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Download “Who,” a new song from David Byrne and St. Vincent’s album, Love This Giant, coming out on Sept. 11. The two will be touring together starting on Sept. 15 in Minneapolis.
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Patti Smith
Banga
Columbia
By David Chiu
Banga is the punk poet’s first new album of original material since 2004’s trampin’, and it furthers on her powerful words accompanied by dynamic electric rock. View full article »
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Ultravox
Brilliant
Chrysalis/EMI
by David Chiu
Is this 1981 or 1982 all over again? First Duran Duran released All You Need Is Now and it has been hailed as a return to form. Now another British synth pop group from the ‘80s, Ultravox, has reclaimed some of that old New Romantic glory with their latest new record — the first one in nearly 30 years featuring the classic lineup of Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Warren Cann and Chris Cross. View full article »
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The Beatles
Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
This shouldn’t be confused with the original Yellow Submarine album, which was about half Beatles songs (including “Hey Bulldog,” “It’s All Too Much,” “Only a Northern Song,” and “All Together Now”) and half orchestral music by producer George Martin for the film. Rather, this set includes all of the Beatle tunes that was in the movie but not on the soundtrack. View full article »
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The Beach Boys
That’s Why God Made the Radio
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
On the heels of the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary is not another hits compilation, but an actual brand-new album and quite a good one at that. Certainly a huge part of it has to do with bringing back Brian Wilson into the fold, which really make it a true Beach Boys reunion. View full article »
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Metric
Synthetica
Last Gang Records
By David Chiu
Sonically-speaking, the Canadian band’s latest record picks up where 2009’s breathtaking Fantasies left. Synthetica doesn’t disappoint with its driving electronic-influenced rock as in the case of “Speed the Collapse” and the title track; View full article »
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The Smiths
The Smiths,
Meat is Murder
The Queen Is Dead,
Strangeways Here We Come
Louder Than Bombs
The World Won’t Listen
Hatful of Hollow
Rank
Sire/Rhino
By David Chiu
Even though they have broken up nearly 25 years ago, the Smiths continue to leave an enduring legacy and remain as popular as ever — enough to spark rumors of an unlikely reunion and of course anything the unflappable Morrissey says these days. Not bad for a band that in their brief history only recorded four studio albums and tons of non-album songs. Now recently reissued, and remastered by guitarist Johnny Marr, the Smiths recordings still sound magical as ever. View full article »
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Paul Simon
Graceland : 25th Anniversary Edition
Legacy
By David Chiu
Nowadays, Paul Simon’s album Graceland is considered an undisputed classic, and South Africa’s policy of apartheid is ancient history. But it was a much different world back when the album was first released back in 1986. As highlighted in the wonderful new documentary Paul Simon’s Graceland Journey: Under African Skies, the record was initially met with much controversy amid the facts that Simon went to and recorded in South Africa at the time of the UN cultural boycott. View full article »
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David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: 40th Anniversary Edition
Virgin/EMI
By David Chiu
Coming off of the artistic breakthrough of Hunky Dory the year before, David Bowie’s follow-up record, 1972’s Ziggy Stardust, unleashed one of the greatest and memorable characters in rock and roll history. View full article »
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Heart
Strange Euphoria
Epic/Legacy
By David Chiu
Heart’s new boxed set isn’t so much an exhaustive retrospective crammed with the familiar hits, although some of them are present. Rather, it goes for something far deeper through previously unreleased early demos, live recordings, side projects and album tracks/non-singles to offer a broad overview of Ann and Nancy Wilson’s extraordinary career. View full article »
