All Music Guide
What's striking about Dig Out Your Soul is how its relentless onslaught of sound proves as enduring as the tunes.
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Hartford Courant
Noel Gallagher comes up with a half-dozen tracks as good as the classic-rock epic 'The Turning,' or 'The Shock of the Lightning,' which swaggers as confidently as Oasis did a dozen years ago.
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New Musical Express
More than anything else, there’s a feeling that Dig Out Your Soul might actually be their best album in over a decade. In other words, not quite the fabled, oft-promised “Best one since fookin’ "Definitely Maybe!"" but certainly the best one since fookin’ "...Morning Glory."
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Thursday, 9 October 2008
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed - Reviews
musicOMH.com
More than anything it's just a relief to see this rare talent back from the brink, still, as always, one step ahead of the game
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New Musical Express
Skinner has consolidated everything he’s done before, chucked in where his head’s at now and come up with an album that, while lacking the visceral thrill of ‘Original Pirate Material’, is a minor masterpiece that will mean a lot to a more select bunch of people.
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The Guardian
Each listen reveals more light and shade, reaffirming Skinner's position as one of Britain's truly interesting stars.
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More than anything it's just a relief to see this rare talent back from the brink, still, as always, one step ahead of the game
Read rest
New Musical Express
Skinner has consolidated everything he’s done before, chucked in where his head’s at now and come up with an album that, while lacking the visceral thrill of ‘Original Pirate Material’, is a minor masterpiece that will mean a lot to a more select bunch of people.
Read rest
The Guardian
Each listen reveals more light and shade, reaffirming Skinner's position as one of Britain's truly interesting stars.
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Monday, 6 October 2008
DJ Khaled - We Global - Reviews
RapReviews.com
This results in a lot of victories but not a whole lot of personality, and the closest we get to seeing Khaled's soul is the fact he tends to favor putting the Southeast's finest from Pitbull to Rick Ross on his tracks.
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All Music Guide
Getting back on track, DJ Khaled's We Global corrects all the mistakes made on his disappointing sophomore effort "We the Best" and gets back to the high-quality control of his debut "Listennn: The Album."
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The New York Times
We Global is an orchestra of favor collecting, though slightly dimmer than the two albums that preceded it.
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This results in a lot of victories but not a whole lot of personality, and the closest we get to seeing Khaled's soul is the fact he tends to favor putting the Southeast's finest from Pitbull to Rick Ross on his tracks.
Read rest
All Music Guide
Getting back on track, DJ Khaled's We Global corrects all the mistakes made on his disappointing sophomore effort "We the Best" and gets back to the high-quality control of his debut "Listennn: The Album."
Read rest
The New York Times
We Global is an orchestra of favor collecting, though slightly dimmer than the two albums that preceded it.
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Sunday, 5 October 2008
Abe Vigoda - Skeleton - Reviews
Pitchfork
Skeleton's flaws are few and often obscured by the album's mixing: Vidal's vocal adds an additional rhythmic layer, but his lyrical work is interesting enough to be more pronounced and less muddied.
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The Onion (A.V. Club)
Mostly, Skeleton is jagged and weird....But if you can take the knocks, the band is at its finest when embracing discordance.
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Prefix Magazine
Brevity is the buzzword throughout Skeleton. No track goes over four minutes, and five don’t even hit two minutes. But brilliance emerges within those constraints.
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Skeleton's flaws are few and often obscured by the album's mixing: Vidal's vocal adds an additional rhythmic layer, but his lyrical work is interesting enough to be more pronounced and less muddied.
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The Onion (A.V. Club)
Mostly, Skeleton is jagged and weird....But if you can take the knocks, the band is at its finest when embracing discordance.
Read rest
Prefix Magazine
Brevity is the buzzword throughout Skeleton. No track goes over four minutes, and five don’t even hit two minutes. But brilliance emerges within those constraints.
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Saturday, 4 October 2008
Kellie Pickler - Kellie Pickler - Reviews
Billboard
Teamed with new producer Chris Lindsey and with more time to create than she did in the rush following her run on "American Idol," Kellie Pickler's second album is another solid step toward country stardom.
