Manufacturer: Jagjaguwar
Even before it totally kicks in, Brighten the Corners displays a sense of improvement over the listless, shapeless Wowee Zowee. A few simple musical touches like Mellotron strokes and ever-developing vocal harmonies open up Pavement's sound without carrying them off into overly textured snooziness. While this is often cited as Pavement's "domestic" record--several members got married ...
Manufacturer: Domino
The medically minded Scrubs is an eccentric affair, populated by a zany cast of residents saving lives while learning life's little lessons in the process. Though lacking the show's oddball humor, its soundtrack is undeniably earnest, with a rich understanding of the pleasures and hardships faced by the hospital workers. The show's theme song, Lazlo Bane's quirky banjo twanger, sighs "I'm ...
Manufacturer: Hollywood
Manufacturer: Polydor Group
Manufacturer: Wichita
That's the great thing about being a written off as a one-hit wonder--it really focuses your mind on making a stunning, no-holds-barred eat-that-you-smug-critics album the year after. It happened with Radiohead, from "Creep" to The Bends; Supergrass, from "Alright" to In It For The Money, and, most notably, with Beck, from "Loser" to Odelay. As thrilling today as on its ...
Led by Jeff Magnum, In the Aeroplane over the Sea finds the Neutral Milk Hotel assemblage loosely performing a series of narratives backed by folksy acoustic guitar. But from that springboard, a quiver of instruments (horns, organs, accordions, saws, banjo, zanzithophone, etc.) are layered into a sometimes rootsy, sometimes lo-fi, and often psychedelic mix. Contrary to most pop ...
"Grandiose" is the word that Stephin Merritt uses to describe this album, and he doesn't seem to be the type who's prone to overstatement. After all, his three-CD collection of 69 love songs has the rather under-elaborate title 69 Love Songs. Still, where he lacks creativity in titling an album, he more than makes up for it as a lyricist. Whereas most of his contemporaries would be lucky to ...
Manufacturer: k
