Blogcritics Author: David R Perry

Music Review: Giya Kancheli - Little Imber

David R Perry — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 07:22:48 EST

Georgian composer Kancheli two war-inspired vocal works of post-modernist classical music in his latest collection, Little Imber.
Giya Kancheli is a Georgian composer (although currently residing in Belgium) who, at least for the past couple of decades, has found a prominent place within the school of Baltic post-modernists, sharing some stylistic sensibilities with Part, Vasks and Gorecki, while also forging his own distinctive sound. Although certainly no stranger to...

Music Review: Paul van Dyk - Hands On In Between

David R Perry — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:29:27 EST

The companion to Paul's previous album, In Between, receives a solid, if homogeneous, remix treatment.
In Between was, overall, a bit of relief after Paul van Dyk's previous artist album, Reflections. It returned not only to the feel of a mixed-album journey, but also to songs and styles that more suit Paul's own style. Reflections found him reaching too much for turns at pop radio, many of which just fell disappointingly flat. And although In...

Music Review: Andy Yorke - Simple

David R Perry — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:59:56 EST

Former lead singer of Unbelievable Truth delivers his long-awaited debut solo release, full of brooding singer-songwriter fare.
The creation of Simple was several years and one continent removed from Andy Yorke's previous band, Unbelievable Truth. It's a debut solo album forged in quiet retreat with rusty skills. And although the title creates equal urges of attraction and restraint within a writer, it's difficult to avoid in regards to this release. It's...

Music Review: Deadmau5 - Random Album Title

David R Perry — Tue, 4 Nov 2008 08:34:52 EST

The debut from buzz-worthy electronic act Deadmau5 does not disappoint, offering deep prog-house, minimal techno goodness.
It's easy to want to dismiss Deadmau5 as a flash-in-the-pan on the electronic scene. Deadmau5, also known by his human moniker of Joel Zimmerman, has had a fairly quick rise to prominence - with some successful remixes under his belt for the likes of Daft Punk and Hybrid - and his affinity for performing live with an oversized mouse head as a...

Music Review: The Cure - 4:13 Dream

David R Perry — Sun, 2 Nov 2008 23:50:38 EST

A polished new release that almost plays like an "inspired by" record to much of The Cure's older work.
4:13 Dream, the latest release by rock stalwarts The Cure, alternates a bit in style between some of their previous records. At times it is a very Wish-era blend of dreamy shoegazer rock mixed with more upbeat radio-friendly goth-rock. At other times, it hearkens back to much of their earlier work with more of a raw, punk edge that is short and...

DVD Review: Talk Talk - Live At Montreux 1986

David R Perry — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:54:14 EDT

Showing Talk Talk at their peak, this is a rare live performance from a truly original band giving an impressive show.
It's a fortunate thing that this DVD exists. Up until now, we've been limited to audio examples of Talk Talk's excellence as an innovative group unnecessarily burdened with the limiting "80s" tag. Now we have some definitive video proof of their greatness. Recorded during their final tour, Live At Montreux 1986 is what fans...

Music Review: Elbow - Live From London

David R Perry — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:32:49 EDT

Elbow offers up a live EP exclusively for iTunes, mainly consisting of material from their latest record.
Elbow follows up their critically-acclaimed album The Seldom Seen Kid with an exclusive live EP for iTunes, entitled Live From London. The collection consists of eight live cuts and a bonus audience interview session.The setup for the performance leans toward the unplugged side of a full-band setup. The band is all there, accompanied by a small...

DVD Review: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - Season 3

David R Perry — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 01:10:51 EDT

Season 3 finds the Philly crew in rare form, and remains one of the more cleverly written sitcoms in recent memory.
If you like watching people trip on acid, get it on with trannies, try their hand at selling drugs, and whoring themselves out to avoid the mob, all while occasionally impersonating cops...well, let's be honest here, we all like that. Therefore, Season 3 of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is more than likely for you.Trying to explain...

Product Review: NuTouch Case for iPhone 3G

David R Perry — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:30:53 EDT

The NuTouch iPhone 3G case strikes a balance between svelte design and usefulness for nervous iPhone owners and klutzes alike.
The NuTouch iPhone case is a clear, all plastic, full-body case for the iPhone and iPhone 3G. The solid enclosure has cut-outs for all of the major controls and ports, including camera, speaker, dock connection, etc. Although similar to some of the other cases on the market, this particular one is only available through Fommy.com.The screen cover...

Music Review: Sasha - Invol2ver

David R Perry — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:06:50 EDT

Sasha delivers more electronic perfection on his grand follow up to Involver, Invol2ver
It wasn't as if Sasha needed to prove anything when his original Involver release came out. No one was expecting it to be anything but slick, although those who hadn't quite caught the vision of his artist album Airdrawndagger might have been hesitant. But after it released to near-universal acclaim, he suddenly faced the challenge of...