Editorial Review

Even when on sabbatical from his "other" band Rilo Kiley, guitarist Blake Sennett keeps a great distance from stagnation. In a record driven by elongated performances and an unending interstate (and recorded in various locales along the journey), this Sennett-fronted foursome mirrors its highly commended debut Me First with another mix of razor-sharp and patently droll songs—this round with more of an emphasis on beach-blanket pop than bell-bottomed country. The nomadic Sennett boosts the usual orchestration with lap steel, accordion and saxophone, but it is his own guitar, piano and falsetto vocals that transport wistful tunes like the anxious "Not Going Home" and the Doubting Thomas love song "It Was Love" (backed by Rilo vocalist Jenny Lewis) into bare, intimate anthems. The melancholy melodies of late compatriotElliott Smith are recalled in the title song, as well as the record's most reflective track, "Fireflies in a Steel Mill." "Should we turn our tails and flee," Sennett asks, "Or just sit tight and breathe deep?" Chances are he'd choose the former, as the latter seems downright impossible. Read more

Reviews (7)

Best I could've hoped for
This album represents everything I wanted this band to achieve.Awesome melodies, wanderous lyrics, and an all around heartwarming sound.I could have wished for nothing more from this second Elected release.If this album doesn't make you smile while listening to it, there is definitely something wrong with you.

Like Rays of Sun
www.AbsolutePunk.net
Tanning all day under 'Sun Sun Sun'
This album at first glance seems somewhat mediocre but leaves
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. United States of America   

Reviews (9)

The whole package
Awesome sound out of just drums and a guitar; blows White Stripes away, in my humble opinion.Vocals are full and powerful.I have to keep reminding myself the band has only 3 members (no overdubs).Look forward to hearing more of their stuff.

Beth Ditto=Punk Goddess
I heard about this band in the most unlikely of ways.The NPR music guy was talking about some noteworthy young artists/bands in the Pacific Northwest, and when he played The Gossip, my ears instantly perked up.In his description of their sound, he mostly talked about Ditto's pipes, and that's the way it should be.Sure, Brace's guitar work is catchy and Hannah's drumming is adept enough--but let's face it, punk ain't the most demanding genre when it comes to instrumentation.It's all about style, verve, attitude, and Beth's got all that plus a whole lot of soul.Her Arkansas roots come out in her sexy delivery that's equal parts blues and grrl punch.I would've liked to hear a few more upbeat songs on this disc--it gets a bit slow towards the end--but Ditto knocks every other singer in this genre flat on their ass, so I'll give 'er a break if she likes to break into soulful crooning every once in a while.

Is good, but could have been so much better
Don't get me wrong, this is a good album and worthy of spending your hand earned cash, but damn it could have been brilliant with a few little tweaks and adjustments.
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Subjects:  1. Garage Punk    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. United States of America   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Subjects:  1. Baroque Pop    2. Chamber Pop    3. Indie Pop    4. Indie Rock    5. Lo-Fi    6. Pop    7. Progressive Folk    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop    10. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Liz Phair's Read more

Reviews (166)

excellent
I'm not much of a fan of her 2 latest pop albums, but wcse is just great pop, not saccharine, just great. You can definitely appreciate exile in guyville and this album as well.

"Yes I'm broadcasting myself!"
Liz Phair's whitechocolatespaceegg is a fun and catchy album. More produced than her two previous albums, but still a classic collection. Some of the gems on the album include: What makes you happy (loved it first time i heard it!) polyester bride, big tall man, and ride. Liz is an amazing songwriter, and her lyrics do not disappointment on this particular album. lyrics like, "I'm sleeping in the girls room, i'm sleeping in the sky, i'm sleeping in the water, i'm sleeping in the girls room tonight" What i like about this album it was the right transiton that Liz needed in her career, yes the sound is more slicker and predictable but every artist needs to grow and not write about the same thing all the time because the prevoius formula was successful. Whitechocolatespaceegg is worth checking out, keep rocking Liz!

AnnaNalick
I thinkAnna's cd isinteresting because hersongs Breathe2(am), and In TheRough.(GOAnna!)
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

In 2000, the techno-folk troubadour Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy,won the U.K.-based Mercury Music Prize, Brit-pop's blue ribbon award. His first full-length, Read more

Reviews (107)

Badly Drawn Boy... simply the best...
The way he uses all kind of instruments and his lyrics are amazing... few have the genius this guy has.

