Should I Listen?

Nobunny: The Wascally Type

Braden Rosner :: Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 12:58 pm

Nobunny loves you.

Seriously, the dude is a nutcase.

If his music is any indication he’s likely to spill the deepest, darkest, most perverse feelings in his head to you without as much as knowing your name.

Actually, come to think of it, he pretty much does just that on Love Visions — Nobunny’s 2008 full length effort. More after the jump.

Lee Moses, The Mystery Man Of Soul Music

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, January 22nd, 2010 2:00 pm

Soul music is at its best when it tells a vividly personal story. Lee Moses, a portly soul musician from Atlanta, was especially good at this. His music tells stories of falling in love with exotic women, leaving his hometown, and his mama’s advice. The one collection of his singles, Time and Place, was first released in 1971. The music on it matched his intimate autobiographical stories with some seriously incredible guitar work.

Lissie: Why You Runnin’

Amelia Kreminski :: Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 5:00 pm

When I think about Illinois, I usually think Chicago first. Then I think about all things related to Chicago, like Obama and pizza and bears. Then I think about how many people I know who pronounce the state “Ill-uh-noy” and how many people pronounce it “Ill-uh-noise” (are they actually both correct?). My point is, I never think about Illinois’s country-that rural part surrounding the limelight-stealing Chicago. But Lissie, a new singer-songwriter that sounds like a mix of She & Him’s croon, Dolly Parton’s soul, and AA Bondy’s mellowness is calling attention to the other part of Illinois. She hails from Rock Island, and her gentle EP Why You Runnin’ encompasses everything good about old-school country folk that contemporary country seems to have throw out the pick-up truck window. It’s pensive. It’s sultry. It makes me want to sit on a porch swing and shuck some corn or something. And that’s impressive. Should I listen? Yes.

Should I Listen: Alvin & The Chipmunks The Squekquel

Isaac Lekach :: Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 3:17 pm

Whether you like it or not, Alvin & The Chipmunks has a sequel coming. The first flick grossed over 200 million (in the U.S. alone) and thus warranted a sequel (ahem, Squekquel). And even though David Cross got a bunch of shit for his role in it (and famously defended his decision), he’s cashing in on the sequel due out December 23rd. As we all know, Alvin and the gang’s forte is, well, singing-and this brings us to the main topic of this post: a soundtrack is being released. The gang, along with their female counterparts, The Chipettes, “have recorded” songs by Alicia Keys, Bee Gees, Dead Or Alive (among others) for the soundtrack, which will be released on December 1st. Should I listen? Fuck no.

Julian Casablancas: Phrazes For The Young

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, November 6th, 2009 9:30 am

Phrazes For The Young, Julian Casablancas’s solo record, came out this past Tuesday. If you haven’t heard it yet, it is streaming on Myspace, where his version of “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” (the SNL holiday song) is also posted. There’s obviously been a fair amount of hype surrounding this release. Is it better than the Strokes? Albert Hammond Jr.’s records? Little Joy? Nickle-Eye? FUCK. Them’s are a lot of questions. Personally, Little Joy’s record (Strokes’ drummer Fab Moretti’s project, for those not in the know) is my favorite Strokes-related offering. But Julian’s record isn’t bad at all. It’s been criticized for its slick production courtesy of Jason Lader (Maroon 5, Rilo Kiley). Still, single “11th Dimension,” despite being too long, is quite a jam. “Glass” is another fav. Yes, Phrazes is certainly fit to tide us over until the next Strokes record comes. If it ever does. Should I listen? YES.

Nirvana: Bleach

Brenna Ehrlich :: Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 2:15 pm

I’ll admit that I’m basically a weekend warrior when it comes to Nirvana-I get really amped up over a few songs (”Lake of Fire” holds a special place on my “Mad” playlist), but I’m not the type to rock out to Cobain for 1.2 hours at a time. Enter the 20th anniversary edition of Nirvana’s debut album, Bleach. In addition to the original songs, the disc boasts a bonus collection of tracks off the previously unreleased live album, Live at Pine Street Theatre-which would be really awesome if they weren’t the same exact songs that open the album. Moreover, the live tracks are basically identical to the studio tracks, which makes the experience of listening to this disc akin to downing a delightfully harsh shot of whiskey, and then another, and then another and then another…and then getting so drunk that you forget that you already had four shots and subsequently take four more. Should I listen? No.

John K. Samson: City Route 85

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, October 30th, 2009 9:00 am

It’s been two years since the last Weakerthans record and it doesn’t seem as though there are plans set for a new one. But the band have 2010 tour dates already listed… so I’m guessing they haven’t broken up. That said, singer John K. Samson (former Propagahndi bass player) has solo material that just surfaced. He’s planning a series of seven inches all of which are to reflect on Manitoba roads. City Route 85 is the first. Samson has a unique singing voice-but what’s more striking is the incredibly descriptive nature of his lyrics. Sure, sometimes he teeters on verbose, but more often than not, the lyrics are woven with a perfect melody to shape perfect pop songs (2000’s Left & Leaving is a masterpiece). City Route 85 isn’t a much of a departure from the ouevre of The Weakerthans, but the songs do find Samson alone with his guitar for the most part, and the pairing suits him well. Should I listen? Yes.

