Posts Tagged ‘album’
Classic Review: Big Star, #1 Record/Radio City, 1972 & 1973
May 4th, 2010 Posted by J Frazzetta
On March 17th the world lost a true legend. Alex Chilton had not been a mainstream success for a long time, but many in the alternative rock arena viewed him as a giant. With The Box Tops he gained notoriety with the song ‘The Letter’. A few years later he joined a group of friends in Big Star and managed to create two rock gems. He is best remembered as a songwriter, and you can see why R.E.M., The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, and The Shins owe him so much. Before there was ‘power-pop’ there was Big Star. I came...
Straight No Chaser
April 22nd, 2010 Posted by Bea
So, how do you take your drink? For ten men from Bloomington, Indiana, they prefer it straight. You might remember them from December 2007 and their sensational rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” from YouTube. They call themselves, Straight No Chaser. Formed in 1996 as the first a cappella group of Indiana University, the group released their first album with Atlantic Records in December 2008, titled “Holiday Spirits.” On April 13, 2010, they released their fourth album, With a Twist.
This time the group focused on taking pop songs and putting a new spin on them. There are 12...
Album Review: She & Him, Volume 2, 3/23/10
April 6th, 2010 Posted by J Frazzetta
You could swear this album has been in a vault since the days of AM Gold radio. Zooey Deschanel’s voice is amazing and M. Ward’s arranging and guitar work are the perfect compliment. You’ve seen her in movies like Almost Famous, Yes Man, and 500 Days of Summer. You’ve heard him on his solo albums, jamming with Monsters of Folk and making a name as a singer/songwriter. Together they have crafted wonderful pop music that gets your toes tapping.
Growing up, I listened to plenty of oldies radio, and these albums do a fine job resurrecting non-intrusive pop songs with...
Album Review: Shearwater, The Golden Archipelago, 2/23/10
March 2nd, 2010 Posted by J Frazzetta
This is a departure from what I’ve been reviewing as of late. No, it isn’t grindcore or anything drastic. The songs are drenched in harmonies and world beat. Rather a strong record from a band I wish I heard about earlier than last week. This is Shearwater’s sixth album, and I have a feeling I’ll be back racking a lot of their catalogue.
The band is a collaboration of members from Okkervil River and Kingfisher. As the cover suggests, this album is about living on an island and struggling with limited surroundings, and an abundance of Nordic themes. This is...
Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging
January 28th, 2010 Posted by Bea
Now, normally I am more into music done by artists like the XX, who are featured in a recent article, but this soundtrack caught my ear.
My dad brought the British film Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging home a few weeks ago because he thought that my sisters and I would enjoy it. From the director of Bend it like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, this movie is based on the international best-selling series of books by Louise Rennison. It is a coming of age story that involves a lot of drama and fun. I personally thought what made...