I hated this at first, but it grows on you - this is unique and fun indie pop!
Anyone who's into indie pop probably has heard the name Badly Drawn Boy before (this album won best album of the year over Massive Attack's "Mezzanine" in the 1999 British music awards). I'll admit that at first I didn't really like this album as most of the songs weren't as instantly catchy as "Everybody's Stalking" and "Disillusion" (the two standouts and my favorite tracks on the album). If you give the rest some time, though, you'll find that not only are they unique and interesting, but they're all very good! Badly Drawn Boy, aka Damon Gough, has a pretty likable voice that suits the music very well, and although he's not perfect he does a fine job. Musically the album is pretty hard to describe - it's a mixture of indie rock, indie pop and other genres that I'm not sure how to describe. He uses some slightly unique instruments (the names of which I don't know) that give everything a strange and new sound. Basically, the whole album sounds fresh. The lyrics are also surprisingly good here and very memorable in some of the songs ("Disillusion" especially). I'm not entirely sure what all the songs are about yet, but I know that most people will like paying attention to his words. The only complaint I could possibly make about the album is that the production could use some work (the songs are a littly fuzzy and lo-fi, but perhaps that was his intention?). Despite any minor grievances I might have, "The Hour Of Bewilderbeast" remains a great album that all indie pop fans should own (non-genre fans will probably like it, too)! Absolutely recommended!
Great Album
Well, Badly Drawn Boy does it again. What a nice album, with so entertaining melodies. This is the kind of music you want to listen while traveling through a beautiful landscape. This is music to relax and to sing along. Just when you hear the first notes of "The Shining" your body shivers. It's such a complete album. My fave tracks are: The Shining, Everybody's Stalking, Camping Next to Water, Stone on the Water and Magic in the Air. If you like BDB previous albums, don't hesitate in buying this one. Also you might like to check Andrew Bird. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber Pop    2. Folk-Pop    3. Indie Pop    4. Lo-Fi    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

This twenty-minute EP is a five-song companion piece to Sam Beam aka Iron & Wine’s exceptional 2002 debut, Read more

Features

Reviews (14)

Lo-fi gorgeousness
This is the e.p. for all those who loved Iron and Wine's "The Creek Drank the Cradle," got hooked, and found themselves needing more. Short and Succinct
I love Iron & Wine's two LPs but I'm definitely of the opinion that singer/songwriter Sam Beam is at his best working with the EP format.He reminds me of those writers who can put down beautiful bits of short prose but whose novels invariably get a bit long-winded.The Sea & the Rhythm and Woman King are his two best efforts thus far, both tight, succinct works that I always find enjoyable.The LPs always seem to run out of steam for me, despite having many essential songs.This follow-up to his debut contains the same lo-fi, 4-track-recorder-in-the-bedroom aesthetic, so if you're a stickler for sonic purity, try out Woman King instead.

how can five songs be so good
I think this my first EP purchase ever - and I generally feel that, despite the quality many offer, EPs just are not worth it. Sam Beam was clearly on a mission to change my mind, as these apparent "outtakes" from The Creek Drank The Cradle are every bit as good as that miracle debut - if not better. I only very recently discovered Iron and Wine through Our Endless Numbered Days, and have since been backtracking only to see that this remarkably talented artist can do no wrong. The standout track to me is The Night Descending, it has the feel of a track pulled right out of the past. The other four tracks are just as excellent though, and I think Sam's managed to make an avid fan out of me. Damn... and just when I thought there were no new artists to be excited about! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

This deluxe double disc reissue is a superbly done follow-up to the treatment afforded Pavement’s brilliant ‘92 debut Read more

Reviews (28)

Not A Masterpiece!
All the critics adore this album. Is like a religion I do not understand. 5 stars is the norm (Rolling Stone, Spin, and who knows who else!) Myself, sometimes I like to believe that critics know more about good music than myself. That they perceive inuendos, trends, genius more than I am able to detect. Like going to the Museum and looking at a piece of art and you say to yoursel, "what is this crap?" only to be told a moment later, by a knowledgeable and reputable so called "art critic", that what you have or are witnessing is a masterpiece for whatever the fricking reason. Stephen Malkmus gets so many accolades I thought this guy was hot! So I bought the "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: L.A.'s Desert Origins. Yes, I bought it in 2006 figuring a classic will sound even better years after its release. Forgive If it seems I am committing a mortal sin when I say, this CD sucks, the hype is a lot better than the actual thing. And so many songs...These guys were recording any crap that came to mind, their egos bubbling through the process and yes, there are some tasty songs that stand up against any other but, 5 stars?! Who is kidding who? 4.5 stars? That is far too generous. And don't tell me I am missing the point, that is an "in" thing and either you are part of it or you are not, because I do not buy it. Disjointed, abrasive, lacking musical direction, at times downright depressive (probably one of its appeals), monotonous, what more can I say? The critics also say that James Brown "Live at the Apollo" is hot hot hot, and it sucks. I can probably bang a two chord tune and make a better song than Mr. Stephen Malkmus and his precious band. Too many songs for very little good ones is its main flaw. Yes, I did get emotional and for that I truly ask that you listen to this so called masterpiece and tell me, what is so hot about it? Is is a state of mind, a generational critical thing? Because musically is sure no great work. Sometimes an album has only one song that makes it worthwhile buyin and I can live with that. "Crooke Rain, Crooked R...." has more than one but to listen to the other crap diminishes the joy of owning this CD. Oh, but I am not an authority so please don't shoot me if I missed the secret point but somebody is going to have to tell me what is so magnifecent about this CD. The packaging is above average, if that counts. Pavement's "Crooked Rain, Cro....." 5 stars for the few jewels to be had, for the overwhelming rest 3 stars is more than kind.

