Showing posts with label As Tall As Lions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label As Tall As Lions. Show all posts

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Quick News


Original Faith No More frontman Chuck Mosley passed away Friday at 57. While no cause of death has been given, his band has issued a statement on Facebook. Take a look at it above. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and band.

Speaking to Billboard, Jack White has said that his forthcoming solo album is "bizarre," while he didn't comment further, it is believed to come out next year.

Next month, for the first time ever, Beastie Boys will release their 2004 album, To the Five Boroughs and The Mix-Up on vinyl. They will also be repressing their final album, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2. The albums will arrive next month.

For the first time ever, As Tall As Lions, will release their debut album, Lafcadio, on Vinyl. The band posted the news via their Facebook page.

Bjork unleashed the tracklisting to her forthcoming album, Utopia, which arrives later this month. Take a look:
01 Arisen My Senses
02 Blissing Me
03 The Gate
04 Utopia
05 Body Memory
06 Features Creatures
07 Courtship
08 Loss
09 Sue Me
10 Tabula Rasa
11 Claimstaker
12 Paradisa
13 Saint
14 Future Forever
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Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Quick News

Jenny Lewis has teamed up with Au Revoir Simone’s Erika Forster and Tennessee Thomas of The Like to form NAF (Nice As Fuck). The band will be touring through the summer. No word if they are recording.

Speaking to fans on Twitter, Marina & The Diamonds announced they are going on hiatus. Singer Marina Diamondis said: "It feels very bittersweet ending this era, because I've enjoyed it so much, and it's been so helpful for me creatively. It's been an absolute dream. I achieved so many things that I've been trying to for many years. Now, I'm gonna take a little break to do some different things. I've been on the road for seven years. I've had an amazing, amazing experience. This isn't goodbye for good, it's just for a short while."

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has confirmed that a new Stones record is on it's way. Speaking to Rolling Stone, he said: "We went in to cut some new songs, which we did. But we got on a blues streak. We cut 11 blues in two days. They are extremely great cover versions of Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter, among other blues people. But they really sound authentic… When we heard them back after not hearing them for a couple of months, we were, 'Who's that? It's you.' It sounded so authentic."

The Black and The White, which features former As Tall As Lions members Cliff Sarcona and Julio Tavarez will release a new EP, My Heart is Compromised, later this month.

Ending a long Twitter silence, Q-Tip took to the social media to address the passing of his friend, brother and Tribe Called Quest member Phife Dawg, who passed away on March 22 due to diabetes complications. Tip tweeted:
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Monday, January 4, 2016

Quick News

It is appears as if LCD Soundsystem and the iconic line-up of Guns N Roses will reunite at Coachella in April. Both bands will be headlining as an unnamed third headliner is set to be announced later this month.

Speaking to Q magazine, The Edge gave out some info on the upcoming U2 record, Songs of Experience and compared the LP to the band's 1993 release, Zooropa. In the same interview, Bono said that his bike accident in December 2014, helped the writing of the record. He said: "The gift of it was that I had time to write while in the mentality that you get to at the end of an album. There is a reason why all the great groups made their best albums while in and around touring, because the ideas have to come out of your head.”

If you thought  Liam Gallagher was going to go solo -- think again. The former Beady Eye / Oasis frontman tweeted:

Bonobo revealed that the world will hear new music from the DJ and producer this year on Twitter. He said:

Jack White will release music from his pre-White Stripes band, Two Star Tabernacle, via his Third Man Records subscription service this year. From the songs that will be released, two the band did, "Hotel Yorba," and "Now Mary" ended up becoming White Stripes songs. He is also releasing music from other pre-Stripes / Detroit-era bands The Go and Jack White and the Bricks.

On New Year's Day, Chairlift announced they will release their new album, Moth, later this month. Take a look at the tracklisting, below:
01 Look Up
02 Polymorphing
03 Romeo
04 Ch-Ching
05 Crying in Public
06 Ottawa to Osaka
07 Moth to the Flame
08 Show U Off
09 Unfinished Business
10 No Such Thing as Illusion

Following their recent reunion shows, As Tall As Lions took to Facebook and were a little murky on future plans but they also thanked everyone who came out to the New York and L.A. gigs. 


