Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2013 Reflektor Arcade Fire ★★★½ 73 Rock Art Rock Alternative Dance Compared to the band’s first three records, Reflektor was the first time you could say Arcade Fire missed the mark. Reflektor was a clear shift in direction for the band. Produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, instead ofContinue reading “Reflektor – Arcade Fire ★★★½”
Author Archives: Nicholas Cicale
DECADE IN REVIEW: The top 200 songs of the 2010s
The 2010s are coming to an end, and to celebrate I’ve put together a playlist of my 200 favorite songs from the past 10 years. If you read my 102 best albums of the decade list, you’ll notice some familiar faces on this playlist. You’ll also find some well known artists, some one hit wonders,Continue reading “DECADE IN REVIEW: The top 200 songs of the 2010s”
Dogrel – FONTAINES D.C. ★★★★
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2019 Dogrel FONTAINES D.C. ★★★★ 80 Rock Alternative Rock Post Punk Dogrel is authentically punk, with driving drums and guitar, fun, ra-ra energy and post-punk monotone vocals that deliver smart lyrics with repetitive, singalong refrains. But for a punk album, it’s surprisingly even tempered. Compared to their Irish 2019Continue reading “Dogrel – FONTAINES D.C. ★★★★”
Slowdive – Slowdive ★★★★
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2017 Slowdive Slowdive ★★★★ 88 Rock Shoegaze Dream Pop You’ve gotta love it when a band makes their first album in 22 years and it ends up being their best. Like any good shoegaze album, Slowdive creates dense walls of sound on their 2018 release, where the choruses towerContinue reading “Slowdive – Slowdive ★★★★”
Lonerism – Tame Impala ★★★★
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2012 Lonerism Tame Impala ★★★★ 82 Rock Psychedelic Rock Indie Rock Tame Impala’s first two records do similar things, creating psychedelic rock that’s influenced by the bands of the 1960s and 70s, with modern edge and youthful energy added on top. Innerspeaker was captivating as a whole because ofContinue reading “Lonerism – Tame Impala ★★★★”
Innerspeaker – Tame Impala ★★★½
Year Album Arist Stars Score Genre 2010 Innerspeaker Tame Impala ★★★½ 77 Rock Psychedelic Rock Indie Rock Tame Impala burst onto the scene as a rock band from a bygone era, and quickly became a go-to for music fans looking for a good trip. Calling back to the psychedelic ambience of the Beatles, early PinkContinue reading “Innerspeaker – Tame Impala ★★★½”
SBTRKT – SBTRKT ★★★½
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2011 SBTRKT SBTRKT ★★★½ 75 Electronic R&B Electronic R&B SBTRKT’s self-titled debut is an easy-to-listen-to electronic album, made up dance-pop tracks with a slight dubstep build to them and R&B-style feature vocals. “Sanctuary,” “Right Thing to Do” and “Pharaohs” are simple pop tracks that easily could have made theirContinue reading “SBTRKT – SBTRKT ★★★½”
Process – Sampha ★★★½
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2017 Process Sampha ★★★½ 77 Hip-Hop R&B Electronic R&B Sampha has always brought soulful, genuine lyrics and a soft, pure voice to the R&B world. However, what makes Process — the debut album by an artist who had been featured on dozens of tracks over the decade prior toContinue reading “Process – Sampha ★★★½”
DECADE IN REVIEW: The top 102 albums of the 2010s
At the beginning of 2019 I set three New Year’s resolutions for myself—track my calories in my phone every day, eat at least one bagel a week, and select a different year from over the past decade each month and listen to albums that were released that year. I somehow managed to track my caloriesContinue reading “DECADE IN REVIEW: The top 102 albums of the 2010s”
I Am Easy To Find – The National ★★★
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2019 I Am Easy To Find The National ★★★ 66 Rock Art Rock Chamber Pop I Am Easy To Find represents the biggest swing The National have taken to date. Not only is it the band’s longest record, clocking in at over an hour and 15 tracks, the albumContinue reading “I Am Easy To Find – The National ★★★”
Fresh Out The Deli 