Going to the AfroPunk Festival on Saturday
Excited to see Toro Y Moi, Gym Class Heroes, Santigold, and Das Racist!
August 2011
16 posts
Anna Järvinen - Anna Den Tredje
7.7 / 10
Anna Järvinen has a sweet melodic voice, and she utilizes this to her advantage to make catchy and elegant indie pop. The downside to this album was that it was in Swedish, a language I wish I knew and understood. The songs were catchy enough for me to give them a listen to and enjoy it. Standout track, “Lilla Anna” was a rather relaxing and dreamy track, Järvinen’s vocals really wrapped themselves around you and comfort you. It is such a sweet song, a song does not require one to know Swedish to know that it is a great song. This album overall was a nice listen, it was nothing to great, just an album that would be great listening to when stuck at home on a Sunday afternoon in the Winter.
Best Tracks:
- Lilla Anna
Little Dragon - Ritual Union
9 / 10
Little Dragon’s latest album Ritual Union was a very anticipated album for me. Getting exposed to Yukimi’s vocals in “Wildfire” really got me excited, and I could not wait for this album to com out since then. The overall feel of this album is smooth, Yukimi’s vocals are jazzy and charming, and this is what won me over. Songs like “Shuffle A Dream” and “Please Turn” have great vocals and instrumentation. This is like electronic jazz, something great and new for me, and I am sure you will all enjoy hearing this great album.
Best Tracks:
- Ritual Union
- Shuffle A Dream
- Please Turn
Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
8.6/10
If you like Wolf Parade, then you will certainly like Sunset Rundown. I fell in love with Wolf Parade’s Apologies To Queen Mary, and this album is very easy to fall in love with. Spencer Krug has been recognized as one of Indie Rock’s most famous frontmen for his contributions with Wolf Parade (Vocals), Frogs Eyes (vocals), and Indie supergroup Swan Lake (Vocals). The versatile Spencer Krug never fails to let down his audience as he continues to release great albums. I highly recommend this album.
Best Track:
- The Mending Of The Gown
- Stallion
- The Taming Of The Hands That Came Back To LIfe
- Setting Vs. Rising
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
9.4/10
Recommended
I’ll keep reviews short instead of writing more. This album was great to listen, every song in this album had an effect on me. The songs are so out of this world, this is something new for me, and I am sure it is new for most people too. Maybe this is one of the reasons I really enjoyed this album, the songs were so different, especially songs like How Can U Luv Me, and Ffuny Friends. This album is recommended to anyone who is willing to listen to something new.
Best Tracks:
- How Can U Luv Me
- Ffuny Friends
- Bicycle
Mogwai - Mogwai Young Team
8.5/10
Recommended
Best Tracks:
- Summer
- Radar Maker
- With Portfolio
The Verve - Urban Hymns
8.7/10
Recommended
Best Tracks:
- Sonnet
- Bittersweet Symphony
- The Drugs Don’t Work
Yuck - Yuck
9.3/10
Recommended
Best Tracks:
- Get Away
- Operation
- Shook Down
- The Wall
WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
9.5/10
Recommended
Best Tracks:
- Dirt
- Heavy Pop
- Cave Song
- Summas Bliss
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
9.6/10
Recommended
Best Tracks:
- You Are Invited
- Gyroscope
- 8.5 Minutes
Cut Copy - Zonoscope
9.5/10
Recommended
Best Tracks:
- Where I’m Going
- Blink And You’ll Miss A Revolution
- Alisa
Destroyer - Kaputt
9.5/10
Recommended
Best Tracks:
- Blue Eyes
- Kaputt
- Downtown
- Songs for America
Album Reviews
In order to get more album reviews up we will now be omitting the writing portion, and just add if an album is recommended or not. The best tracks of the album will still be there.
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
6.6/10
Maybe I’m just not a huge fan of ambient music, but this album was boring to me. I think it is a little overrated. None of the songs had me wanting to hear them over and over again. Hearing the album was not bad, the sounds are relaxing at times, they take you out of this world, but this is something I did not enjoy.
Best Tracks:
- The Piano Drop
Woods - Sun & Shade
7.9/10
Woods’ new album Sun & Shade is an a calming album. Psych Folk is an interesting genre, and Woods’ embodies this. The songs are filled with gentle instrumentation and flower powere filled vocals. This album reminds me of a nice and sunny day, and song “Who Do I Think I am” is a great track to prove that. The only problem with this album is that some of the songs were slightly boring, half the album sounded like the same song being played over and over again.
Best Tracks:
- Who Do I Think I Am
- Wouldn’t Waste
Metronomy - The English Riviera
9.6/10
Metronomy’s The English Riviera is an album that will take you by surprise. The sound of this album is like spending a summer in space, and something you don’t want to stop hearing. This album is replete with songs that stand out, songs that make you have them on repeat, songs that will complete your summer. Track “Everything Goes My Way” is an excellent song that has such a mellow feel to it, listening to this song one can picture themselves relaxing on the beach. The vocals are so cathartic and sweet, and this goes for most of the songs in this album. “Corinne” is such an amazing song, the electronic feel plus the breezy summer vocals make this song a must for everyone’s best of the year list.
Best Tracks:
- Everything Goes My Way
- She Wants
- The Look
- Corinne