First off, we need to say THANK YOU to everyone who came out to share last week with us. We are all still on the most...
Posted by As Tall As Lions on Monday, January 4, 2016
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Saturday, January 2, 2016

The 20 Best Gigs of 2015


via GIPHY

As 2016 turns, we look back at the 20 best concerts we covered last year. In the hundreds of gigs we attended, here were the cream of the crop.



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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Live Pix: As Tall As Lions @ Webster Hall

On Monday night, As Tall As Lions returned to NYC for the first of two reunion shows at Webster Hall.
 
Take a look at Le-La Cloutier's live pix from the night. 







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Monday, December 28, 2015

Live Review: As Tall As Lions @ Webster Hall


Exactly five years ago this month, at the peak of their career Long Island alternative rockers As Tall As Lions played their final shows in the U.S. at Highline Ballroom. They were, at the time, dubbed farewell gigs and the band, who earlier that year played Coachella and the year before released their acclaimed third record, You Can't Take It With You, were gaining the success they had once dreamed of. After years of touring and opening for bands like Sparta, The Receiving End of Sirens, Silverchair, they were finally becoming headlining acts themselves. Playing Jimmy Kimmel Live! and touring Australia, the band from Long Island looked as if the future was bright, then it went dark.

Read Our 2009 Interview with As Tall As Lions

During the hiatus, members of the band continued in music. Singer Daniel Nigro started a band called Blocks but also went on to write with Sky Ferreira, Billy Idol, Kylie Minogue, Twin Shadow, Carly Jae Respen, Kimbra, among others. Drummer Cliff Sarcona and bassist Julio Tavarez formed The Black and The White. 

After the five years apart, which was due to an amicable split, the band announced a series of reunion gigs in Los Angeles and New York. Following two successful and sold-out nights at LA's Teragram Ballroom, they returned back East and opened their New York shows on Monday at Webster Hall.

Read Our 2008 Interview with As Tall As Lions

Just after 9pm, the band walked on stage to a heroes welcome as they opened with "Stab City" and it was as if they never left. Backed by an additional horn section, the five members of As Tall As Lions roared again. Jumping into "Be Here Now," they focused on their 2006 self-titled sophomore release early on but with three albums under their belt, they pleased all fans of every era of the band in the room. Songs like "Circles" and "Into the Flood" made it into the main mix.

As their families watched proudly from the balconies, the band sounded better than ever. It may have been five years since we last saw and heard from them, but the love is still there. Each member played with a smile on their face and soaked up every second. As the lights dimmed from the main set, fans would not walk away until they heard more.

For the two encores they had, they focused on songs from their other releases, 2004's Lafcadio and their final album. Songs like "In Case of Rapture," "Maybe I'm Just Tired," "Break Blossom," "Lost My Mind" all felt as if they were being played for the first time, again. Each song had a new spin and a new appreciation for it. Maybe it was the length in between them leaving and coming back? Maybe it was taking a step back and realizing how good their music was? Maybe it was because after all these years, the tunes still mean something? Whatever answers fans were looking for at these reunion concerts could be questions they will seek out for years to come, but one thing is for sure, if this is the building blocks for something more, then As Tall As Lions are laying a thick foundation.

Closing with "Love Love Love (Love Love Love)" the room lit up as fans sang back the lyrics louder than Nigro could sing them. They sang them with love and affection. Welcome back.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Quick News

After five years, As Tall As Lions are reuniting for a special series of concerts in New York and L.A. at the end of the year. The band made the announcement on Facebook and said: "It’s been five years since our band broke up, and we'd be lying if we said we didn’t think about our time in ATAL ever since. It’s hard not to be nostalgic when you see all the love and support that you guys still give. Thank you for continuing to listen to our music, write us heartfelt messages, and, our personal favorite, cover our songs on YouTube. When we first read the e-mail last month asking the band to reunite for a show, we had mixed emotions. Nostalgia always comes with a bit of heartache, but the thought of playing music with our friends again outweighed any hesitation we had. We were overwhelmed to find out that everyone in the band felt the same exact way."


