Panda Bear
Panda Bear Person Pitch [4/5] What a difference a few years can make. In 2004, Animal Collective member Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear) released his solo debut Young Prayer, a meandering, lo-fi recording featuring his unadorned acoustic guitar and fragile, aching vocals. A eulogy for Lennox’s recently deceased father, the disc was a deeply personal...
Evidence
Evidence The Weatherman LP [3/5] Rapper/producer Evidence is no stranger to the game. His group, Dilated Peoples, have been an underground force since the mid-’90s. Besides gaining success for themselves, they’ve also managed to nurture the careers of several members of their extended crew, such as Defari and the Alchemist (the latter co-produced The Weatherman...
A Touch Of Class
A Touch Of Class Still Sucks! [3/5] Oliver Stumm and Domie Clausen collaborate under the nom de production A Touch Of Class-a fitting moniker, since the NYC duo slice and dice tunes into glossy dance jams and rose to prominence after producing and releasing the Scissor Sisters’ first few singles. To that end, don’t expect...
El-P
El-P I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead [4/5] The knock on El-P and his label, Def Jux (and this writer admits to doing some of the knocking over the years), has been that at times both seemed to equate density-both musical and lyrical-with quality. Consider I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead the answer to that complaint; its...
Panthers
Panthers The Trick [4/5] On their fourth full-length, Brooklyn’s Panthers channel and recombine time-tested sounds, and the result is highly delicious rock. Drawing from the Jesus Lizard, the Stooges, Thin Lizzy, Black Flag and more, The Trick is a fierce record full of dirty bass, powerful leads and howling vocals. Former members of Orchid, Pitchblende...
Mando Diao
Mando Diao Ode To Ochrasy [3.5/5] News that the latest wave of Scandinavian fair-skins are taking over Western shores carries with it all the expected apprehensions: Is Yngwie Malmsteen bald yet? Are blue and yellow really complimentary colors? Fortunately, Mando Diao’s strident rock renders that stuff less consequential than last season’s IKEA catalogue. Sure, songs...
House Of Fools
House Of Fools Live And Learn [3/5] The opening track on Live And Learn isn’t nearly as attention-grabbing as the leadoff track on last year’s House Of Fools’ self-titled EP-a melancholy ballad from the Pink Floyd school of drama with a slight hint of Radiohead and a majestic instrumental section at the end that felt...
Fountains Of Wayne
Fountains Of Wayne Traffic And Weather [3/5] Fountains Of Wayne’s brilliant, career-defining 2003 full-length Welcome Interstate Managers was somewhat overshadowed by the novelty success of the fun, flirty single “Stacy’s Mom,” which was almost too infectious. Managers is a power-pop masterpiece, and unfortunately, sets the bar extremely high for any FOW follow-up; thus their latest,...
Everybody Else
Everybody Else Everybody Else [3.5/5] Chances are you’ve already had an unapologetically bouncy, totally fun Everybody Else song stuck in your head. The band crafted a sweet little ditty for Old Navy’s holiday commercials (Google "Reindeer On Your Front Lawn") which goes far to demonstrate the Los Angeles trio’s ability to hook listeners with their,...