Back to the Gold Soundz
One word that has often been used to describe Pavement is genius. And now their best work of art has been re-released in a 2 cd box. CD 1 included the brilliant 'Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain'
Some of the outtakes should remain as they were
The original is a four star album. It's a bit more cheerful (Get aHaircut, Gold Soundz) than usual Pavement and a bit country (Range Life.) Oh how I love the scratchy noise of 'Slanted' and the sparsebummer ditties of 'Watery Domestic'. There's more sunshine here. Nice and lazy vocals of cryptic innuendos(?) There are too many outtakes on here for my liking. The second half of disc two is pure garbage. 'Grounded' is a phenomonal tinkly guitar jam, something Sonic Youth would be doing on something like Sister. One of the reasons I didn't give this reissue a 3 star rating. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Noise Pop    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Among the most stunning debuts of 2003, Read more

Reviews (7)

shining in the park with a bioluminesence
If you didn't know what it was, you'd swear it was recorded in the field 70 years ago.The outright primitive audio quality, acoustic instruments, the little mistakes and coughs left in... it's a diamond in the rough, left uncut because there's so much beauty in the imperfections.
Lovely, to say the least.
I heard "All The Morning Birds" one lonely evening in June 2003 on listener supported/free form radio WFMU and immediately felt an overwhelming surge of comfort flow from mind to body.As I recall, I was actually stunned while listening to this most hauntingly beautiful, raw song.Immediately, as the song ended, I called the DJ and discovered that Jolie Holland was my new favorite lady songwriter/musician.
A different sound, for sure
This is one of the most distinctive, defiantly genre-bending albums to come down the pike in quite some time... Generally speaking, it's in the "Americana" realm, but with odd, insistent jags of torchy jazz, blues and indefinable world music influences.It's not surprising since Holland, who has become a fixture on the Northern California/SF Bay Area scene, was once a founding member of the equally eclectic Be Good Tanyas, and carries much of their searching moodiness with her.There's also an art-school diary aspect to this disc, with elusive impenetrable lyrics that are matched by the amorphousness of the music.This album certainly has a unique feel to it... whether she'll be able to sustain the mystique, or sharpen her focus, remains to be seen, but for now Holland has struck a remarkable balance between the pretentious and the sublime... If you're looking for something substantive and off the beaten track, this disc is certainly worth checking out.Read more

Subjects:  1. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    2. Folk-Pop    3. Lo-Fi    4. Neo-Traditional Folk    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

As the lead singer and songwriting force behind Soul Coughing, M. Doughty combined a slam poetry, ironic sensibility with jam band-ish, arty Downtown grooves. That group was an apex of smart stoner rock. Since the mid ‘90s Doughty has gone it alone, and his first release for ATO combines two self-released solo recordings that flirt with the sublime. Recorded in a single day in 1996, Read more

Reviews (18)

I Guess Making Your Soul Cough Can Lead To Great Things!
From the first track on Skittish *The Only Answer* to the last track on Rockitty Roll *Get Along*, I was simply blown away by the simply musicianship and dedication to beat poet lyrical rhythm that Mike Doughty sets up in these albums. *techincally one combined double-album, I guess*
Mike Doughty's Solo career
This double album is one of my favorites and I am glad to see Mike Doughty moving on after Soul Coughing. Although Soul Coughing can never be beaten in my mind, Doughty is undoubtedly talented and his music is just amazing.

