In a recent interview, Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin of the duo Air stated they were trying to get away from their previous pop sound. This begs the question, when has Air ever tried to create pop music?
Air – Pocket Symphony
The Electric Soft Parade – Need to be Downhearted
The Electric Soft Parade released its debut album, Holes In The Wall, in 2002 to great acclaim from the fickle British press. No Need To Be Downhearted is their third album, and it carries on the likeable Britpop tradition of the band without breaking any new ground. ESP is made up of brothers Tom and […]
El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
Though I’ve never been a huge fan of El-P, half of the pivotal group Company Flow and don of the underground via Def Jux (the label he founded), it’s always been clear that the New York native is nothing if not prolific, boundlessly talented and extra creative. With his latest solo record I’ll Sleep When […]
The Escape Route – Ctrl+Alt+Del
The Escape Route describe themselves in their very short press sheet simply as a pop band; but after just one take with their 6-song EP, Ctrl+Alt+Del, it’s clear there is much more complexity this band than what’s contained in a three-letter genre category. It was also apparent that this “pop band” tripe was a joke.
Kate Havnevik – Melankton
I hadn’t heard of the artist Kate Havnevik until her name was mentioned by her manager (who is also credited with starting the infamous Hotel Café in Los Angeles), Josh Neuman, during a music business panel at SXSW. He said she was the voice you’ve heard numerous times, you just may not be aware that […]
Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly, Angry Mob
Kaiser Chiefs took the world by storm in 2005. The world, and not just their U.K. homeland, leaving smiling music fans in their path, all sweaty and viscous after losing it to the Chief’s self-prophesized anthem, “I Predict A Riot.” After making such a huge first impression with the debut release, Employment, many would hold […]
Chris Randall – The Devil His Due
What happens when industrial musicians get older? Apparently, they listen to a lot of Tom Waits and Nick Cave and classic jazz and blues and make an album that’s spooky in an entirely different way than might be expected. Chris Randall’s The Devil His Due is an album full of stories of evil and loss, […]
The Other Side Berlin – Ellen Allien
Ellen Allien – The Other Side BerlinDeaf, Dumb + Blind Recordings I love watching travel shows, but I can rarely connect with the hosts or the trips they feature. Rick Steves, whom I’m sure you’ve caught on PBS before on a blurry Sunday when you’re nursing a hangover, is a wealth of information. But he’s […]