Top 5 Adds - May 26

Top 5 Adds - May 26

Phoenix
Grizzly Bear
Viva Voce
The Legends
Bike For Three!

Also check out: The Aggrolites, The Church, Dirty Projectors single, Elvis Costello

Josh Reichmann Oracle Band

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Josh Reichmann Oracle Band

Album: Crazy Power

Label: Paper Bag

Genre: Rock, pop

Comments: The onesheet says: "Crazy Power is the culmination of Josh Reichmann's absorbed and mutated influences and ideas to date... Crazy Power is sprawling, ambitious and cohesive yet tied together by sonic themes ranging from nouveau synth and distorted hooks to early funk/soul production and feel. The album references everything from Lennon to Robert Wyatt, Funkadelic, to E-Street Band and Dylan with the warble and strange-sex of T-Rex and outsider glam."

Start with "Shivering Black."

The Che Arthur Three

Add Date: May 26

Artist: The Che Arthur Three

Album: Like Revenge

Label: Past/Futures

Genre: Rock, hard rock, post-punk

Comments: From the promoter: "The Che Arthur Three's Like Revenge is the third album of Arthur's material to see release, but the first in a band format. It forges together the elements of post-punk, classic heavy rock and dark acoustic introspection--already there in his past work--in the most cohesive way a Che Arthur record has done yet. We hate to compare it to anything at all, really, but if we had to, we'd say to think Chavez meets Crazy Horse and they have some drinks with Neurosis while listening to early Sunny Day Real Estate. Not only do Arthur's talents as a writer, guitar player and singer shine through more brightly than ever here, the band interplay brings out new dimensions in his playing."

Elvis Costello

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Elvis Costello

Album: Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Label: Hear Music

Genre: Folk, bluegrass

Comments: That's right: Secret, Profane & Sugarcane is a bluegrass album from Elvis Costello, on the Starbucks imprint Hear Music. But for those who've been following his recent career--which has included a stint on Universal's alt-country branch Lost Highway--that should hardly come as a surprise. Nor should the fact that this style of music really works for Costello. The backing musicians, many of whom will tour with him this summer as The Sugarcanes, are among the best in bluegrass and country. Among the songs are two co-written with T Bone Burnett and one with Loretta Lynn, as well as a pair that Costello had originally penned for Johnny Cash. Very high-quality stuff.

The Aggrolites

Add Date: May 26

Artist: The Aggrolites

Album: The Aggrolites IV

Label: Hellcat/Epitaph

Genre: Reggae, ska

Comments: From the onesheet: "The Aggrolites have taken the world by storm over the past few years with their brand of funky old-school ska and reggae, lovingly representing the classic sounds of '70s Jamaica to a generation that has never heard of Studio One... Aggrolites IV comes on the heels of the band backing Rancid's Tim Armstrong on his debut solo album, and accepting their first appearance at Coachella. Working and touring alongside great songwriters continues to push the band's skills, and Aggrolites IV presents their most accomplished set yet, more soulful settings to feature singer Jesse Wagner's Motown-inflected voice. Aggrolites IV is guaranteed to take the listener on a rhythmic and soulful journey that will get them dancing and keep the fire burning."

Start with "The Sufferer."

Marilyn Manson

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Marilyn Manson

Album: The High End of Low

Label: Interscope

Genre: Rock, industrial

Comments: Yes, THAT Marilyn Manson. He's back with a new record, but the same old gimmicks--song titles like "I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies" and lyrics such as "Everyone will come to my funeral/to make sure that I stay dead," "When I see you in the sun/you're as pretty as a swastika," and many more that won't be printed on this blog. While certainly no less offensive than in his heyday in the mid-'90s, the songwriting here doesn't seem quite as shocking as it was at the time. What's lost in all of this is that, when all is said and done, Manson is a very capable musician.

Anti-Flag

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Anti-Flag

Album: The People or the Gun

Label: SideOneDummy

Genre: Rock, punk

Comments: From the onesheet: "The seventh full-length Anti-Flag release (and first on SideOneDummy) starts off fast and furious with 'Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C. (Sheep in Shepherd's Clothing)' as the band takes aim at those who use the Bible to control the masses, spitting out the lyrics with an urgency that makes [lead singer Justin Sane's] voice crack..."

That's typical fare for Anti-Flag, who will continue to find something to write angry protest songs about even now that George W. Bush is no longer in the White House. The economic bailouts, for instance, get their fair share of attention on The People or the Gun. Anti-Flag are one of those bands that you either love or hate, but for fans of the band, there's plenty here to love. All tracks on the disc in the studio are clean for radio.

