David Peisner
On “Talk My Shit” and the hilarious “Truth on You,” bitter jabs are never far from self-deprecating punch lines, and the beats — while likely less expensive — are still brash and booming.
10y
Ritter’s wordplay can be dense, but his warm, inviting voice makes it a pleasure to unravel.
15y
Goofy lyrics and too-frequent Auto-Tuning pushes this close to winking douchebaggery, but not too close.
12y
Fortunately, buried beneath the Lips’ psychedelic slop heap are surprisingly exacting pop hooks, clever musical experiments, and insidious grooves that belie the band’s wastrel image.
15y
Multiple tales of warm, lonely barrooms and the warm, lonely relationships they breed uncover new truths while traversing well-trod emotional terrain.
15y
It takes a minute for the standouts here to stand out, but it’s an enjoyable wait.
12y
Decent tribute to outlaw legend dad by outlaw wannabe son.
6y
The tug-of-war between bristly unavailability and candid confession mirrors a musical duel between post-punk snarls and genial pop charms. There’s no resolution, but the struggle itself is endlessly compelling.
15y
The View descend directly from that pissed-off, working-class punk-pop tradition — in fact, their debut owes such a debt to the Libertines, it’s tempting to dismiss them as imitators.
12y
Gough pens poignant pop-rock tunes about marriage, identity, and regret, but he overdresses them, adding bells and whistles (or strings and synths, as the case may be) where they’re not needed.
11y
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