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Los Angeles Times
There are individual moments of accomplishment, but the album is like a Whitman Sampler, with a sweet tidbit for listeners in pretty much any stage of a romantic relationship, leading to a fairly scattered emotional palette.
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The New York Times
"If those girls were being honest and have been where you’re at. I bet they tell you they wish they had their innocence back." But this is what passes for wisdom on Ms. Pickler’s tepid and forgettable new record.
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Teamed with new producer Chris Lindsey and with more time to create than she did in the rush following her run on "American Idol," Kellie Pickler's second album is another solid step toward country stardom.
Read rest
Los Angeles Times
There are individual moments of accomplishment, but the album is like a Whitman Sampler, with a sweet tidbit for listeners in pretty much any stage of a romantic relationship, leading to a fairly scattered emotional palette.
Read rest
The New York Times
"If those girls were being honest and have been where you’re at. I bet they tell you they wish they had their innocence back." But this is what passes for wisdom on Ms. Pickler’s tepid and forgettable new record.
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Thursday, 2 October 2008
The Nightwatchman - The Fabled City - Reviews
Entertainment Weekly
The Rage Against the Machine guitarist's remarkable transformation from purveyor of weapons-grade funk-metal riffs into introspective protest folkie yields even more impressive fruit on his second solo effort The Fabled City.
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Los Angeles Times
Morello's singing could inspire chuckles rather than revolution. But on The Fabled City, he and O'Brien have dressed it up enough to make it seem almost super at times.
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Rolling Stone
Lyrically, Morello still goes over the top, piling on biblical references and Dylanesque nonsense like "one-eyed crow, tappin' on the windowpane." But with a solid band behind him, he seems much more confident in his new role as a modern protest troubadour.
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The Rage Against the Machine guitarist's remarkable transformation from purveyor of weapons-grade funk-metal riffs into introspective protest folkie yields even more impressive fruit on his second solo effort The Fabled City.
Read rest
Los Angeles Times
Morello's singing could inspire chuckles rather than revolution. But on The Fabled City, he and O'Brien have dressed it up enough to make it seem almost super at times.
Read rest
Rolling Stone
Lyrically, Morello still goes over the top, piling on biblical references and Dylanesque nonsense like "one-eyed crow, tappin' on the windowpane." But with a solid band behind him, he seems much more confident in his new role as a modern protest troubadour.
Read rest
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson - Reviews
Boston Globe
Despite its flaws, Hudson's debut comes on much like her "Dreamgirls" character, with admirable self-assurance and real-girl sensuality.
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Entertainment Weekly
None are exceptional, but they're all a sufficient delivery system for those spectacular vocal chops.
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Slant Magazine
By the time Jennifer Hudson gets back to good old-fashioned balladry, it's too late: we're saddled with the same Diane Warren song ("You Pulled Me Through") we've heard at least a dozen times before; a ridiculously trite and histrionic you-stole-my-man duet with fellow A.I. alum Fantasia ("I'm His Only Woman") we've heard at least a half-dozen times before; another Stargate/Ne-Yo concoction we've heard...well, you get the point.
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Despite its flaws, Hudson's debut comes on much like her "Dreamgirls" character, with admirable self-assurance and real-girl sensuality.
Read rest
Entertainment Weekly
None are exceptional, but they're all a sufficient delivery system for those spectacular vocal chops.
Read rest
Slant Magazine
By the time Jennifer Hudson gets back to good old-fashioned balladry, it's too late: we're saddled with the same Diane Warren song ("You Pulled Me Through") we've heard at least a dozen times before; a ridiculously trite and histrionic you-stole-my-man duet with fellow A.I. alum Fantasia ("I'm His Only Woman") we've heard at least a half-dozen times before; another Stargate/Ne-Yo concoction we've heard...well, you get the point.
Read rest
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
XX Teens - Welcome To Goon Island - Reviews
PopMatters
Even if it’s not an instant classic, Welcome to Goon Island is a lot of fun, with its big booming drum cadences and excitable, yelp-prone voices.