Dirty Projectors

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Dirty Projectors

Album: Stillness Is the Move (EP)

Label: Domino

Genre: Rock, experimental

Comments: "Stillness Is the Move" is the first single from the upcoming Dirty Projectors release Bitte Orca, and Domino has kindly sent us this EP so that we may start wagging our tails with excitement about the full-length. It's an excellent song from a band that appears to be hitting its stride, particularly with the vocal efforts of Amber Coffman (pictured on the album cover) and current playlist artist Angel Deradoorian.

The EP features seven tracks, including two B-sides and two remixes of "Stillness," plus an "a cappella" version on which there is instrumental accompaniment. Dirty Projectors founder and spearhead Dave Longstreth is clearly a brilliant musician, but someone should explain to him what "a cappella" means. Really.

That is all. Bitte Orca lands June 9.

Harry Skoler

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Harry Skoler

Album: Two Ones

Label: Soliloquy

Genre: Jazz

Comments: Jazz record featuring Harry Skoler on clarinet, Ed Saindon on vibes/piano, Matt Marvuglio on flute, Barry Smith on bass and Bob Tamagni on drums. "Skoler speaks confidently with a poignantly transparent and vibrant sound," says Chuck Berg of JazzTimes, while UPI's Ken Franckling opines that Two Ones "... has a strong sound grounded in the harmonic interplay between Skoler and vibraphonist Ed Saindon." The first half of the record features the full quintet, while the second half focuses on Skoler and Saindon as a duo.

Axel Wolph

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Axel Wolph

Album: The Weekend Starts on Wednesday

Label: United Indies

Genre: Rock, singer/songwriter

Comments: Decent stuff from the Los Angeles artist; the promoter says that he combines "sunny '60s and '70s guitar pop with strong grunge influences and literate lyrics." Wouldn't you also go to see a movie with a German action star named Axel Wolph? I know I would.

Check out "Deeply Mad (About You)."

Andrew Portz

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Andrew Portz

Album: Blue Lake California

Label: Self-released

Genre: Folk, Alt-country, folk rock

Comments: Pretty standard, but still enjoyable, alt-country from this Pennsylvania artist. Check out "My Broken Heart."

Viva Voce

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Viva Voce

Album: Rose City

Label: Barsuk

Genre: Rock, shoegaze pop

Comments: Viva Voce, from Portland, Ore., by way of Muscle Shoals, Ala., make well-constructed indie rock that sounds like a heavier version of Earlimart, a less garagey rendition of The Raveonettes, or Yo La Tengo's mid-'90s rock songs (think "Tom Courtenay" or "Upside-Down" or even the slower, spacier "Autumn Sweater"). The duo of Kevin and Anita Robinson has been heavily influenced by the likes of The Jesus & Mary Chain--if that's a turn-off for you, what with the flood of bands that consider the seminal '80s shoegaze poppers as forebears, consider that Viva Voce have been doing their thing for quite a while; their first release, Hooray for Now, came out in 1998. Rose City is the followup to the quite impressive 2006 issue Get Yr Blood Sucked Out, and another reminder of just how good the Portland music scene is.

Check out "Devotion," the title track and "Red Letter Day."

Grizzly Bear

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Grizzly Bear

Album: Veckatimest

Label: Warp

Genre: Rock, experimental

Comments: I saw Grizzly Bear in concert when they opened for Feist in Greensboro two summers ago. The well-deserved buzz for The Reminder was just starting to get louder than a whisper--I think NPR was one of its first big champions; for whatever reason, there were definitely a lot of 30- and 40-somethings at the show. So while there were several folks, like me, who had come out to see both acts, Feist was certainly the main draw. Then these four dudes from New York took the stage with their clarinets and their harpsichords and starting playing those gorgeous, yet haunting, songs from Yellow House, covering the Crystals' "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" and just generally making music that would freak out the casual fan who had come out to hear "1234." And, as was to be expected, the early arrivers were initially taken aback. But you know what? They realized that what was happening was pretty special. And they got into it. By the end of their set, I think Grizzly Bear had 500 new fans.

I say all that as a preface to my album review because of this: I think Grizzly Bear is the band that will be drawing Feist-like attention in 2009. While no less ambitious than Yellow House, Veckatimest is a pop record. And a spectacular one at that. Ed Droste, Chris Taylor, Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen have taken their excellent songwriting and musicianship--with their myriad influences that span across at least five decades of pop, rock, jazz, folk and soul--and turned it into something undeniably accessible. Just three records into their career, Grizzly Bear have established themselves as one of the most important bands making modern music. Veckatimest, named after an uninhabited island off the Massachusetts coast, is not only one of the most-ancitipated and best records of 2009; it also validates the buzz that has surrounded this band since Horn of Plenty surfaced back in 2004.

The whole record is phenomenal, but "Two Weeks" is probably the best song, at least from a radio standpoint. Also don't miss opener "Southern Point," "Cheerleader," "While You Wait for the Others" and the quiet piano and harmony vocals of closing number "Foreground."

