Land of Talk’s Fun and Laughter is a compact set of four tracks following the rich vein of their 2008 album, Some Are Lakes. Elizabeth Powell chants her way through the band’s off-kilter pop waves. Where most front women sound like they’re threading a needle, Powell steers the ship, owning each song with nuanced gravitas. …read full article…

On their 9th studio album, Pearl Jam complete the arc their career shifted toward back on 2000’s Binaural. If that album was the dusk to their youth, then Backspacer is the new sun most bands never see. Backspacer kicks off with the raucus “Gonna See My Friend”, a song pitting Pearl Jam’s strongest talents against one another to great result. Eddie Vedder barks and howls his way through Stone Gossard and Mike McCready’s guitars as drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Jeff Ament propel the rest of the band forward. It’s an odd feeling. For much of its early career, Pearl Jam seemed to rely more on volume than sheer energy, as if the two weren’t mutually exclusive. Aware of restraints the band has placed on itself over years, and even more aware of their strengths, Vedder screams the opening line to the record: “Do you want to hear something sad/We are but victims of desire/I’m gonna shake this day/I wanna shake this day before I retire”. …read full article…

No one cares that Creed is back together, save the toothless, mouth-breathing fans that made them Clear Channel’s golden ticket back in the late 90’s. We’re all in agreement here, I think: They are an abomination. Watch Creed be some sort of interstellar test, sent here by a superior life form, to grade our collective intellect. Are we ready to be discovered? To be introduced to the universe and beyond? Are we ready for the next great step in evolution?

Nope.

So why am I posting anything Creed-related here? Seems the band, perhaps having somehow learned to read and write in their hiatus, has engaged in the Twitter phenomenon. And when I say “engaged”, I mean they’ve clearly hired an intern to post on their behalf and run a spam account that attacks random users. (I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume user Vinceguida isn’t a Creed fan. But there he was, spammed like the rest of us.) …read full article…

Shocking. This after the announcement of another new, slightly more official release from Radiohead. Sometime yesterday on the message board of Radiohead fan site At Ease, a track made itself apparent under the title, “These Are My Twisted Words”. Fans might be happy to know the mostly instrumental, mostly shimmering guitars, reverb-tinged track does not depart predecessor In Rainbows stylistically. I say “might” because if you’re a fan of Radiohead, who knows what makes you happy? We just assume if it’s Radiohead, you’ll like it.

Check out “These Are My Twisted Words” “after the jump” …read full article…

Malajube’s [Myspace] third full-length record, Labyrinthes, scatters pop hooks over prog tendencies, pulling off a trippy yet inoffensive album that delivers on nearly every track. Dismiss your xenoglossophobia, Labyrinthes is an incredibly enjoyable record, even if you don’t know just what it is they’re singing about. …read full article…

Pearl Jam’s latest song has hit airwaves. “The Fixer”, penned by drummer Matt Cameron with lyrics by Eddie Vedder, is an upbeat, new-wavish, pop punk spin on familiar territory broached on 2006’s Pearl Jam. The internet was buzzing just over a month ago about Pearl Jam’s intent to release the upcoming Backspacer exclusively through big box retailer, Target… of course, that news was trumped by Pearl Jam’s appearance on the flagship episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, where the band debuted another new song, “Got Some”. The latter, while a better reflection on the band’s overall catalogue, is in no way as catchy as the former, which can be heard here. …read full article…

Zoom urørt 2006 and Urørtkonkurransen 2007 winner Ida Maria’s [Myspace] debut album Fortress ‘round My Heart comes in at just 32 minutes and 10 tracks; it is musical instant gratification. The album’s opening “Oh My God” gets the blood flowing and, wisely, pauses only twice thereafter for reflection. At once, somehow, Maria channels both Chrissie Hynde and Victoria Williams… the combination of which makes for a seductive, fun, sad, loud record.

Simply put, there hasn’t been a debut this consistently enjoyable since Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights. Each track manages to find its own identity while staying inside the lines held tight by Maria and her band. Stefan Törnby (lead guitar), Johannes Lindberg (bass), and Olle Lundin (drums) all deserve mention for huddling Maria’s spotlight, but never blocking it out. Their chemistry is palpable. “Forgive Me” shows off the band’s ability to push a song to different places without abandoning its thesis. “Louie”, possibly the most Pretenders-esque track here, does an excellent job of showing off the group’s possibilities on a more linear structure. It’s oddly conservative in light of the rest of Fortress, but it stands as the albums most listenable, catchy song. …read full article…

Oh, to be a critic.

