Lancer Spirit Online

Classic Review: Queens of the Stone Age – ‘Songs for the Deaf’ (2002)

Joe Conry, Reporter | February 4, 2016

While the majority of this album is made up of the hard rock/desert rock jams that Queens is best known for, it's the songs where they go offbeat from their normal style that really stand out. The best example of this being the closing track “Mosquito Song”, an eerie folk ballad featuring a multitude of instruments including accordion, brass and string sections, piano, and of course acoustic guitar. Clashing symbols, quivering vocals, and a false ending give “Mosquito Song” an epic feeling unlike any other track on the album.

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Classic Review: Miles Davis – In a Silent Way (1969)

Conor Battles, Editor-in-Chief | November 9, 2015

The early roots of 'Bitches Brew' can be found on 'In a Silent Way,' a mere year's time before the former would be released.

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Classic Review: Aphex Twin – ‘Selected Ambient Works 85-92’ (1992)

Conor Battles, Editor-in-Chief | October 18, 2015

At the heart of 'Selected Ambient Works' is a sense of atmosphere that is unrivaled in electronic music of the era.

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Classic Review – The Microphones: ‘The Glow, Pt. 2’ (2001)

Conor Battles, Editor-in-Chief | September 28, 2015

At once a radical experiment in loud-quiet-loud dynamics and an intensely personal exploration of the self, The Glow, Pt. 2 stands out well over a decade past its release as a landmark in indie music.

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Classic Review 8/5/15: Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven’

Evaluating a post-rock landmark

Conor Battles, Editor in Chief | August 5, 2015

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is perhaps the foremost post-rock band in the roughly two decades the subgenre has existed.

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Classic Review 7/29/15: Sufjan Stevens – ‘Illinois’

Unraveling a nostalgic, beautiful indie opus

Conor Batttles, Editor in Chief | July 29, 2015

A quasi-conceptual album, Stevens weaves a series of unrelated tales centered in or concerning the state of Illinois, telling the story of the region in a way that is entirely unique and wholly refreshing even a decade on after its release.

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