A collection of songs as good as Peter and the Wolf’s Golden Stars is an endlessly giving defense of the album form. The UK-based band’s fourth label-released album, Stars is a celebration of songwriting, a carnival of melody, of pre-choruses, bridges, post-choruses, choruses. Read full work »
Horse Stories, whose fifth LP, November, November saw release January 19th, was a quiet electric ballad Thursday the 21st at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn. Writer, singer and rhythm guitarist Toby Burke stood while Luther Russell assumed a stool and played a bluesy, poppy lead guitar, melodies and some wonderful tremolo assuming prominence.
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Two electric guitars. Or three? It is something I wonder throughout Surfer Blood’s debut LP, Astrocoast. Opener ‘Floating Vibes’ is a fine introduction: Electric guitar following the vocal melody, a guitar climax. This is garage rock, and at times it is grand.
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Being an American, I don’t understand a word of Rauelsson’s debut LP, La Siembra La Espera Y La Cosecha. This is no harm, for it is music after all, and Cosecha is a lovely and powerful piece of it. Acoustic guitar picking through arpeggios are a staple, joined by vocals (often harmonies) with various percussive noises dangling around the back like snowflakes already fallen.
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Butane Variations: Love Five Songs (EP) The second and final release from Butane Variations – the leftovers from their debut self-titled LP – Love Five Songs is the EP as mini-album; as an extremely strong collection of songs. While some of us still value the LP, the widespread availability of [free] digital music leaves some attention spans at thirty seconds. This makes the EP’s length impressive, but not indomitable.
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Album: Cracked Latin: The World Is Cracked Latin. Holland’s Mother (EP) was my favorite release of the year – and Ike Reilly’s Junkie Faithful my favorite in my eternal play of catch-up – but Cracked Latin’s debut LP, The World Is Cracked Latin, was the most surprising and pleasing album of the year.
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