Bike for Three!

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Bike for Three!

Album: More Heart Than Brains

Label: Anticon

Genre: Hip Hop

Comments: This debut collaboration between legendary Anticon artist Buck 65 and producer Greetings From Tuscan is an impressive album of smart pop and introspective hip hop. The two have never met, living on opposite sides of the pond, but the chemistry between them unfolds in the music. Buck's lyrics are more complex than clever, piecing together images, building scenes and stores. According to the label, he wrote them after he received the raw beats from GFT-- and in any case they work together as his dry vocals lay over the detailed compositions (bells, glitch, crystalline synth) of GFT. For fans of Buck 65, Why?

Go to "All There Is To Say About Love"or "The Departure."

Terrorbird

The Legends

Add Date: May 26

Artist: The Legends

Album: Over and Over

Label: Labrador

Genre: Rock, Pop

Comments: "The Legends is the brainchild of Johan Angergard; Labrador Records founder, Acid House Kings & Club 8 member and all-around pop genius. Angergard has tread through his musical career reflecting on the last four decades of pop. With The Legends' new album, Over and Over, Angergard reaches into the back catalogs of The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine with fuzz-drenched walls of guitar and dissonant vocals, as featured on the piercing 'Seconds Away.' That's not to say there aren't more acoustic-based songs like "Jump," where Angergard's vocals shimmer over delicate acoustic guitars and bells. Fans of contemporary hit makers A Place to Bury Strangers and Crocodiles will be shoe-gazing all night long with The Legends!" -AAM

Very pleasant. Go to "Jump" or "Always the Same."

Adam Franklin

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Adam Franklin

Album: Spent Bullets

Label: Second Motion

Genre: Rock

Comments: Spent Bullets is the sophomore record from Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver, Toshack Highway and Magnetic Morning). Lush, textured and melodic, the songs are tightly constructed but totally relaxed as smudgy electronics and guitar mix with Franklin's subdued vocals. Go to "Champs" or "Two Dollar Dress."

AAM

The Church

Add Date: May 26

Artist: The Church

Album: Untitled #23

Label: Second Motion

Genre: Rock, Pop

Comments: Legendary Australian group The Church make hazy, melodic, dark psych-pop soundscapes with surprisingly warm vocals. I would recommend the emotive, declarative "Anchorage" or the more upbeat, shining "Pangaea"(which sounds to me like Cotton Jones crossed with Wilco).

AAM

Love in October

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Love in October

Album: Love in October (EP)

Label: Musik Group

Genre: Pop, Indie Pop-Rock

Comments: Billed as "an amalgamation of sounds, styles, and languages that is the result of a childhood spent dreaming in Swedish pop and innocence," Love in October makes an ABBA/disco dance indie-rock jamboree. It seems like the childishness (or childhood influence) ends up detracting from the music to some extent. Take "Like Nothing Ever Happened." Do we really need another song about werewolves?

Check out the fun, upbeat "Soft Errors," which sounds like Postal Service mixed with Bloc Party on happy pills.

Planetary

Middle Class Rut

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Middle Class Rut

Album: 25 Years EP

Label: Bright Antenna

Genre: Rock, Garage Rock

Comments: Just back from their second UK tour supporting ...Trail of Dead, Middle Class Rut (also called MC Rut) is a two-piece out of Sacramento who make some intense garage "wall-of-sound" rock that brings to mind Jane's Addiction, My Bloody Valentine or Rage Against the Machine. One critic vividly described them as follows: "Guitars that squall and claw like Siamese cats in a cauldron or pitch, rhythms so sawn-off and blunt our cochleas have splinters... Exhilarating, like running naked through a bee storm." I don't know if I'd go that far, especially when the EP has a totally accessible, radio-ready number like "I Guess You Could Say."

Spectre

Delby L

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Delby L

Album: Nine Skies

Label: Fake Four Inc.

Genre: Rock

Comments: Made up of two guitars, three voices, drums, and sometimes a trumpet, Denver group Delby L makes sometimes noisy, sometimes catchy melodic rock. While the music gets flat at moments, there are other times when Jeff Eliassen (collaborator with Ariel Pink, R. Stevie Moore) Dave Devine, and Brian Lenherr seem like they could be on to something. For fans of Pinback, Explosions in the Sky, and Jeff Buckley.

Check out the "la la dee da da das" on "Grampa's Old Favorite."

