Best Of | one times one
opinions were like kittens i was giving them away. -modest mouse
there's nothing as something as one. -e. e. cummings

  OTO Rating: 9/10      Is it a coincidence Leaves in the River is released only mere days after the official Autumn Equinox? I doubt it. Like the symphony of crisp autumn leaves drifting into the chilly fall breezes, Sea Wolf echoes deep lyrics that swoon with gentle reflection, introspection and sentimental thoughts. Sea Wolf front [...]

OTO Rating: 9/10       Bishop Allen is so cute it’s sick. Their music leaves you with that warm fuzzy feeling all over. Everything about them, from their on stage presence to their peppy lyrics just makes you want to reach out and hug someone. Having seen them open for one of my favorite bands, the [...]

OTO Rating: 10/10       When I think of The National, I think of the term Tongue-in-Cheek. The subtly mocking lyrics of this New York based band are portrayed in a half serious, half satirical sort of intoxicated imagery. Although this may be true, Matt Berninger is an immensely gifted lyricist, who’s able to conjure up [...]

OTO Rating: 9/10       A lot of bands have been compared to the Beatles over the years (a lot, a lot), but few have deserved the comparison as much as Jim Noir. Tower of Love, the debut full-length from the bowler-clad British tunesmith, collects the finest tracks from his first three EPs into a package [...]

OTO Rating: 9/10       For a long time, Mew have been a collection of almost-rans. After nearly 10 years and 3 space-pop pieces, they still have neither the credibility nor the renown that they deserve. Instead, they’re often pegged as lesser Danish pop, the band critics may applaud but the masses deride. Or rather, would [...]

OTO Rating: 8/10       The Avalanche is not your typical outtakes album. The 76 minutes of left-over material from Sufjan Stevens’ triumphant 2005 Illinois contain no half-finished songs, no in-studio banter and no throw-away tracks. Instead there are 21 polished, fully-realized songs. If it weren’t for the three versions of the original album’s centerpiece, “Chicago”, [...]

OTO Rating: 10/10       Yes, I know what you’re going to say. That a perfect score is ridiculous, that it takes an extraordinary album to get so high a rating, that this is a sophomore album, and we all know how terrible those are, right? You could bring up Irving’s over reliance on musical history, [...]

OTO Rating: 10/10       There’s a reason for the old adage never to date someone in your band. Sure, Sonic Youth and the White Strips (we think) pulled it off, but Fleetwood Mac crumbled under its weight and there’s always been that joke about the Libertines, hasn’t there? Track listing: 01 Peace and Hate 02 [...]

OTO Rating: 10/10       After listening to “Yes, Virginia”, I find myself reaffirming what I already know – the ambiguous duo that form the fascinating and siren-esque Dresden Dolls blows my fragile music-loving mind. Not only are they amazingly talented writers and musicians, they’re some of the most extraordinary live performers I’ve ever encountered, and [...]

OTO Rating: 9/10       Forget all the lukewarm or downright chilly reviews you’ve read of At War With the Mystics, four years later the Flaming Lips still have it and you are going to love this album. Track listing: 01 YeahYeahYeah Song 02 Free Radicals 03 Sound of Failure/It’s Dark…Is it Always This Dark?? 04 [...]