Action Bronson is currently recovering in an Alaska hospital after undergoing emergency surgery for a complication with an ongoing hernia issue. The Queens rapper posted updates on social media:
A photo posted by Action Bronson (@bambambaklava) on


Afrika Bambaaataa and Mark Ronson will be honored next month at Global Spin Awards for their contribution to music and DJ culture over the years.

Nine Inch Nails will release a special edition Black Friday Record Story Day box set of the first four Halo's on vinyl. Take a look at the cover, below:

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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Quick News

Sad news to report, underground emcee Pumpkinhead has passed away at 39. No cause of death has been released. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Stephen Colbert has picked New Orleans musician Jon Baptist to be his bandleader when he takes over The Late Show in September.

One of Deftones' Chino Moreno many side projects - Team Sleep, will release their first album in nearly a decade with Woodstock Sessions in July. The album is part live/in-studio recordings from their time spent in Woodstock, New York, last fall.

The Black and The White - a band featuring former members of As Tall As Lions had their gear and van stolen in their residential L.A. area last week. The band has set up a donation page, for more info and how you can help - click HERE.

Speaking to The Guardian, Paul Weller diminished any idea of a possible Jam reunion saying, "I’m not a nostalgic person. Not enough money in the world to do that. I like now. I like today. I don’t want to spend my time trying to recapture something that can’t be recaptured."

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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

QUICK SPINS

 
Hot Chip – Why Make Sense?
England’s favorite dance-floor electronic nerds with a new wave of tunes and a still bring enough energy and creativity to light up a night. Venturing into new areas for themselves like hip-hop and dub, Hot Chip showcase that making sense is not a priority but having fun is.
FINAL GRADE: A-

Metz – Metz II
Canada’s pulse pounding post-hardcore titans return with a record that will melt more faces than they did on their 2012 debut.
FINAL GRADE: A-

Tal National – Zoy Zoy
West African guitar collective Tal National return with the fever of their motherland and laid out over some of the most intricate and fantastic riffs, chords, and work in years. This band’s sophomore album, Zoy Zoy, is not to be missed by any major music fan. While it combines more than just rock and African sounds, it proves that music is our universal language.
FINAL GRADE: A-

Buena Vista Social Club – Lost and Found
The final record to come from Cuba’s greatest musical exports hits home. As the Cuban embargo was lifted earlier this year and Americans begin to descend to the island that has been closed off for so long to us, it is music like this record and this band that will carry us there.
FINAL GRADE: A-

Jesse Malin – New York Before the War
Iconic New York musician, Jesse Malin, returns and hits back at the current dying feeling of the old city as gentrification and high rise buildings push every out. New York Before the War is a tribute to the New York that Malin saw as a kid and came of age into. It was harder, gritter, nastier, but most of all, it was original.
FINAL GRADE: B+

Paul Weller – Saturn’s Pattern
The Modfather returns for his most ambitious and biggest sounding solo record. Saturn’s Pattern is Weller experimenting with what he can do with his guitar in a punk world but not limiting himself to the style of the genre he was apart of. It is a record inspired by outer space and it sounds like that is what he is reaching for even at his age.
FINAL GRADE: B+

Mumford & Sons – Wilder Mind
Mumford & Sons came to America and took over by storm. They saw immersed themselves in Americana and the only thing British about them were their tongues and blood. They were more of a States band than more American roots band that have come about in the last 20 years. With their third album, Wilder Mind, they do an about face and become an American rock band via England. While they don’t do a terrible job at it, the change in sound and identity makes you hear and see a whole new band.
FINAL GRADE: B

Surfer Blood – 1000 Palms
Just in time for summer, West Palm Beach, Florida’s garage rockers come back with their third album and make us want to head to the beach faster than ever before.
FINAL GRADE: B

Sojourner
Not since As Tall As Lions has a band with such an atmospheric and beautiful sound come from Long Island. This three song EP from this band hears them reaching for the stars and with enough luck, courage, and risk, they will make it because their talents are surely already there.
FINAL GRADE: B

