Perversity
It’s that time again—time to assemble a treasury of many of our favorite releases from the past year or so. Considering how many albums we review on a regular basis and have mailed to us each week, it’s not always easy to keep up with such a relentless schedule of great new releases. But that’s why we have Perversity! As we push forward to the end of 2006, there’s listmaking and list-posting aplenty ahead of us, but as we contemplate our favorite records of the year, we realize we many not have given some great albums the attention that they warrant. In fact, there were quite a few that never made it onto the pages of Treble until now. So with that in mind, we are dedicating the entire week to posting Perversity reviews.
And in the spirit of Perversity, we feel it must be said. Not owning these albums is perverse.
The Rakes – Capture/Release
“The Rakes’ full-length debut is the ultimate example for me of the quintessential ‘Perversity’ album…”
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Oakley Hall – Gypsum Strings
“As I write this review for Oakley Hall’s Gypsum Strings, their second release in less than a year, the band is already prepared to record their fourth overall…”
Ani DiFranco – Carnegie Hall 4.06.02
“In retrospect, there is no one better to address the issues of 9/11 in song than Ani DiFranco…”
Mastodon – Blood Mountain
“Since 2004’s Leviathan, my brother has been raving about Mastodon, about their awesome, brutal power and how they’ve once again made metal exciting…”
Katharine Whalen – Dirty Little Secret
“Oh, to be a former Squirrel Nut Zipper! Alright, maybe it’s not near as lucrative or as high profile (at least in the indie world) as being a former Broken Social Scenester…”
Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor
“With any artist’s overwhelming rise in hype, there will inevitably be backlash…”
Scritti Politti – White Bread Black Beer
“Steven Pinker, in his book The Language Instinct, illustrates the power of words and even syllables through a humorous and revelatory passage using profanity…”
Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope
“Fiona Apple and Tori Amos began their music careers with major label deals, specifically in a time when majors were monolithic powerhouses, MTV still played videos and indie meant lo-fi…”
Malajube – Trompe L’Oeil
“Considering how many Canadian bands have been catching the attention of American music fans and critics in recent years, it’s a wonder there haven’t been more French Canadian bands…”
Dirty Pretty Things – Waterloo to Anywhere
“Due to the overemphasis on celebrity and the obsession this society has on popular culture, there seems to have been an overabundance of retrospectives and `Where are they now’ entertainment news segments…”
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Mystery Jets – Making Dens
“Bobcat Goldthwait made a hilarious and accurate observation about rocker Huey Lewis…”
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Boris – Pink
“Some music is inextricably tied to color, in ways that are hard to explain without the actual listening experience…”
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William Shatner – Has Been
“Shatner. No other name in entertainment carries as much recognition for camp, and that’s including John Waters and every actor associated with his films…”