Scenestar
Los Angeles' #1 independent source for music news, contests, secret shows, presales, local concert calendar, set times, & more since 2006.
Category: Album Reviews
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2008 was another great year in music, particularly for impressive debuts. In fact, three of The Scenestar’s Top 5 albums of the year are by new artists. As with last year, the staff lists varied quite a bit, with choices ranging from Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne to The Slip by Nine Inch Nails…
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BY KATIE SEATON LadyHawkeSelf-TitledModular/Island LadyHawke has made it her goal to take the world back to the ’80s, where pop music’s lyrics were simple and the rhythm dramatic. She succeeds by providing a solid 45-minute flashback on her self-titled LP debut, out Nov. 18.
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BY MYCHELLE PETERSON Eagles of Death MetalHeart OnDowntown Records Admittedly, it’s tough to take a band seriously who partners with Denny’s on a breakfast platter. But hey, who needs to take everything so seriously? If nothing else, listening to the Eagles of Death Metal is a good time. No need to interpret the lyrics, no…
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BY LIANE CHAN The Little Ones Morning TideChop Shop Records The debut album by Los Angeles-based indie pop band The Little Ones is chockfull of happy melodies and upbeat harmonies. The opening title track is a good example of the poppiness of the album, offering an infectious beat and catchy chorus. The lyrics about the…
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BY LIANE CHAN AsburyUnder the…Semi-Content Music Asbury is a music project from the mind of David Franklin, who creates mysterious and haunting songs that range from lo-fi instrumentation to more layered and intricately crafted music. “Distance is the Difference” opens the album with sounds reminiscent of a city playground and goes into whispered vocals and…
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BY KATIE SEATON TV On the RadioDear ScienceInterscope Though not yet a household name, TV On the Radio boasts a consistently solid catalog of releases, including 2004’s Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, which offers such blistering songs as “Staring at the Sun” and “Dreams.” With an all-encompassing sound that touches upon many genres—from rock, hip…
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BY TIFFANY LI Monsters Are WaitingOnes and ZeroesKanine Records While too much candy can make you sick, the only side effects to repeated listens of Ones and Zeroes, the new album by candy-coated Monsters Are Waiting are head-nodding, melody-humming and possibly an overdose of happiness. Well, not really, but like similarly sweet counterparts The Submarines,…
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BY TIFFANY LI Walter MeegoVoyagerAlmost Gold/Sony When scoping out sources for new music trends, ABC sitcoms don’t usually come to mind. But whoever chooses music for the network’s shows has really been on the ball recently, with the latest episodes of Grey’s Anatomy featuring The National and Ugly Betty introducing millions to Calvin Harris. Another…
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BY PAULA GONZALEZ SleepercarWest TexasDoghouse Texas. You don’t mess with it. Don’t mess with Texas. There is no way I want to mess with Texas after seeing the movie No Country for Old Men. I wouldn’t want someone to make me call a coin toss. Now that was a hardcore, American-made cowboy shootout movie. So…
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BY CHERYL CHENG Los Campesinos! Hold On Now, Youngster… Arts & Crafts I first heard of Los Campesinos! via KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic when BBC DJ Steve Lamacq was a guest on the show. Lamacq had said during the radio program that Los Campesinos! was a band to watch, and, no surprise, he was right.…