Sounds
Crossing the Rubicon
By Sheena Lyonnais

The Sounds' third album is a visceral assault of Swedish new wave awesomeness. Crossing the Rubicon is easily their biggest and most polished release to date, combining solid hooks with relentlessly relatable stories. Though it's a little less gritty than previous releases, with more of a dance-rock feel, Crossing the Rubicon laces its track with a level of empowerment and hope, especially "Lost In Love," which is ironically very moody yet uplifting. The more rock-driven "Dorchester Hotel" is the standout. Everything about the construction encompasses the best of the Sounds musically and lyrically. The title track is the only song with dual vocals between Maja Ivarsson and Felix Rodriguez, which is a shame because their duals are spooky and intriguing. "Midnight Sun" is a collection of poetically cliché images molded together to create a tidy concoction that combines '80s synth pop with powerful vocals. Despite using words like "fragile" throughout the tracks, Crossing the Rubicon is a solid release, as made apparent through album single "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake." It is the underlying tenderness and mood that really makes this album sparkle. Truly a gem. (Original Signal)
Dying Fetus / The Faceless / Beneath the Massacre / Suffokate / Enfold Darkness
Julian Casablancas
Titan - Colossus
Simian Mobile Disco - Temporary Pleasure
Mikkel Meyer - Bacon
Chef & Ramadanman / Various - Dubstep Allstars Vol. 07
Weapon - Drakonian Paradigm
Satan's Host - Power — Purity — Perfection 999
Five Finger Death Punch - War Is the Answer
50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct
Pink Martini - Splendor In The Grass
Kid Sister - Ultraviolet
J. Dilla / Various - Dillanthology 3: Dilla’s Productions
A Grave With No Name - Mountain Debris
M for Montreal - Fucked Up
M for Montreal - Malajube
M for Montreal - La patère rose
M for Montreal - Parlovr
M for Montreal - DD/MM/YYYY
M for Montreal - Silly Kissers
M for Montreal - Two Hours Traffic
M for Montreal - You Say Party! We Say Die!
M for Montreal - Miracle Fortress
M for Montreal - Final Flash
Brand New / Glassjaw
Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy
Weezer - Raditude
Thee Oh Sees - Dog Poison
Get Back Guinozzi! - Carpet Madness
Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Jan Garbarek Group - Dresden
Barry Romberg’s Random Access - Was, Shall, Why, Because
Exene Cervenka - Somewhere Gone
White Out w/ Jim O'Rourke and Thurston Moore - Senso
Univers Zero - Relaps: Archives 1984-1986
Red Mass - Red Mass
Esprit De Corps - Under Constant Influence
Friends of Friends - Deep Search
Quantec - Cauldron Subsidence
Camouflage - Spice Crackers
Volcano Choir - Unmap
Glorytellers - Atone
Sean Price - Kimbo Price Mixtape
Jessie Farrell - Good, Bad & Pretty Things
The Blue Violets - The Blue Violets
The Racoons - Islomania
Evening Hymns - Spirit Guides
Richard Laviolette and the Oil Spills - All of Your Raw Materials
Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart
Espers - III
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Land of Talk - Fun and Laughter
Evangelista - Prince of Truth
Nirvana - Live at Reading
Oromocto Diamond - Le Choc du Futur
Etaoin Shrdlu - Mating Calls
Kevin Breit & Jesse Stewart - Collisions
Guh - Unearthed
David Mott Quintet - Downtown Runout
Canaille - Potential Things
Various - Plague Language
D-Sisive - Jonestown
Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard - One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Music From Kerouac’s Big Sur
R.E.M. - Live At The Olympia
Various - Jazz & Milk Breaks — Compilation Series Vol.2
Otis Redding - The Best: See & Hear
Royce da 5’9” - Street Hop
Sole and the Skyrider Band - Plastique
Baba Brinkman - Apocalyptic Utopian Dreams in the Western Wilderness
Horses / Prevenge - Horses / Prevenge
Higher Giant - Al’s Moustache
Fred Anderson - 21st Century Chase
Princeton - Cocoon of Love
DJ Spinna / Various - The Boogie Back — Post Disco Club Jams
Sacrifice / E-Force / Maximum RNR / Spewgore
Billy Bragg
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