Miami Horror – All Possible Futures
Australia’s chill wave favorites Miami Horror return with their first album in five years and their sophomore record seems to have proven to fans it was worth the wait. While you are day drinking or hanging at the beach this summer, this is a record worth having on.
FINAL GRADE: B

Snoop Dogg – Bush
Reteaming with Pharrell, Snoop Dogg gives a hip-pop record about his favorite plant and throws in enough swag that he shows he still has got it.
FINAL GRADE: B-

Tyler, The Creator – Cherry Bomb
As Odd Future’s ringleader Tyler, The Creator gets older, so is his fan base and ideas. His slacker rapping has now gotten big names like Pharrell, Kanye West, and Schoolboy Q to join him but while he isn’t pushing boundaries, he is just being him with A-listers still wanting to work with him.
FINAL GRADE: B-

Faith No More – Sol Invictus
For the first time since 1997, the world has gotten a new Faith No More record and if you expected anything like you heard in the past, then you clearly don’t know Mike Patton and the boys. Sol Invictus is the alternative to the alternative, a record unlike anything around today but also a record that is all over the place. In some strange way, if this was another band it wouldn’t work, but for them, this is the normal.
FINAL GRADE: B-

Ceremony – The L Shaped Man
Take everything you know about Ceremony and throw it out the window. The former thrash and hardcore California band have totally altered their sound and image and while it was known they took their name from the Joy Division song, “Ceremony,” they are now mimicking their idols’ sound. The L Shaped Man is a Joy Division heavily influenced record that old fans may abandon and fans of The Horrors may embrace.
FINAL GRADE: B-

The Tallest Man on Earth – Dark Bird is Home
The Swedish folk singer is back with another record of more of the same. If you are already a fan, this is one to add to the collection.
FINAL GRADE: C+

Best Coast – California Nights
Yeah, you guessed it, more songs about California being awesome. We get it.
FINAL GRADE: C


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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Quick News

Taking to social media, Slayer have confirmed they are in the studio working on their 15th studio album. No release has been given.

U.K. songstress Paloma Faith will release her new album, A Perfect Contradiction, in October. The album features Pharrell, John Legend, Raphael Saadiq and more.

Billy Idol will release his new album Kings and Queens of the Underground in October. The album features writing contributions from former As Tall As Lions frontman Dan Nigro. Take a look at the cover below:


When not fighting with his record label, touring mates, or the British Monarchy, Morrissey has been tapped to curate a Ramones compilation for Rhino Records. The former Smiths frontman is an outspoken Ramones fan, will pick the tracklisting. He has already picked out the cover. The album does not have a release date or title, but check out the very Morrissey cover below:

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Saturday, December 21, 2013

As Tall As Lions Documentary Trailer


 In 2010, as their popularity was hitting a fine pulse, Long Island indie band As Tall As Lions called it quits. A new, just announced documentary arriving on Christmas, will explain that story. Take a look at the film's trailer!
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Thursday, November 21, 2013

QUICK SPINS



Jake Bugg – Shagri La
The 19-year-old English singer / songwriter phenom has struck again, only a year after releasing his acclaimed debut, Bugg shows he is here to stay. Shagri La hears Bugg’s signature throwback rockabilly riffs but this time produced by the lendary Rick Rubin to clear up the sound and scale of the music. Bugg may be doing something so basic, but he is doing it just right.
FINAL GRADE: A


Blu & Nottz – Gods in the Spirit EP
New material from West Coast rapper Blu is hard to come by, when it comes it usually flies under the radar when in fact, it should be up there with the ranks of new school kings like Kendrick, Earl Sweatshirt, and A$AP. However, teaming up with Nottz might just give Blu the push he has needed for so long to be one of hip-hop’s most talked about emcees.
FINAL GRADE: A


Four Tet – Beautiful Rewind
If anyone ever wanted to know what Four Tet sounded like, Rewind is the answer. It takes listeners on a musical voyage to territories that only this British producer, DJ, and beatmaker can provide.
FINAL GRADE: A-


