Burial - Untrue

Genre Electronic, Alternative, Indie

year: 07 - review: Untrue is most evocative when listened to in sequence, for the moods and characteristics of each track evolve as the album progresses.

Take That - Beautiful World

Genre Pop Euro Pop

year: 07 - review: Many of the tracks take a few times of listening to before they start to really appeal, but once they do, it's likely that a few will achieve the same success of the currently number one and aptly-named single, Patience.

John Cale - HoboSapiens

year: 04 - review: Cale has always been strongest when he's subverting pop rather than ignoring it altogether. But as it stands, those tracks provide sustenance for the stretches when he's not trying as hard to be pleasant. That part of the album deserves and rewards close listening, as does all of HoboSapiens, and indeed Cale's career as a whole. This album vis-a-vis Reed's monument to artistic bankruptcy, The Raven, makes as strong a case as we've had for some serious post-Velvets historical revision. download album mp3

Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing In The Hand

Genre Lo-Fi

year: 04 - review: European and Celtic folk songs: all weave in and out of one another in a seamless yet crackling whole, each of them serving their role in articulating Banhart's sublimely prismatic, loopy vision. Singling out tracks or quoting from his words would amount to nothing more than sacrilege. This music is simply rendered, to be sure, but unspeakably profound and mercurial; it's funny, warm, heartbreaking, and evocative of another place and time. There are glimpses here of Greil Marcus' "old weird America," the all-but-visible inner terrain that informed certain spiritual, social, and aesthetic elements in our culture. Banhart's music is utterly unselfconscious and poetic. download torrent megashares megaupload

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose

Genre country

year: 04 - review: Despite lyrical concerns that touch on everything from infidelity ("Family Tree") to death row ("Women's Prison"), Lynn remains steadfastly life-affirming in her outlook throughout. It's as if she's cast herself in the role of the wise woman people in the community seek council from during troubled times, a person who's seen and done it all twice over. There's little in the way of regret here; rather an appreciation for having lived long enough to reflect on one's experiences, both good and bad. The starkly acoustic widow's lament "Miss Being Mrs." is as close to outright despair as Lynn comes; but even here she manages to find the resolve to push forward rather than wallow in self-pity.

Brian Wilson - Live at Royal Festival Hall, London 2004

year - 04: Three decades since he last wrote a genuinely great song, we continue to revere this damaged, insular, perhaps autistic man – the suburban misfit who elevated Californian teen pop to a level of musical genius that places him alongside Mozart and Schubert.

Japan - Very Best Of

Genre Synth Pop New Wave

bio : Formed in London in 1974, Japan began its existence as a quintet comprised of singer/songwriter David Sylvian, bassist Mick Karn, keyboardist Richard Barbieri, drummer (and Sylvian's brother) Steve Jansen and guitarist Rob Dean. In their primary incarnation, the group emulated the sound and image of glam rockers like David Bowie and the New York Dolls; Sylvian's over-the-top vocals,

Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

Genre indie rock

year: 06 - review: Wow! I'm mightily impressed by the talents of Ms Case. The obvious thing is her remarkable voice which lends the music drama, urgency and passion in turns, but the real stunning thing about this album is the sublety of the melodies. They are anything but ordinary - rather they possess a rare kind of intuitive grace that is seldom experienced in modern music.

the Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden

review: This is not as bad as previous users have noted. Clearly it's not as strong as Eagles of decades ago but for a bunch of aging rockers that are ripping off their fans with overpriced tickets, I can still be somewhat objective and hear they are making quality music.

Man Man - Six Demon Bag

Genre Experimental Rock

year: 06 - review: Most of this stuff is just too damn weird for all but the most experimental music listener, but when the band reigns in its more outlandish tendencies on tunes like the almost poetic "Skin Tension" and the chugging "Black Mission Goggles," you get the sense there are some fine songwriters lurking beneath all the kitchen-sink craziness.

Garth Brooks - Ultimate Hits

Genre Country Pop Rock

year: 07 - review: It's great to be able to see George Jones and Steve Warner performing with Garth. The whole playlist is first rate and Garth is a classy guy for putting this one out for us just in time for the holidays. download

Built to Spill - You in Reverse

Genre indie rock

year: 06 - review: These songs are impressive, but the album really shines on the tracks that boost the tempo. "Conventional Wisdom" is a raging rocker that rides an inspired guitar melody into alt-rock guitar nirvana, sounding like the best tune Dinosaur Jr. never wrote (although those slackers never would have thrown a chamber music-inspired instrumental bridge into the middle of a song before freaking out with an epic solo). "Mess with Time" charges ahead like an angry rhino, kicking up guitar sparks and sounding a lot like classic Wipers in the process. Best of all is the amazing "Goin' Against Your Mind," an almost nine-minute guitar explosion that kicks off the album in breathtaking style. By the time it's through playing, you'll be hard-pressed to imagine a way the rest of the album could stand up to its intensity and drama.

Led Zeppelin - Mothership

year: 07 - review: Though this collection is no substitute for the first six records, MOTHERSHIP succeeds as a greatest hits retrospective on two levels: one, as an introduction for neophytes who want all the band's signature songs, and two, as a sound upgrade for completists. (In fact, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones themselves are all given production credit on these blistering remasters.) While many extraordinary gems--"Going to California," "Battle Of Evermore," and "Your Time Is Gonna Come," among them--are left out, no reasonable Zep head can argue with the cuts that are included, from "Communication Breakdown" and "Black Dog" to "Dancing Days," "Kashmir," and "Achilles' Last Stand." In the end, MOTHERSHIP works as a stirring lecture in Zeppelin 101.