Matt Charlton

The LibertinesThe Libertines (Rough Trade)The Libertines’ debut was so shambolically beautiful that it felt like it was in constant danger of falling into pieces. That’s pretty much what happens on this sophomore effort. The band has turned in a 14-track effort of which only five or six are up to their usual standard of crumbling […]

Kevin DevinePut Your Ghosts To Rest(Capitol)Marking Kevin Devine’s major label debut after several indie releases on his own and as part of Miracle 86, Put Your Ghosts To Rest is made of the kind of mild- mannered pop-rock with which majors have forged a solid history of absolute incompetence. The hope here is obviously to […]

Beanie SiegelThe B. Coming(Roc-A-Fella)Over the last three years, Roc-A-Fella has released definitive albums about three distinct mindsets in modern hip-hop. In 2003 there was Jay-Z’s Black Album, an upper-class, spoils-of-the-game record with a conscience. In 2004 came Kanye West’s College Dropout, giving mainstream validity to backpack rap. Now the label has turned out Beanie Siegel’s […]

Polyphonic SpreeTogether We’re Heavy (Hollywood)While their hyperbolic bursts of optimism made the Poly-phonic Spree’s debut sound like a collection of epic opening songs, Together We’re Heavy sounds like a collection of great closing tracks. It’s like the difference between puppy love and a serious relationship. The band has honed its joy into a more succinct […]

The Flaming LipsAt War with the Mystics (Warner)It’s hard to believe when the realization hits you, but it becomes more apparent with every successive play: “Holy shit, the Flaming Lips have made a funk/soul album.” From the inspired grind of “Free Radicals” to the smooth keys of “Ambulance Driver,” At War with the Mystic is […]

The Radio Dept. Lesser Matters(XL/Labrador)With bits of electro, noise rock and shoegazer, The Radio Dept. meets all the requirements to be the next great band no one pays attention to. The group has an ability to float My Bloody Valentine-esque melo-dies atop pits of white noise. As laidback vocals drift over buzzing soundscapes, the result […]

Blonde Redhead Misery is a Butterfly(Touch and Go)In a progression similar to Mercury Rev, Blonde Redhead has abandoned its early Sonic Youth leanings for a more subdued and symphonic sound. Misery is a Butterfly is steeped in darkness and longing. The staccato hits at the base of many of the songs infuse each track with […]

Magnolia Electric CompanyFading Trails(Secretly Canadian)Jason Molina has never been one of those prolific writers who wastes your time trying to offer a bit of everything. He knows what he’s good at and he sticks to it. Fading Trails finds him working under the Magnolia Electric Company moniker again, delivering country soul that haunts the footsteps […]

Of MontrealHissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?(Polyvinyl)Following the release of the Inbreds’ brilliant Winning Hearts there was a review of the work in which the writer waxed on about how, for a music fan, there is nothing better than finding a pop songwriter when they hit their “moment.” It’s that time when an artist seems […]