Terrorbird

Deastro

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Deastro

Album: Moondagger

Label: Ghostly International

Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Synth Pop

Comments: "When Randolph Chabot, the 22-year-old auteur behind Deastro is asked about the title of his new album, he recounts a dream about a prince, a kingdom, an evil King of Darkness, and a search for the mythical 'Moondagger,' the bearer of which wields the ultimate power. ... Thankfully the mercurial, prolific Chabot still seems blissfully unaware of his music's genreless-ness. Thick, atmospheric production obscures bright, starry-eyed melodies; ecstatic synth squiggles dance around new-wave beats on songs about Nordics, toxic crusaders, and geometric shapes; arrangement ideas bounce off one another with ambitious song structures that swerve left, then right, then left again."

Joyful electro-pop/indie-rock with a sort-of '80s vibe. For fans of Panda Bear, M83 and U2?
Listen to "Daniel Johnston Was Stabbed in the Heart with the Moondagger by the King of Darkness and His Ghost Is Writing This Song as a Warning to All of Us" or "Kurgan Wave Number One."

Howling Bells

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Howling Bells

Album: Radio Wars sampler

Label: Nettwerk

Genre: Rock

Comments: This Australian band is opening for Coldplay on its current North American stadium tour, as is noted in a rather large font on the back of the CD case. Yet another act culling influences from Joy Division and The Cure, but Howling Bells do it well--and Juanita Stein's vocals set them apart. All three tracks on this sampler EP are solid.

Phoenix

Add Date: May 26

Artist: Phoenix

Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Label: Glassnote

Genre: Rock, pop

Comments: There's a good chance that you've already heard the first two tracks from this record, "Lisztomania" and "1901," which have been available on the web for quite a while now. Not to mention the fact that Phoenix performed them on "Saturday Night Live" almost two months ago, teasing fans in anticipation of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. There are even several remixes floating around. While those two songs are admittedly spectacular, that's still an awful lot of hype and buildup for the whole album to live up to.

Fortunately, the record doesn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the band's previous effort, the 2006 issue It's Never Been Like That, but that record peaks midway through after a brilliant first half. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix dares you to turn it off, soaring from those two opening masterpieces--not to discount a very good third track, "Fences"--through the quieter, Air-inspired two-part "Love Like a Sunset," into two more pop gems in "Lasso" and "Countdown," and finally through two more upbeat, guitar-driven selections to close the set.

This is what a 21st-century pop-rock record should sound like, blending guitars, synthesizers, great drum beats, inspired songwriting and the polished vocals of lead singer Thomas Mars. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is the band's fifth LP, and they've clearly reached the pinnacle. It's only May, but this album is guaranteed a spot at or near the top of my year-end Top 10 list.

Top 5 Adds - May 19

Top 5 Adds - May 19

Magik Markers
Liechtenstein
Apostle of Hustle
Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard
Tereu Tereu

Also check out: The Field, Jarvis Cocker, The Juan Maclean, Meat Puppets, NOFX, Passion Pit, Zee Avi

The Field

Add Date: May 19

Artist: The Field

Album: Yesterday and Today

Label: Kompakt/Anti-

Genre: Electronica, ambient

Comments: From the onesheet: "The Field is Axel Willner, and his last album, From Here We Go Sublime, was one of the most acclaimed releases of 2007, receiving a 9.0 on Pitchfork and universal praise. It was a soundtrack to the spit-shined airport of your dreams--faceless, futuristic, and fuzzy. You could dance to it, sleep to it, or daydream to it: it's a versatile little album... On the new album, Willner expands his palette, continuing the oblique sampling of From Here We Go Sublime while building up the rhythmic architecture; on the title track, Willner collaborates for the first time with Battles drummer John Stanier..."

This is wonderful and truly beautiful ambient electronic music from Willner, who's also a highly sought-after remixer, but it's also definitely a commitment from a radio standpoint. (The tracks range from 7 to 16 minutes in length.) Carve out some extra time to spin "Everybody's Got to Learn," "I Have the Moon, You Have the Internet" or the aforementioned title track, and you won't be disappointed.

Passion Pit

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Passion Pit

Album: Manners

Label: Frenchkiss

Genre: Rock, synth pop

Comments: Super-happy synth, beats taken straight from '80s pop (and funk), and a lead singer who sings only in falsetto. Sounds like it should be a recipe for disaster. The thing is, though, it's just so damn catchy that I really can't say anything bad about the album. Passion Pit sails into very dangerous waters in combining so many dangerous elements, but they do it so well that we're all the better for it.

Gallows

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Gallows

Album: Grey Britain

Label: Warner Bros.

Genre: Rock, Punk, Hardcore

Comments: British bands respond to the failings of modern culture in many different ways. The Arctic Monkeys simply sit back and observe, Bloc Party gets introspective, and Gallows, well, Gallows gets angry. Even though most of the album is DNP, the songs which are lucky enough to slip through are all good enough for radio play, especially if you are in the mood for some aggressive guitars, rapid drums, and screamed lyrics (higher pitched, not growled like some bands), check them out.

