Roddy Woomble - My Secret Is My Silence
year 2006 review: The album's title and pastoral cover image are the first signs that Idlewild's Roddy Woomble has gone folk. And yes, a majority of My Secret Is My Silence sees Woomble operating in an acoustic folk vein and even recruiting the sweet-voiced folkie Kate Rusby to handle background vocals, harmonies, and occasional female counterpoints. But Woomble heading into pastures and fields shouldn't be a surprise. While Idlewild started out as a furious, messy indie rock band, Warnings/Promises, the group's most recent effort before this solo outing, sometimes skewed resolutely toward R.E.M.'s more jangly moments. Other than the somewhat out-of-place instrumental flute-fest "Whiskeyface," My Secret Is My Silence drifts between two poles. There are pensive, brittle ballads like the gorgeous, lilting "If I Could Name Any Name" and the introspective "I Came from the Mountain" on one hand, and on the other hand midtempo to urgent storming tracks indistinguishable from Idlewild fare other than the presence of fiddles and folksy percussion in the place of electric guitars and distortion pedals.
Excalibur - Soundtracks OST
year 2006 review: I will call Wagner the soundtrack to Excalibur - you can't really find the Excalibur soundtrack any more, but the more you know about classical music, the more you realize that pretty much this entire movie was done to Wagner scoring. Wagner's Ride of the Valkries was also used (as the photo on the album indicates) in Apocolypse Now, when the helicopters were staging their attack.
Ben Harper - Fight for Your Mind
year 95 review: Ben Harper has made albums which change me every time I hear them. Not only an amazing and diverse musician, he is a beautiful and poignant songwriter as well. His music has inspired me to be a better person, and it will for sure change anyone who listens to it for the better.
New Order - Live
year 89 review: Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s; embracing the electronic textures and disco rhythms of the underground club culture many years in advance of its contemporaries, the group's pioneering fusion of new wave aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of synth pop appealing equally to the mind, body, and soul. New Order's origins officially date back to mid-1976, when guitarist Bernard Sumner..
the View - Hats Off To The Buskers
year 2007 review: The View appeared on the scene in the early part of 2006, touring with Babyshambles and releasing a limited EP on the Two Thumbs label. They've since played shows in the US and Japan, supported Primal Scream and released two top-20 singles. After the band's first single Wasted Little DJs graced the indie radio waves, it became obvious that they'd go places rather fast.
Kyle Falconer's distinct tone shines through on every View song, blending his Scottish accent with a mixture of Bobby Gillespie and Robert Plant. Overall he's got a great rock 'n' roll voice which makes Superstar Tradesman and Wasted Little DJs far more interesting than they would otherwise have been.
The rest of the record throws up a few suprises. I’d never heard Scots do 2-tone until I’d heard the insanely catchy ‘Wasteland’ and ‘Face for the Radio’ is a witty and beautifully melodic number that recalls Hurricane #1’s brilliant but unappreciated ‘Monday Afternoon.’ But, for the most part, Hats Off To The Buskers is just two or three songs too long and one step off the pace set by Arctic Monkeys last year. The similarities between the two bands are uncanny at times but ultimately The View’s debut album is on the second tier, but demonstrates massive scope for improvement if tracks like ‘Face for the Radio’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me’ are anything to go by.
Kyle Falconer's distinct tone shines through on every View song, blending his Scottish accent with a mixture of Bobby Gillespie and Robert Plant. Overall he's got a great rock 'n' roll voice which makes Superstar Tradesman and Wasted Little DJs far more interesting than they would otherwise have been.
The rest of the record throws up a few suprises. I’d never heard Scots do 2-tone until I’d heard the insanely catchy ‘Wasteland’ and ‘Face for the Radio’ is a witty and beautifully melodic number that recalls Hurricane #1’s brilliant but unappreciated ‘Monday Afternoon.’ But, for the most part, Hats Off To The Buskers is just two or three songs too long and one step off the pace set by Arctic Monkeys last year. The similarities between the two bands are uncanny at times but ultimately The View’s debut album is on the second tier, but demonstrates massive scope for improvement if tracks like ‘Face for the Radio’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me’ are anything to go by.
Kings of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street
year 2004 review: Riot on an Empty Street ends a long period of inactivity for Kings of Convenience. During their three-year layoff Erlend Øye could be found makin
g solo records and DJing while Eirik Glambek Boe was finishing his psychology degree. Luckily for fans of beautiful vocals and thoughtful indie pop, they decided to get back together. What this band is all about is the sound of Boe and Øye's voices blended together in harmony. Their first album (in both incarnations) erred on the side of consistency. Here the band seems to have learned the all-important lesson of pace and variety. The arrangements are fuller too with pianos, strings, the occasional electric guitar, and lovely guest vocals on two tracks from Broken Social Scene member Leslie Feist. Not to say that they have gone crazy with change. They still stick pretty closely to the acoustic guitars and vocals path, and the tone of the album is autumnal and restrained as before.
g solo records and DJing while Eirik Glambek Boe was finishing his psychology degree. Luckily for fans of beautiful vocals and thoughtful indie pop, they decided to get back together. What this band is all about is the sound of Boe and Øye's voices blended together in harmony. Their first album (in both incarnations) erred on the side of consistency. Here the band seems to have learned the all-important lesson of pace and variety. The arrangements are fuller too with pianos, strings, the occasional electric guitar, and lovely guest vocals on two tracks from Broken Social Scene member Leslie Feist. Not to say that they have gone crazy with change. They still stick pretty closely to the acoustic guitars and vocals path, and the tone of the album is autumnal and restrained as before.
