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Vampire Weekend, 'Modern Vampires of the City': Track-by-Track Review
May 08, 2013 11:15 AM EDT Rewind to early 2007 --when Vampire Weekend first popped up on indie rock fans' radar at the end of that year, the idea of a band breaking via blog coverage was still a novel concept. Since then, championing the ever-fickle blogosphere has be ...
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Lady Antebellum, 'Golden': Track-by-Track Review
May 06, 2013 1:35 PM EDT 109 126 1 0 Lady Antebellum rolls out their fourth studio album, "Golden." After striking a heavier tone on their last album, "Own The Night," the Capitol Nashville trio includes several more up tempo numbers on the new set. Led off by ...
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Kenny Chesney, 'Life On A Rock': Artist Track-by-Track Review
April 29, 2013 9:00 AM EDT 334 61 77 0 Kenny Chesney's new album "Life On A Rock" is surely the most personal work he's ever done, and time will likely prove it to be among his best-loved by fans. While it does have its stadium-ready party songs in the title cut ...
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Queensryche, 'Frequency Unknown': Album Review
April 23, 2013 5:00 PM EDT 23 24 0 0 QUEENSRŸCHE "Frequency Unknown" Producer: Jason Slater Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records Release Date: April 23 Since Queensrÿche fired Geoff Tate last June and the band’s internal conflicts came to light, the singer has publi ...
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Snoop Lion, 'Reincarnated': Track-By-Track Review
April 23, 2013 1:22 PM EDT 131 54 0 0 Snoop Lion, formerly known as Snoop Dogg, announced his embracement of the Rastafarian way of life following a visit to Jamaica in 2012. While there he took part in reasoning sessions with Rastafarian elders, among them The Wailers’ sole living ...
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Fall Out Boy, 'Save Rock and Roll': Track-By-Track Review
April 16, 2013 7:00 PM EDT 73 109 4 0 Here's a not-well-kept secret: back in their heyday, Fall Out Boy could stand toe-to-toe with any rock act, not just those corralled into their "pop-punk" sphere. In a very short amount of time, Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Andy Hu ...
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Kid Cudi, 'Indicud': Track-by-Track Review
April 16, 2013 1:17 PM EDT 77 59 4 0 Many were introduced to Kid Cudi as Kanye West’s dedicated hook man. Cudi assisted with writing and vocals on Kanye’s 2008 Auto-Tune detour, "808s & Heartbreak," before signing to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint and releasing "Man ...
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Phoenix, 'Bankrupt!': Track-by-Track Review
April 15, 2013 4:12 PM EDT 61 69 1 0 For their April 2013 Billboard cover story , Phoenix were billed as Coachella's breakout kings. And that they have, though their path to success has proven just how slow and methodical a "breakout" can be. Prior to the release of ...
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James Blake, 'Overgrown': Track-By-Track Review
April 09, 2013 5:15 PM EDT As a 22-year-old in early 2011, James Blake became a cult hero in indie and electronic circles thanks to his eponymous, virtuosic and genre-bending debut album. He was a producer at the bleeding edge of syncopated electronic music who also happene ...
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'Mosquito': Track-By-Track Review
April 09, 2013 1:45 PM EDT 41 28 0 0 In last month's Billboard cover story , Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman Karen O set the record straight -- no one was trying to write a hit on the band's new album. "You can want to do it and you can aim to do it," said the 34-ye ...
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Brad Paisley, 'Wheelhouse': Track-By-Track Review
April 09, 2013 11:45 AM EDT Brad Paisley tackles numerous subjects on his eighth studio album "Wheelhouse." His most controversial album to date, Paisley produced the LP himself and it features hot-button topics ranging from racism, religion, and domestic abuse. La ...
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Paramore, 'Paramore': Track-By-Track Review
April 08, 2013 1:46 PM EDT 104 193 0 0 Nearly four years after the release of their last album and with two fewer members in their lineup, Paramore at last returns with their fourth album, the self-titled "Paramore" (out April 9 via Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic Records). As u ...
