Swedish chanteuse Stina Nordenstam surprises with an eclectic mix of musical styles and influences, aided to unforgettable effect on two tracks (‘Trainsurfing’ and ‘Keen Yellow Planet’) by Suede’s Brett Anderson. This album is a mystery: underneath each, seemingly very simple, hardly written song, is a bona-fide gem, standing
Disruptive, foreboding, (and mostly) instrumental, The Order of Things (a reference to French Structuralist Michel Foucault?) is often a somber affair. Taking this into account, one should not steer away from this finely crafted album, the intricateness and depth of which absolutely astounds. Transporting. Favorite tracks: ‘Adonai,’ ‘Popul Vuh,’ ‘Death
Rhythm of Black Lines makes invigorating, sweeping Prog, as elusive as it is enchanting, with guitar, bass, and drums individually—and uniquely—pushing the limits of your comprehension. This is Prog that evokes the classic strains of Yes and Genesis, not the neo-Prog of the Thrill Jockey set: look
Because his cocaine use at the time was so heavy, David Bowie does not remember 1976, the year this album saw release. I suppose it’s just as well, since much of Station to Station sounds like the work of someone in a very unique place, much as this album
Awkward and backwards, North Carolina’s Polvo surprises at every turn. ‘Is this the part? No, wait, here it comes.’ Repeated listens won’t deter the confusion, but the songs always sounds good, and Polvo knew when to keep the good bits going, and when to cut the meaningless meanderings
Prog rock at one of its finest moments, though perhaps not at its most ambitious (and that should probably be seen as a good thing), Fragile sees Yes expressing restraint in its endeavors, with a keen eye toward expanding the parameters of an, erm…eight-minute pop song in ‘Roundabout,
A mind-searing epic of beauty, 1991’s Loveless is an album that, in itself, spawned thousands of bands, and changed the face of music in so very many ways, in so many ways to have reached an undeniably legendary status. Songs that can somehow compress no fewer than forty
At one point I was a fanatic for the lazy, droning sounds of Bedhead, and I went to every show they played. Then one time I saw them and decided that either they were the most boring, pathetic band imaginable or I’d just gotten a whole lot more exciting
The first offering from the Trail of Dead since 1999’s Madonna, the Relative Ways EP shows a band further tempering an awesome penchant for violent energy with an unmistakable pop sensibility. Tracks: ‘Relative Ways’ gives us a mature, chiming guitar riff and the catchiest Trail of Dead song to
Sonic Youth’s 1988 magnum opus is, indeed, one of the finest albums ever recorded by anyone. Not necessarily a concept album, although a strong musical theme carries across the whole of it, Daydream Nation bursts at the seams with surprisingly catchy (?), engaging songs, while never losing sight of the