The Features

Add Date: May 19

Artist: The Features

Album: Some Kind of Salvation

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock, Power pop

Comments: These four Tennesseans just can't seem to find a break. A great first album, followed by touring with big names such as Kings of Leon and The Walkmen, and they still can't get signed to a record label. It doesn't make sense; there's too much talent here. They play an infectious blend of Southern rock-and-roll and power pop, and they do it really well. It looks like yet another case of an American band being much more popular in the UK than in the States.

NOFX

Add Date: May 19

Artist: NOFX

Album: Coaster

Label: Fat Wreck Chords

Genre: Rock, Punk

Comments: The nice thing about NOFX is you know exactly what you are getting: straightforward, vulgar, fun punk rock. Is it formulaic? Probably, but it's been working since 1983, so I won't ask them to change. The fourth song, "My Orphan Year," really sticks out, though, as lead singer Fat Mike is, for one of the rare times, honest and vulnerable.

Polly Scattergood

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Polly Scattergood

Album: Polly Scattergood

Label: Mute

Genre: Rock, synth pop

Comments: If I had only one word to review this album with, I would probably go with "dark." Polly's singing is barely even singing at all, and constantly teeters over the line into a simple, high-pitched whisper. Backed up by sad pianos and electronic accompaniment devoid of hope, and it's a very bleak record. There are certain flashes when the music picks up, she starts singing louder, and everything turns for the better. Sadly, these flashes are too few and far between.

Tereu Tereu

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Tereu Tereu

Album: All That Keeps Us Together

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock, indie rock

Comments: From the promoter: "Beginning in 2006 in Fredericksburg, VA, a noisy two-piece called The Reformation took shape: Ryan Little brought Ross Marshall a few songs, Ross added a few unusual rhythms, and the two of them played music much too fast. It was catchy and ridiculous. Over time, the band expanded in scope and adopted the moniker Tereu Tereu... The band now plays disjointed pop music, mixing elements of DC post-punk with classy pop melodies. They run ear-pleasing hooks through oddball time signatures and punctuate their songs with feedback-laden freak outs. The result is adventurous but accessible."

For fans of Ra Ra Riot and Maritime (both of which Tereu Tereu has toured with), as well as Q and Not U and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Start with the title track.

Meat Puppets

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Meat Puppets

Album: Sewn Together

Label: Megaforce/Sony

Genre: Rock, post-hardcore, folk rock

Comments: Twenty-five years after recording one of the most significant and influential rock albums of the 1980s, Meat Puppets II, these veterans of the underground (and, for a brief period in the early '90s, mainstream) music scene are still alive and kicking--and still experimenting with their sound. Sewn Together is another solid effort from the Brothers Kirkwood, part rock, part post-hardcore, part grunge, and part country. Spin "Rotten Shame" and the title track, and also check out the folk-infused "Love Mountain" and "I'm Not You."

Liechtenstein

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Liechtenstein

Album: Survival Strategies in a Modern World

Label: Slumberland

Genre: Rock, indie pop

Comments: From Wikipedia: "The Principality of Liechtenstein is a landlocked alpine microstate in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and by Austria to the east... Liechtenstein is the smallest German-speaking country in the world. It is a constitutional monarchy divided into 11 municipalities. Its capital is Vaduz."

The other Liechtenstein is a trio of three Swedish ladies. They are bordered by neither Switzerland nor Austria. They do not sing in German. They are not, to my knowledge, divided into 11 municipalities. Nor is their capital Vaduz. But they have produced a stunning LP en miniature, 23 minutes of indie pop bliss that leaves them comfortably at home among their U.S. labelmates The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, current playlist twee-poppers Dreamdate and 2008 sensation Vivian Girls. Check out "Roses in the Park" or any of the first three tracks.

Jarvis Cocker

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Jarvis Cocker

Album: Further Complications

Label: Rough Trade

Genre: Rock

Comments: Though finally breaking through in their native UK in the mid-'90s, Jarvis Cocker's Pulp lost out to Radiohead, Blur and Oasis in the battle for American airplay and popularity. Is there a limit to the number of British bands that can be popular in the U.S. at any given time? Regardless, one of the UK's wittiest, most consistent and yet unforgivingly eccentric rock songwriters is back with his second solo record, and again he's produced something deserving of our attention. Further Complications is less Brit-pop (not that Pulp ever really fit that mold) and more rock--Steve Albini produced the record--but all with Cocker's distinctive style. His lyrical prowess is on full display on "I Never Said I Was Deep" and "Leftovers"; the title track and "Angela" are great rock songs; and don't miss out on the soul-infused album closer "You're in My Eyes (Discosong)."

