When Unknown Mortal Orchestra first appeared with a standalone online single in 2010, the identity of its creator was unknown, and an air of mystery surrounded the song. It featured an uncanny, lo-fi voice singing strange words over a psychedelic guitar riff, and a weird title, “Ffunny Ffriends.” Since then,[Read More…]
Album Reviews
Reanimating the corpse of trap music
There was a time, not too long ago, when it seemed that Lil Yachty was the future. He looked and sounded like a radically new type of rapper, happiest when crooning over samples of cartoon theme songs, his bars lighthearted and youthful. He entered the mainstream with his 2016 mixtape[Read More…]
Album review: Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) – Car Seat Headrest
Before 2016’s brilliant Teens of Denial cemented his status as one of contemporary music’s most fascinating figures, Will Toledo spent years recording songs on his personal computer, uploading new records on Bandcamp under his Car Seat Headrest moniker at a frequency matched only by Lil B. For his 11th record, the[Read More…]
Album Review: Belle and Sebastian – How To Solve Our Human Problems (Part 3)
Scottish indie darlings Belle and Sebastian have returned with a musical gift for the new year: Since December, the Glasgow six-piece band has released an EP every month, culminating with the final release of How To Solve Our Human Problems (Part 3) on Feb. 16. While the EP shares its name[Read More…]
Reputation is an intimate examination of life and love
In her newest album, Reputation, Taylor Swift bids goodbye to the days of “riding shotgun with her hair undone.” Swift’s sixth studio album, is a self-aware examination of life away from the spotlight. For most of the year before Reputation’s release, Swift spent her time off of social media and[Read More…]
Album Review: Gucci Mane – ‘Mr Davis’
Gucci Mane has been busy since his release from prison in May 2016. On top of his autobiography, clothing line, and marriage to Keyshia Ka’oir, Mane released five full–length musical projects in the last year and a half. The most recent of these is the[Read More…]
Album Review: Sleigh Bells – “Kid Kruschev”
Since their 2010 debut, Sleigh Bells have been dubbed the poster child for “noise-pop”—defined as a combination of angelic pop vocals, distortion, and white noise–conveying an overbearing presence that cannot be ignored. Four albums later, vocalist Alexis Krauss and producer/songwriter Derek E. Miller embark on[Read More…]
Album Review: dvsn – ‘Morning After’
After the release of their critically acclaimed debut album SEPT 5TH, Toronto duo dvsn (pronounced “division”) returns with their sophomore album, Morning After. Fresh off their tour with Drake, producer Nineteen85 and vocalist Daniel Daley continue their distinct sound: Combining melisma R&B vocals with production echoing ‘90s neo-soul artists. They[Read More…]
Album Review: ‘There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light’ – Stars
Since the release of their first album Nightsongs in 2001, Canadian indie pop band Stars has centred its songwriting around strained love. Usually holding on by a thread, though interspersed with spells of enamoured enchantment and thrill, the band’s lyrics stare out on the brink of[Read More…]
Album Review: ‘Wake Up Now’ – Nick Mulvey
It’s been six years since Nick Mulvey left the famed jazz band, Portico Quartet, in pursuit of a solo singer-songwriter career. Since then, Mulvey has released one EP and two studio albums—all of them receiving praise, and even a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his 2014 debut full-length First Mind.[Read More…]
