Entries Tagged as 'Albums'
Fantastic Playroom by New Young Pony Club is a dance party album. Nothing more. Seriously, there is nothing more to it. This album will indeed get people moving and the music itself is catchy and energetic, but there is no real depth to the songs and the lyrics go from borderline silly to downright laughable. There really isn't much more necessary to get an accurate overview other than that, to be honest - this record is a one trick pony. Catchy dance music, no depth, terrible lyrics. Full review, tourdates and MP3 samples after the jump.
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Categories: Albums, Music, Reviews
Tags: 2008, Album Review, Fantastic Playground, New Young Pony Club, Tour Dates
The Smiths - The Smiths - Rough Trade - 1984
Well, somewhat inspired by this forum post, I thought I would try to cover some of the albums on the list here on the Throwback Thursday feature. First I thought I would hit up one of my favorite bands ever, and one that I feel that their influence is very poignant and prevalent in today's indie music scene. Of course I refer to the great Smiths, one of the really great and I think still underappreciated bands of the 1980s.
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Throwback Thursday
Tags: Johnny Marr, Modest Mouse, Morrissey, The Smiths
The Helio Sequence is a band that has had several indy releases, and Keep Your Eyes Ahead, released by Sub Pop Records is a nice surprise when I threw it on the iTunes for the first time not too long ago. Overall, Keep Your Eyes Ahead is an enjoyable and even record, in that the high points aren't the most awesome, but the low points aren't the most terrible music I have heard this year, either. I think the album suffers a little from the fact that the lead vocals aren't exactly world-class, but they are passable. On the right ...
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Categories: Albums, Music, Reviews
Tags: 2008, Album Review, Keep Your Eyes Ahead, The Helio Sequence, Tour Dates
Posted July 3rd, 2008 by BVaz · 1 Comment
Well I don't have too much planned in terms of the throwback this week because of the holiday festivities, so in honor of the great J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr. hitting Pitchfork Music Fest here in Chicago in a few weeks I thought I would throw out another homage to one of his earlier albums. This one is not one of the higher regarded albums, and is actually the last recorded Dinosaur album in the "solo J" era before the breakup/reunion in recent years, but it certainly still has its classic moments, and is still chock full of blazing ...
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Throwback Thursday
Tags: Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis, Pitchfork Music Fest, Summer Festival
So here’s a little album I’ve been wanting to write about for some time, but didn’t know how to proceed. It may be due, in part, to the fact that it’s been quite a spell since my last hallucinogen-induced bender. Nonetheless, Oracular Spectacular is an encompassing album that is delightfully complex, while maintaining a lightheartedness throughout. Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser have done a very impressive of job of creating a mash up of eclectic sounds and styles in a manner that would make a Flaming Lips/David Bowie love child shed a single tear of joy.
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Reviews
Tags: Album Review, MGMT, Oracular Spectacular, Time to Pretend
Lil' Wayne had killer guest spots on two of my favorite hip-hop tracks from last year: Jay-Z's "Hello Brooklyn" and Kanye West's "Barry Bonds". However, much like when I purchased Grand Theft Auto III, I hadn't experienced the first two installments of the trilogy, so I approached Tha Carter III with a fairly open mind.
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Categories: Albums, Music, Reviews
Tags: Album Review, hip-hop, Lil' Wayne, Tha Carter III
Posted June 26th, 2008 by BVaz · 2 Comments
Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Enadalaust - Beggars - 2008
One of the higher profile releases so far this year is certainly this new album from Iceland's Sigur Ros. The kings of dramatic, atmospheric pop have taken a bit of a change in direction on this album, with a few more focused numbers, but largely retains their sweet natured charm of their dramatic soundscapes and they deliver a very solid record.
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Reviews
Tags: Album Review, Sigur Ros, Tour Dates
Posted June 26th, 2008 by BVaz · 2 Comments
I wasn't really going to do a review on this, because it kind of exists outside of the realm of reviews and regular albums that have come out this year simply because of the way it is put together. But since this has been such a controversial release that has been praised by many and panned by many as well, I thought I would throw in my two cents on this album. It was released last week Radiohead style and it is certainly an album everyone should go ahead and pick up, considering the pay what you want ...
