Album Review: Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend

Only Good Was Above Us

**** out of *****

The new Vampire Weekend album, Only God Was Above Us, the first in five years, is a "harder" Vampire Weekend album than their others. The music is a little grungier and noisier as the band members enter their 40s. It's still got boppy beats and features organs and choral arrangements, but it's as hard as Vampire Weekend is likely to get. This is a record that finds a band--a trio made up of lead singer and guitarist Ezra Koenig, drummer Chris Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio--once darlings of a youth-driven indie scene, segueing into the throes of middle age, writing about country houses, entrenched societal cruelty, and making peace with it all.

Album Review: Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Lana Del Rey

Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

**** out of *****

I want to start with a disclaimer. I'm largely unfamiliar with Lana Del Rey's catalogue. For some reason, I found Lana Del Rey too zeitgeisty and assumed her music would not be for me. After listening to Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, I have to admit that I was wrong. 

Year In Review 2020 - Favorite Albums of 2020

Here are our all of our favorite albums of 2020. This is the year end review, all in one place.

It starts with our honorable mentions then moves into our top ten albums of the year. There is a short blurb about the album and a song from it, click on the title to read our full review of the selected records. The focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen to all the way through.

It has been a weird year to say the least... 

Thanks for reading.

Year In Review 2020 - Favorite Albums Part 3: The Top 5

Another year is finishing up and @RockBodElec wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE presents 2020's Favorite Albums Part 3: Top Five.

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album, either on this site or elsewhere, we will link to that review and just give a quick summation; click on the name/title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us.

The number ten just works for this, so here is the second part of our top ten, numbers five through one. You can see the back end of our top ten and the albums that just missed as well. Like all of our lists or 'best of's' these are meant to start conversations more than end them...

Album Review: Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple

Fetch The Bolt Cutters

****and1/2 out of *****

It’s hard to say anything that hasn’t already been said about Fiona Apple’s first album in eight years, Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Has an album ever been so perfectly timed, been so prescient, encompassed so perfectly everything about this particular cultural moment? Probably, but I can’t think of one.