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The worldwide sprawl of the internet has only
reinforced New York's status as the nucleus for buzzed-about bands, and Vampire Weekend has been at its white-hot core
since the release of their jittery first album. That they managed to command
interest while other bands from their era faded into Google histories is a
testament to their savvy as much as it is to their musical prowess; their
smarty-pants lyrics ooze Ivy League panache, and their blithe blending of
influences recalls that of a particularly self-satisfied college DJ. That said,
they can still write a tune, although they're at their best when acting like
speed demons; "Diane Young" is a tongue-in-cheek pogo-ready tune, while the
rapid-fire half of "Finger Back" sets the stage for a bridge that blooms. -
Maura Johnston
"Heart Attack," the lead single from the Disney
star's third album, is a monster pop song, its skyscraping chorus both masking
and magnifying the walled-offness described by its lyrics. Much of "Demi"
follows in this track's path: big gestures, both vocal and musical dominate,
there are a couple of four-on-the-floor club stompers, and at certain points
(particularly on the crafted-to-chart "Made in the USA") you can hear her takes
being stitched together to create a Frankenstein-like übervocal. It's a shame,
really, because much of Lovato's appeal (and what has made a lot of women view
her as a talismanic figure) lies in her ability to imbue the "pop star" ideal
with humanity. The quiet piano ballad "In Case" is the most affecting track
here, while the self-motivating "Fire Starter," with lines like "I'm a badass
jumping off the moving train I'm a Jane Bond, putting all them guys to shame,"
will surely be quoted by quite a few Lovatics. - M. J.
In 2007, the Philly MC Eve was set to release "Here I Am";
it garnered reviews from a couple of publications but never materialized on
shelves, thanks to skittishness from her then-label about the lackluster
response to its singles. Six years later, she's finally released the follow-up
to her 2002 album "Eve-Olution," and it certainly doesn't sound like a record
that's been on the shelf for a while. "Make It Out This Town" is a mid-tempo
rapped-and-sung ballad in the style of "Payphone" (Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta plays
hook guy), while the gleefully bonkers "Wanna Be" features the similarly
languishing Missy Elliott (last full-length
release: 2005). The heavy helping of guest stars (Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, Pusha T, and
more) sorta undermines Eve's I'm-the-best boasting. - M.J.
This New York duo (she's MS, he's MR) made a splash
last year with their brooding, downcast ode to emotional unavailability,
"Hurricane." The blend of dreariness and bombast implied by that song's title is
all over their debut album; "No Trace" has an urgent string section, while
"Bones" is a graveside dance party with a gorgeous bridge. The foregrounding of
MS' pleasantly petulant vocal does give the record a bit of a musical-theater
feel — particularly when the music swirling around her is as ornate as it is on
the detailed, yet thumping "Fantasy" — but that theatricality matches the
gravity of the lyrics. - M.J.
Jenn Wasner's gorgeous alto sits at the center of her
fuzzed-out duo Wye Oak's guitar maelstrom, and it floats above the distorted
synths of her solo project Flock of Dimes. In Dungeonesse — a collaboration with
Jon Ehrens, a fellow Baltimorean who plays in the band White Life — she lends
her voice to fizzy, frothy pop that has just enough of an R&B influence to
make it really swing. "Wake Me Up" picks apart the building blocks of Quiet
Storm-era love songs and puts them back together in a slightly off-kilter way;
"Anywhere You Are" blips and stutters; "Drive You Crazy" is caffeinated and
dizzy, a love song that mimics romance's rush of blood to the head. - M.J.
