By Simon Lazarus Vasta My Bloody Valentine, TBA (TBA) The music masses have been waiting for a follow-up to My Bloody Valentine’s last album, the modern-classic-that-has-been-around-so-long-now-it’s-just-a-classic Loveless, for twenty-one years now. Many, myself included, had given up the faith, stopped chasing that particular white whale, and resigned themselves to crate-digging for early MBV obscurities. But
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

By Simon Lazarus Vasta Missed the rest of the Now Take Them Out Devils end-of-the-year coverage? Check out Part 1 Here Check out Part 2 Here Check out Part 3 Here The Black Hippy crew definitely had a good 2012. ScHoolboy Q started the year off well with Habits & Contradictions, an album that somehow
[ read more... ]

1 Comment

By Simon Lazarus Vasta Read parts one and two The Almost-Best Albums of 2012 (In No Particular Order) Killer Mike, R.A.P. Music R.A.P. Music is one of the most streamlined hip-hop albums of all time. Mike jumps into a track, makes his point, and moves on with intense momentum without ever feeling rushed. El-P’s production
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

By Simon Lazarus Vasta I’m handing out more run-on sentences/awards this week. Miss part one? Read it here. The Peter Gabriel Award for Most Ambitiously Accessible Album of the Year goes to: Liars’ WIXIW While Liars’ sound has changed a lot over the years, they’ve never been known to make an album that’s friendly on
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

By Simon Lazarus Vasta The days are short, the nights are cold(ish), and midtown has thoroughly covered itself in a anxiety attack-inducing amount of holiday paraphernalia. The Salvation Army dudes that are very specifically not Santa line the thoroughfares, ringing their bells. The stores are packed with exhausted parents buying more than they can afford.
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

By Simon Lazarus Vasta One of the things I love most about pop music is its versatility. It’s a medium with room for everything: the political and the personal, the avant-garde and the lowbrow, orchestral finesse and two-chord anthems, stupidity and intelligence, beauty and brutality. Additionally, these elements can be arranged any which way, swapped
[ read more... ]

2 Comments

By Simon Lazarus Vasta So Toronto synthpunk superstars Crystal Castles released their third album last week. Just like their last record, and the record before it, it’s called Crystal Castles, but it seems it’s being stylized as (III) (which is nowhere near as catchy as Melt). I wanted to review this album for you, gentle
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

By Simon Lazarus Vasta Previously, on Now Take Them Out, Devils… And now, the exciting conclusion: 2. StageDIIVing @ Music Hall of Williamsburg By the time dreampop/shoegaze/new wave/post punk/critical darlings DIIV reached their encore (which consisted of early single “Geist” and a cover of Blank Dogs’ “No Compass”), the crowd belonged to them. Heck, the
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post