We weren’t sure if Madonna could surprise us anymore. Until she did.
Like their self-titled debut, the xx’s live show is a case study in straddling a fine line.
The Travis frontman delivers a sumptuous collection of low-key ditties that should further cement his legacy as one of Britain’s most bankable songwriters.
Bubblegum feels like a transition to a less interesting place.
It’s hard to think of Pete Yorn as the start of a new direction for Yorn.
When given the opportunity, Tunstall manages to showcase that she’s actually a damn fine singer.
Confrontation hurts, and on Seconds Late for the Brighton Line, the Legendary Pink Dots keep their typically safe distance.
The album simply lacks the edge and bite of Tucker’s work with Sleater-Kinney.
Weak all around, The Game of Monogamy clearly defines the difference between a niche and a hole.
At their best, the Postelles sound recalls Elvis Costello, only poppier and sans drollness.
Spark is one of the rare cases where guitar-geek fussiness yields magnificent results.
On Invented, Jimmy Eat World, now 16 years into their career, sounds like they’ve started to outgrow emo.
Halcyon Digest’s finest moment suggests that Deerhunter will get by just fine without the histrionics.
The focus here is crystalline, immaculately styled country—slow, pretty songs fleshed out by female backing vocals.
Three albums in, it’s hard to imagine a Mark Ronson album not brimming over with a crowd-pleasing, inter-genre collection of guest stars.
With such a large number of producers behind the mixing desk, it’s impossible for I Am the West to conform to a consistent style.
Does growing up always have to necessitate calming down?
Neil Young has made a brilliant-66%-of-the-time career by not really retracing any of his previous steps.
Hornby’s storytelling prowess gives Lonely Avenue a structural piquancy that Way to Normal lacked.
One suspects that Manic Street Preachers’s rallying may fall on deaf ears.
What better time than now for fans, drag queens, and cineastes to pay tribute or create their own versions of past Gaga hits?