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The Band Perry, 'Pioneer': Track-by-Track Review
April 02, 2013 12:45 PM EDT 79 55 3 0 The Band Perry has had the date April 2 circled on their calendar for quite some time. Today marks the release of their long-awaited sophomore project, "Pioneer." Their self-titled Republic Nashville debut, released in October 2010, ha ...
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Tyler, the Creator, 'Wolf': Track-By-Track Review
March 29, 2013 10:48 AM EDT 115 62 2 0 When Tyler, the Creator first emerged as the mouthpiece of Odd Future, his growl was layered. Most people experienced his projects in the reverse order, starting with the audacious "Goblin" (2011), before realizing 2009's "B ...
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Depeche Mode, 'Delta Machine': Track-By-Track Review
March 26, 2013 5:55 PM EDT 142 83 0 0 Fans can count on Depeche Mode -- they've released a new album and embarked on a coinciding tour every four years since 1993. It's that time again, as the long-reigning synth-rock kings are back with a new LP, "Delta Machine,&quo ...
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Blake Shelton, 'Based On A True Story...' Track-by-Track Review
March 26, 2013 1:15 PM EDT 86 47 0 0 Country superstar/"Voice" coach Blake Shelton is all about getting personal on "Based On A True Story…," his seventh studio album to date. "Every song on the album, I've either been through those situations, or I&# ...
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The Strokes, 'Comedown Machine': Track-By-Track Review
March 25, 2013 1:20 PM EDT 37 66 0 0 When the Strokes released "Angles" in 2011, Julian Casablancas and his loyal subjects -- er, band mates -- were officially in comeback mode. The return-to-form LP did what it had to do -- prove the one-time saviors of rock 'n roll ...
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Lil Wayne, 'I Am Not A Human Being II': Track-By-Track Review
March 22, 2013 12:56 PM EDT 82 71 0 0 Lil Wayne's nearly two-decade tenure in rap has been punctuated with moments of audacity that not even the grimiest rappers dare touch. Wayne's led a double life in the game, where one moment he is yearning to penetrate pop territory a ...
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Pink Floyd, 'The Dark Side of the Moon' At 40: Classic Track-By-Track Review
March 16, 2013 1:14 PM EDT 969 173 24 0 A song-by-song journey through Pink Floyd's ambitious psychedelic masterpiece, which was released 40 years ago. "'The Dark Side of the Moon' was an expression of political, philosophical, humanitarian empathy that was desp ...
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Justin Timberlake, 'The 20/20 Experience': Track-By-Track Review
March 12, 2013 11:30 AM EDT 576 188 13 0 When "FutureSex/Lovesounds" was released in September 2006, Justin Timberlake was 25 years old, in a relationship with Cameron Diaz that was about to end, and for all intents and purposes, still a kid trying to prove himself and sus ...
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Evanescence, 'Fallen': Classic Track-By-Track
March 04, 2013 12:20 PM EST 120 84 0 "They threw us out of the office. They said, 'A chick and a piano? Are you kidding? On rock radio?'" According to Wind-up Records president Ed Vetri, that's what a radio programmer said back in 2003 when Wind-up knocked o ...
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David Bowie, 'The Next Day': Track-By-Track Review
February 27, 2013 12:45 AM EST 254 301 0 0 The first single released from David Bowie's first album in 10 years, "Where Are We Now?", is an anomaly. It is gentler, slower and lighter than the other 13 songs on "The Next Day," this musical chameleon's retur ...
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The Postal Service, 'Give Up': Classic Track-By-Track Review
February 19, 2013 2:30 PM EST 11 10 0 0 In 2003, singer-songwriter Ben Gibbard had released three increasingly popular LPs with his alt-rock group Death Cab For Cutie. By the end of the decade, they would become the poster children for crossover-friendly indie rock, and Gibbard's ...
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50 Cent, 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin'' at 10: Classic Track-By-Track Review
February 06, 2013 11:45 AM EST 51 28 0 Ten years ago today, the hip-hop landscape shifted. 50 Cent, a young upstart from Queens, New York, put the rap game in a chokehold with the release of his debut studio album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." The album was an audio snapshot ...
