The album sounds beamed in from an earlier decade, but it runs deeper than nostalgia.
Guests like hype man du jour Fatman Scoop offer little aside from their apparent contractual obligation to brand Ben-Ari as “the hip-hop violinist.”
Even on the album’s best moments, the band is overwhelmed by its rather obvious influences.
Loveless has found a comfortable middle-ground between her peerless brand of mountain soul and the sunny pop-country of her commercial heyday.
The album illustrates that coming up with an airtight, fascinating thesis can present an unclearable hurdle of its own.
What Alive & Wired does best is reconcile the considerable charms of the band’s studio output with the immediacy of their live shows’ energy.
Takk… often sounds like a faithful reproduction of the outsized pop of Radiohead’s The Bends.
Dance producer and pussy hound Armand Van Helden was never one to ride the front end of a trend.
Beth Hart’s recorded performances match the weight of her best-written material.
Destination Unknown is a fairly upbeat (for the most part) and engaging record that’s aided tremendously by Don Kerr’s reedy vocals.
The album feels less like raising awareness and more like hopping on the bandwagon.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club drops the calculated hipster façade and crafts one of the most earnest and surprising albums of the year.
In the Reins is a winning combination of sensibilities that results in a thoroughly engaging record.
Much of Life in Slow Motion feels contemplative, but not morosely so.
It’s as though McCartney was determined to accomplish something other than a harbinger of advanced ticket sales.
Newcomers looking for a solid indie-pop record would be better served picking up Death Cab’s last album.
If you’re having flashbacks to the Spice Girls, there’s good reason.
The album attempts to reconcile the often disparate elements that constituted the considerable charms of Grandaddy’s previous releases.
The songs that form the core of Oh No cohere into a consistently engaging take on modern rock.
The album affirms that Miller has the potential to make quite a name for himself on the strength of his songwriting.
Nada Surf have handled their newfound expectations for quality output with refreshing confidence.