We here at Radio Exile pride ourselves on being fanboys (case in point here, here, and, uh, well, generally speaking, here). The impetus for this site (along with the thousands of other music blogs across the internet) is just that; our profound, obsessive love of all things music. Even if we hate what we hear, we still love it for being music. And while most of you understand what that means (the same impetus drives our readers to visit our site with some frequency), there is a minority that exists to anchor our love, mixed bag that it is, and assume that our opinions count less if they do not match others’.

I haven’t written a review since this one. I like to tell myself it’s because I’ve been too busy, or I’ve been suffering from writers’ block. But that’s not true, because I continue to fill my own obligations here and, in my new found love of Twitter. The fact is, I’m honestly afraid to continue pasting my opinion on other people’s music, should that opinion be categorically mistaken for anything other than that: my opinion. I was unaware that my position as a lowly music critic on an independent music blog assigned some weighty responsibility to promote artists or a certain type of music outside my own taste. I mean, God forbid I ever become a food critic, though, to be fair, I’m not as picky when it comes to stuffing my face hole.

Read more “after the jump” …read full article…

The whole notion that ’sound’, or any combination there of, is inherently art is bullshit. A small but growing audience of music fans have, for some reason, allowed themselves to be duped into believing that music can take shape in a discordant, arrhythmic mix of sounds if you just let yourself go. I’ve actually come to this conclusion using my limited powers of deduction. My only evidence that such an audience exists is the subject of this review: Bibio’s [Myspace, Official] Ovals & Emeralds EP.

Stephen Wilkinson’s guitar and electronic ether sample mash up… whatever… is bleak, vague, and ultimately pointless. Perhaps it’s me. But I’ve always been the guy who sympathized with William, as he gazed deeply and intently into the 3-D Magic Eye picture. Poor, overweight William, who, when interrupted by more successful passers-by, emerged fruitless and frustrated, again and again. Such is my reaction to Ovals & Emeralds. Its abstract, lo-fi, disconnected soundscape tempts my musical id. …read full article…

The only thing you need to skip on this album is the history lesson. Metric’s [Official, Myspace] latest, Fantasies, stands on its own, without street cred previous releases may have brought to their name. Fantasies compresses the band’s talent into ten pop songs that find their root in sounds fostered by old stalwarts like The Eurythmics, and relative newcomers, The Silversun Pickups. Ultimately, the record summarizes these bands’ (and more) best parts with efficiency and startling honesty. Out April 7th this year, it will be your summer album. …read full article…

From Live Daily:

“Last month, NIN frontman Trent Reznor announced that he had been working in the studio with the original Jane’s lineup, and that the two groups would be hitting the road together for the first time since their pairing on 1991’s inaugural Lollapalooza tour. (No word yet on when–or if–the Reznor-produced Jane’s material might see the light of day.)”

And, according to Reznor’s Twitter:

“…be sure to watch http://www.ninja2009.com which goes live next Friday 3/20 – who knows what might be there?”

Well, now we know that NIN and Jane’s Addiction are who else is joining NIN and Jane’s out on tour? Some band called Street Sweeper, the new moniker shared by Tom Morello and Boots Riley. (SPOILER: They sound like Rage Against the Machine and… Boots Riley. Sort of the same that Audioslave sounded like Rage Against the Machine and… Chris Cornell).

The NIN/JA 2009 tour site is now live at ninja2009.com and features a FREE download with exclusive, previously-unreleased music from Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction, and Street Sweeper. You can also browse tour dates, photos, videos, and listen to streaming music “after the jump” …read full article…

Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club’s [Offical Site, Mysapce] 2006 release, Faithful, is loaded with mood swung melodies and alt-country twang. So much so, it deserves a 2009 review. (Email me if you need backstory.) Cubeta and band have a palpable chemistry, evident live and on record; the give and take is playful, but as soon as the opener “Me & The Radio” has finished, it’s evident the music will never have to pay the blls, even if, accidentally, it happens one day soon. …read full article…

In about a month, Pearl Jam will re-release a remixed version of their classic debut album, Ten. Which means I should probably finish this piece, given its almost been a year since I last wrote about a band I consider an all time favorite [Why Pearl Jam Matters, Part 1 | Part 2].