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My Bloody Valentine, 'mbv': Album Review
February 03, 2013 10:30 AM EST 53 11 0 0 My Bloody Valentine mbv (self-released) 21 years. *21 years!* That's how long it's taken My Bloody Valentine to release the follow-up to the brilliant "Loveless," the album that defined 1990s dreampop and cast a towering shad ...
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Tim McGraw, 'Two Lanes of Freedom': Track-By-Track Review
February 01, 2013 4:58 PM EST 62 10 0 Tim McGraw will release his first record on Big Machine, "Two Lanes of Freedom," on Feb. 5. Produced by McGraw and longtime studio partner Byron Gallimore, the album is loaded with the hallmarks of the pair's past successes while ve ...
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Tegan and Sara, 'Heartthrob': Track-By-Track Review
January 29, 2013 11:10 AM EST 35 22 0 TEGAN AND SARA "Heartthrob" Sire/Warner Bros. Release Date: January 29 It takes 10 songs and a little over 36 minutes for Tegan and Sara Quin to redefine their profile within the confines of indie rock music, but "Heartthrob," ...
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A$AP Rocky, 'Long.Live.A$AP' Track-By-Track
January 15, 2013 12:05 PM EST 8 2 0 We live in a post-"good kid, m.A.A.d city" world. Released less than three months ago, Kendrick Lamar 's debut album raised the bar for storytelling in mainstream hip-hop, as K-Dot's "short film" wrapped a narrative arc ...
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Neon Hitch's 'Happy Neon' EP Premiere: Listen To Exclusive Stream
January 14, 2013 1:10 PM EST 1 0 0 Ahead of her forthcoming debut album, U.K. singer-songwriter Neon Hitch has unveiled a new EP, "Happy Neon," launching exclusively on Billboard.com. Stream the six-track release in its entirety below: Produced by Neon Hitch and Happy P ...
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Girls' Generation, 'I Got A Boy': Track-By-Track Review
January 04, 2013 4:00 PM EST Girls' Generation are rightfully one of the acts at the forefront of K-pop's international advancement with their immense popularity in Korea allowing them to spend 2012 focused on other environs, namely Japan and the U.S. Such a long ti ...
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Bruno Mars, 'Unorthodox Jukebox': Track-By-Track Review
December 11, 2012 1:50 PM EST Bruno Mars is extremely talented -- we've known this since he popped up without warning singing the hook on B.o.B 's "Nothin' On You," and fully understood his versatility on his 2010 debut "Doo-Wops & Hooligans.&qu ...
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Hinder, "All American Nightmare"
December 03, 2010 3:57 PM EST Hinder drops its third album, "All American Nightmare," with a chip on its shoulder and a palpable sense of something to prove, given the sophomore sales slump the Oklahoma quintet suffered with 2008's "Take It to the Limit" ...
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Justin Bieber, "My Worlds Acoustic"
December 03, 2010 3:54 PM EST The intent of Justin Bieber 's acoustic album is twofold, according to the star: It's a holiday-timed gift for fans who want to feel closer to their teen idol, but also a response to critics who have panned his sound as overproduced bubble ...
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R. Kelly, "Love Letter"
December 03, 2010 3:51 PM EST "This album is dedicated to the girls who stood beside me," R. Kelly sings in the a cappella introduction to his latest studio album, "and even all the bootleggers that couldn't afford to buy me." A characteristic bon mot fr ...
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Various Artists, "Burlesque: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
December 03, 2010 3:45 PM EST The soundtrack to "Burlesque," Christina Aguilera 's first star vehicle, could be a continuation of her 2006 album "Back to Basics." And why not? It showcased her distinctive flair for the big band style. The soundtrack come ...
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Calle 13, "Entren los Que Quieran"
December 03, 2010 3:39 PM EST By putting an illustration of a bomb on the cover of its latest album, "Entren los Que Quieran," and appearing as terrorists disguised as nuns in a violent video for first single "Calma Pueblo," Calle 13 simultaneously exceeded a ...