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All Music Guide
It's a hook to beat all hooks in the middle of a desolate recording: a desolate recording that demands several listens to truly penetrate but has worthwhile payoffs subtly placed throughout.
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Dot Music
Ultimately, it's not that XX Teens throw everything including the kitchen sink at it, but rather that they drink everything under the sink and wait to see what happens. Welcome To Good Island is that kind of experience.
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Even if it’s not an instant classic, Welcome to Goon Island is a lot of fun, with its big booming drum cadences and excitable, yelp-prone voices.
Read rest
All Music Guide
It's a hook to beat all hooks in the middle of a desolate recording: a desolate recording that demands several listens to truly penetrate but has worthwhile payoffs subtly placed throughout.
Read rest
Dot Music
Ultimately, it's not that XX Teens throw everything including the kitchen sink at it, but rather that they drink everything under the sink and wait to see what happens. Welcome To Good Island is that kind of experience.
Read rest
Monday, 29 September 2008
Alias - Resurgam - Reviews
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Resurgam is brimming with glacial, lucent, keys-driven beauty.
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All Music Guide
Alias has created his most welcoming and positive dream world on Resurgam, an album where the creaks comfort and the low cloud cover comes off as heavenly.
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PopMatters
Resurgam is pleasant and occasionally quite captivating ear candy from an artist who may nevertheless have to work harder in the future in order to remain distinct.
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Resurgam is brimming with glacial, lucent, keys-driven beauty.
Read rest
All Music Guide
Alias has created his most welcoming and positive dream world on Resurgam, an album where the creaks comfort and the low cloud cover comes off as heavenly.
Read rest
PopMatters
Resurgam is pleasant and occasionally quite captivating ear candy from an artist who may nevertheless have to work harder in the future in order to remain distinct.
Read rest
B.B. King - One Kind Favor - Reviews
Paste Magazine
Elegiac by intent, the record is awash in poignancy, radiating from the deeply felt guitar and vocal performances of the 83-year-old King and his supporting band (anchored by drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Nathan East and pianist Dr. John) and from the carefully chosen material.
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All Music Guide
Even if King winds up returning to his familiar slick, star-studded sound somewhere down the line, having an album as earthily elegant as One Kind Favor in his canon provides a fitting coda for one of the great musical careers of the 20th century.
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Rolling Stone
This isn't just B.B. King's best album in years, it's one of the strongest studio sets of his career, standing alongside classics such as "Singin' the Blues" and "Lucille."
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Elegiac by intent, the record is awash in poignancy, radiating from the deeply felt guitar and vocal performances of the 83-year-old King and his supporting band (anchored by drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Nathan East and pianist Dr. John) and from the carefully chosen material.
Read rest
All Music Guide
Even if King winds up returning to his familiar slick, star-studded sound somewhere down the line, having an album as earthily elegant as One Kind Favor in his canon provides a fitting coda for one of the great musical careers of the 20th century.
Read rest
Rolling Stone
This isn't just B.B. King's best album in years, it's one of the strongest studio sets of his career, standing alongside classics such as "Singin' the Blues" and "Lucille."
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Sunday, 28 September 2008
Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night - Reviews
Observer Music Monthly
The dreamy 'Cold Desert' is the perfect maudlin end to this short, sharp, 42-minute, no-filler album, revelling in every miserable blues-rocker cliché as Matthew's guitar goes all shoegazey and then briefly threatens to turn the whole thing into a 'Purple Rain' wig-out.
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Entertainment Weekly
Throughout Only by the Night, frontman Caleb Followill wails forlornly about cheap thrills and true love while his two brothers (and a cousin) bash out spooky, raw-edged riffs that rarely go where you expect them to.
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Sputnikmusic
As it is, it's a very fine record from a band who are seemingly growing in stature, confidence, and ability by the day.
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The dreamy 'Cold Desert' is the perfect maudlin end to this short, sharp, 42-minute, no-filler album, revelling in every miserable blues-rocker cliché as Matthew's guitar goes all shoegazey and then briefly threatens to turn the whole thing into a 'Purple Rain' wig-out.