AFI – Burials
While most of the bands that emerged from the same emo scene as AFI are touring behind the one or two records that got them famous a decade or so ago, AFI are still releasing worthwhile material that shows they are going nowhere. Burials is the long awaited new release from the California band and it is as hard and as thrashing as they have ever been. They return to form in fine fashion.
FINAL GRADE: B+


Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time
The long awaited debut from the California synthpop indie buzz girl has finally arrived and it arrives in fine form. Ferreira takes a seductive and dark look at pop music and blends catchy hooks and melodies that will haunt and pleasure the spirit. With some of the songs written with former As Tall As Lions singer Daniel Nigro, it is no wonder we enjoy the sound so much.
FINAL GRADE: B+


The Avett Brothers – Magpie and the Dandelions
The Carolina fraternity returns with a bombastic new record that hears them taking their signature folk / Americana / rock sound to a stadium ready level. Magpie shows why these guys are loved by so many including Chris Cornell, Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, and many more.
FINAL GRADE: B+


A Wilhelm Scream – Partycrasher
The Massachusets hardcore titans return with their first album in six years and boy, are we glad they are back. Partychrasher plays like a bone crunching, foot stomping, face melting, good time…or as their fans would say, “It sounds like A Whilhelm Scream record.”
FINAL GRADE: B+


Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe
Much like Sky Ferreira, Blood Orange has an ability to make pop a seductive and haunting sound but still make you want to get up and move like there is some sort of party going on. On his long awaited second album, Cupid Delux, Blood Orange brings along a slew of guests like Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors, Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, Samantha Urbani of Friends, Clams Casino, Despot, Adam Bainbridge of Kindness, and Skepta, to join his party.
FINAL GRADE: B


Lucious Jackson – Magic Hour
The divine indie darlings of the 90’s return with their first album since they reunited earlier this year and their first album since 1999’s Electric Honey. Now, older, wiser, and much more skeptic of the music industry, it is as if these fine ladies never left us.
FINAL GRADE: B


Dr. Dog – B-Room
One of music’s most adored traveling bands return with their third album and bring forth a much more psychedelic tone than ever before. B-Room still has the band harmonizing as if they were The Beatles, but bringing more of the later work of the Fab Four into the studio as a clear inspiration.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium
The seventh album from the Austin indie favorites hears them throwing back to the indie folk sound that got them their acclaim so many years ago. The Silver Gymnasium also hears singer Will Sheff go back to his masterful storytelling but crafting a concept record about growing up in a small town in New Hampshire.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Erasure – Snow Globe
An 80’s new wave take on Christmas songs and brand new soon-to-be holiday classics! Yes, Please!
FINAL GRADE: B-


Blitzen Trapper – VII
The seventh studio album from the Portland indie favorites hears them sticking to the same formula that has driven them for years.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Making a record after his fantastic 2010 Grammy Award winning Recovery record was going to be a hard task, but maybe that is why Eminem decided to go back to the album that made his a serious international star – The Marshall Mathers LP. Eminem has ditched his natural black locks to go back to his blonde alter-ego Slim Shady and spits and shits on everything in pop and in the media. Trying to be cutting edge by linking up with Rick Rubin to sample Beastie Boys cuts and give some of his songs a late 80’s / early 90’s feel to them doesn’t seem to flow. At points the album seems disjointed and Em is trying to fit as many words together as he possible can without letting a song breathe or just be.
FINAL GRADE: C+


The Melvins – Tres Cabrones
The Melvins return with their second album this year and link up with original drummer Mike Dillard for a comical but often times redundant sounding LP.
FINAL GRADE: C+


Lady Gaga – Artpop
We know Lady Gaga has talent, she displayed that on her massive debut. We know Lady Gaga can be creative, she displays that every time she steps out the door. So, if she has all of these abilities to make her a great artist, why must she try so hard to not only sound like everyone else, but sound so generic that you think she has lost her touch. Artpop, much like it’s predecessor, Born This Way, is an uninspiring, overproduced, album that tries too hard to sound like the bastard child of Madonna and Cher. Our advice for her is to go back-to-basics and go back to being yourself, trying to outdo your last persona.
FINAL GRADE: D


