Album review: M.I.A.’s ‘Matangi’ a roller coaster of sounds

In case we weren’t all already aware, M.I.A. has made it even more clear that she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her or her bad girl self. “Let …

Album review: Slim Shady ‘spits’ at lightening speed on ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2’

It’s been quite a week for Eminem. He’s been accused of lip-syncing during his “Saturday Night Live performance,” and of being homophobic in some new s…

Album review: Arcade Fire ignites dynamic rhythms, results in masterpiece

It doesn’t matter how good the new Arcade Fire record “Reflektor” is really. After three extremely solid albums, the band is as distinguished as it wil…

Album review: Katy Perry roars through charts, ‘PRISM’ fails in comparison to past work

Miley is wrecking. Gaga is applauding. Katy Perry is coming through the pop music ranks roaring. “PRISM,” the teenage dreamer’s fourth studio album,…

Album review: DJ Rashad’s ‘Double Cup’ provides party anthems

DJ Rashad is an electronic music legend from Chicago who has been instrumental in the evolution of Chicago Juke music as well as the sub-genre of footw…

Album review: Best Coast plateaus in ‘Fade Away’

As apt a title “Fade Away” is for the third EP from Best Coast, in the fact that it is lovably basic in a fashion that only this band can really do, it…

Album review: Paul McCartney’s ‘New’ repeats old sound

It’s ironic that Paul McCartney’s latest studio album is titled “New,” because the whole album is a reach for the past dipped in the musical tones of t…

Album review: Trivium falls slightly from roots in new album

When a hardcore thrash metal band collides with a hard rock inspiration, the results can be varied, sometimes even leading the band to a murky void bet…

Album review: Pearl Jam’s ‘Lightning Bolt’ better on second strike

Pearl Jam serves up its specialty of grunge punk in their newest album “Lightning Bolt.” The music is ripe with familiar themes of angst and depression…

Album review: Korn’s ‘The Paradigm Shift’ reunites members, style

To those that feared the dreads had stopped spinning, fear no more. The boys from Bakersfield, Calif. are back in stride with their eleventh album, “Th…