“Kidsploitation” sounds like something that could get you shivved in the big house, but sonically speaking, it’s not an uncommon practice in our times. From bubblegum pop to the latest volume of “Kidz Bop” adaptations, attempting to see the world through childrens’ eyes has become a multi-million dollar business. On Apple O, Deerhoof follows the [...]
Bill Evans Trio – Waltz for Debby
22 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
Debby was Bill Evans’ niece, but I like to imagine to myself that she was a mysterious stranger, swathed in cosmic mystery and down-tempo nonchalance. The silhouette on the front could be Debby. We assume it to be anyway. But it is wonderfully vague. Up close, the lines are blurred and unclear; the profile looks [...]
Sleigh Bells – Treats
15 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
I have a serious love/hate relationship with this record. It’s full on manic-depressive. Flat out unhealthy. In the time it takes Sleigh Bells to finish one track, usually around three minutes, a self-contained soap opera occurs in my headspace: “Oh, wow. That kickdrum just shook my brain in its fucking skull.” “What the fuck is [...]
Autolux – Future Perfect
8 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
For a band coming out of LA, you expect Autolux to be more than a little over-stylized. The minimal, monochrome photography on the cover of Future Perfect proves that assumption to be true. Today, the image is straightforward enough to make any bearded post-ironic hipster cringe, but back in 2004 (ancient history in Internet time) [...]
Packaging: Good/Bad/Horrifying
1 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
Artwork aside, there are good ideas and bad ideas for album packaging. Don’t get me wrong – I get it: an album is a work of art, and works of art are supposed to push the boundaries from time to time. Raise questions. Challenge ideals. Get you thinking. Packaging, along with artwork, is often the [...]
Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I...
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