Merge 2010
Canada’s Arcade Fire—one of the world’s most beloved modern rock bands—put out their new album “The Suburbs” today on Merge Records. After a few strategically released mp3 downloads to stir the pot a bit, the band’s third album—the follow-up to two of the most talked –about releases of last decade—should be able to accomplish what “Neon Bible” just missed, and debut comfortably at no. 1 on the Billboard 200. Read the rest of this entry >>
Merge 2010
Normally, I’m a pretty anti-techno guy. As someone who was weaned on 60’s thru 90’s rock, I have a very low tolerance for music pumped out of a computer. (Obviously, one could call me a judgmental listener at times.) However, I am still loyal to the theory that every genre of music out there—EVERY genre—has something good to represent it. In the case of a few genres, the good stuff may not be so abundant, but there is still always a possibility for greatness. Dan Snaith, the main man behind Caribou, has been giving electronic music a wonderful name recently. His pop sensibility and pioneering sonic innovations helped his previous album, 2007’s “Andorra”, to win the coveted Polaris Music Prize; and “Swim”, the much-anticipated follow-up, could be bound for a similar glory. Read the rest of this entry >>
Merge 2010
“1999″, the first song on the third full-length release from Sockholm’s Shout Out Louds, is not a cover. I didn’t really think it would be, but with all these bands out there doing covers these days, it wouldn’t have surprised me all that much if the SOL’s had chosen to open “Work” with a Cure-and-Smiths-influenced rendition of Prince’s classic party tune. Read the rest of this entry