Pitchfork Media - Record Reviews

Aleks and the Drummer: May a Lightning Bolt Caress You EP

Jason Crock — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

Chicago-based organ/percussion two-piece combines punky energy with elements drawn from the traditional music of Eastern Europe. David Sitek produces.

Zu: Carboniferous

Mia Lily Clarke — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

Mike Patton recruits Italy's most progressive no-wave metal band (as far as we know) to his eclectic Ipecac roster.

Madlib: Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6

Nate Patrin — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

Madlib pays tribute to the sadly departed J Dilla, a producer with whom he'd forged a mutual stylistic compatibility that began with beat-tape trading by mail and resulted in the underground classic Champion Sound.

Lithops: Ye Viols!

Mike Orme — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

This longtime solo outlet for Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars plays host to a compilation of recent works commissioned to accompany art installations. Many pieces focus on issues of technology in everyday life, with industrial signifiers replacing the organic electronic music from St. Werner's previous works.

Various Artists: Money Will Ruin Everything: The Second Edition

Chris Dahlen — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

This outstanding Norweigian label-- home to experimental rock, jazz, and electronic artists such as Supersilent, Alog, and Shining-- celebrated its fifth anniversary with a 2xCD + book collection; now it does the same to honor its 10th year in business.

Woodpigeon: Songbook

Tyler Grisham — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

Hushed folk-pop with orchestral flourishes and the occasional whimsically long song title mark this Calgary band's debut.

The Sight Below: Glider

Brian Howe — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

Seattle artist inverts the minimal techno aesthetic that Wolfgang Voigt inspired in the Field, burying the thump and emphasizing the ambience, to create consummate mood music.

Rio en Medio: Frontier

Joshua Klein — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

Part cosmic fun house, part haunted house, Danielle Stech-Homsy's sophomore release supposedly began as a series of poems, which she subsequently fleshed out and expanded into songs.

The Boy Least Likely To: The Law of the Playground

Marc Hogan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

English twee-pop band follows its 2005 debut, The Best Party Ever, with another collection of anorak pop, sunny West Coast harmonies, Belle and Sebastian-y folk, country, and soul.

Various Artists: Selected + Collected: An eMusic Selects Compilation

Rebecca Raber — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0400

To celebrate the first anniversary of eMusic's Selects program, which compiles tracks from favorite unsigned or rising bands, the online retailer gathers the best of their past and presents choices in a handy CD-sized collection. Among those included are the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Girls, and My Teenage Stride.