DJ Shadow
The Less You Know the Better
(Island/Verve/A&M)
4.5/5
The first thing I thought when listening to DJ Shadow’s new album is, “Why don’t I own this already?” And then I remembered it hadn’t been released yet. Right.
DJ Shadow holds a Guinness world record for creating an album entirely of samples and is said to possess more than 60,000 records. It’s no surprise, then, that his latest album, The Less You Know The Better, features a massive range of musical styles, which blend together seamlessly.
I picked up on Motown, hip-hop, a piano intro worthy of a Radiohead song, the country twang of a banjo, and many more. One personal favourite is “Sad and Lonely,” which samples the riff and hook from a 1972 Offenbach album, as well as haunting vocals from a 1947 Susan Reed record.
“Scale It Back,” featuring Swedish pop singer Little Dragon, sounds like TLC circa CrazySexyCool, but better. Need I say more?
-Ali Hackett
Modeselektor
Monkeytown
(Monkeytown)
4.5/5
Already on their third full-length (fourth if you include the Moderat 12” they made with Apparat), it’s still tough to pin a genre on Modeselektor.
They’ve turned out nothing but quality so far, and their latest record is hip-hop-techno-bass with nods to Daft Punk, Jamie XX, and Flying Lotus and his Los Angeles trip-step minions. But it’s pop, too, and R&B, sometimes.
In any case, this much can be agreed upon: Modeselektor is making some reasonably avant-garde shit. The new record is called Monkeytown, and while it’s not far and away their best work after a half-dozen listens, it already sounds just as good as anything they’ve ever made and it’s sure to grow on me even more.
Tom Yorke even shows up, doing his Yorke-step thing twice, killing it just like on 2007’s Happy Birthday standout track “The White Flash.” I like this record’s chances for 2011’s top-10 list, for real.
-Tyler Rowe
The Answer
Revival
(Spinefarm)
2/5
They say that the third time’s a charm; this isn’t the truth when it comes to The Answer’s third album, Revival.
This group of four Northern Irish rockers take the listener back to a time of bad perms and tight leather pants, something I know I’m happy to have moved on from. And, disappointingly, they don’t even do a good job at it. Strewn with power chords and repetitive lyrics, Revival fails to grab my attention in a positive manner, and makes me think of what Nickleback might have sounded like had they come out 25 years earlier.
That being said, the boys do manage to sneak in a solid riff here and there, so if you’re looking for some ’80s-inspired hard rock, Revival might just be the album for you.
But, really, overall, Revival stays to true to the mediocre music that The Answer has been producing for the past 11 years.
-Lucas Milroy
Lights
Siberia
(Universal)
4.5/5
For an album named after a part of the world known for its long cold winters, Lights’ Siberia is surprisingly awesome.
The use of simple rhymes, metaphors, and dub-step-like effects all come together to create a sound that’s the perfect combination of Owl City, Taylor Swift, and The Postal Service, yet still stays close to Lights’ unique style.
Siberia showcases a separate side of the artist than what listeners heard in her Juno Award-winning debut album, The Listening.
Somehow, the Canadian artist still manages to stay true to herself and her fans, while keeping up with the music scene, reinventing herself, and possibly changing the future of pop music.
So whether you’re sitting at home listening to “Cactus in the Valley” or out dancing on a Friday to “Timing is Everything,” there will not be a song on Siberia that you won’t love.
-Chesley Ryder
David Myles
Into the Sun
(Little Tiny)
3.5/5
The sounds of Paul Simon and Jack Johnson aren’t that far away during David Myles’ folk walk down memory lane, but that’s okay: who doesn’t like a little nostalgia every once in a while?
Besides, there’s more than just traditional folk and rock on Into the Sun, the Nova Scotia-based guitarist’s sixth album. He teams up, for the second time in his career, with Canadian hip-hop artist Classified to prove that even folk artists can transition to other genres with a simple drum machine and some classy horns.
For those up for some cozy listening and looking for a reason to get back into the feel-good groove, tunes like “Simple Pleasures,” “Don’t Look Back,” and “Falling in Love” may prove to be the cure for those post-midterm hangovers.
So kick back, crack a beer, and enjoy Into the Sun.
-TJ Nyce