Why the Star Wars Trailer is Magic
“Star Wars” is the first thing I can remember liking. I can only guess how I was introduced to “Star Wars” — I figure it was through my parents who, like …
Read MoreAuthor: Burk Smyth
Live Review: Sleater-Kinney at the House of Blues
In my review of Sleater-Kinney’s triumphant reunion album “No Cities to Love,” I mentioned that I wasn’t worried about it. I wasn’t worried that it would be a bad or …
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Album Review: Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love
For some reason, the Sleater-Kinney reunion feels less surprising than most legendary-band-comes-back-with-new-album affairs. The band’s three members have been pretty busy—Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss were in the great but …
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Album Review: The Smashing Pumpkins – Monuments to an Elegy
The Smashing Pumpkins seemed to be in a good place in 2012. They had a solid line up, put on fun concerts and had just released “Oceania,” easily their most …
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Album Review: Taylor Swift – 1989
Last week, Taylor Swift’s new album 1989 sold 1.2 million copies. This immediately made it the best selling album released in 2014 (the indefatigable Frozen soundtrack, which came out at the tail end …
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Live Review: Slowdive at Royale
It’s getting harder and harder for me to get excited about reunions. For whatever reason–the lucrative festival scene, the downfall of album sales as a viable way to make money, …
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Album Review: Jawbreaker – 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (Reissue)
Not many punk bands are as iconic as Jawbreaker. The Bay Area group–together from 1986 to 1996–has inspired everything from amazing reggae tributes to the super great but sorta ungooglable …
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Album Review: Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright In The End
Getting excited for a new Weezer album is incredibly difficult. The fact that the band’s 1994 self-titled debut (known as the Blue album) and 1996’s Pinkerton are two of the greatest albums …
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Album Review: Aphex Twin–Syro
It is impossible to discuss modern electronic music without mentioning Aphex Twin (Richard D. James). The English producer’s importance to electronic music—and really, music in general—is impossible to overstate. He’s …
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Review: Xbox One
This has not been an easy year for Microsoft. In May, they revealed the Xbox One—the successor to the wildly popular Xbox 360—with a presentation that focused mostly on the …
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Review: Kanye West at the TD Garden
Ye had me worried. Between the grand theft charges and the tour date postponement, I wasn’t exactly sure I’d even get to see the Yeezus Tour. And, given the reports …
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Review: Swearin’—‘Surfing Strange’
Mainstream indie really doesn’t contain a ton of rock music. Which isn’t a bad thing—I love what Cut Copy, Vampire Weekend, Chvrches et al. are doing. But sometimes I just want to …
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