Stellastarr*
Stellastarr* Civilized [2/5]
On Civilized, stellastarr* are barely recognizable as the same NYC rock darlings who yelped through tunes like “My Coco” earlier this decade. This isn’t a good thing. Although the band’s noisy interludes and Britpop tendencies occasionally hit the mark-the soaring “Tokyo Sky,” mod-glam dance party “Zombie Prom” and the Bloc Party-ish...
Son Volt
Son Volt American Central Dust [2/5]
If you’re a sucker for consistency, then Jay Farrar should be your favorite songwriter. Predictably, Son Volt’s sixth album, American Central Dust, is teeming with twangy ballads, like “Dust Of Daylight,” that prominently feature Farrar’s instantly recognizable pipes. While his former Uncle Tupelo bandmate Jeff Tweedy has managed...
Set Your Goals
Set Your Goals This Will Be The Death Of Us [4.5/5]
New Found Glory comparisons will fall by the wayside with This Will Be The Death Of Us. The album isn’t so much the natural extension of Set Your Goals as it is a quantum leap forward by an essentially entirely new band (neither...
Vampire Weekend streaming new album
Vampire Weekend have posted their upcoming full-length, Contra, for streaming on their MySpace page. The album–their second–is due out Jan. 12 and VW are slated to perform Jan. 5 on The Late Show with David Letterman and on Jan. 11 on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Listen to Contra here.
The Bouncing Souls - Ghosts On The Boardwalk
The Bouncing Souls Ghosts On The Boardwalk The Bouncing Souls are capping off a year-long 20th anniversary celebration with the release of Ghosts On The Boardwalk, a compilation of the 12 tracks the band released in 2009 on their own Chunksaah imprint (originally, the Souls issued one new song each month for download, as well...
The Heat Machine
The Heat Machine No Coast Dance Party [2.5/5]
Sometimes the simplest questions can have the most bearing: Why third-wave ska? The sub-genre notoriously married pop-punk with upbeat upstrokes creating a boom that most of the founding bands moved on from after an album or two. On No Coast Dance Party, behind the upstrokes and...