Pop Music Reviews

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Sat, 7 Nov 2009 02:43:00 GMT

Bleach: Deluxe Edition

71 Alice In Chains 77 Amerie 70 Anjulie 85 The Antlers 75 Arctic Monkeys 68 As Tall As Lions 82 Atlas Sound 75 The Avett Brothers 67 Backstreet Boys 56 Bad Lieutenant 68 Devendra Banhart 72 Lou Barlow 88 Baroness 69 Basement Jaxx 81 David Bazan 72
Sat, 7 Nov 2009 02:43:00 GMT

Shudder To Think

81 David Bazan 72 Brendan Benson 72 The Big Pink 96 Big Star 46 Billy Talent 75 The Black Crowes 51 Black Mold 59 Amanda Blank 68 Blitzen Trapper 75 BLK JKS 77 A.A. Bondy 73 The Bottle Rockets 63 Box Elders 65 Boys Like Girls 76 Brand New 73 Tyondai
Sat, 7 Nov 2009 02:43:00 GMT

Music: This week's releases

Lately, dubstep has opened its heart, and for the scene's most progressive producers, juddering sub bass is now just one dark shade to be applied from a vivid colour palette. Birmingham's Emalkay is less brash than some, and here strikes a balance
Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:32:00 GMT

Wolfmother: Cosmic Egg

Australian hard rock outfit Wolfmother is the sort of band that attracts unlikely fans in unlikely numbers. Their popularity is a sturdy bit of makeshift scaffolding cobbled together from various subcultures and mainstream offshoots; all expert estimates
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

The Swell Season: Strict Joy

have their work cut out for them with their second album, Strict Joy. The duo of Glen Hansard and Markta Irglov released their debut effort in 2006 under the name , and have toured using that moniker for the last few years. However, they came to fame
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

Neon Indian: Psychic Chasms

Psychic Chasms is a marvelous sonic voyage through a bubbly synth landscape of tones and emotions. One listen to the album gives the impression of brilliant, lush canopies of vivid synthesizers and crawling guitars swaying playfully in a jungle of
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

Say Anything: Say Anything

By Evan Sawdey PopMatters Interviews Editor
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

Karen O and the Kids: Where The Wild Things Are

Did Spike Jonze get more than he bargained for when he approached Karen O with this project? Most signs point to yes. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwomanand former lover of Jonzesmade it a party, and just everyones invited: bandmates Brian Chase and Nick
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

Play On

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 30 User Votes Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation. Michael S gave it a10: AMAZING ALBUM! Rock on Carrie! Matt S. gave it a10: Absolutely
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 06:29:00 GMT

World Painted Blood

81 David Bazan 72 Brendan Benson 72 The Big Pink 96 Big Star 46 Billy Talent 75 The Black Crowes 51 Black Mold 59 Amanda Blank 68 Blitzen Trapper 75 BLK JKS 77 A.A. Bondy 73 The Bottle Rockets 63 Box Elders 65 Boys Like Girls 76 Brand New 73 Tyondai
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 02:20:00 GMT

Susanna And The Magical Orchestra

Susanna Wallumrod. Also On The Web: What The Critics Said All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. 80 All Guide
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 02:20:00 GMT

Saint Etienne: Fox Base Beta

Saint Etienne's 1991 debut Fox Base Alpha should, in theory, be a tough work to ­update, partly because it's an album utterly of its time – 'to the sound of the World of Twist, you leant over and gave me a kiss,' coos Sarah Cracknell – and partly
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

JLS: JLS

Whether singing doo-wop or signed to Motown, black boybands have been integral to pop, infusing it with soul, rhythm and blues. By placing themselves in the British boyband, JLS ignore this illustrious history, ­choosing to recreate the anaemic pap of
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

Martha Wainwright: Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, a Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record

An album that does no more and no less than it says on the sleeve: in June, Martha Wainwright staged three New York concerts devoted to Edith Piaf's music and sung in French, and here releases 15 tracks from the performances. We're told that Wainwright
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

Rod Stewart: Soulbook

Following the multimillion selling Great American Songbook series of 1930s and 40s covers, it was inevitable that ­Rod Stewart would eventually turn his chops to soul classics. Soulbook heaves with potential: arguably the greatest white soul singer
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

Biffy Clyro: Only Revolutions

There's something heartening about a band following an old-fashioned trajectory of slogging it out for a few years before pushing on to the big leagues. Like Muse, who just kept getting bigger before anyone noticed that they were playing two nights at
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

AA Bondy: When the Devil's Loose

Louisiana boy Auguste Arthur Bondy served his rock'n'roll dues in 1990s alt-rock nearly-weres Verbena, before turning to a more sedate, rural sound for his solo work, arriving at this second album after a recuperative move to the wilds of Mississippi.
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