Read rest
Entertainment Weekly
Throughout Only by the Night, frontman Caleb Followill wails forlornly about cheap thrills and true love while his two brothers (and a cousin) bash out spooky, raw-edged riffs that rarely go where you expect them to.
Read rest
Sputnikmusic
As it is, it's a very fine record from a band who are seemingly growing in stature, confidence, and ability by the day.
Read rest
Saturday, 27 September 2008
Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling - Reviews
Urb
The Hawk is Howling is Mogwai at its best.
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All Music Guide
At first, it's tempting to want all of The Hawk Is Howling to be as obviously powerful as its biggest tracks, but with time it reveals itself as one of Mogwai's most masterful blends of delicacy and strength.
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Observer Music Monthly
Masters at building tension upon tension then gently letting it go, their cyclical instrumentals are both sorrowful and consoling.
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The Hawk is Howling is Mogwai at its best.
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All Music Guide
At first, it's tempting to want all of The Hawk Is Howling to be as obviously powerful as its biggest tracks, but with time it reveals itself as one of Mogwai's most masterful blends of delicacy and strength.
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Observer Music Monthly
Masters at building tension upon tension then gently letting it go, their cyclical instrumentals are both sorrowful and consoling.
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Thursday, 25 September 2008
Pussycat Dolls - Doll Domination - Reviews
Billboard
The Dolls' bark is as big as their bite.
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The New York Times
Ms. Scherzinger’s small, flexible voice thrives in the programmed, computer-tuned R&B tracks.
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Slant Magazine
Like the Dolls's debut, "PCD," the new album could use a little more of that cabaret style and a little less of the anonymous, by-the-numbers R&B and dance formulas that have become the modern girl-group convention
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The Dolls' bark is as big as their bite.
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The New York Times
Ms. Scherzinger’s small, flexible voice thrives in the programmed, computer-tuned R&B tracks.
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Slant Magazine
Like the Dolls's debut, "PCD," the new album could use a little more of that cabaret style and a little less of the anonymous, by-the-numbers R&B and dance formulas that have become the modern girl-group convention
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Glasvegas - Glasvegas - Teviews
Observer Music Monthly
Praise indeed but then these hard-nosed softies are unique and this, make no mistake, is their "Definitely Maybe," the quintessential noise-pop set of the modern age.
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Dot Music
It's a gut punch of a debut, and one that makes you believe Glasvegas are one of those rare, rare bands who might just have that perfect record in them.
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New Musical Express
So believe it: this is the real thing, no-one’s crying wolf, not even Alan McGee.
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Praise indeed but then these hard-nosed softies are unique and this, make no mistake, is their "Definitely Maybe," the quintessential noise-pop set of the modern age.
Read rest
Dot Music
It's a gut punch of a debut, and one that makes you believe Glasvegas are one of those rare, rare bands who might just have that perfect record in them.
Read rest
New Musical Express
So believe it: this is the real thing, no-one’s crying wolf, not even Alan McGee.
Read rest
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
LL Cool J - Exit 13 - Reviews
RapReviews.com
Even if this isn't a Grammy-winning album, it is actually better than most of the bullshit Def Jam has released this year, and if LL Cool J had a point to prove on Exit 13, he has made it in acerbic style.
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NOW Magazine
This reinvigorated 40-year-old (!) Queens loudmouth makes a somewhat fleshy final Def Jam album, but it’s well-chiselled compared to his last ugly, irrelevant albums.
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Dot Music
Though he falls short of wholly convincing, the heart is almost always in the right place: a refreshing change from 99 per cent of those more interested in the image, not the message.
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Even if this isn't a Grammy-winning album, it is actually better than most of the bullshit Def Jam has released this year, and if LL Cool J had a point to prove on Exit 13, he has made it in acerbic style.
Read rest
NOW Magazine
This reinvigorated 40-year-old (!) Queens loudmouth makes a somewhat fleshy final Def Jam album, but it’s well-chiselled compared to his last ugly, irrelevant albums.
