Album Reviews – Page 11 – Spinning Platters

Album Review: Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM

Charlotte Gainsbourg is just so effortlessly cool. The daughter of French music legend Serge Gainsbourg and his beautiful British muse, Jane Birkin, Gainsbourg has been singing and acting professionally for over 25 years. Her music has been critically well-received, and she’s worked with such celebrated directors as Franco Zeffirelli, Michel Gondry, Todd Haynes, and perhaps most notoriously, Lars Von Trier for Antichrist, for which she won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival. But in an incredibly successful and diverse artistic career, IRM may stand as her greatest triumph.

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New Release Round Up 2/23/10 – 30 Instant Album Reviews

Woodhands Album Cover — Nice drugs, dude.

There’s gonna be some more obscure stuff this week because I foolishly left lala running while I went to lunch. Missed out on some of the more popular stuff, but you’ll still be entertained. Continue reading “New Release Round Up 2/23/10 — 30 Instant Album Reviews”

Album Review: You Say Party! We Say Die! — XXXX

I’ve never understood why “garden variety” is viewed by many as a pejorative. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to appreciate broccoli. Just ask Steve Masters.

You Say Party! We Say Die! doesn’t offer much in the originality department outside of the double factorial, but that’s fine. We need more bands like this. Let’s start at the end with “Heart of Gold.” It does belong at the end, because it has a “Road Movie to Berlin” feel to it, but musically it reminds me of The Cure’s “Untitled,” and the singing is straight out of a Marine Research-style track. The rest of the album copies other styles, but no other band manages to homogenize this many sounds together. Continue reading “Album Review: You Say Party! We Say Die! — XXXX”

Album Review: Holly Miranda – The Magician’s Private Library

Listening to Jealous Girlfriends’ front woman Holly Miranda’s first solo album, I couldn’t help but think of an old Bjork interview referring to Debut and Post as her greatest hits albums. They stood as a sparkling mesh of every style of music that piqued her interest. And that is the energy trying to burst out here, traveling with Holly from one sound scape to the next. Continue reading “Album Review: Holly Miranda — The Magician’s Private Library”

New Release Round Up 2/16/10 – 25 Instant Album Reviews

Golden_Archipelago-Shearwater_480 — Pouria will be referencing this album cover below.

Of the 25 albums I checked out this week I’m most looking forward to Scanners and Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three making their rounds in The Bay. Continue reading “New Release Round Up 2/16/10 — 25 Instant Album Reviews”

Album Review: Meaghan Smith – The Cricket’s Orchestra

Spinning Platters gets asked to review a lot of albums. And the ones I’ve been hearing lately? Awful. (Yes, I’m looking at you Nick Jonas. Why couldn’t your solo album sound like this!?!). So when I got an email last week from our managing editor Dakin asking me to review Meaghan Smith’s first album The Cricket’s Orchestra I was unsure to say the least. But Dakin told me “She’s a Canadian singer/songwriter who is influenced by music from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. If you don’t like it, no one will and it would deserve a bad review.” And I’m sure he’s right. Continue reading “Album Review: Meaghan Smith — The Cricket’s Orchestra”

Album Review: Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here

Gil Scott-Heron’s new album I’m New Here is a look back at his life and the lives of the people in his life. On I’m New Here, Scott-Heron starts off with a tribute to the person he considers his mother, grandmother Lily Scott. The majority of the album deals with death, responsibility, and socio-economic issues. Continue reading “Album Review: Gil Scott-Heron — I’m New Here”

New Release Round Up 2/9/10 – 28 Instant Album Reviews

smoke-dza-substance-abuse-front — Neither the author nor Spinning Platters recommend smoking this many cigarettes at once.

I didn’t think I was going to finish up this week. Got sick through the middle. But the fortunes smile on all of you, your reviews are here. Continue reading “New Release Round Up 2/9/10 — 28 Instant Album Reviews”

Album Review: HIM – Screamworks: Love in Theory & Practice

You would think that featuring love as your sole inspiration for so many years may provide you with more luck on the subject, but in the case of HIM, a steady relationship will always find a way to elude them. Curses! Will their tortured souls ever catch a break? For the sake of their wallets, I certainly hope not.

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Album Review: Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

Tasked to review the new album, The Monitor, from Titus Andronicus, I find it difficult to expand upon my reaction to this album. “I’m pretty sure it’s better than their first album, but I sure do like it a lot less” is what I said. I think it works like this: if you’ve been loving The Airing of Grievances for over a year, and shouted “your life is over” along with the band when seeing them live four times in a week, you may find this album disappointing. Otherwise, I think you’re going to like it. Continue reading “Album Review: Titus Andronicus — The Monitor”