Thursday, July 1, 2010

30 Second Reviews from 6/30


Robyn
Body Talk Pt. 1
(Interscope)

SOUNDS LIKE: Swedish electro Queen drops an eight-song mini-LP that is jam packed with badass disco beats, growly clever lyrics and magical hooks
FREE ASSOCIATION: People, wake up! Robyn is the unknown diva you need to hear
FOR FANS OF: ABBA, Blondie, Kyie, Annie, Goldfrapp, dancefloor ecstasy

Stars
The Five Ghosts
(Vagrant)

SOUNDS LIKE: The Toronto indie darlings have been downhill since Set Yourself on Fire, and while Amy Milan kills her vocals, it starts to sound all alike
FREE ASSOCIATION: OK, got it - heartbreak and devastation, barbs and regrets, repeat
FOR FANS OF: Smiths, Broken Social Scene, Metric, journaling

The Roots
How I Got Over
(Def Jam)

SOUNDS LIKE: Hometown pioneers of thoughtful, instrumentally-inspired hip hop turn it out with a collection of funky, jazzy grooves under Black Thought's deft spits
FREE ASSOCIATION: No "Seed 2.0" detectable; much prefer another Things Fall Apart
FOR FANS OF: Gang Starr, Fugees, Mos Def, J-5, Digable Planets

Andy Bell
Non-Stop
(Mute)

SOUNDS LIKE: Erasure alum's flawless falsetto drifts over disco-spiked trance beats and tasty Friday night synth rhythms for a really fun electro record
FREE ASSOCIATION: Perry Farrell wrote "Honey If You Love Him (That's All That Matters)"!
FOR FANS OF: Depeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys

Devo
Something For Everybody
(Warner Brothers)

SOUNDS LIKE: Ohio masters of new wave really do offer something for everyone on this shocking piece of awesomeness; old fans, new fans, strangers and experts
FREE ASSOCIATION: Bird and the Bee and Santigold production? Well done, Devo!
FOR FANS OF: Roxy Music, Sparks, Kraftwerk, Can, tenacity

Rooney
Eureka
(Rooney Records)

SOUNDS LIKE: L.A. pretty boys' third LP is a strange mix of retro guitar rock, pop radio and sunny surf radio but it seems clear that these guys are actors/musicians
FREE ASSOCIATION: They've got that teenage girl demo on lock; and they got money!
FOR FANS OF: Steely Dan meets Spoon, ELO, Weezer

Various
A Cure for The Broken-Hearted
(Edible Onion)

SOUNDS LIKE: Eerie, moody and slightly dark collection of folksy, bluesy rock put together by West Philly's Darian Scatton is a perfect dark rainy night companion
FREE ASSOCIATION: Each track's got different instruments and arrangements; well done
FOR FANS OF: Snowcaps, Br'er, Motorcyle Maus, Brian Reichert

Kele
The Boxer
(Glassnote)

SOUNDS LIKE: Bloc Party's front man goes solo with a much more club-flavored, electronic record produced by Spank Rock's XXXChange and it's a keeper
FREE ASSOCIATION: He's achieved stellar Euro disco realness, especially with "Rise"
FOR FANS OF: Thom Yorke x Chemical Brothers, London circuit parties



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