Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece
Artist: Van Morrison Review: By 1974, Van Morrison was probably exhausted. During the past ten years, the Irish troubadour had morphed from a garage rock king (as the leader of Them) to a pop hit machine to the craftsman of such landmark albums as Astral Weeks and Tupelo Honey. His eighth album, Veedon Fleece, hit stores in late 1974, shortly after the release of those instantly accessible masterpieces — and it was greeted by a collective shrug by the rock critical establishment. Time has proven them wrong. The album... Rating: 4 Stars
Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
Artist: Tapes 'n Tapes Review: It may strut its funky virtuosity like Prince, threaten to collapse in a drunken heap like the Replacements or rage like Hüsker Dü, but Minneapolis rock is always tuneful — an important comfort to folks freezing their nuts off most of the year. On the follow-up to their 2006 debut, The Loon, Minnesota's Tapes 'n Tapes hew to tradition, conjuring the Hüskers on "Le Ruse," a tirade on betrayal, with guitars and cymbals swarming like late-summer mosquitoes. Flaming Lips producer... Rating: 3 Stars
Płyny
Warszawski zespół Płyny został utworzony latem 2004 roku z inicjatywy Igora Spolskiego - tudzież Igora Spolski - (gitara, wokal) i Szymona Tarkowskiego (bas, wokal). Muzycy poznali się dużo wcześniej w teatrze Stara ProchOFFnia....
Katy Perry - One Of The Boys
Artist: Katy Perry Review: "I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf/While jacking off listening to Mozart," Katy Perry tells her metrosexual ex on "Ur So Gay." Risqué words, coming from the daughter of two Christian pastors who only let her listen to gospel tunes as a kid. Now 23, the L.A. singer bucks the WWJD'ers with a debut full of mall-punky, grrrl-power tunes produced by Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette) and Dr. Luke (Avril Lavigne). But her attention-grabbing doesn't feel very rebellious: On the New Wave-y club... Rating: 2 Stars
The Fratellis, Here We Stand
Here We Stand is a baffling album... really, it's hard to see the point.
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition
Artist: Johnny Cash Review: After years of dwindling sales, Johnny Cash walked into California's Folsom Prison on January 13th, 1968, and reinvigorated his career: At Folsom Prison, the live album he cut that day, went platinum and shored up Cash's outlaw image with jailbird anthems that vividly evoked prison life with a country-folk sound that became roughly as enduring as the Bible. This two-CD, one-DVD reissue includes the set that followed the original recording, plus songs from openers Carl Perkins and the Statler... Rating: 4 Stars
Dr. John - City That Care Forgot
Artist: Dr. John Review: He's not talking about Cleveland. City That Care Forgot is the New Orleans soulman's impassioned lament about the natural destruction of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made tragedy of the aftermath. Over ominous funk ("Land Grab"), gospel-inflected blues ("You Might Be Surprised") and horn-boosted R&B ("Time for a Change," featuring Eric Clapton), Dr. John's bourbon-and-sandpaper vocals reflect the bitterness of a man who can sense that "the smell of death still hangs on the honeysuckle vine."... Rating: 3 Stars
Raconteurs, The
Rok 2005. Środek upalnego lata. Spotkanie dwóch muzyków przy szklance schłodzonej lemoniady. Dalszy scenariusz jest prosty. Piszą piosenkę, świetnie się dogadują, powstaje zespół, nagrywają płytę, jadą w wielką trasę....
David Archuleta - David Archuleta
Artist: David Archuleta Review: On he most recent season of American Idol, David Archuleta was a golden-voiced koala, too sweet to be sexy. His debut is similarly flavorless: Beautifully sung but snoozy tunes like "My Hands" never achieve takeoff, and his chaste voice is a poor match for lovey-dovey lyrics. He only sounds like he's having a blast on "Don't Let Go," co-written with JC Chasez, which digs into an edgier melody and trades vocal gymnastics for pure power. At least the disc ends with a reminder of how Archuleta got... Rating: 2.5 Stars
Bareilles Sara
Pisze piosenki, odkąd pamięta. Muzyka to dla niej świętość. Gra na wypożyczonym fortepianie. Podziwia Counting Crows i Radiohead. "Little Voice" to jej pierwsza płyta dla dużej wytwórni. Sara Bareilles ? specjalistka od love songs....
Kayah
Zanim wydała debiutancką płytę, musiała przejść długą drogę artysty drugoplanowego. Dziś zajmuje niekwestionowane, czołowe miejsce gwiazdy pop na polskiej estradzie muzycznej....
Joan Baez - Day After Tomorrow
Artist: Joan Baez Review: "I believe in prophecy," Baez sings on her new album. For five decades, her ringing soprano has been a prophetic sound, summoning the earnestness and anger — and, a bit too often, the self-righteousness — of the folk revival that made her its poster child. For her 24th studio release, Baez has teamed up with Steve Earle, who produced the album and contributed three songs. It's a fruitful partnership: Earle's hard-won earthiness acts as a counterweight to Baez's ethereal tendencies,... Rating: 3 Stars
David Migden And The Dirty Words, Second Hand Tattoo
Listen to this now. See him when you can.
U2 - Boy
Artist: U2 Review: From the beginning, U2 aspired to profound ecstasy. But it took Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. a while to get there. Two of U2's first three albums are undeniable classics: 1980's precociously magnificent Boy for its proudly spiritual optimism in the thick of post-punk nihilism and for the Edge's reveille-treble guitar; 1983's War for its arena-rock muscle tone (honed over three years of touring) and the matured blend of soldier's ardor and pop wile in the singles "Sunday... Rating: 4.5 Stars
Feeder, Silent Cry
Feeder have definitely found and settled into their niche sound, though there are some fresh ideas on Silent Cry.
Hot Club De Paris, Live At Deadlake
Liverpool trio Hot Club de Paris' second album trails adolescent awkwardness.
James Taylor - Covers
Artist: James Taylor Review: On hits like "Handy Man," "Up on the Roof" and "How Sweet It Is (to be Loved by You)," James Taylor's way of interpreting other songwriters' hits has been to turn them into James Taylor songs. His honeyed drawl is supple enough to accommodate R&B and country standards, sweetening the savory tang of their rural sources. That approach guides Covers, where Taylor assays the likes of the Drifters' "On Broadway," Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne." He softens the arrangements... Rating: 3.5 Stars
O.A.R. - All Sides
Artist: O.A.R. Review: Like fellow jam bands Phish and Dispatch, O.A.R. have built an impressive fan base by touring incessantly and encouraging fans to trade bootlegs of their shows. That strategy has helped them sell over 1.4 million records and score headlining gigs at Madison Square Garden, and on their sixth album, they've cultivated a slick pop sound to match their arena-size ambitions. Produced by Matt Wallace (Maroon 5), All Sides features glossy modern-rock songs that range from sweeping ballads ("One Day,"... Rating: 2 Stars
Foals, Antidotes
Believe the hype, because there won't be a better British debut album this year.
These New Puritans
Jack Barnett śpiewa, gra na gitarze i bawi się komputerowymi dźwiękami, George Barnett pilnuje rytmu grając na perkusji, Thomas Hein gra na basie i perkusjonaliach, śpiewa w tle i sampluje, a Sophie Sleigh-Johnson wydobywa dźwięki z syntezatora -...
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