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REYAN ALI

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Coming of age with Hoodie Allen

Hoodie Allen cannot escape James Franco.

By: REYAN ALI | December 18, 2012

Simian Mobile Disco get a move on

Electronic
Occasionally someone will find the Virgin Mary's image on a slice of toast, or they're sure they see grandpa's face in a patch of clouds.

By: REYAN ALI | December 03, 2012

Star Slinger | Ladies in the Back

Jet Jam (2012)
How high can a remix-heavy disc go when it's built on the dodgiest and lousiest of foundations?

By: REYAN ALI | November 16, 2012

Isis | Temporal

Ipecac (2012)
Temporal is an assortment of rarities culled from Isis' entire career, and it's a suitably bulky set in both length (almost two hours) and aural weight.

By: REYAN ALI | November 12, 2012

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Dan Deacon is coming to America

In 2007, Dan Deacon experienced startling cultural self-awareness.

By: REYAN ALI | November 08, 2012

Mount Kimbie’s wallflower power

Sometimes making a statement from a corner of a room feels truer than making one from its center. Kai Campos — one-half of the London duo Mount Kimbie — believes that reasoning was crucial to his desire to make electronica in the first place.

By: REYAN ALI | October 24, 2012

Amon Tobin settles into abstract electronica

His bridge
If his 2011 off-the-cuff comment is any proof, Amon Tobin is terrible at resisting the urge to prod a proverbial beehive.

By: REYAN ALI | September 05, 2012

The proper intentions of Frank Turner

Punk makes good
On July 27, Frank Turner played the biggest show of his life while surrounded by sheep, actors dressed as Brits of different stripes, a Ferris wheel, a synthetic recreation of the English countryside, and an unfathomably massive crowd.

By: REYAN ALI | August 28, 2012

Inside the globe-spanning pop of Beirut

Worlds in flux
Pictures on walls have held great meaning to Zach Condon.

By: REYAN ALI | August 21, 2012

Dan Deacon | America

Domino
America as a country is rarely celebrated by its off-the-radar and off-kilter musicians.

By: REYAN ALI | August 21, 2012

Seriously, what is Babymetal?

Japanese animated
Given that they're all alumni of the J-pop "idol" group Sakura Gakuin, it's extremely unlikely that these girls (whose ages fall between 12 and 15) formed Babymetal on their own.

By: REYAN ALI | August 01, 2012

Nachtmystium | Silencing Machine

Century Media (2012)
The end is nigh, and it will be ugly. With Silencing Machine, Nachtmystium's sixth album, Blake Judd and his fellow Chicago-based melodic black metallurgists have put together a fantastically tormented document — a recipe for Armageddon that promises things getting darkest before the death.

By: REYAN ALI | July 31, 2012

Teenage Bottlerocket | Freak Out!

Fat Wreck Chords (2012)
Man, how old are the dudes in Teenage Bottlerocket by now?

By: REYAN ALI | July 24, 2012

Purity Ring | Shrines

4AD (2012)
Ever imagined what it would be like to hear an angel-voiced woman recite a book of fairy tales in the back of a nightclub at 2 am as drowsy synth lines float through the speakers?

By: REYAN ALI | July 17, 2012

The pop wilderness of Beat Connection

Garden variety
Jordan Koplowitz's life — I'm disappointed to discover — was not forever changed by a momentous round of beer pong.

By: REYAN ALI | July 06, 2012

Eternal Summers | Correct Behavior

Kanine (2012)
Attempting to construct a simultaneously diverse and great record is a gamble.

By: REYAN ALI | July 03, 2012

Codeine’s careful rock returns to Boston

Slow burn
Bands named after drugs have a spotty history of making music that fits their substances.

By: REYAN ALI | June 26, 2012

Ty Segall Band | Slaughterhouse

In the Red (2012)
Even for a garage-rock record, Slaughterhouse is especially sloppy and overeager.

By: REYAN ALI | June 19, 2012

Liars | WIXIW

Mute (2012)
The sixth full-length from Brooklyn band Liars is an album in the sense that it's been recorded, has a release date, and is worth a review. But with so much improperly used space and so few tangible ideas, the result doesn't feel like an actual album as much as it does a decent demo.

By: REYAN ALI | June 05, 2012

Maps & Atlases stretch out their sounds

Creative canvas
The real joy of listening to Maps & Atlases' music doesn't come from how it sounds but from what it makes you see.

By: REYAN ALI | May 15, 2012

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