VAMPIRE WEEKEND — “MODERN VAMPIRES OF THE CITY”
When Vampire Weekend burst onto the scene with its self-titled debut in 2008, the wise bet was that the band wouldn’t be able to top or equal that breathtaking effort. But here we are, five years and...
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ALBUM REVIEW: THE NATIONAL — “TROUBLE WILL FIND ME”
If there’s a universal message in the music of The National, it’s that it’s OK to not be OK. Elegantly miserable, singer Matt Berninger is at again on “Trouble Will Find Me,” the group’s sixth album a...
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ALBUM REVIEW: TOM KEIFER — “THE WAY LIFE GOES”
Tom Keifer’s blues-drenched voice was a signature sound of 1980s and early ’90s hard rock – a voice that, unfortunately, has been silent for nearly 20 years, with no new recorded output from his band ...
ReadmoreALBUM REVIEW: BRASS BED — “THE SECRET WILL KEEP YOU”
Enveloped in an uneasy haze of steel guitar, Brass Bed tells us, “I never believed it was true/ That life was just something to do” until the day “that death follows through.” It’s not exactly a pep ...
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ALBUM REVIEW: DAWES — “STORIES DON’T END”
While Mumford and Sons and The Avett Brothers have stomped and strummed their way to the forefront of the latest folk revival, Dawes have forged a quieter path. And as the California band shows in it...
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ALBUM REVIEW: ANTHRAX — “ANTHEMS”
Unlike many of its peers in heavy-metal world, Anthrax is a band that has never fallen into the trap of taking itself too seriously. In the past, the New York thrash-metal outfit has filled some of t...
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ALBUM REVIEW: COLDPLAY — “EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL”
By Ryan Leas Not too long after the release of their last full-length, 2008's excellent “Viva la Vida or Death and All of his Friends,” Coldplayseemed to be in a prolific mood. About six months later...
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ALBUM REVIEW: CULTS — “CULTS”
By Ryan Leas After an immense degree of hype in the wake of a few Internet hits and a massive amount of attention from media outlets like Pitchfork, New York duo Cults finally arrives with their firs...
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ALBUM REVIEW: MY MORNING JACKET — “CIRCUITAL”
By Ryan Leas My Morning Jacket has always had a penchant for stunning first tracks, the sort of first songs that simultaneously function as gutsy opening salvos and markers that set the stage for wha...
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ALBUM REVIEW: EDDIE VEDDER — “UKELELE SONGS”
By Ryan Leas 2011 marks Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary, an occasion the band is commemorating with a series of events and releases, ranging from a documentary to a band-curated festival in Wisconsin. O...
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