Word: effortfully
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...their first album under this new moniker, was released in 2006. It seemed like a natural progression for them. Though it sounded similar, Islands still managed to get inventive, sampling hip-hop and country. It too was well-received, pleasing anxious fans of The Unicorns. But with their second effort, 2008’s “Arm’s Way,” and, most recently, “Vapours,” Islands seems to be moving away from their roots and toward a simpler future; instead of growing they’ve regressed...
...Moby Dick” later on in the work—a question about the future of the American novel and its past. Yet Lethem offers no discernable answers, and trying to disassemble his pastiche of cultural references isn’t worth half the effort he clearly put into creating it.“Chronic City” prevails as a captivating and enjoyable piece of fiction, but if Lethem intended it to be as meta-analytical and thought-provoking as the glimpses of this material might suggest, he certainly fails to get his point across in any meaningful...
...Mika’s intended portrayal of “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” as a sequel to his debut album. However, the coincidence between the two is excessive, and those hoping for a new edge to Mika’s style in his sophomore effort will be left disappointed...
...songs like “Slow Down Jo” and “The Brakeman, the Sandman and Me” where these formidable indie-folkers combine forces to create nuanced, coherent songs.Ultimately, the fundamental issue with this album is what plagues all super-groups: an effort to evenly distribute the work between several disparate, equally unique voices who do not commonly work together leading to an album that lacks both consistency and coherence. While often engaging for the same reasons that My Morning Jacket, Bright Eyes and M. Ward separately are engaging, the album as a whole falls...
...tradition. The villains of the show, Communist sympathizer Pink Lady Bobbie Sox and nefarious Communist potato Spud Nick, devise a plan to freeze the world. The co-writers are working tirelessly to ensure that “Commie Dearest” is a strong follow up effort. “It’s like if we were producing our second child. It’s different and a new one, but we’re going to love it as much as our first child,” Petri says. “We don’t want...