They’re kindred spirits to Waka Flocka Flame in that sense. And that sense only. But enough teasing about Jackie-O’s name. Let’s tease them for recording a patience-trying album. “Earth Sound System” contains a pair of tracks — one exactly seven minutes and eight seconds in length, and one sitting right at nine and a half […]
Matt Carney
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Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Mirror Traffic
If you answered with “an improvement on Malkmus’ last effort flashing some of his funniest, snarkiest songwriting to date,” then you’re correct. Beck effectively tossed out the Jicks’ 2008 LP, “Real Emotional Trash,” replacing an album constituted of skilled, but too-far-extended guitar jams with one that paces more like Pavement’s “Wowee Zowee,” and draws influence […]
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Black Canyon
Chamberlain appears on three of the seven tracks which combine to tell a Civil War coming-of-age and love story written by Black Canyon front man Jake Morisse. Rich with his guttural twang, elegiac piano arrangements and former Mayola singer Riley Jantzen’s gazillion different instrumental contributions, “Battlefield Darlins” is one of the strongest country-rock offerings this […]
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Theophilus London — Timez Are Weird These Days
Nothing out of the ordinary with that, but it oughta tell you that if you’re looking for a true spitter, then look elsewhere. From get-go track “Last Name London,” the Brooklyn rapper(ish) makes it clear that he’s aiming for modern pop-star status. I offer the following as evidence: • the Kanye West “Lost in the […]
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Soundcheck: The Okee Dokee Brothers
“There’s a participatory culture in all of our performances,” Mailander said. “We like to break down the barriers between the performer and audience. It turns what’s normally a passive experience for the listener — like watching TV — into a more active one.” He and Lansing, better known as kid-friendly folk duo The Okee Dokee […]
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Patti Smith — Outside Society
But you can easily imagine Smith swaying back and forth for three and a half minutes, plinking on a grand piano Elton John-style, her voice trembling for the punishment she’s soon to inflict with the song’s grand finale. In the liner notes of her forthcoming greatest hits compilation, the songwriter reflects that the track is […]
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Washed Out — Within and Without
The end products, discovered on his MySpace page by excited bloggers, established Washed Out as a distinct house beat-driven sub-style in chillwave, contemporary to the likes of Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian. They also earned Greene a deal with Sub Pop. So not long after the former dropped his excellent “Underneath the Pine” and […]