Category: Music
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Butch Walker – Letters
Artist: Butch Walker Title: Letters Label: Columbia Rating: 4/10 THE GREAT: Nothing. THE AVERAGE: “Don’t Move” – Sounds nice but is lyrical dead. “Uncomfortably Numb” – Butch screams that he has to get out of Los Angeles—who’s stopping you. If L.A. is the reason Walker has fallen apart he better get out before it’s too…
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The Mooney Suzuki – Alive & Amplified
Artist: The Mooney Suzuki Title: Alive & Amplified Label: Columbia Rating: 8/10 CORPORATE LINE: For the third record, The Mooney Suzuki teamed up with teen pop producers The Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair) best known for penning Avril’s multi-platinum hits. Eschewing the raw, stripped-down minimalism of previous Mooney Suzuki recordings, the band, inspired by The…
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Mase – Interview
When we’re talking about the return of the young man who made his mark during one of the most exciting and memorable moments in hip-hop history; a brotha who carved out a musical space in our culture with pure talent, charisma, and an irresistible appeal, we will start this biography with two words: Welcome Back.…
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Northern State – All City
Artist: Northern State Title: All City Label: Columbia Rating: 3/10 CORPORATE LINE: All City is Northern State’s new full-length album and the first to be recorded for a major label. (The group released two independent EP s prior to recording All City, the second of which, Dying in Stereo, was eventually released by Star Time…
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The Polyphonic Spree – Interview [2004]
With The Polyphonic Spree, simple things have a way of turning grand. Take the happenstance that was the piano on which frontman Tim DeLaughter composed the backbone of the group’s new disc, Together We’re Heavy. “A friend of ours was living in New York, and didn’t have a place for a piano she left back…
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Shyne – Godfather Buried Alive
Artist: Shyne Title: Godfather Buried Alive Label: Def Jam Rating: 6.5/10 THE LINE: Shyne went to jail for the nightclub shooting incident involving P. Diddy. Did Shyne take the fall? You make the call. Most of the record was recorded before Shyne went to prison while others were recorded over the phone. THE GREAT: “Diamonds…
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The Presidents of the United States of America – Love Everybody
Artist: The Presidents of the United States of America Title: Love Everybody Label: PUSA Rating: 4/10 CORPORATE LINE: In the midst of an unpredictable election year, what better band to resurface than the once and, if they have their way, future leaders of buoyant, absurdist rock, the Presidents of the United States of America? The…
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Charlotte Martin – On Your Shore
Artist: Charlotte Martin Title: On Your Shore Label: RCA Rating: 7/10 CORPORATE LINE: Charlotte Martin is set to release her highly anticipated RCA Records full-length debut ON YOUR SHORE August 10. Produced by Ken Andrews (Pete Yorn), ON YOUR SHORE “…at once recalls the banshee wails of Kate Bush and the radio-friendly melancholy of the…
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Brand Nubian – Fire in the Hole
Artist: Brand Nubian Title: Fire in the Hole Label: Interscope Rating: 7.5/10 CORPORATE LINE: Brand Nubian’s new LP, “Fire In The Hole.” One of the few enduring groups of hip-hop’s golden era, and consisting of its’ core original members (Grand Puba, Lord Jamar, Sadat X), Brand Nubian remains a timeless talent, delivering an album that…
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Marc Broussard – Carencro
Artist: Marc Broussard Title: Carencro Label: Universal Rating: 5/10 CORPORATE LINE: Broussard’s high octane take-off uses no formula at all. Instead he offers a blend of abilities, styles and enthusiasms uniquely adapted to himself on his debut album, Carencro. He calls himself “a white boy singing soul music.” But that’s deceptive because his music draws…