A “Codes and Keys” is easily Deathcab for Cutie‘s best album since “Transatlanticism.” “Transatlanticism” featured up-tempo music with melancholy lyrics (The New Year, The Sound of Settling). The followup (and major label debuts) “Plans” and “Narrow Stairs” retained the sadness of the lyrics and combined it with even sadder music. “Codes and Keys” retains none [...]

B- Danger Mouse is clearly a fan of spaghetti westerns. Listening to the two Broken Bells albums, Broken Bells and Meyrin Fields, one can almost visual a Sergio Leone film. Indeed, Rome uses musicians who performed on Ennio Morricone‘s scores (notably The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), a prominent spaghetti western composer. Thus, it’s [...]

A- Amazing to think, but 17 years after Dave Grohl formed Foo Fighters, they’re rocking harder than ever despite the band members being well into their 40s. Wasting Light finds Grohl and his bandmates reuniting with producer Butch Vig (who previously produced their Greatest Hits album [as well as Nirvana's Nevermind]). Everyone is talking about [...]