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Curren$y, "Pilot Talk II"
December 03, 2010 3:36 PM EST Curren$y releases are relatively low-pressure affairs: with beats comprising cozy synthesizers, the New Orleans rapper's manner is generally good-natured as he rhymes about weed, women and living the good life. While latest release "Pilot ...
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Eric Benét, "Lost in Time"
December 03, 2010 3:30 PM EST Paying homage to the past can be a tricky proposition. Do you risk losing your contemporary footing? Is there still a market for feel-good R&B? Eric Benét skillfully maneuvers the balancing act and delivers a strong set in the process with this ...
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Kanye West, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"
November 30, 2010 1:11 PM EST Fresh off his media-storm-induced hiatus that followed his now-infamous hijacking of Taylor Swift 's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West crashes back onto the scene to steal the spotlight with possibly the best albu ...
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Ke$ha, "Cannibal"
November 30, 2010 12:43 PM EST One thing's for sure: Ke$ha knows the score. "Guess it worked out/Got here by runnin' my mouth," she declares on "Crazy Beautiful Life," one of nine tracks on the follow-up to her No. 1-debuting 2010 album, "Animal ...
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Underoath, " 0 (Disambiguation)"
November 30, 2010 12:19 PM EST The word "Disambiguation"-the title of Underoath 's seventh album-refers to the clarity that occurs after a source of ambiguity is removed. It would be wrong to interpret the title as a jab at departed drummer/co-vocalist Aaron Gilles ...
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Norah Jones, ". . . Featuring"
November 30, 2010 12:09 PM EST Throughout the course of her four studio albums, Norah Jones has honed in on a remarkably well-defined jazz-folk sound; even last year's relatively dark "The Fall" was instantly identifiable as the work of the woman who gave brunch sp ...
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Atomic Tom, "The Moment"
November 30, 2010 12:06 PM EST Atomic Tom scored a hit in the viral video world when the band used its iPhones to perform the song "Take Me Out" on a New York subway car. For its full-length debut, "The Moment," the group fuses electro-pop with classic British ...
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Rascal Flatts, "Nothing Like This"
November 30, 2010 12:02 PM EST Anyone who wondered what affect a label change might have on Rascal Flatts ' particular blend of country and pop: Rest assured, the impact was practically nil. The genre-straddling virtues that have delivered five No. 1 albums and two dozen top ...
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Daft Punk, "Tron: Legacy"
November 29, 2010 5:41 PM EST A-list superstars in their native electronic-music realm, the robot-masked men of France's Daft Punk have established a foothold among more mainstream listeners thanks to glittery disco-house jams like "Around the World," "One Mo ...
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Queensrÿche, "Empire"
November 19, 2010 5:38 PM EST A good musician can play a song's notes well, but a true artist also skillfully navigates the breaths in between. Such holds true for Queensrÿche's approach to its 1990 commercial juggernaut, "Empire." The band treated each song& ...
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The Floacist, "The Floacist Presents Floetic Soul"
November 19, 2010 5:28 PM EST As neo-soul duo Floetry , poet/MC Natalie Stewart and singer Marsha Ambrosius wrote songs for Michael Jackson and Jill Scott . The pair also crafted a distinctive blend of rap/singing artfully laced over soul and hip-hop beats, resulting in hit sing ...
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Violens, "Amoral"
November 19, 2010 5:20 PM EST One could fashion a drinking game of "spot the influence" for Violens ' debut, "Amoral." And be assured that all participants would wind up pretty blotto by the time the album's 12 tracks finish. But be equally assured ...
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Elvis Presley, "Viva Elvis - The Album"
November 15, 2010 12:04 PM EST There are certainly some Elvis Presley aficionados who will choke on their peanut butter and banana sandwiches upon hearing this companion album to Cirque du Soleil 's Las Vegas tribute to the King. The 12 tracks on "Viva Elvis-The Album&q ...
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N.E.R.D., "Nothing"
November 15, 2010 11:58 AM EST While Pharrell Williams ' legacy as one-half of production duo the Neptunes has long been secure, his ventures as the frontman for hip-hop/funk trio N*E*R*D have yielded a challenging, inconsistent output. "Nothing," Williams' fo ...
