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Reviews by Giles

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Sonic Youth – Sonic Nurse

Review — December 31, 2004

Since June, I've been laboring over how to start off a review of Sonic Nurse. Now, it's December, and all I've come up with is a cliche about how I don't know what to say. Really, the only thing I can think to say is that Sonic Nurse is …

M83 – Before the Dawn Heals Us

Review — March 8, 2005

I don't know why I used to assume that following up an amazing album is hard to pull off. Listening to this release, you wouldn't think that at all. M83's second release, Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts gave My Bloody Valentine an electronic makeover, but with enough character …

The Plot To Blow Up the Eiffel Tower – Love in the Fascist Brothel

Review — March 22, 2005

In 2003, San Diego's Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower unleashed Dissertation Honey upon an unsuspecting crowd of jerks with messy hair. The release mixed elements of jazz and post-hardcore seamlessly, making it one of the most exciting albums of the year. Love in the Fascist Brothel is the …

The Decemberists – Picaresque

Review — April 25, 2005

Besides getting started, the hardest thing about writing reviews is coming up with original ways of putting things. Not stealing ideas from other magazines is tough, and it becomes especially hard when the album you're reviewing is unquestionably great. This is exactly my dilemma with the new Decemberists album. It's …

Weezer – Make Believe

Review — May 16, 2005

By now you've scrolled down and seen that I've given Make Believe a score of 6.0. So you probably think I'm a biased fan who likes this album more than he should. Well, I am. But you should also know that if I were to review Weezer's previous catalogue, it …

Spitalfield – Stop Doing Bad Things

Review — May 23, 2005

Ever since I accidentally saw them live in 2003, Spitalfield had been on my list of bands to avoid listening to. Their set was brain-implodingly bad - a sloppy mess of contrived pop-punk hooks, soulless songwriting, and the second whiniest vocals I?d ever heard (Rufio being the first.) It didn?t …

New Order – Waiting for the Sirens' Call

Review — June 5, 2005

The past year or two have been interesting times for bands that mattered more in the 80's. In 2004, The Cure and Morrissey both released albums that earned them more attention (read: blind praise) than they'd seen in years. Apparently, 2005 marks New Order's turn. The term "washed up" once …

A Silver Mount Zion – Horses in the Sky

Review — June 23, 2005

A few days after Horses in the Sky was released, *coughtwomonthsagocough*, I sat down and tried to review it. After one listen my review was nearly done. I'd given the album a score of 5.0, dismissing it as "the most frustrating album of the year." I now realize that my …

Giles – Giles

Review — July 8, 2005

What the fuck? Let's pretend that your name is "Pablo." Pablo is a pretty unusual name. There are other people in the world named Pablo, but they all live in other countries so you don't know any of them. Your life is pretty interesting, because it's pretty hard for a …

Kanye West – Late Registration

Review — September 12, 2005

'So good!' I've had those two words typed at me too many times in the past few weeks. Any time the subject of Late Registration comes up, there it is. 'So good!' When I actually bought the damn CD, I was surprised there wasn't a little sticker on it saying …

Minus the Bear – Menos el Oso

Review — September 16, 2005

Let's play a game. It's called 'name a better band than Minus the Bear.' Ready, go! Wrong! Ok, you might be right. But let's see you start a review in a more exciting way. You asshole. This is only the second full-length from Minus the Bear. Or as Michael affectionately …

Logh – A Sunset Panorama

Review — November 15, 2005

Is Sweden even cold? Whenever I think of Northern Europe, I think of mountains, yodelers, and folks with Princess Leia hair wandering around in big coats. Yet the continent keeps popping out some of the …well, warmest albums I've ever heard. Par example: the new album from Logh, a band …

Protest the Hero – Kezia

Review — January 25, 2006

I have this friend. We'll call him "Max," because that's his name. Max has said some questionable things in the past ("With Honor are the best straight-edge band ever," "I didn't know Henry Rollins was in Black Flag," "I hate Fugazi,") but I've always let it go. So when Max …