Andrew Phelps

05 Feb 2010

The best albums of 2009

As we find ourselves entering a new decade, it might serve us well to first take one last look back at the highlights of 2009, as there are a number of wideranging musical highlights full of genius and innovation worth […]

19 Nov 2009

50 Cent converts into commercialized flop

There’s no denying that in the past decade, rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson III) has evolved from the street-hardened thug who famously declared, “I been hit with a few shells, but I don’t walk with a limp” in “In Da […]

13 Nov 2009

Weezer fails to reconnect with unoriginal sound

If you’ve paid any attention to rock and roll at all over the past decade or so, you should know for a fact that nobody can make being a nerd look cooler than Rivers Cuomo. The paradoxical image of a […]

06 Nov 2009

Julian Casablancas succeeds with first solo album ‘Phrazes for the Young’

It seems like a lifetime ago that the mega-hyped Strokes were reveling in their newly-proclaimed greatness, having rapidly skyrocketed up the buzz-lists of 2001 into stratospheric popularity and acclaim to match. Within a week of their first release, “Is This […]

23 Oct 2009

Raveonettes return impresses fan with icy pop record

“Bang, you’re so vicious baby!” are the first words that greet listeners on the latest LP from the Raveonettes, aptly titled “In and Out of Control.” What follows is the distinct fuzzy feedback and sharp, piercing twang of electric guitar […]

01 Oct 2009

Long-awaited Raekwon sequel delivers

Dormant, anonymous and seemingly forgotten for the better part of the decade, New York rapper Raekwon has returned with his fourth solo album, “Only Built 4 NeCuban Linx… Pt. II”, a follow up to his critically acclaimed 1995 release of […]

24 Sep 2009

Flamboyant artist matures with new album

When London-based singer Mika released his debut album, “Life in Cartoon Motion,” in 2007, it was immediately recognized as a creation never to be equaled, let alone exceeded - a flamboyantly over-the-top celebration of joyousness that would make Lady Gaga […]

18 Sep 2009

Alternative British rock band recapture their sound with 21st century symphony

British Alt-Rock trio Muse have produced a thing of incredible beauty with their latest release, The Resistance. After capturing the public eye way back in 2003 with their third album, Absolution, they found themselves firmly entrenched in the American popular […]

30 Apr 2009

Reviewer shares opinion on worst albums of 2009

Last week, I provided a list of albums that I considered to be the cream of the crop so far in 2009. For my final review of the semester, I thought it would only be fitting (and fun) to look […]

23 Apr 2009

Reviewer highlights top albums of the year

April may seem like an unusual time to compile an annual “Best Of” list, but because the end of the semester is only a few weeks away, I thought it would be a great idea to present a handful of […]