MIA – Mantagi
After a three year wait, MIA returns with an album, that much like Gaga’s, is an overproduced effort that hears another woman trying to hard to gain attention. What MIA was doing early in her career when she was dating Diplo was fresh and original, especially to this part of the world, now, it is just something she is trying to do to stay relevant by throwing as much shit on the wall and seeing what sticks.
FINAL GRADE: D 
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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

QUICK SPINS



Arctic Monkeys – AM
We have watched Arctic Monkeys grow-up and evolve right in front of our very eyes, from their brilliant barnstorming debut, Whatever People Say I Am Is What I Am Not to their very latest, AM. They have been around for less than a decade and manage to maintain their rock and roll identity but explore different paths within it. On their latest, AM, the bands fifth, they mature as songwriters and musicians. They haven’t played their instruments at 100 mph since their first two LP’s but they have learned to make the same impact by doing less. AM is a record that does just that. It is not the stoner-rock joyride that Humbug was, nor is it the lyrical masterpiece that Suck It And See was, it is, older and wiser, in fact in many ways it is better than all of those things. AM holds the key to the Monkeys future and proves that Alex Turner’s clever songwriting is not someone trying to do all of these things, but just is. AM could be viewed as a lazy title, but in fact, it is the symbolic outlook of the bands music, doing so much with less, AM could be looked at as “am,” and the Monkeys could be telling us this is who they are. If that is the case, we are glad they are making music in this day and age. Plus, any band referencing Scorsese’s Mean Streets deserves high recognition.
FINAL GRADE: A


Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady
If Prince is playing on your album, you know you are doing something right. Def Jam’s best signing since Biggie Smalls returns with a ferocious and fantastic album that takes us through a dance apocalypse and makes us realize we can’t live without her love of music. Combining jazz, funk, rock, soul, doo-wop, neo-soul, R&B, indie rock, pop and elements of hip-hop, The Electric Lady is a fantastic musical voyage and has a great supporting cast from Solange, Erykah Badu, Esperanza Spalding, Miguel and more.
FINAL GRADE: A-


The Weeknd – Kissland
After his “Trilogy,” Abel Tesfaye comes back much more focused, straight forward and interesting than every before. Kissland is a romantic concept record about the world The Weeknd has created in his head and the world that frightens him. The album tells that the world around us and within us in frightening but is something we must overcome and embrace, basically, it is ok to make mistakes along the way like falling in love with the wrong person, it builds us as people and our character. A very smart, clever, and very well produced latest effort.
FINAL GRADE: A –


Haim – Days Are Gone
The long awaited debut album from California’s favorite sisters is finally here and does not disappoint. After emerging as one of the most talked about new bands of 2013, Haim’s Days Are Gone is a slithering pop – rock record that combines fun-in-the-sun emotion, killer riffs, heavy beats, and catchy hooks that it will just make you want to play it over and over again. Much like The 1975’s debut, this is one of the best debuts of the year.
FINAL GRADE: A-



Chvrches – The Bones Of What You Believe
 Scotland’s electro-pop buzz band Chvrches debut is a mysterious, erotic, and dark release that combines the sinister energy from Crystal Castles and mixes it with fellow Scot’s Glasvegas’ neo-cold-wave sound and flexes heavy emotion doing so.
FINAL GRADE: B+


The Naked and Famous – In Rolling Waves
Three years after their awesome debut, New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous return with In Rolling Waves which is a much heavier sounding and heavier feeling album. In Rolling Waves hears The Naked and Famous flexing serious muscle and proving that they are not just a one-trick pony and are willing to take chances to not fall into the dreaded sophomore slump.
FINAL GRADE: B+


A$AP Ferg – Trap Lord
One of the A$AP Crew’s members goes solo for debut. The self proclaimed “Trap Lord,” Ferg shows why he is taking the sub-genre of trap style hip-hop by storm and one of the best to do it. With appearances from A$AP Rocky, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, French Montana, Trinidad James, Schoolboy Q, Waka Flocka Flame, B-Real and Onyx, he bridges the gap between old and new schools.
FINAL GRADE: B+