Zee Avi

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Zee Avi

Album: Zee Avi

Label: Brushfire/Monotone

Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Acoustic

Comments: The absolutely darling 23-year-old Zee Avi, formerly known as KokoKaina, is a Malaysian singer-songwriter who was discovered after years of relentless MySpace postings. Now she's signed to Brushfire records (the home of Jack Johnson, Rogue Wave and Mason Jennings) and her sound fits in perfectly there. This, her debut, is also on Monotone (which manages the likes of The Shins, White Stripes, M.I.A. and Vampire Weekend), meaning that someone thinks she is going to be a hit. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. Her voice is warm, and the whole thing sounds like something I wouldn't be embarrassed to listen to on a family road trip. Very likable and radio ready--something like Regina Spektor.

Listen to "Bitter Heart."

Diamond Watch Wrists

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Diamond Watch Wrists

Album: Ice Capped at Both Ends

Label: Warp

Genre: Defies classification

Comments: Diamond Watch Wrist is the duo comprised of Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73) and drummer Zach Hill. Together they make something that is very difficult to describe. While similar in some surface ways to to the feel of something like Black Moth Super Rainbow, DWW has some other weird elements thrown in the mix. While Herren has described the songs on Ice Capped at Both Ends as being "simple songs about everyday things," the complexity of the music makes it seem like they must be about something more. Alternating between brooding and uplifting, DWW creates electro-acoustic music that is murky and atmospheric.

Maybe something like Yeasayer, Animal Collective, Black Moth Super Rainbow, or Prefuse 73. Listen to "Dot Org Green Consumer."

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Black Moth Super Rainbow

Album: Eating Us

Label: Graveface

Genre: Rock, Psych rock

Comments: "Black Moth Super Rainbow sound like a technicolor acid trip gone slightly haywire... On Eating Us the merry cryptic band has added some new flavors to their already well-established rainbow of sounds, with even more dense layers of lushly complex orchestration, intensely rhythmic drumming from a live, human drummer, vocader vocals that are anything but robotic, and thick, undulating bass tones. " -Terrorbird

Super-psych ambiance that will please fans of Caribou, Do Make Say Think or The Flaming Lips.
Check out "Twin of Myself"' or "Tooth Decay."

Tin Star Orphans

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Tin Star Orphans

Album: Yonder

Label: Sparks

Genre: Rock, roots rock

Comments: Tin Star Orphans, formerly known as Yonder, feature string and horn sections, pedal steel, banjo, harmonium, musical saw, and sometimes weird crooning. I think it is those vocals that throw me off--while there are plenty of atypical singers I enjoy (Bob Dylan, Okkervil River, or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah for instance), Zachary Bennett's are really something else. (Though I'll have to admit that with three listens through, he's starting to sound better.)

Check out "Chinese New Year/You Got It" for their reworking of the Tom Petty/Roy Orbison number.

The Paper Chase

Add Date: May 19

Artist: The Paper Chase

Album: Someday This Could All Be Yours

Label: Kill Rock Stars

Genre: Rock

Comments: This series of 10 songs about different natural disasters (like forest fire, epidemic, mass hysteria, a comet, lightning, and tornadoes) is pretty abrasive to listen to. Disharmonious and sinister, chaos and violence ooze from Someday This Could All Be Yours. If that's your thing, listen to "Your Money or Your Life."

The JMC Project

Add Date: May 19

Artist: The JMC Project

Album: Making a Statement

Label: Self-released

Genre: Hip-Hop, Jazz

Comments: "For their debut album, the JMC has opted to entice its audience with a good dose of nu-jazz, a hint of soul, a dash of hip-hop and some saxual brass. Out to make a statement, the JMC's motto is to be groovy and they do a bang-up job.... Making a Statement is also a critique of important global issues." -Powderfinger

Jeff Who?

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Jeff Who?

Album: Jeff Who?

Label: Smekkleysa

Genre: Rock, Pop

Comments: "Jeff Who? is a five piece disco rock band from Reykjavik, Iceland known for their catchy tunes and classic good looks. Their sophisticated modern sound, influenced by '70s rock and '80s pop, paved their way into Iceland's music scene. Their self-titled album is their second release. With punchier beats and string arrangements from Anton Patzner of Bright Eyes fame, their sound is bigger and edgier than before." -Planetary

Go to "The Great Escape" for a very pop number that sounds something like a more disco version of The Killers.

Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard

Album: 'Em Are I

Label: Rough Trade

Genre: Rock, folk, indie rock

Comments: In addition to touring with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and The Mountain Goats, native New Yorker Jeffrey Lewis has artistic and literary projects all over the map (including an illustrated rhyming history of Communism and an Obama bio), but he somehow found time to record this album last year. 'Em Are I (Jeff's fifth full-length for Rough Trade) is a lo-fi work of real songsmithery. Take, for instance, the instantly agreeable "Roll Bus Roll," which sings about a rolled sweatshirt making the window "soft." Set to pop ditties, Jeff's lyrics on daily comedies and tragedies are touching in their ordinariness, and poetic in their understatement.

