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RYAN REED

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Yeasayer | Fragrant World

Secretly Canadian (2012)
To promote their excellent third album, Fragrant World, Brooklyn's resident art-pop weirdos sent their fans on a psychedelic audio-visual Internet scavenger hunt.

By: RYAN REED | August 15, 2012

Sub Pop (2012)
On their debut full-length Instinct, these electro-pop Swedes strike a delicate balance between trance-y hooks and artful, world music weirdness — and the results typically sound like Cyndi Lauper covering Fleetwood Mac, as produced by Kate Bush.

By: RYAN REED | August 07, 2012

In This Moment | Blood

Century Media (2012)
After In This Moment's 2007 debut, the Los Angeles quintet took part in something called the "Hot Chicks of Metal Tour."

By: RYAN REED | July 31, 2012

Icky Blossoms | Icky Blossoms

Saddle Creek (2012)
Icky Blossoms prefer their retro-styled dance music deep-fried and nasty.

By: RYAN REED | July 24, 2012

The Very Best | MTMTMK

Moshi Moshi/Cooperative Music (2012)
"World music" is an archaic label, but there's no better way to describe the Very Best's MTMTMK .

By: RYAN REED | July 17, 2012

The emotional electronics of Hot Chip

Head music
"You don't always just feel one thing at one time," says Alexis Taylor, Hot Chip's nerd-genius frontman, referencing the grand ambiguity of pop music.

By: RYAN REED | July 10, 2012

Twin Shadow | Confess

4AD (2012)
4AD Ever since his 2010 synth-pop sleeper debut Forget blew up like a critical landmine, Twin Shadow mastermind and former Bostonian George Lewis Jr. has been pigeonholed as an '80s-pop revivalist, mostly to his own annoyance.

By: RYAN REED | July 10, 2012

Dirty Projectors | Swing Lo Magellan

Domino (2012)
In the indie-rock academy of musical tomfoolery, Dave Longstreth has always earned excellent marks.

By: RYAN REED | July 03, 2012

The Smashing Pumpkins | Oceania

Martha's Music (2012)
Billy Corgan's ego alone has probably gone triple-platinum, and he's never been afraid of calling himself a genius (even while promoting skanky, mediocre albums like Machina and Zeitgeist).

By: RYAN REED | June 19, 2012

Fawn | Coastlines

Quite Scientific Records (2012)
Jaded girl-boy harmonies, gleeful three-chord riffs, healthy doses of punkish noise and emo melody: Coastlines , the debut LP from Detroit indie-pop quartet Fawn, feels like a charming souvenir from a musical era two decades in the rear-view.

By: RYAN REED | June 05, 2012

Lemonade | Diver

True Panther Sounds (2012)
Halfway through "Infinite Style," the glossy electro-pop opener from Lemonade's sophomore LP, you'll hear the faint sound of a rhythmic exhale — or possibly two sticks rubbing together.

By: RYAN REED | May 29, 2012

Scissor Sisters | Magic Hour

Casablanca (2012)
"Twist and shout/Boobies hangin' all out," sings Scissor Sister Ana Matronic on the futuristic sci-fi funk of "Keep Your Shoes On," her robo-tastic chirp swallowed in a maze of mind-numbing video-game synth runs and digital blips.

By: RYAN REED | May 22, 2012

Here We Go Magic | A Different Ship

Secretly Canadian
On paper, at least, it's a match made in psychedelic alt-rock heaven.

By: RYAN REED | May 08, 2012

Beach House | Bloom

Sub Pop (2012)
For most bands, being labeled "formulaic" is an insult.

By: RYAN REED | May 01, 2012

Brendan Benson | What Kind Of World

Readymade (2012)
"Crank it up for me," mutters pop-rawk craftsman Brendan Benson on the intro to "Here in the Deadlights."

By: RYAN REED | April 24, 2012

Jack White | Blunderbuss

Third Man/Columbia (2012)
The White Stripes — the candy-coated, Delta blues-worshipping duo responsible for some of the 2000s' greatest rock albums — recently broke up.

By: RYAN REED | April 23, 2012

Alabama Shakes | Boys & Girls

ATO (2012)
In 2012, every other mainstream female pop singer is trying her hand at honest-to-God soul, shooting stylistically for Aretha Franklin (by way of Adele's 21) but usually winding up closer to early-Nelly Furtado.

By: RYAN REED | April 10, 2012

Nada Surf look to the galaxy for answers

Star-struck
For Matthew Caws, songwriting isn't exactly fun. In fact, it's more like agony.

By: RYAN REED | April 04, 2012

M. Ward | A Wasteland Companion

Merge (2012)
"Jump inside this tidal wave with me," sings ash-voiced cherub Matt Ward on his stunning seventh album.

By: RYAN REED | April 03, 2012

Great Lake Swimmers | New Wild Everywhere

Nettwerk Records (2012)
On their fifth full-length, veteran Toronto quintet Great Lake Swimmers specialize in breezy, monochromatic Sunday-school folk.

By: RYAN REED | March 28, 2012

Choir of Young Believers | Rhine Gold

Ghostly International (2012)
On their jaw-dropping debut, 2008's This Is for the White in Your Eyes, Denmark's Choir of Young Believers sounded like an actual choir, or maybe a musical militia — angelic voices ascending in ghostly rings of reverb, enveloped by orchestral flourishes and indie-rock thrust.

By: RYAN REED | March 21, 2012

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