Read rest
Dot Music
Though he falls short of wholly convincing, the heart is almost always in the right place: a refreshing change from 99 per cent of those more interested in the image, not the message.
Read rest
Monday, 22 September 2008
Nelly - Brass Knuckles - Reviews
Boston Globe
Brass Knuckles is 14 songs long. All of them could be singles. None of them could be hits.
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Vibe
Brass Knuckles is standard Nelly fare.
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Rolling Stone
On his fifth album, he mostly sticks to that pop-rap formula, cranking his distinctly melodic flow to hyper-speeds and playing the good-natured hedonist on cuts like 'Party People.' But when he tries to come off hard on a handful of Dirty South brawlers, he ends up sounding generic
Read rest
Brass Knuckles is 14 songs long. All of them could be singles. None of them could be hits.
Read rest
Vibe
Brass Knuckles is standard Nelly fare.
Read rest
Rolling Stone
On his fifth album, he mostly sticks to that pop-rap formula, cranking his distinctly melodic flow to hyper-speeds and playing the good-natured hedonist on cuts like 'Party People.' But when he tries to come off hard on a handful of Dirty South brawlers, he ends up sounding generic
Read rest
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer - Reviews
musicOMH.com
The album's not for everyone, but if her sound is to your taste, then it will prove a rewarding, delectable, necessary thing: one of this year's most consistently interesting albums.
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Boston Globe
What is both surprising and remarkable, then, is how unflinchingly direct, bracingly unfiltered, and wholly intimate the new album, which is out today, sounds and feels.
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Delusions of Adequacy
This is a wonderful piece of work from a talented, intelligent artist, put across with all the passion of someone who's spent a long time thinking about and living with the project.
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The album's not for everyone, but if her sound is to your taste, then it will prove a rewarding, delectable, necessary thing: one of this year's most consistently interesting albums.
Read rest
Boston Globe
What is both surprising and remarkable, then, is how unflinchingly direct, bracingly unfiltered, and wholly intimate the new album, which is out today, sounds and feels.
Read rest
Delusions of Adequacy
This is a wonderful piece of work from a talented, intelligent artist, put across with all the passion of someone who's spent a long time thinking about and living with the project.
Read rest
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball - Reviews
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Ultimately, though, Dead Confederate's alt-country/grunge hybrid doesn't just feel like a compelling debut, it feels like a compelling new genre.
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Spin
The Georgia quintet's debut may appeal to My Morning Jacket fans, but songs like 'Heavy Petting' and 'Start Me Laughing' (which recalls Kurt Cobain at his nastiest) possess more growl than that comparison implies.
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The New York Times
A well-put-together debut album.
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Ultimately, though, Dead Confederate's alt-country/grunge hybrid doesn't just feel like a compelling debut, it feels like a compelling new genre.
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Spin
The Georgia quintet's debut may appeal to My Morning Jacket fans, but songs like 'Heavy Petting' and 'Start Me Laughing' (which recalls Kurt Cobain at his nastiest) possess more growl than that comparison implies.
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The New York Times
A well-put-together debut album.
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Tindersticks - The Hungry Saw - Reviews
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Tindersticks remains a champion at feel-bad soul strings, but those who've found the group's previous work oppressive might want to try again: Staples' vocals haven't changed, but with the music as pared-down as one of their impressionistic soundtracks, it's a new sound.
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Boston Globe
The years away may have recharged Staples's batteries, but the music itself sounds much the same, which is a good thing.
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NOW Magazine
The Hungry Saw may make Leonard Cohen’s stuff sound positively giddy, but it’s a positive turn for the Tindersticks.
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Tindersticks remains a champion at feel-bad soul strings, but those who've found the group's previous work oppressive might want to try again: Staples' vocals haven't changed, but with the music as pared-down as one of their impressionistic soundtracks, it's a new sound.
Read rest
Boston Globe
The years away may have recharged Staples's batteries, but the music itself sounds much the same, which is a good thing.
Read rest
NOW Magazine
The Hungry Saw may make Leonard Cohen’s stuff sound positively giddy, but it’s a positive turn for the Tindersticks.
Read rest
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