Go ahead, Jump on the bandwagon
Mike Doughty is amazing. I decided a few years ago to check up on the members of soul coughing because I truly missed their music. I was lucky enough to find out that Mike Doughty had a solo career going and was selling this CD on his own website www.superspecialquestions.com The CD was signed and included his own unique word written on the cover. Anyways, I picked it up and hasn't left the player since. This is not Soul Coughing music, but it's just as good in some weird way. I was never really into folky music but the guys voice is just electric and unique enough to draw you in. I was able to check out his show at Kent State a few months back. I didn't even know he was coming until I picked up the school's paper that day and saw he was performing for FREE that afternoon. Needless to say it was a great show and my friends who had never heard of Soul Coughing or Doughty before the concert were looking around after the show to see if his CDs were being sold anywhere. This guy's under the radar. This won't last long, though, since he's on Dave Matthews' label. Check out www.archive.org to download legal free live shows and get this CD so you can say you liked him back when.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Beat Poetry    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Pop    6. Post-Rock/Experimental    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter    10. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Is Liz Phair apologizing? It would be easy to get that impression from the title track of Read more

Reviews (85)

Why does it have to be one or the other?
The concerns raised about Phair's last two album are hardly palatable.The general concensus seems to be that either:
We've left "Exile in Guyville"
Liz Phair was an icon in the mid 90s indie-female-rock scene with her outstanding debut "Exile in Guyville" album, which was followed by 2 other great albums. In 2003, Liz did an astounding 180 degree turnaround with the self-titled album, instead reaching for the April Lavigne/Sheryl Crowe type mainstream crowd. Yes it did bring Liz her first Top 40 success with the "Why Can't I" single, but the album faltered commercially. Now comes the sequel.
Boooooooring.And so sad.
I am a Liz Phair from the "Exile" era, and unlike many old-time fans, I've followed her every step of the way and taken the stops, starts and turns in stride.I didn't even mind her self-titled album, which I found unchallenging but still catchy.I continued supporting her, even traveling long distances to see her on a couple of occasions.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Does Mac McCaughan ever rest? After a decade and a half as the mastermind behind a majority of Superchunk's contagious catalog, the North Carolinian carries on his prolificacy with Portastatic--essentially McCaughan handling all instrumental chores except for an ever-slight and gyratory cast of musicians. Unable to pen and record a clunker amidst his handsome ballads and cascading rockers, McCaughan coalesces sugar-coated melodies with personal, often uproarious lyrics that can make his 40-something voice sound half its age. "Oh, you had some information that you turned into a hymn/That you sang into the answering machines of all your friends/But they never got the message," he sings on "Black Buttons" beneath the delicate accompaniment of violin, oboe, and backing vocals by Laura Cantrell. The gentle acoustic-led folk song is one of several low-key gems, which split the nine-tune record with uptempo delights like "I'm in Love (With Arthur Dove)" and the utterly iridescent "Cheers and Applause." As he cries out "Spinning, spinning, and no one's as desperate as me," perhaps McCaughan could take his own advice and, as the title suggests, Read more

Reviews (1)

One of the best of 2006
Just a month before this I claimed M Ward's Post War to be the best album of 2006.It may still hold that title, but Be Still Please is defintely a contender. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

Features

Reviews (17)

Amazing, but not for everyone
This is a wonderful album and it shows us some of this amazing band's diversity, but not everyone will apreciate it. If you only like Good news for people who love bad news and Moon and Antarctica, then this isn't for you. It is much more raw and a lot stranger. If you do like this, then you will probably also like Long drive and Lonesome crowded, which is their best album and my personal favorite album period.

The TRUE Birth of Modest Mouse

The Fruit that Ate Itself
This CD is less refined and genius tha their actual first released CD "this is a long drive..."...It is more primitive (i mean, there are THREE untitled songs), yet still a pretty little piece...and it is less boldly a "Modest Mouse" cd. but this is their original work and their later which stemmed makes this CD better than it might have otherwise been.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. United States of America   

Reviews (15)

