In direct contrast to, say, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective thrives on being inexact, and to come so close to re-creating the formula nonetheless is impressive. Centipede Hz is not half as catchy; nothing resembles “Summertime Clothes” or “My Girls,” save for “Applesauce.” What you’ve got instead are nearly a dozen jarring pop songs that split […]
Animal Collective
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Nurse registers
When indie rock’s Nurses released its sophomore album in 2009, critics compared the Portland, Ore.-based trio to Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear. When it came time to follow up that acclaimed effort, Nurses decided the only way to improve that formula was to add a little Prince and Michael Jordan into the mix. “We were […]
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Small Sur — Tones
Small Sur sounds nothing like any of these bands. Literally, nothing. They’ll probably never achieve the same level of notoriety, which is very sad. They’ve recorded the most beautiful, lovely slowcore folk music these ears have ever heard, but unfortunately, that particular sub-genre isn’t in high demand among audiences much larger than what could fill […]
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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 […]
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Interpol’s most wanted
No one wants to live life under a microscope, and Interpol knows this better than most. The revered indierock trio rose to prominence following the 2002 release of its beloved “Turn on the Bright Lights,” and every move since has been scrutinized by anyone with a penchant for Joy Division and a keyboard with which […]