reviews

  • On Sam Baker’s Album, Samiyam pulls together some pretty great grooves and sounds. My problem is not much of it moves or develops into anything interesting. This release is more like a sampler of various atmospheres this L.A. producer can create, and that’s fine. Maybe it’ll

  • On Black Up, Shabazz Palaces take hip hop deep into the left field with odd beats and surreal effects. It’s definitely an indulgent LP that requires a little bit of effort from the listener, but repeating these songs until they completely unfold is worth the wait. Part of me

  • On SBTRKT’s self-titled debut, this London-based producer cooks up a solid set of dubstep songs; icing them with some pretty soulful vocals from Sampha. Plus, the clean and lean electronics bubbling under him are the perfect complement to the feelings he’s conveying. There are several different vocalists featured,

  • On Bon Iver’s Bon Iver, the project opens the floodgates and welcomes in a sea of new instrumentation. Everything from clarinet to string arrangements are laced into these songs to widen the spectrum of sounds that were once so sparse four years ago on For Emma, Forever Ago. But

  • On the Beck-produced Demolished Thoughts, Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore takes things down a notch for a series of acoustic songs wrapped in well-arranged violins and harps. Some tracks come off like softer versions of what might make on a Sonic Youth album, but others reveal a sweeter side of

  • On Total, French electro producer SebastiAn churns out one banger after another that sound like they came straight off of some kind of assembly line. Rather than forge a sound or style the separates this music from its influences, the tracks here seem content to tailor themselves to every stereotypical

  • I’VE BEEN THINKIN’ ‘BOUT BECOMIN’ A MANIAC! I’VE BEEN THINKIN’ ‘BOUT BECOMIN’ A MANIAC! I’VE BEEN THINKIN’ ‘BOUT BECOMIN’ A MANIAC! I’VE BEEN THINKIN’ ‘BOUT BECOMIN’ A MANIAC! I’VE BEEN THINKIN’ ‘BOUT BECOMIN’ A MANIAC! I’VE BEEN THINKIN’ ‘BOUT BECOMIN’ A MANIAC! I’VE