Björk
Biophilia
Nonesuch (2011)
I have immense respect for Björk. She combines all of the showmanship and bombast of pop artists like Lady Gaga with the complex and intricate composition skills of electronic artists like Aphex Twin. She's one of the few pop artists that continue to push their own creativity with every release, and it is more than clear on her eighth studio album, the media extravaganza that is Biophilia, that she remains dedicated to the growth of her music.The most striking part about this album is the interplay between the heavily-structured pop/electronica sections and the ambient, free-form vocal arias; almost every song on the album features this kind of odd juxtaposition. The lead single "Crystalline" begins unassumingly enough, with a steady pulse of celesta and Björk's unnerving vocals. However, by the time we hit the chorus, she breaks out the drum machine, and the contrast is striking. Hell, the outro features a breakcore solo--and just when I thought the Amen break had run its course, too. One of the later tracks, "Mutual Core", begins with a quiet, church-like organ-based passage in 5/4. But even after the first stanza, you can hear the drum machine softly in the background waiting to break through … Read more
Crooked Necks
Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't
Handmade Birds (2011)
Going in to this album blind seems like a fun proposition for me (Handmade Birds has introduced me to a … Read more
Timeshares
Bearable
Kind Of Like (2011)
When I first heard the NY band Timeshares, I knew they were going to be a punk band to lookout … Read more
Tommy Stinson
One Man Mutiny
Done To Death Music (2011)
In the long-honored tradition of solo records from Guns N’ Roses members, Tommy Stinson delivers One Man Mutiny. Of course, … Read more
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