As the sun sets on another year, let’s delve back in to the albums that made 2018 worth listening to.
All in The Re-Critic
Win Butler and the Wise Blood Roadshow
Neon Bible isn’t as universally loved as other Arcade Fire albums - is this a product of artistic overreach, or of a public less willing to invest in its message?
Anything Else But Emo
The Honorary Title’s story is a parable of how not to market a band. Their career was cut off at the knees before it truly began, but their accomplished debut album is worth your time.
The People Vs. Daft Punk
Over a decade later, it might finally be time to reckon with the fact that Human After All is actually a pretty fantastic piece of work.
On Texas Time : Looking Back at Sha Sha
We try to define why Ben Kweller’s solo debut has stood the test of time…and fail spectacularly in the attempt
That Was It : A Band of Bros and a Definitively American Record
The best thing that Is This It has going for it is that it's not the best album of its time.
What we talk about when we talk about recording.
Recording is a kind of alchemy. While anyone can turn flour into bread, it takes a lot of skill and patience to turn lead into gold.
Kill Your Darlings
In era of unprecedented, unparalleled, unfettered access and availability, are we selling ourselves short by buying into a "news cycle" mentality?
The Star and the Starman
Bowie's final work, inscrutably profound but simple - a puzzle to be put together, like the man himself.
The Rumours Are True: Fleetwood Mac Does the Impossible
When the Universe tells me I need to write about Fleetwood Mac, I tend to listen. Let's get real about the legacy of Rumours.
RIYLing the Night Away...
Our enjoyment of art is constant reaffirmation that the experiential can shape the abstract, and that's a good thing.
Listlessly Listening for List-making (2017 Year In Review)
Re-Critic takes a look at the best of 2017.
Getting Killed in NYC: David Holmes and a Truly "Cinematic" Musical Journey
Now twenty-years-old, Holmes' second album is a masterclass in creating something truly cinematic while also serving as a love letter to NYC.
No Fear of Drowning: British Sea Power's Powerfully Mythic Debut
British Sea Power gave us a classic by daring to create a new mythology when the rest of the world was infatuated with American rock escapism and reeling from the shock of a post-9/11 reality.
Descended Like Comfort Food: Rogue Wave's Overlooked Second Album
Rogue Wave's 2005 masterpiece creates a rollicking and cohesive listening experience that perfectly hits the sweet spot.
Esthero Catches Her Breath and a Landmark LP
A statement record from an immensely promising young artist that expertly navigated the realms of trip-hop and chillout - the world at-large wasn't ready for it.
A Haystack of Needles: Elliott Smith's Misunderstood S/T Record
Elliott's second LP in 1995 was way beyond the "drug album" label it initially received - a case could be made for it as his best album.
There is a Bright Light that never goes out...
"How could it be then, that the perfect set of musicians in an amazing band made exactly the right album…at exactly the wrong time?"
Uh-oh, Re-Critic's going HAM in this one, broh...
The Elusive Alchemy of Context
In the game of defining context in the present, we almost always lose...which just means that we need to give it time, re-focus the lens...
Retconning A Legacy
In fiction, this idea is known as a retcon - "when a piece of new information imposes a different interpretation on previously described events"...