Amerie: In Love & War

Had the right breaks come her way back in 2005, when she was flying high with the single 1 Thing, Amerie Rogers could have been a Rihanna-sized pop/R&B star. She's an inventive ­producer, ­capable songwriter and sparkling singer; you can only wonder at
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

Jimmy Webb/The Webb Brothers

Billed as 'three generations of the Webb family' (legendary songwriter Jimmy; his father, Bob; and his so-so singing sons, the Webb Brothers, Christiaan, Justin and Jamie), this has the makings of a classic family rumpus. But it turns out that ol' Bob
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:03:00 GMT

Slayer: World Painted Blood

Ask any metal fan what the most significant thing that happened to the genre was in the last ten years, and youll probably get a different response each time. While the 1980s yielded a bevy of seminal pieces of music, and the 90s spawned unprecedented
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:14:00 GMT

Molina and Johnson: Molina and Johnson

Few get more lonesome on record than Will Johnson and Jason Molina. I mean, sure Centro-matic can shake the rafters, and South San Gabriel can expand and overwhelm, and Magnolia Electric Co. often sound as big as the Midwestern sky they came up under,
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:14:00 GMT

Vince Guaraldi: The Definitive Vince Guaraldi

Put yourself in Lee Mendelsons position for a moment. Imagine its 1963 and youre a television documentary producer driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, thinking the film youre developing in collaboration with the creator of the Peanuts comic strip,
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:14:00 GMT

Spiral Stairs: The Real Feel

A rich heritage is not something to be totally discounted when considering the first solo outing of someone so closely associated with a notable musical group from the past. Indeed, in this case, its become inextricable from him. Scott Kannbergs (AKA
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:14:00 GMT

Sliimy: Paint Your Face

First off, it rhymes with Jimmy. Make no mistake, Sliimy makes extreme music. You wont find it in the hardcore section of your local record store, thoughits the other extreme. Its unapologetically feythe word effeminate barely begins to describe it. Over
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:13:00 GMT

Glee: The Music, Vol. 1

70 Alice In Chains 76 Amerie 70 Anjulie 85 The Antlers 75 Arctic Monkeys 68 As Tall As Lions 82 Atlas Sound 75 The Avett Brothers 67 Backstreet Boys 58 Bad Lieutenant 68 Devendra Banhart 74 Lou Barlow 88 Baroness 69 Basement Jaxx 81 David Bazan 72
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 02:31:00 GMT

Amerie

81 David Bazan 72 Brendan Benson 72 The Big Pink 96 Big Star 46 Billy Talent 75 The Black Crowes 51 Black Mold 59 Amanda Blank 68 Blitzen Trapper 75 BLK JKS 81 A.A. Bondy 73 The Bottle Rockets 63 Box Elders 65 Boys Like Girls 76 Brand New 73 Tyondai
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 02:31:00 GMT

Julian Casablancas

70 Alice In Chains 76 Amerie 70 Anjulie 85 The Antlers 75 Arctic Monkeys 68 As Tall As Lions 82 Atlas Sound 75 The Avett Brothers 67 Backstreet Boys 58 Bad Lieutenant 68 Devendra Banhart 74 Lou Barlow 88 Baroness 69 Basement Jaxx 81 David Bazan 72
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 02:31:00 GMT

Bon Jovi

As Jon modestly reminds us, his band normally play stadiums when they visit Britain. 'Apart from opening the O2, I don't know when we were last indoors in the UK,' he muses to the 300 fans (of 33,000 applicants) who have won tickets to this Radio 2 gig.
Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:26:00 GMT

Phrazes For The Young

70 Alice In Chains 70 Anjulie 85 The Antlers 75 Arctic Monkeys 68 As Tall As Lions 81 Atlas Sound 75 The Avett Brothers 67 Backstreet Boys 57 Bad Lieutenant 68 Devendra Banhart 74 Lou Barlow 88 Baroness 70 Basement Jaxx 81 David Bazan 72 Brendan Benson
Wed, 4 Nov 2009 16:22:00 GMT

Molina And Johnson

81 Atlas Sound 75 The Avett Brothers 67 Backstreet Boys 57 Bad Lieutenant 68 Devendra Banhart 74 Lou Barlow 88 Baroness 70 Basement Jaxx 81 David Bazan 72 Brendan Benson 71 The Big Pink 96 Big Star 46 Billy Talent 75 The Black Crowes 51 Black Mold 59
Wed, 4 Nov 2009 16:21:00 GMT