2008 Woodie Awards
Exclaimation points
Tyler Mayo, Dave Sachs, Meredith Rivlin, Stephen R. Hausmann
Issue date: 1/30/07 Section: B Side
The Good, The Bad and the Queen
s/t
(Virgin Records)
When the bassist from The Clash, the guitarist from The Verve, the singer from Blur and an inventor of Afrobeat music come out with an album, produced by DJ-du-jour, Danger Mouse, you know it's gonna be good. Unlike other supergroups, GB&Q delivers; its stripped down production and psychedelic feel are refreshing and the album is well worth checking out.
Mos Def
True Magic
(Geffen)
If other mainstream rap touches social ills with a ten-foot pole, Mos uses a French fry. Whether he's singing about "hamburger-murder world" or inventing a good-will dance move (the "Katrina Clap"), he keeps his vocal chords stretched out on this one, often singing his own hooks over simple lo-fi beats. Dope singles: "Dollar Days" and "Napoleon Dynamite."
Deerhoof
Friend Opportunitiy
(Kill Rock Stars)
In their latest album, Deerhoof doesn't leave anything out: leadsinger Satomi Matsuzaki's infantile voice, the band's collective "deconstruction" of pop and the unrestrained instrumentals. Although
"Friend Opportunity" is more structured and listener-friendly than previous albums, Deerhoof does not surrender their complexity and Japanese influence.
The Shins
We've Come for You All
(Sub Pop)
All eyes on them, the torch-bearers for "under the radar" music have struck again. The Shins' third LP marks a return to the dreamy feel of 2001's "Oh, Inverted World" while maintaining all the hooks and "la-la" choruses of '03's "Chutes Too Narrow". "Wincing the Night Away" may not change many lives, but is far from underwhelming all the same - a worthy addition to The Shins slowly widening canon.
of Montreal
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
(Polyvinyl)
of Monreal's Kevin Barnes drifts from his fabricated and woven stories of past concept albums to create an album in which the only concept is gloom. His vocals remain unchanged while the rest of the band take on a more somber tone, leaving their often silly lyrics behind. It is obvious from "Hissing Fauna" that there has been a recent breakup in Barnes' life.
s/t
(Virgin Records)
When the bassist from The Clash, the guitarist from The Verve, the singer from Blur and an inventor of Afrobeat music come out with an album, produced by DJ-du-jour, Danger Mouse, you know it's gonna be good. Unlike other supergroups, GB&Q delivers; its stripped down production and psychedelic feel are refreshing and the album is well worth checking out.
Mos Def
True Magic
(Geffen)
If other mainstream rap touches social ills with a ten-foot pole, Mos uses a French fry. Whether he's singing about "hamburger-murder world" or inventing a good-will dance move (the "Katrina Clap"), he keeps his vocal chords stretched out on this one, often singing his own hooks over simple lo-fi beats. Dope singles: "Dollar Days" and "Napoleon Dynamite."
Deerhoof
Friend Opportunitiy
(Kill Rock Stars)
In their latest album, Deerhoof doesn't leave anything out: leadsinger Satomi Matsuzaki's infantile voice, the band's collective "deconstruction" of pop and the unrestrained instrumentals. Although
"Friend Opportunity" is more structured and listener-friendly than previous albums, Deerhoof does not surrender their complexity and Japanese influence.
The Shins
We've Come for You All
(Sub Pop)
All eyes on them, the torch-bearers for "under the radar" music have struck again. The Shins' third LP marks a return to the dreamy feel of 2001's "Oh, Inverted World" while maintaining all the hooks and "la-la" choruses of '03's "Chutes Too Narrow". "Wincing the Night Away" may not change many lives, but is far from underwhelming all the same - a worthy addition to The Shins slowly widening canon.
of Montreal
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
(Polyvinyl)
of Monreal's Kevin Barnes drifts from his fabricated and woven stories of past concept albums to create an album in which the only concept is gloom. His vocals remain unchanged while the rest of the band take on a more somber tone, leaving their often silly lyrics behind. It is obvious from "Hissing Fauna" that there has been a recent breakup in Barnes' life.
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