'I' like it: Nice followup to 69
Stephen Merrit, the mastermind behind Magnetic Fields, concocted this group of songs beginning with "I" to followup the critically beloved 69 LOVE SONGS. While it's not possessed of the scope and range musically and lyrically of that work, it's still far above the pack of ordinary pop songs. That's right, I said "pop": Despite the orchestral adornments and Merrit's non-commercial dry baritone, at the heart most of these tunes are 'silly love songs' as McCartney penned. Not that that's a bad thing. Merritwrites a snappy pop tune when he's of the mind and that mindset dominates here with his usual dollop of showtunes alongside. It's usually when he attempts something "substantial" that he missteps ("I Was Born").
Amazing Album with Too True Songwriting and Composition
Stephen Merritt, I'm sure if you haven't heard of him by now is stupendous.He makes solo records, and with other bands, (Future Bible Heroes, Gothic Archies, The 6ths) everything this guy does is gold.This is coming from someone who hasn't listened to 69 Love Songs yet, for the simple reason of not being able to stop listening in one sitting.
A couple of great highlights; average elsewhere
I's main problem is its repetitiveness. The vast majority of the album carries the same basic style: very acoustic (almost toy-like), simple and organic arrangements of songs that sound like they could have come from musicals. Accordingly, its range, compared to, say, 69 Love Songs, is minute. The notable exception to the pattern is 'I Thought You Were My Boyfriend', which employs synths and sounds like it belongs in the 80s - but even here somehow the production is similar. Anyhow, it's a good track, angsty yet playful, a bit like a pastiche of its genre - in fact, it sounds like the obligatory dramatic, negative, edgiest moment of - yet again - a musical! The best track by a mile is 'I Looked All Over Town', which is the best distillation of the aforementioned genre that abounds elsewhere, graced with a gorgeous melody that is offset by the toybox arrangement perfectly. Other tracks, whether faster, like 'I Don't Believe You' and 'I Don't Really Love You Anymore' or slow and smoky like the self-explanatory
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Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

After Read more

Features

• Original recording reissued

Reviews (62)

"And nobody sparkles like you..."
I bought this album about three years ago and to this day whip-smart is still my favorite album. Liz Phair is a genius. Her song-writing is incredible, her voice a relentless pitbull, and her image, a true reniassance. All the songs I love, especially Nashville, Go West, and the album closer, May Queen.
Rockin' -- I dig it:)

A More than Competent Follow-Up to an Indie Classic
Disciples of "Exile in Guyville" will agree with the four star rating, newcomers might say it's more of a 3.5 kinda party, but that's still not bad. In an interview, LP once cited a Pavement album as one of her faves. This is no wonder to me, since her first two albums mirrored the characteristics of her Matador contemporaries' first two albums as well. Both respective firsts were raw, instant classics with undeniable charm and unlimited potential. Both follow-ups realized that potential.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Alternative/Indie-Rock    4. Indie Rock    5. Lo-Fi    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Reviews (20)

One of my all-time favourite songs
I haven't actually got this album - or listened to it. What a cheek then to muscle in with a glowing review!!
Helped me though a painful time
I always wanted to be a writer - but my dreams were dashed when I had abuse heaped on me by everyone I ever came across - teachers, ministers, friends, parents, lovers - one day I found myself looking out the window and saying whre did my beautiful life go - I went to the store on foot - my then-husband had taken the car keys away - I was an abuser of alcohol and oxycontin - and I bought a book that helped me and on an impulse buy, this album - the songs made me tap my toes nd reminded me of the happiness i felt dressed up in my Sunday best and tap shoes - my mother let me wear them to church - before we stopped going - trouble with the priest - but oh how I loved to dance - and this record made me feel that way again - I would love to buy more - but I am on public assistance - but thank you for the happiness in your tunes

Best of Magnetic Fields...pure Brilliance
This is probably my favorite album.This title along with 'Get Lost' is Magnetic Fields at it's peak.The title Holiday is a play on words because the album is both elating and depressing at the same time.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Electronic    3. Indie Pop    4. Indie Rock    5. Lo-Fi    6. Pop    7. Popular Music    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (66)

always a classic
if you're even looking at this, u know what we all know...S&E is a classic for all times. love u stephen!

sure its not perfect, but...
This album is a gem... mostly because you can really see the spark of something great in it.. which the band went on to create some wonderful and inspiring music over their 10 year career.
Horrible, awful and disgusting
I can't decide which is more ugly, stomach-turning, and vile, the cover or the music inside. All the people who like this drivel better be glad that people like them were able to gain control of the American music mags such as Spin, etc. Otherwise this band and the horrible drivel they make would be consigned to the dustbin of obscurity. Well you can't win them all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Noise Pop    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Reviews (64)

Undercooked Indie Pop
2 1/2 stars
I Am So Upset!
This music is pretty cool, but I want to comment on the band's name. So many people refer to unicorns as mythical creatures, but they definitely exist, or at least existed at one time!
gone but not forgotten
If you loved the works of Nick and J'aime as much as I did, then you'll love their new project called, 'Islands' - "Return To The Sea". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dance Music    2. Dance-Pop    3. Indie Pop    4. Indie Rock    5. Lo-Fi    6. Pop    7. Rock/Pop