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"The Rhumb Line" by Ra Ra Riot

"The Rhumb Line" by Ra Ra Riot

Hot on the heels of newcomers Vampire Weekend come fellow newbie Northeasterners (and close friends of the band as well) Ra Ra Riot, a band that vocally sounds eerily similar to that of Vampire Weekend but has more in common with a band like the string-laden Arcade Fire. Tragedy had alread... [More]

[Mon Sep 22nd, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Resurgam" by Alias

"Resurgam" by Alias

Left of center Hip-Hop/Electronica beat maker Alias, a.k.a. Brendon Whitney is back with his first official solo album in five years. His last two records were collaborative efforts with his brother Ehren (the beautiful Lillian) and female vocalist Tarsier (the tedious Plane That Draws A White Line)... [More]

[Mon Sep 22nd, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Chemical Chords" by Stereolab

"Chemical Chords" by Stereolab

Chemical Chords marks the tenth album overall for French-Pop group Stereolab and second album since one of their founding vocalists Mary Hansen was killed in a tragic bicycling accident. Chemical Chords has much in common with 2004's upbeat Margarine Eclipse and is even more so than its predecessor.... [More]

[Mon Sep 22nd, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Knowle West Boy" by Tricky

"Knowle West Boy" by Tricky

After a five year falling off the face of the earth period, Tricky, who at one point in the mid-90's was hailed as one of the pioneers of the Trip-Hop movement has finally returned with Knowle West Boy, an album that is finally and very surprisingly not a giant disappointment. For those not in t... [More]

[Fri Sep 5th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Forth" by The Verve

"Forth" by The Verve

Eleven years after their second untimely demise, Richard Ashcroft, Nick McCabe, Simon Jones and Pete Salisbury have reformed The Verve for their third go round and unfortunately the results are not nearly as great as one might have hoped. Forth is the long awaited follow-up to the 1997 critical... [More]

[Fri Sep 5th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"You & Me" by The Walkmen

"You & Me" by The Walkmen

In 2004, New York's The Walkmen created the album Bows and Arrows and on it was one of the great Indie-Rock anthems the decade has seen thus far with "The Rat." Since then, it seems like The Walkmen have been scurrying to try and get out of "The Rat's" shadow. It's unfortunate that a band that doesn... [More]

[Fri Sep 5th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Stay Positive" by The Hold Steady

"Stay Positive" by The Hold Steady

Just when you think a band can't possibly offer anything nearly as good as what they've previously done they go and do it all over again. All of The Hold Steady's three previous releases have been near masterpieces and their new record Stay Positive just ups the ante yet again. Stay Positive is... [More]

[Mon Aug 25th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Something For All Of Us…" by Brendan Canning

"Something For All Of Us…" by Brendan Canning

The name might not be automatically familiar with some of you but Brendan Canning is one of the most important players in one of Canada's greatest super groups Broken Social Scene. Broken Social Scene's roster (as some of you may well know) is like looking at an all-star lineup of heavy hitters. Fei... [More]

[Mon Aug 25th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"One Day As A Lion EP" by One Day As A Lion

"One Day As A Lion EP" by One Day As A Lion

Since Rage Against The Machine went on indefinite hiatus back in 2000, all four members have stayed busy in the public eye except for one. While Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim C. were busy concocting multiple albums with Chris Cornell as Audioslave, Rage's spark plug and voice Zach de la Rocha staye... [More]

[Mon Aug 25th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"22 Dreams " by Paul Weller

"22 Dreams " by Paul Weller

In Paul Weller's 30-year plus career as lead singer for bands such as The Jam, The Style Council and as a solo artist, never before has he made a record as ambitious and overtly self-indulgent as 22 Dreams. Weller's made no bones in recent interviews about 22 Dreams being the kind of album he wa... [More]

[Mon Aug 11th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Modern Guilt " by Beck

"Modern Guilt " by Beck

It's hard to believe, but Modern Guilt makes album number ten for one Mr. Beck Hansen. Why it seems just yesterday and not 14 years ago that he was begging us to kill him for being such a loser. Modern Guilt comes two years after his album The Information and the previous years' Guero, two a... [More]

[Wed Aug 6th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Object 47" by Wire

"Object 47" by Wire

One of the most unpredictable bands in the history of Rock music, Wire have been marching to the beat of their own drums for over 30 years now. Responsible for making one of the most seminal Punk albums of all time with 1977's Pink Flag, Wire have spent just about the rest of their career tr... [More]

[Wed Aug 6th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" by Coldplay

"Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" by Coldplay

After taking a critical beating for 2005's X & Y, everybody's favorite band to hate ("You know how I know your gay, because you like Coldplay") returns with an album that will even have haters retracting their pithy remarks. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is Coldplay's most adventurous al... [More]

[Tue Jul 15th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"At Mount Zoomer" by Wolf Parade

"At Mount Zoomer" by Wolf Parade

Due to all the side projects that Dan Boeckner (Handsome Furs) and Spencer Krug (two Sunset Rubdown albums and one with Swan Lake) have been involved in lately, it feels like its been eons since Wolf Parade released their heralded debut Apoligies To The Queen Mary. Believe it or not, it's only been... [More]

[Tue Jul 15th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England
"Evil Urges" by My Morning Jacket

"Evil Urges" by My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket have come a long way from being that Roots-Rock band that we're easy to compare to Neil Young & Crazy Horse early on in their career. Their last album, Z, broke so many creative barriers that it lead many a critic and fan to deem them the American answer to Radiohead (which is a co... [More]

[Fri Jun 6th, 2008] Written By: Kyle England