip-hop artist was in 2005 with MF DOOM (as DANGERDOOM). The wait is finally over, as Black Thought joins forces with Brian Burton and takes center stage…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Collective Soul ‘Vibrating’ on energetic new LP
Collective Soul, “Vibrating.” The 11th album by Georgia rockers Collective Soul could be considered a pandemic record, but not how you might expect. The tracks on Vibrating are actually from 2019 and were supposed to be on a double album coinciding with the band’s 25th anniversary. COVID-19 put a wrench in those…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Goo Goo Dolls find beauty in upheaval on ‘Chaos in Bloom’
Goo Goo Dolls, “Chaos In Bloom.” After more than three decades as a band and a dozen studio albums, Goo Goo Dolls realized the people with the best understanding of their sound is, well, them. For Chaos In Bloom, frontman John Rzeznik pulled double duty and also handled production…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Lauv looks back on life on ‘All 4 Nothing’
Lauv, “All 4 Nothing.” The music of Lauv has largely been defined through ultra-modern pop beats and snappy lyrical pairings, and it’s further punctuated by an aesthetic alluding to bursts of color. Even his breakthrough single, “I Like Me Better,” felt this way and the vibe’s been repeatedly reinforced…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Mickey Hart and Planet Drum’s ‘In the Groove’ will be great for a select crowd
Mickey Hart and Planet Drum, “In the Groove.” The weird thing about getting a bunch of legendary percussionists from around the world together to make a record: It may only appeal to hardcore drum nuts, or that rare slice of society that loves throbbing world beat as background noise.…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Beyoncé makes the ‘RENAISSANCE’ into her own work of art
Beyoncé, ‘Renaissance’ The problem Beyoncé created for herself when she released Lemonade back in 2016 was it was instantly regarded as her best project. It was lauded by critics, showered with awards and consistently ranked as one of the best albums of the year, decade and—sometimes—of all time. How…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Maggie Rogers’ ‘Surrender’ to the world is well worth it
Maggie Rogers, “Surrender.” When the pandemic hit and life started feeling more and more uncertain, Maggie Rogers retreated to the north of Maine and cut the noise off. Here, she immersed herself in the energy emitted by the unruly northern Atlantic Ocean and came out with Surrender. Following up…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Hayley Kiyoko now looks at life and love on ‘PANORAMA’
Hayley Kiyoko, “Panorama.” When Hayley Kiyoko canceled her 2020 tour because of COVID, she wasted no time charting out her next project. Instead of journeying across the country to appease her fanbase built up under debut album Expectations and EP I’m Too Sensitive for This Shit, she traveled inside her mind…