Cornelius Point Matador By: Eric Greenwood Cornelius" follow up to his dizzyingly schizophrenic breakout, Fantasma, is a more cohesive but less spontaneous collection of clean samples, calculated rock, and fusion noise. Cornelius is a meticulous producer. Every single sound is deliberate and precise, and he builds each song into a symphonic climax, using wholly unorthodox […]

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…and You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Source Tags Interscope By: Eric Greenwood "And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead is the most exciting band making records today. Feel free to disagree, but listen to this record first. Source Tags & Codes is this Austin quartet"s major label debut, […]

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Fugazi The Argument Dischord By: Eric Greenwood While its music has progressed above and beyond the scope of punk and any of its splinterings, Fugazi’s anti-capitalistic message is still as stagnant as ever. I’ve always been one to ignore the band’s politics while still appreciating its music, and I do so to this day. When […]

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No Doubt Rock Steady Interscope By: Eric Greenwood No Doubt"s fourth album, Rock Steady, is a rare example of mainstream pop music that doesn"t make me want to vomit blood. Before you get your holier-than-thou indie rock panties in a wad and scream that No Doubt sucks, give Rock Steady at least a perfunctory chance. […]

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Gary Numan And Tubeway Army Replicas Beggars Banquet By: Eric Greenwood Taking the stilted, jerky structure of the first Tubeway Army album to the next logical level, Gary Numan created his own streamlined, space-age world, where synthesizers replaced guitars as the driving force behind the icy music. This was the defining moment of the synth-pop […]

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A Camp S/t Stockholm By: Eric Greenwood The first solo album from The Cardigans" frontwoman, Nina Persson, is a darkly melodic affair. With Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous adding his gothic American touch to the proceedings as producer and guitarist, Persson glides through this batch of hypnotic balladry almost effortlessly. Well, it only seems so effortless because […]

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Baleen Soundtrack To A Normal Life Liquilab By: Eric Greenwood This Charlotte, North Carolina quintet fuses eerie electronics with ambient, dub textures, African polyrhythms, and a standard rock set up, creating a woozy, somewhat indulgent atmosphere akin to the sample-heavy output on the Mute Records roster, circa 1995. Baleen isn"t necessarily interested in melody, but […]

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