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The National: Trouble Will Find Me
On a superficial level, the National should be relegated to cult status, critically-lauded and beloved by a core audience. Their unflinchingly honest portrayal of 21st Century malaise and despondence, social anxiety and regret should
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Five Years Later: The Best Albums of 2007!!
Five years is an eternity in the life of a record. When coming up with this feature, the question the Spectrum Culture staff pondered was this: “How well do these albums play NOW!” Not
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List Inconsequential: Beautiful Songs About Cities
“New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” by LCD Soundsystem (2007) James Murphy, the brilliant sweatpants-clad schlub behind LCD Soundsystem, seemed an improbable frontman. But for 10 years, this producer and
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Five Years Later: The Best Albums of 2005!!
Five years allows albums to mature like fine wine or be forgotten like a tasty Happy Meal. We learned this lesson last year with our Best of 2004 feature. When coming up with this
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Top 20 Albums of 2010
It has been a great year for music. This Top 20 list reflects the tastes of all the music writers here at Spectrum Culture. We appreciate your support this year and look forward to
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Top 25 Songs of 2010
25. Arcade Fire “Modern Man” [Merge] It’s a lament for the piling up of years; it’s a poem for those of us who fear our own ordinary lives; it’s a lyrical confrontation between ourselves,
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Concert Review: The National
In June of 2007 the National played the Duck Room here in St. Louis, a drafty, windowless, duck-themed basement at this city’s beloved Blueberry Hill burger joint. With its austerely gray atmosphere, it could
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The National: High Violet
The National High Violet Rating: 4.0/5.0 Label: 4AD Perhaps to no one’s surprise, most of High Violet is exceedingly sad. It’s there in Matt Berninger’s worn-down-and-weary baritone and in the drums, strings, keyboards and
Read More »List Inconsequential: Valentine’s Day: Indie’s Greatest Love Songs
It’s almost Valentine’s Day! You know, that holiday manufactured to remind those of us who are in relationships we shouldn’t take the love we have for granted and to rub it in for the
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Rediscover: The National: Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
Rediscover: The National Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers 2003 Though The National’s reputation is usually staked to recent albums Alligator and Boxer, many of the lyrical themes and musical styles that have garnered the
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