Clare And The Reasons: Arrow

Alex Moore :: Thursday, October 29th, 2009 12:11 pm

Starts off strong, with lead-off tracks “All The Wine” and “Ooh You Hurt Me So” sounding like a love affair between Joanna Newsom and Nico, set in inside the movie Fantasia.

But then it goes off the rails, and ends up just sounding like Feist without all the epic songwriting.

Heavy on the strings, light on the hooks.

Should I listen? No.

The Flaming Lips: Embryonic

Gray Hurlburt :: Thursday, October 15th, 2009 8:08 pm

The Flaming Lips’ newest iteration as a band, Embryonic, doesn’t lend well to crowd scenarios. Having friends around while this is on will ensue a quick diaspora from the apartment. What the listener gets is a droll, dusky, bass-hook-driven cloud of distorted instruments, hoots and other weird utterances. It’s another animal all together. And that’s what’s right about Embryonic, it’s right for the right kind of day: rain, solitude, highway driving. Coyne & Co. are here for bad weather. Should I listen?

We say, Yes.

They say, Yes / Total Score: 77.
MORE »

What Is Should I Listen?

Stephen Blackwell :: Thursday, October 15th, 2009 6:18 pm

Should I Listen is the online review editorial for Death+Taxes Magazine. Music outlets all have unique ways of rating music: stars, percentages, numeric-decimal systems, and even lettered grades a la your grade-school report card. We’ve tried to simplify things. You ask, “Should I Listen?” we say “yes” or “no” accompanied by a brief, fairly colloquial statement on the music. If you want to read a long-form treatise on any given record, we think you all know where to go to get that.

The “Total Score” portion of Should I Listen is just that — the aggregate score of music outlets that have reviewed a record we’re covering. Easy, right?

The Soft Pack “Fences” (Phoenix Cover)

Isaac Lekach :: Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 7:06 pm

Up until now, we couldn’t get enough of anything Phoenix related. Remixes. Give ‘em here. Shows. Please. Deluxe Version of Wolfgang. Done and doner. B-Sides. Absolutely. But now, The Soft Pack had to go and put their cover of “Fences” out into the world. Of the many reasons to love Phoenix, Thomas Mars’s voice is certainly high up on the list. If you want to listen to someone butchering a great song, click here. Garage-rock, piss-poor vocals, no thank you. Does it sound like Lou Reed? Yes, but should I listen? NO!

Ian Brown: My Way

Daniel Casarella :: Monday, October 12th, 2009 1:24 pm

Of all the ex-Stone Roses’ fragments to have spun off in new directions, Ian Brown has been the most prolific. His sixth solo record in the last 10 years proudly titled My Way, marches its way through 12 tracks of Manchester electro-pomp and Spanish horns. It’s hard to discern if it’s the music or the man who’s really the star on this effort. Sonically, the album doesn’t really go above the atmosphere, but the swagger is out of this world. Should I Listen? Yes

Hit the jump for an exercise in entropy… MORE »

The Very Best: Warm Heart Of Africa

Isaac Lekach :: Saturday, October 10th, 2009 8:43 pm

Last year The Very Best released a mixtape called Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit Are The Very Best, which was enjoyed by many. Their forthcoming proper debut Warm Heart Of Africa will no doubt continue the trend. After all, Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend and M.I.A. lend their vocal talents. And, it’s filled with that Afro-beat-which is so hot right now! But if you ask me, I say there are more interesting things to be found in the heart of Africa. It’s pretty vast. I mean, it is a continent. Should I listen? No.

The Raveonettes: In And Out Of Control

Stephen Blackwell :: Thursday, October 8th, 2009 5:35 pm

Listening to the Raveonettes is a lot like watching Leave It To Beaver: an experience so innocuous it can only be compared to drinking a glass of water or maybe knitting. Like most Raveonettes stuff In and Out of Control is extraordinarily cute, though at times Sharin Foo can be tantalizing and sultry. That doesn’t cut it. Songs like these you should wake up humming. There’s nothing like that on here. Should I Listen? No.

Built To Spill: There Is No Enemy

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, October 2nd, 2009 1:41 pm

Built To Spill will release their seventh full length next Tuesday. They typically take their time making records. It’s been three years since their last record and guess what, the three years we’ve waiting for There Is No Enemy are most definitely worth it. Gone are the wanky extended jams found in their last effort You In Reverse. On top of being a masterful guitar player singer Doug Martsch has a distinguishable voice and profound knack for writing melodies. Enemy serves as an effective reminder. Listen? Yes.