I worry that the last two were received as if I was trying to find an excuse to write a bio on the band itself. I found that, in building an argument for their relevance, the history should be at least noted in the front end. That ‘note’ became an extended introduction, and, well, two entire articles leading up to the big finish. It’s somewhat ironic that I was unable to finish the article in three quick entries. Which says to me: either they don’t matter at all, or it goes a little deeper than their history in the rock annals. …read full article…

Over in our latest collaboration, the writers of Radio Exile are getting pummeled (pun intended) in the comments section for selecting indie darling Amanda Palmer for a quick punch to the face. To summarize the hating: covering Radiohead so poorly on ukulele, eye shadow, and looking absolutely mannish. (The last one there is mine.)

Seriously. Take a minute. Immerse yourself in her hidden sack:

She looks like Jay Leno in drag. …read full article…

Here’s a record you will play for your friends. Shuteye Unison’s [Offical Site, Myspace] debut on Parks and Records is a swelling, dramatic release, hearkening back to the days of Sunny Day Real Estate, and, dare I say, Clarity era Jimmy Eat World.

Relaxed and warm, Shuteye Unison sound like an instrumental band… who just happen to have a lead singer. Daniel McKenzie, Jon Fee and Jake Krohn may as well be one unit, as their individual roles are hardly identifiable. No really. I couldn’t find information on the band or who does what. Either way, it doesn’t matter. They are a cohesive unit, the most since Silversun Pickups popped up on my radar several years ago. …read full article…

It’s not a movement yet, but busker music might be heading into trend territory, from out of the UK toward the West Coast. If the starting point was last year’s Oscar darlings, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and their movie Once, then it’s possible we’ve found our first decent street band to come in from the cold.

Fellow London tube buskers Jeff Davis, Fergus Griffin, and Aldo Silver (I am not making this up) decided to take their act to the states, and formed L’Avventura [Official, Myspace], taking a chance on hooks and pop melodies without ditching their acoustic sensibilities honed in London’s busy subway. …read full article…

Credit: Charles Dharapak/AP

As most of you know, I live in Washington, DC. Well, I don’t live there, but I do work there. In fact, most people you encounter, when they say they’re from DC, just consider that it’s easier (and cooler) to say you’re “from” DC, as opposed to being “from” Arlington, or Alexandria, or Fairfax, or any of the countless small ‘burbs that cling to the outer rim of the District like baby pigs to the mother’s teat. It’s a small city. It’s not like we can cram the entire population of Northern Virginia into 61.4 square miles. I mean, we probably could, but it’d have to be for something extra special, like, I dunno, an alien landing, or, uh, the first black president, or something.

Exactly.

There are countless articles now in local DC publications practically begging our friends from the rest of the nation who plan on visiting for this historic inauguration to comply with some very local rules. It’s the sort of thing you see in the Spring when a new museum opens, or a new monument is unveiled, or whatever. It typically doesn’t matter, because people descend on this place every summer to the same result: crowded public transit, broken down escalators, lost tourists on the way to work carrying maps asking, “Where’s the White House” when they mean “Where’s the Capital”, etc.

So, I won’t waste your time here with that. …read full article…

It’s official; mashups are the fan fiction of pop music. First, disband the notion that the genre of the mashup has been ruined by late night modern rock radio DJs posing as mix masters and producers. Ignore the fact that the internet can now be blamed for ruining the triumvirate of great human pleasures (music, sex, the written word). Let your passionate arguments for Tool’s superiority relax.

This is sort of good. …read full article…

While most critics and listeners will receive it as merely ‘disc 2′ of last year’s Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams‘ Cardinology (a frank reference to his most excellent backing band) deserves to be considered superior to its predecessor, and on some levels, a majority of his recent work. Working more as Neil Young this time around, as opposed to Easy Tiger’s Willie Nelson, Adams spits out short, sweet country laced rock tunes reminiscent of his days with Whiskeytown. …read full article…

Bluntly, Catfish Haven’s new LP, Devastator, is a silly record, filled with blue-eyed soul, half baked R&B, and mild mannered rock tunes to fill in the cracks. George Hunter’s Huey Lewis meets Joe Cocker wail is tiresome, and unfortunately, the only constant presence on the record. …read full article…