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CD Reviews

Anti-Flag | The General Strike

SideOneDummy
It wouldn't be easy for Anti-Flag to stay relevant nearly a quarter century into their careers, but it's as if they're not even trying anymore.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 15, 2012

Band of Skulls | Sweet Sour

Electric Blues/Vagrant
Band of Skulls aren't innovators, and they probably won't ever be.

By: REYAN ALI | February 15, 2012

Cotton Mather | Kontiki [Deluxe Edition]

Star Apple Kingdom
When it was released in 1997, Cotton Mather's sophomore album racked up glowing critical huzzahs across the pond (not to mention big-ups from Oasis), yet dudded here in the States.

By: ZETH LUNDY | February 14, 2012

Craig Finn | Clear Heart, Full Eyes

Vagrant
In the near-decade he's spent as frontman-lyricist of bar-rock saviors the Hold Steady, Craig Finn has hardly been labeled a happy camper.

By: RYAN REED | February 14, 2012

Cursive | I Am Gemini

Saddle Creek
Cursive blew their chance to get out of this town a long time ago when they let cellist Gretta Cohn go.

By: DAN WEISS | February 15, 2012

Field Music | Plumb

Memphis Industries (2012)
The buzz about Britain's Field Music has been growing for some time.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | February 15, 2012

Zef Recordz
Moreso than any "controversially-lipped" chanteuse (to borrow from one of Lana Del Rey's many observers), South African rap/rave/meme/satire/knuckleheads Die Antwoord beg the question:"Is that all there is?"

By: DAN WEISS | February 07, 2012

Ital | Hive Mind

Planet Mu
If there was a broken-record knock against electronic music in the last decade, it's that it all sounded the same.

By: MICHAEL C. WALSH | February 07, 2012

J the S | The Last Days

Same Plate/Greater Good
J the S has been promising The Last Days since he went by Jake the Snake.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | February 07, 2012

The Punch Brothers | Who's Feeling Young Now?

Nonesuch (2012)
For a group full of virtuosos, the Punch Brothers refuse to dole out prodigious string-murdering sessions.

By: ZETH LUNDY | February 07, 2012

Tennis | Young & Old

Fat Possum (2012)
Denver's Tennis, the husband/wife duo of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, are back with another slab of dreamy, feather-light pop.

By: RYAN REED | February 07, 2012

Van Halen | A Different Kind of Truth

Interscope
Who would've thought Eddie Van Halen would still be innovative in his late 50s?

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 08, 2012

Air | Le Voyage Dans La Lune

Astralwerks (2012)
It was inevitable that Air would one day be asked to soundtrack a colorized version of an iconic 1902 silent French film about moon exploration, right? There's the French thing, the moon thing, the kitsch-cool factor.

By: ZETH LUNDY | January 31, 2012

Off the record: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour | Out of Frequency

BMG Rights (2012)
Getting a boost with songs from their 2009 debut, Fruit , featured in iPod and Heineken ads, and getting handpicked as concert openers by a then-still-functioning Amy Winehouse in their native Copenhagen, the Asteroids Galaxy Tour rode a lucky streak out of the gate.

By: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | January 31, 2012