For fans of Silver Jews, Herman Dune, Belle & Sebastian, Magnetic Fields, or Kimya Dawson.
Listen to "Broken Broken Broken Heart," "To Be Objectified" or the broken-marriage narrative "The Upside-Down Cross."

Beggars Group

Almost Charlie

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Almost Charlie

Album: The Plural of Yes

Label: Words On Music

Genre: Rock, Pop, Indie Pop

Comments: "Almost Charlie was formed in the summer of 2003, when singer-guitarist Dirk Homuth of Berlin answered an internet ad from NYC lyricist Charlie Mason, who was searching for a composer. The result is a transatlantic songwriting duo who, to this day still have not met in person. The Plural of Yes, the sophomore full-length from Almost Charlie, reveals Homuth's ability at crafting timeless pop, distilling years of AM-radio splendor, from Bacharach to The Beatles into 13 indie-pop gems."

This music is fragile and pleasant, has an element of self-doubt and reminds me of Crowded House. Go to "The Monster and Frankenstein" or "In Another Life."

AAM

Naomi Greenwald

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Naomi Greenwald

Album: Naomi Greenwald (EP)

Label: Self-released

Genre: Folk

Comments: Though she grew up listening to '70s rock, folk and bluegrass, Naomi Greenwald became interested in indie rock when she heard The Shins. Melancholy, sometimes breathy vocals mix with seemingly upbeat folk/indie rock music on her debut self-titled EP.

Listen to "Lonesome."

The Juan Maclean

Add Date: May 19

Artist: The Juan Maclean

Album: The Future Will Come

Label: DFA

Genre: Electronica, Club

Comments: The Future Will Come is the sophomore album from The Juan Maclean-- the work of Juan Maclean and Nancy Whang (of LCD Soundsystem). The LCD Soundsystem sound is definitely present throughout, but this is much more an album of club numbers than Soundsystem's Sound of Silver, which, at least for me, was a little disappointing. (Though I think the problem is that I'm listening to it sitting at my laptop in my room, and not in a club.)

Fans of Hot Chip, Hercules and Love Affair, Junior Boys and The Field--put your dancing shoes on and listen to the exuberant musical sagas that are "The Simple Life" or "Happy House."

AAM

Magik Markers

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Magik Markers

Album: Balf Quarry

Label: Drag City

Genre: Rock, Punk

Comments: On their Drag City debut, Balf Quarry, Magik Markers dish out fuzzed-out, experimental, "psychedelic noise rock" (which sounds like dirty old garage punk/psychobilly). The music works, and distinguishes itself through the band's attention to songcraft and lyricism which keeps things not just noisy, but actually interesting.

If the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have gotten too softcore for you, you are a fan of Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground or The Cramps, or you you want something to think about lying in bed in the dark, check out the Magik Markers.

Start with "Don't Talk in Your Sleep" or "7/23," unless you want a real crashing one, in which case you should go to "The Lighter Side of Hippies."

AAM

Apostle of Hustle

Add Date: May 19

Artist: Apostle of Hustle

Album: Eats Darkness

Label: Arts & Crafts

Genre: Rock, indie rock, pop

Comments: Another fine pop record from Apostle of Hustle, the band fronted by Broken Social Scene guitarist Andrew Whiteman. When comparing this project to BSS, I always go back to the You Forgot It in People tune "Looks Just Like the Sun," on which Whiteman sings. Pitchfork claims that Whiteman "is not an apostle, he's a hustler of... breezy, bouncy pop, with all of his more famous band's overlapping propulsion, but little of its chaotic bliss." In other words, Apostle of Hustle sound like a stripped-down, indie pop version of Broken Social Scene. And it really works.

Check out "Blackberry," "Soul Unwind" and "Xerxes."

Best of the Week - May 12

BEST OF THE WEEK - May 12

Loxsly
The Wooden Birds
The High Strung
American Folklore
Hopewell

Also check out: Bricolage, Clues, Deradoorian, Ear Pwr, Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Iron & Wine

Album: Around the Well

Label: Sub Pop

Genre: Folk

Comments: A collection of rarities, previously unreleased songs, covers and more from Iron & Wine. There's a lot more good stuff here than your typical B-sides collection--and there's a lot more stuff here, period, as this is a two-CD, 23-song set. The covers include the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights," New Order's "Love Vigilantes" and a nice version of The Flaming Lips' "Waitin' for a Superman." If you like Sam Beam's work, you'll find your own favorites here, but I liked "Morning" and "Kingdom of the Animals."

As a footnote, Iron & Wine plan to release an album of new material next spring.

