BakerStreetSaxSolo

would be less accommodating and the rating a few points lower if this was released by an unknown kid, IMO.

...it can really be said that it 'came from nowhere', she had a fantastic EP out a few years ago (Part 1 to the Parts 2 and 3 of this), and before that she was the best thing about OutKast's Idlewild album.

Personally I think there's a fair bit of filler on this album -- it is 18 tracks after all -- including the irritating Of Montreal number (Kevin Barnes is no Andre 3000). I've been listening to it with 7 songs cut out (down to 11) and rearranged a little, and in that format I lose only a little of the concept, and the music is 100% brilliant. But that's not how she released it...

right. I think the first part of your Antlers review -- about your anticipation of their set not really working -- was exactly as it was. Those songs need intimacy in performance, not energy or volume, IMO.

...it was just deep bass, wasn't it? Daniel Johnston is mentally ill, it's not much of a surprise admission. And no mention at all of Panda Bear or Joanna Newsom? Two of the best three things I saw all weekend incidentally (the other being Boredoms).

that is all.

...and I'm also bemused as to why WWPJ constantly get compared, musically, to the Twilight Sad's debut and Frightened Rabbit's second album. Within the ever-nuancing realm of indie-rock, they've all easily got separate nuances, and I don't believe that the comparisons would be anywhere near as regular as they are if the three bands didn't share a label (and an accent).

So that's why I disagree with the assertion that WWPJ aren't distinguishing themselves from their contemporaries - I really think they are - their sound relies on building momentum through prominent quick rhythms and dynamic song structures, and the point of Adam Thompson's repetitive vocals is to add to that sense of cyclical movement and the mind-numbing effect of expending energy. 'Short Bursts' on the album is really exciting to me because of the push-and-pull of the rhythms, it's far more like early Echo & The Bunnymen than FRabbit or Twilight Sad, imho.

I'd also peg 'A Far Cry' as the strongest song on this EP, not the weakest.

Anyway, These Four Walls was one of my top five albums of its year so... I'm just a little sore this band keeps getting dismissed as 'kinda average', you're not the first Mr. Ashman and I'm sure you won't be the last!

personally, I think this record is a bit too sprawling, disjointed, it could've been tighter with four or five songs lopped off. Empire Ants, Glitter Freeze, Stylo & Cloud Of Unknowing are the standouts but there are twelve more songs, too much. This -- "The thing is, Bobby Womack makes everyone else on this album sound WEAK" -- is 100% correct, and not a good thing. It's a 6/10 for me.

pretty good, it's definitely a grower, think you missed mentioning the best song though - Skip The Youth.

but I disagree with the score, and with the contention that it's better than Rook. As laudable as Meiburg's intentions are, I think he runs out of ideas on this album, cue several retreads barely distinguishable from the last two records. So, 6/10 for me.

I have lots of methods of transporting my pet goat to Sudan, but y'know

(in a manner of speaking), he's still entitled to be pissed that what he's been dedicating his life to for the last year has leaked online months early. I hope I don't have to compare everything that gets my goat to Darfur.

that was Sharon Van Etten!

the female vocals at the end of Thirteen totally melt me down

can't wait to hear this

I don't know or care which part of ‘What Would I Want? Sky’ constitutes the Dead sample" right, so it's not just me then!

oh but the guy on ILM probably IS a music critic, cos most of the posters on there are.

and a phenomenal live show on a good day

and they weren't very good. it's been a long, long time since massive attack have done anything particularly good. i suspect their time might be up.

this really deserves a 3, right?

Music criticism is creative writing. Whether it's any good or not, has any influence or not, or is paid or not, there'll always be people who want to do it for their own reasons. Like music itself. The internet aint killing anything.

seeing them in Edinburgh in... 7 hours!

This review looks very similar to one I wrote for The Skinny and published 10 days ago - http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/45963-broken-records-until-the-earth-begins-to-part

missed Lightning Bolt and Dan Deacon and [ahem] Bloc Party? and Throwing Muses and Sonic Youth? and NEIL YOUNG!? it's almost as if you are schoolboys who make basic positioning errors. But yeah, TPOBPAH were an unexpected highlight, that's true.

it's closer to a 7. Not quite as good as Curses.

I've wrestled with this album for a while and just couldn't wring much out of it. I think you've hit on several good points both in relation to B&S generally and this somewhat unsatisfactory record. Great job!

this is an average album, really don't get the fuss

this is a great article, spot on. It's why everyone here has heard of Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong despite them being really, really bad - because they had a stupid name, because the singer was a bit-part actor in a popular TV show, and because the singer made a tit of himself in interviews = voila, everyone's got an opinion on this thoroughly mediocre band while thousands of other, better bands get ignored.