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Reviews
Tags: Album Review, Feed The Animals, Girl Talk, Greg Gillis, Mashup
I have to admit that I am a Coldplay fan. I loved Parachutes, and with Rush of Blood to the Head, I really felt like the band put the extra emphasis/sound/depth on their already good songwriting that they needed in order to make Parachutes a more complete record. I think X&Y was a disappointment, and the most troubling to me was that the only song on that record which I could say was really good, Talk, was the only song on that record which wasn't wholly written by Chris Martin (I also love the video for Talk - Spaceships? Alien Robot?! Bad ass.) I ...
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Categories: Albums, Music, Reviews
Tags: 2008, Album Review, Coldplay, Tour Dates, Viva La Vida
Posted June 23rd, 2008 by BVaz · 2 Comments
I have been meaning to do a monday post on Jens for quite a while, as I have been a big fan of this album ever since I picked it up. I'm not sure Rheinborg and I will ever live down missing Jens' show in Dallas while trying to go see MSTRKRFT, as I have since become a big fan of Jens to where I really wonder what the hell we were thinking (we were wasted so maybe that played a part in it). Anyway, this is another great pop gem from a Swedish singer/songwriter, which, like a ...
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Categories: Albums, Main, Mix Tape Monday, Music
Tags: Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala, Swedish Invasion
The Raveonettes are yet another band in the long line of bands this year of which I a) know nothing about, and b) who released an album this year. At any rate, the Raveonettes have a decent back catalog (of which I am not familiar), and they are a two-piece band set up with one guy, one girl. Lust Lust Lust is an album with lots of....stuff. There are several solid tracks, and it's a record which starts strong but really wanes in the second half, and there are lots of tracks. There is a lot of stuff going on in these songs. ...
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Categories: Albums, Music, Reviews
Tags: 2008, Album Review, Lust Lust Lust, The Raveonettes
Posted June 19th, 2008 by BVaz · 1 Comment
Going with the famous Radiohead "pay what you want" philosophy, Girl Talk has released their new album "Feed The Animals" here at the Illegal Art website. Anything gets you 320kpbs MP3s, $5 gets you FLAC files, and $10 gets you FLAC plus a CD whenever it is released/pressed. Girl Talk is of course on tour now and will be hitting up Lollapalooza in early August. I have heard the live show is ridiculous (I missed the show at the Metro in January unfortunately), so should be worth checking out for sure.
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music
Tags: Feed The Animals, Girl Talk, Pay What You Want Albums
Posted June 19th, 2008 by BVaz · 1 Comment
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique - Capitol Records - 1989
Without question one of the greatest achievements in rap and hip-hop has to be this classic album from the Beastie Boys. I think it is by far their best album, and definitely reached a creative level with the back beats and sampling that few albums even come close to touching. It is still the most enjoyable Beastie album in my opinion, and is one of those albums that I can remember pretty much wearing it out playing it for months after I got it.
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Throwback Thursday
Tags: Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique
Posted June 17th, 2008 by BVaz · 1 Comment
Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea - Drag City - 2008
What a great fucking week for album releases (and yes I'm ignoring that whole Coldplay thing). Not only do we have Wolf Parade's "At Mount Zoomer" which I have fallen instantly in love with, we also have another album from the venerable Silver Jews, and I have totally fallen in love with this album also. It is just a great album, so soft spoken, so alt-country, yet so good. There are some humorous moments, some great country jams, and just all around solid songs from top ...
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Reviews
Tags: Album Review, Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea, Silver Jews
Posted June 17th, 2008 by BVaz · 4 Comments
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer - Sub-Pop - 2008
At the start of the new year 2008 there were really two main albums that I was anticipating in the upcoming year more than any others: Wolf Parade's new album, which came to be known as "At Mount Zoomer", and Of Montreal's record, which will drop in October. So even before this album was announced I was heavily anticipating it, having just seen the band back in September where they played the majority of these songs, and they just blew my mind. Well, I'm happy to say that they ...
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Categories: Albums, Main, Music, Reviews
Tags: Album Review, At Mount Zoomer, Awesome, Tour Dates, Wolf Parade
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