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The Sophomore Report: Mikal Cronin x MCII.

In by Catherine LeClair.Leave a Comment

Let’s hope for an Indian summer because Mikal Cronin’s MCII  is for sunshine times and kites. Put this album on and feel wistful about the days getting shorter, and know you are not alone. Because MC is singing to you, everything will be okay. Mikal Cronin’s second album is a foray into a more poppy sound, as well as a …

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Nothing to Smile About.

In by Catherine LeClair.2 Comments

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh has taken it to the streets with her newest project, Stop Telling Women to Smile. On behalf of women everywhere, the ladies featured in her portraits speak directly to offenders of gender-based street harassment, telling them things like, “My name is not Baby,” and “My outfit is not an invitation.” Though this is Fazlalizadeh’s first foray into street …

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The Sophomore Report: Unknown Mortal Orchestra x II.

In by Catherine LeClair.Leave a Comment

Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s sophomore record, II, is in no rush. It feels like an idle Sunday–the kind we waste walking around the neighborhood, dazed and coffee-hungry, allowing hours to fluidly pass and the sun to glide across the sky. UMO gave us more of what we loved from their self-titled debut album: hooks, falsetto, fuzz, and a little bit of …

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The Sophomore Report: Surfer Blood x Python.

In by Catherine LeClair.1 Comment

For someone who has lived in New England her entire life, I find it surprisingly easy to connect with the lyrics of Surfer Blood‘s first album Astro Coast (“If you’re movin’ out to the west/Then you’d better learn how to surf” and “Swim to reach the end,” to name a few), a reaction that is well-described by the German phrase …

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The Sophomore Report: Hanni El Khatib x Head in the Dirt.

In by Catherine LeClair.Leave a Comment

Remember rock? Those gritty, raw chords that defined America in the later half of the 20th century and gave parents one more thing to warn their children against? Rock music gave all of us—even our parents, even the whitest and most middle class of us—some understanding of angst and revolt. Hanni El Khatib’s sophomore album, Head in the Dirt is …

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Songs for Imaginative People in Review.

In by Catherine LeClair.1 Comment

Darwin Deez’s sophomore album, Songs for Imaginative People, which came out February 11th, proves that he is more than just a Michael Cera of indie music. Though cute, smart, and awkward-looking, Deez possesses a substance beyond quirkiness, which seems to be the only thing actors like Cera and bands like She and Him have going for themselves. Between his self-titled …

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A Shot of 151a.

In by Catherine LeClair.1 Comment

Because I was late on the uptake, I’m going to call Kishi Bashi’s 151a the 2012 album that I’ll be playing well into 2013. This album was suggested to me by a coworker and enthusiastically mentioned by friends in wildly different circles within the span of one week. And because I love synchronicity, I took it as a sign that …