I actually just wrote a wee thing about how the Bon Iver backstory massively contributed to his success. But it applies to all sorts of musicians - people want authenticity and mystery and intrigue - Robert Johnson at the crossroads anyone? How many times did 50 Cent get shot - everyone repeat after me - NINE TIMES! Labels are now MAKING UP stories for their bands to help the journalists with their angles and therefore to help the band get coverage. It's all a bit shitty for musicians like Kozalek, sorry to say, but if he wants to make a bigger breakthrough he's gotta play the game a bit more.

and a nice article too

but seeing them in Edinburgh confirmed just how godawful they really are.

I know how tempting it is to say - there's thousands of better albums than this out there - but records should be reviewed on their own terms as well. You say it's 'lovely', and you use 'touching melodies' as a negative(!). Her voice is stunning. Granted it's no earthshaker but there are some wonderful moments.

well I got my jacket stolen at a gig at The Caves last week, so that's what cloakrooms are for. Insurance policy.

nice review. Rook is a glorious album.

"dusty"? and "FROM an episode"? and what does "drift outing out" mean?

if I read one more thing about that bloody cabin...! He's hardly the first, it's not the moon it's Wisconsin!

ps they were ace in Edinburgh too.

Third is light years better than most of these other records

"post-dinner" and "Reagan"?

is generous. this is a really weak record. Mr Canning is getting bonus points purely because of his BSS history.

also, I doubt he's in a bath made of money. They may be (pretty much) critical darlings but bands like BSS are still miles away from mainstream-level sales.

"terrorist fist-jab"?

haven't listened to this so can't comment on the analysis (though as TimmyL says most other reviews have been scathing), but reviewers have been continually referencing back to Illmatic for just about every Nas album since. It Was Written, Stillmatic and The Lost Tapes are also all fine records, I wish Nas's career wasn't so continually reduced to just one album.

why isn't [album a] by my favourite [band b] on this list? Who are you, kinda idiots? I can't believe it's not there but then you put [record r] on, why? it's just a token [demographic d] entry anyway! So predictable DiS, I could've predicted [DiS favourites 1-12] would've been on this list, but despite it being 100% predictable I still cannot believe you included [token unheard LP x] instead of [other personal favourite y]!!!!!!

this is a really mediocre album, but the 'Norwegian Wood' cover is one of the few interesting moments on it

is terrible. I've lost hope for Primal Scream.

this is a retarded survey. The people on DiS (who do, presumably, let reviews influence their decision making process) represent a tiny proportion of the record-buying public at large. MOST people use a combination of friends & family recommendations, TV adverts and promotional spots (adverts), radio pub and club airplay to be exposed to and make decisions on music.
Besides, saying people "use internet services like Facebook" is just another way of saying people take recommendations from friends!
It always has been and always will be a minority of music lovers who take critics reviews seriously.

is one of Beck's best albums IMO. You're just being an indie-snob.

Agree with the bones of the Modern Guilt review though.

is quite pish

shits on 2008 from a great height

"Without context the above paragraph no doubt resembles the semi-intoxicated rant of an ageing, snotty-nosed hack whose idea of fun is slurping coffee on a Sunday morning while trawling through the entirety of Etta James’ back catalogue"

and that would be TOTALLY misleading, eh Billy?

I thought I'd left a comment here
;-)
yeah, nice review, looking forward to seeing them/hearing the LP

"a noisier version of LC"?

good god what have you done

but I did quite like Milkwhite Sheets, and seem to recall dishing it out a crumb or three. So you're wrong! Didn't you check EVERY SINGLE REVIEW!? that's what I call lazy journalism tsk tsk ;-)

1. "...with ACTUAL, SCIENTIFIC PROOF that hip hip – along with..."
where are your copy-editors?
2. "Glasgow University reckons hip hop and rap – those separate entities so lumpenly foisted together by middle-aged, white journalists"
hip-hop and rap *as genres* ARE the same. Obviously it is possible to rap (verb) in a non-hiphop song (nu-metal etc), and it is possible to sing (not rap) in hip-hop. Also, hip-hop culture encompasses more than just rapping or rap music. But when people talk of 'rap music' as a genre they are not referring to Linkin Park - they are referring to hip-hop music. 'rap music' is just an archaic term for hip-hop (since hip-hop was the first kind of music to predominate rapping).

yes?

Thou Shall Not Kill is fucking atrocious so a 1/10 is not a surprise.