music-and-concert-reviews-you-wont-see-anywhere-else
#27 album of 2012 – R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike
Artist: Killer Mike
Album: R.A.P. Music
Mr. Michael Render does not believe the term “rap” *is* an acronym for “Rebellious African Peoples”: he believes it should be. R.A.P. Music, produced by robot-apocalypse meister Jaime “El-P” Meline, does its best to sound like rebellion in progress. Beats range from firm to concussive; synth melodies burble and warble like distant alarms, or buzz and gurgle like hungry monster wasps, or drift like machines humming to themselves while they recharge for […]
#28 album of 2012 – Feast of Hammers by Birdeatsbaby
Artist: Birdeatsbaby
Album: Feast of Hammers
Birdeatsbaby play outgoing piano-rock with cabaret aspects. With Amanda Palmer now a solo act, Birdeatsbaby (led by singer/pianist Mishkin Fitzgerald) are the obvious nearest successors to the Dresden Dolls for me; they also suggest Stephanie Rearick with a full band and a confident strut. Feast of Hammers has several impressive singles, smart and catchy. Love Will Bring You Nothing and Anchor have nimble tempo-shifts; elegant violin; long looping melodies; dramatic choruses; and […]
#29 album of 2012 – Tigermending by Carina Round
Artist: Carina Round
Album: Tigermending
Carina Round’s moody, sculpted, constantly-evolving alternative-rock songs could have been played in the glory days of MTV’s “120 Minutes”. So I’m intrigued by how hard it is to find a good comparison for her. To predict whether you’ll enjoy Tigermending, it might help if you like U2’s more evasive songs (Acrobat, Until the End of the World, Love and Peace or Else, a Man and a Woman). Or imagine Radiohead’s the Bends if […]