London Grammar – If You Wait
The buzz around London Grammar has been large since the band hit the UK festival circuit this summer and now, their debut, If You Wait is finally out, they answer the call and prove they are the band people want to talk about. While the music of London Grammar is catchy, it is the voice of singer Hannah Reid that is the star of the show. She is a vocal powerhouse that take pop / rock singing to a whole new level.
FINAL GRADE: B+


King Khan and the Shrines – Idle No More
Eight albums in with his career with The Shrines and King Khan shows no sign of stopping. While Idle No More displays nothing really new musically or anything unexpected, it is still a total blast to listen to.
FINAL GRADE: B

THEblack&THEwhite – Futures EP
The debut EP from former As Tall As Lions bassist Julio Tavarez is filled with trippy loops, hypnotic hooks, ambient vibes and heart. Futures is an EP where you can hear that Tavarez has poured his soul into this project and is a nice launching pad as to what is to come.
FINAL GRADE: B

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Fly By Wire
For their sixth record, Missouri’s Someone Still Loves Your Boris Yeltsin, do it as a trio and rather a quartet thanks to the departure of singer / guitarist John Robert Cardwell earlier this year. Most bands would have imploded but SSLYBY soldier on and do it triumphantly where long time fans of the band will not be disappointed.
FINAL GRADE: B


Icona Pop – This Is…
After a summer of the infections and brilliant girl power pop anthem, “I Love It,” the Swedish duo of Icona Pop prove that the land they hail from is still the breeding ground of the best pop music on the globe. This Is.. is the second album from Icona Pop but it is also the biggest, in terms of production, popularity, and fun. This is an instant party starter.
FINAL GRADE: B


Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull
Hi Kings of Leon! How are you? Welcome back, we missed you!
While the above note is not intended for a chuckle, though, it is ok if you laugh at our corniness, the note is a meaningful gesture that we are glad to see Kings of Leon return to form. After the unlistenable Come Around Sundown, a few internal problems, battles with addiction, and a dreadful documentary, Kings of Leon cut the bullshit and return back to basics and return to form as a solid Southern rock and blues band and return to the roots of being the band that we treasured and missed for so long.
FINAL GRADE: B


Sting – The Last Ship
For his first album of brand new material in a decade, Sting fires back in a big way with The Last Ship, which is really the companion piece to the Broadway play of the same name that the record is based on that he is crafting. The Last Ship is a concept record about coming of age in a seaside town and wanting something more out of life, while this may sound like the plot of Fellini’s I Vitelloni, it is actually the first part of Sting’s life. The Last Ship is a semi-autobiographical journey of one man, Sting, telling the story of his youth but as an older man looking back on the life he left behind and why he did.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Big Sean – Hall of Fame
The sophomore album from Big Sean is just as strong as his debut but also does not feature the gift and the curse aka that verse from Kendrick Lamar on “Control” which did not make the album’s final cut because of a sampling issue. However, Big Sean enlisted Nas, Common, 2 Chainz, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Juicy J, Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj, Miguel and Young Jeezy to support his style and sound.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Goodie Mob – Age Against The Machine
Cee-Lo Green hooks up with his first group and crafts their first album in nine years. While Cee-Lo’s voice is still the star of the show, nothing new is crafted or made and after nine years and nine explosive years for Cee-Lo’s career, one would have hoped the rest of the group would have come out swinging to upstage the pop icon, yet, they all fail to do so and the album is left at a sub-par level.
FINAL GRADE: C 


 MGMT
At one point in the last decade bands emerged that wrote a few catchy and clever tunes and were poised to be the next coming of music. Yet, some of those bands failed to capitalize on anything beyond that and make anything listenable, however, still get attention as if they are going to do something great and grand and fail to. MGMT is one of those bands whose talent was like a firework in the sky, it bursted bright and shined but then faded into oblivion, however, some critics are still holding out for that firework to burst again because they know the band has potential. It would normally be encouraging to other artists, but MGMT realized they can release shit, and we mean it, shit, and know they will still make music headlines and have people foam at the mouth for what they are going to do. After the tragically terrible and unlistenable, Congratulations, MGMT return with a self-titled album that is not a bit more comforting to listen to but still misses the mark by a long shot.
FINAL GRADE D 
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