Sin City - Soundtrack
year 2005 info: Composers: Robert Rodriguez; John Debney; Graeme Revell. Recording information: Todd AO Scoring, Studio City, CA.
Pere ubu - Modern Dance
year 78 review: Pere Ubu's Modern Dance is one of the most fully realized albums of the post-punk/new wave era. By mashing distorted guitar riffs with shrieking synths, Ubu's music transcended most other punk records of the day, and thanks to David Thomas' warbling delivery, it doesn't sound like anything else.
Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing
year 90 review: The third Sisters Of Mercy album, VISION THING, makes a dramatic shift from its predecessor, introducing heavy metal riffs to the band`s genre-defining goth sound. Far from signifying a fundamental change in Andrew Eldritch`s sound (once again, he had a new group of musici
ans with him, keeping only the drum machine, Doktor Avalanche), this combination is an excellent sonic fit. The swaggering machismo of heavy metal sits nicely next to Eldritch`s studiously straight-faced delivery of his colossally egocentric (and intentionally funny) lyrics.
Opening with the monster riff of the title track, VISION THING is a note-perfect parody of metal, while also pushing the boundaries of goth, something the Sisters have done consistently with each of their releases. Standouts include "Ribbons," where the guitars alternately call to mind crashing waves and thunderclaps, and the caustic lyrics end in a desperate howl. "Doctor Jeep" is a jittery, caffeinated swipe at American commercialism, and "More," a masterpiece of bombast built on a big, chugging guitar riff, incorporates everything from sawing, synthesized violins and a piano fade out, to gloriously selfish lyrics and swooping backing vocals.
ans with him, keeping only the drum machine, Doktor Avalanche), this combination is an excellent sonic fit. The swaggering machismo of heavy metal sits nicely next to Eldritch`s studiously straight-faced delivery of his colossally egocentric (and intentionally funny) lyrics.Opening with the monster riff of the title track, VISION THING is a note-perfect parody of metal, while also pushing the boundaries of goth, something the Sisters have done consistently with each of their releases. Standouts include "Ribbons," where the guitars alternately call to mind crashing waves and thunderclaps, and the caustic lyrics end in a desperate howl. "Doctor Jeep" is a jittery, caffeinated swipe at American commercialism, and "More," a masterpiece of bombast built on a big, chugging guitar riff, incorporates everything from sawing, synthesized violins and a piano fade out, to gloriously selfish lyrics and swooping backing vocals.
Radiohead - Live in Paris
year 2003 bio: Radiohead was one of the few alternative bands of the early '90s to draw heavily from the grandiose arena rock that characterized U2's early albums. But the band internalized that epic sweep, turning it inside out to tell tortured, twisted tales of angst and alienation. Vocalist Thom Yorke's pained lyrics were brought to life by the group's three-guitar attack, which relied on texture -- borrowing as much from My Bloody Valentine and Pink Floyd as R.E.M. and Pixies -- instead of virtuosity. It took Radiohead awhile to formulate their signature sound. Their 1993 debut, Pablo Honey..
David Vandervelde - the Moonstation House Band
year 2007 review: Chicago native David Vandervelde obviously likes doing things his way -- why else would he play almost every single instrument heard on his full-length debut, 2007's The Moonstation House Band? While whirring electronics play a significant role in the proceedings, Vandervelde's Marc Bolan-esque vocals add an interesting spin on the whole one-man-band angle. A modern day T. Rex would be a fitting description overall, especially on the album-opening rocker, "Nothin' No," as well as the spacey ballad, "Feet of a Liar" (which sounds straight off of Tanx). Elsewhere, "Jacket" shows that Vandervelde has a pop sweet tooth, while he puts on his boogie woogie shoes for "Wisdom from a Tree." Marc Bolan reincarnated? It comes pretty darn close on The Moonstation House Band.
Iggy pop - New Values
year 79 review: This is still a great power pop album; almost every song is a gem. It's a lot more restrained than his Stooges work and even Lust for Life, so don't expect another Funhouse. Still, from the awesome title track to the slower Don't Look Down this is a very listenable and enjoyable album. Certainly better than anything that came after!
Belle & sebastian - For your hands
year 2000 review: When Belle & Sebastian canceled several dates on their 1998 North American tour after cellist Isobel Campbell fell ill, many fans cried foul; couldn't the rest of the group have gone on without her? Of course not -- Belle & Sebastian is a band in the most democratic sense of the word, a point reinforced by Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, their fo
urth and most ambitiously eclectic album to date. Nominal frontman Stuart Murdoch recedes into the background even more than on The Boy With the Arab Strap and , allowing bandmates like CampbellStevie Jackson to take on a greater share of the writing and vocal duties. Also like its predecessor, Fold Your Hands Child opts for a subtle, intimate palette that reveals its charms only in its own sweet time. It may be too subtle for its own good; even after repeated listens it fails to connect on any meaningful level. The record has many intriguing ideas (like the delicate "Beyond the Sunrise," which evokes the classic duets of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, and the vaguely rootsy "The Wrong Girl"), but few of the concepts seem fully developed.
urth and most ambitiously eclectic album to date. Nominal frontman Stuart Murdoch recedes into the background even more than on The Boy With the Arab Strap and , allowing bandmates like CampbellStevie Jackson to take on a greater share of the writing and vocal duties. Also like its predecessor, Fold Your Hands Child opts for a subtle, intimate palette that reveals its charms only in its own sweet time. It may be too subtle for its own good; even after repeated listens it fails to connect on any meaningful level. The record has many intriguing ideas (like the delicate "Beyond the Sunrise," which evokes the classic duets of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, and the vaguely rootsy "The Wrong Girl"), but few of the concepts seem fully developed.
