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 … Read more
Kronos Quartet
Music of Vladimir Martynov
Nonesuch (2012)
Now, I'm no stranger to long music, but it still astounds me that there are only three pieces on this nearly 70-minute album. I suppose I should've expected nothing less from the prolific Kronos Quartet, who continue to astound with their virtuosity and stylistic diversity. I mean, these are the folks who have recorded pieces by composers like Terry Riley, … Read more
Steve Reich
WTC 9/11
Nonesuch (2011)
Steve Reich occupies a weird place in modern music. He's one of the most-respected modern classical composers and right on the cusp of the avant-garde, winning prestigious accolades like a Pulitzer and a Grammy. Yet at the same time, he's something of a rock star in the classical world. He writes pieces that successfully connect with a younger generation of … Read more
The Black Keys
El Camino
Nonesuch (2011)
By now, the Black Keys have released enough material to seemingly exist since the early nineties. This is not the case, however, only having released their gritty debut, The Big Come Up, in May 2002. Since then, amidst a steady growth in production efforts and more polished recordings, The Black Keys manage to stay true to their simplistic form.Where the … Read more
The Low Anthem
Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
Nonesuch (2009)
There where a few things that caught me about this between the record itself and the press release given to me with it. First, this release makes a great issue for continuing to buy records - the CD itself is packaged in a silkscreened cover that looks exactly like a gatefold LP cover. It definitely helps to convey the folky … Read more
The Magnetic Fields
I
Nonesuch (2004)
Disclaimer: I am not actually going to write much about this album itself because I don't have too much to say about it, and I feel I'm entitled to at least one snarky review here. Christ, I've grown to hate the self-conscious style of writing that's so easily employed to take a way out of a review or any other … Read more
Wilco
A Ghost is Born
Nonesuch (2004)
Ok, for a pretty big review like this I'm just going to get right to it. With Wilco's fifth studio release, A Ghost is Born, the band is placed at something of a crossroads. They have just come off something of a masterpiece in Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and now must find a way to either carry the torch of that … Read more
Wilco
Sky Blue Sky
Nonesuch (2007)
Although Sky Blue Sky is their sixth full-length studio record, it wasn't long ago that I hadn't actually heard of Wilco, and thus their stellar reputation was something I hadn't quite expected. The album's superbly striking artwork told me to expect some frosty post-rock atmospherics, but I was pleasantly underwhelmed by the clear-headed (but not quite sunny) alt-rock that didn't … Read more
Wilco
Wilco (The Album)
Nonesuch (2009)
By now, everyone should know the story of Wilco: Chicago alt-country pioneers-turned-alt-rock gurus record the most ambitious record of their career, their record label turns it down, it sits in limbo while the public consumes leaked copies on the web, another record label owned by the same entertainment giant as their previous one snatches it up, and suddenly it's one … Read more