The Urgency

Add Date: May 12

Artist: The Urgency

Album: The Urgency

Label: Mercury

Genre: Rock

Comments: The promoter says: "They are not some jam band or an indie-rock group. They are not part of some hot music 'scene'. The Urgency's music, far from pretentious or willfully convoluted, takes a fair amount of its influence and energy from post-hardcore bands such as At The Drive-In and Glassjaw, as well as groove-oriented groups like 311. Though diverse, the songs on The Urgency's debut remain consistently powerful and intensely memorable."

Children

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Children

Album: Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World

Label: Kemado

Genre: Rock, metal

Comments: From the promoter: "New York City's Children are about to deliver an electric shock to the world of contemporary metal. Their debut, Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World, ripples with speed, precision, and a visceral intensity that is seldom seen in any genre of music these days... Produced by Joe Blaney (The Clash), Children's debut album was recorded entirely analog for a thick, vintage feel... The six massive tracks that comprise HTHATEOFW feature intricate, narrative dual guitar work and a frenzied, wired demeanor."

I'm no metal aficionado, but this sounds like it's really well done. What I can do is vouch for their record label, Kemado, which puts out fine music by the likes of Dungen and Marissa Nadler, among others. The promoter's recommended tracks are "Advanced Mind Control," "Hard Times Hangin'" and "Subterranean Cities."

Ear Pwr

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Ear Pwr

Album: Super Animal Brothers III

Label: Carpark

Genre: Electronica, electropop

Comments: The Baltimore music scene strikes again! Ear Pwr provides us with another fun electronic record that lies somewhere between Adventure's eponymous debut and Dan Deacon's Spiderman of the Rings (also Carpark releases). Sarah Reynolds' half-rap, half-singing vocals fit perfectly with Devin Booze's electronics; evidently, Booze recently finished writing a computer program for the Moog, which was used to record Super Animal Brothers III. You can't not enjoy this music. Start with the title track.

Deradoorian

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Deradoorian

Album: Mind Raft EP

Label: Lovepump United

Genre: Rock, soul, blues

Comments: Mind Raft is the solo debut EP from Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors. Says the record label: "The Mind Raft EP is astonishingly mature, dark, beautiful, and unexpected--if only because [it] seems to have tapped into something far older and wiser than Angel Deradoorian's 22 years would suggest. Whether it's the guitar, bass flute, or her stunning voice, Angel's musical proficiency is boundless. This is as promising as a debut can get."

I, too, am struck by Deradoorian's voice, which you can hear on Dirty Projectors' tracks, but her vocals really drive this EP. Very, very soulful, with strong hints of jazz and blues influences. Check out "High Road" and "You Carry the Deed."

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens

Album: What Have You Done, My Brother?

Label: Daptone

Genre: Gospel, Soul

Comments: The talented Naomi Shelton blends a lifetime of experience in both gospel and soul on this full-length debut. Inspired by the voices of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Lou Rawls, Naomi moved to Brooklyn in 1963 and began performing regularly with a number of clubs. After many years, the right combination of energy and musicians came together to make this lovely, hopeful album that sounds just like the real thing.

The Cliks

Add Date: May 12

Artist: The Cliks

Album: Dirty King

Label: Tommy Boy

Genre: Rock, Alternative

Comments: Toronto-area band The Cliks probably get a little too much attention focused on the fact that the lead singer, Lucas Silveira, is transsexual. What seems to get lost is that the music is actually pretty good. This album reminds me a lot of Sparta, which isn't a bad thing at all. The music is heavy, the vocals high, and everything is kept at a thoughtful speed.

Bricolage

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Bricolage

Album: Bricolage

Label: Slumberland

Genre: Rock, Pop

Comments: Scotland has a really efficient music scene. The cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh are not nearly as large as many musical centers, but they just keep churning out good bands. Bricolage comes from that scene. I like to think of them as the Kaiser Chiefs of Scotland--not because they sound like they are trying to copy Kaiser Chiefs, but because they both go back to the same source material, and they seem to be focused more on fun than on making some grand statement.

The Curious Mystery

Add Date: May 12

Artist: The Curious Mystery

Album: Rotting Slowly

Label: K

Genre: Rock

Comments: The Curious Mystery's Rotting Slowly is a vast album. They play a blend of psychedelic rock and jazz, but it sounds like it comes from 50 miles away. Each song seems to linger on one idea, then all of a sudden shifts to some other place. It's interesting, but the middle of the album tends to blend together.

Red Collar

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Red Collar

Album: Pilgrim

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock

Comments: North Carolinian quartet Red Collar is a throwback to a more naive time of rock. It was a time when masculine emotion (think Bruce Springsteen) was alright, when you could expect fans to yell along with the chorus, and maybe yell along with the backup vocals too. The sounds are big, and the songs find themselves most comfortable around 4:30. