A “surprise” EP set for official release tomorrow, Got Nuffin is a surprisingly big letdown: the title track is so typically Spoon-ish (driving drums, tapped piano and slapped tambourines, yawn) that it will barely stay in your mind for more than a minute or two, before being replaced by a completely pointless and basically amateurish instrumental stab at grainy dubstep or something (accompanied by a “remix” that’s the same track with someone attempting a “rap” that’s either a sadly terrible idea or a midly offensive joke) and a slight ray of hope, “Stroke Their Brains”, which could maybe pass for a second rate Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga track; that album might’ve been their best, but if this is the kind of thing you’re putting out now Spoon, then please, get your shit together.

4 / 10

Merge Records
June 30, 2009

This new EP may be a bit of a victory lap after last year’s Microcastle/Weird Era Cont., but Deerhunter is not resting on their laurels: clearly using Microcastle as a jumping off point, Rainwater Cassette Exchange presents some of the band’s most accessible offerings yet, all be it with the unique touches that we’ve come to expect from them – like the highly tropical title track and “Game of Diamonds”, and the soaring, channel-flipping freak-out that ends “Circulation”.

8.3 / 10

Kranky
June 9, 2009

Reviver is the new EP from this L.A.-based band in which they take their sound into slower and more dissonant territory than their propulsive, “tropical punk” debut, Skeleton: unfortunately Skeleton wasn’t shockingly unique enough to separate it from the countless other bands attaching new adjectives to the word “punk” these days and this release doesn’t really help – the songs are passable but one hopes that Abe Vigoda manages to produce something more impressive on their next album.

Grade: 6 / 10

PPM
February 17, 2009

Beirut’s newest release is a series of two EPs: the first is a waltzy, brass-driven affair that feels like the mournful soundtrack to a funeral in some Mexican village; Holland demonstrates the true extent to which Zach Condon can stretch his talents, with a collection of bubbly electronic tracks on which he sounds far from uncomfortable.

Grade: 7 / 10

Ba Da Bing Records
February 17, 2009

Bon Iver’s first EP sees Justin Vernon out of his cabin in the woods and accompanied by a band but making similarly soulful and masterfully written tunes (the title track in particular), all be it with a more polished sound and less charm, something we’ll probably all have to get used to unless he decides to take another extended camping trip in the near future.

Kan Iver: On Blood Bank‘s closing track, “Woods”, Vernon utilizes a vocoder to augment his voice. One can’t help but think of Kanye West’s auto-tuned 808 vocals, but Vernon uses his trick inventively, turning his vocals into an instrument on a track that’s technically a capella.

Grade: 7.5 / 10

Jagjaguwar
January 20, 2009

A collection of extras from Kevin Barnes and Co., featuring a so-called “reconstruction” of “An Eluardian Instance” and a remix of “Gallery Piece” (both courtesy of renowned composer/producer Jon Brion), as well as several different permutations of both pieces; nowhere near as satisfying as 2007′s brilliant and essential Icons, Abstract Thee EP, this one is mostly just an entertaining afterthought for those who enjoyed Skeletal Lamping and can’t get enough of of Montreal’s sexy dance-pop.

F.Y.I.: Rumor has it that Jon Brion will also be involved in Kevin Barnes’ next side project, a collaboration with MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden under the name Blikk Fang. Keep an eye out for it this year, as the results will surely be very funky.

Grade: 6.5 / 10

Polyvinyl
January 27, 2009

Passion Pit is a group from Massachussetts that paints warm, magically textured electro-pop from a wide palate of shimmering sounds and lead singer Michael Anelakos’ falsetto, to mixed but incredibly promising results. (Single “Sleepyhead” is one of the best songs of the year.)

Grade: 3.7 / 5

Frenchkiss
September 16, 2008

With thundering guitar and shouted vocals, one might think Crystal Antlers a metal band at first, but their debut EP presents a more diverse and interesting package: impossible to pin down to one specific genre but always soaring and with a touch of psychedelia, particularly on numbers like the epic highlight, “A Thousand Eyes”.

Score: 3.4 / 5

October 7, 2008
Touch & Go Records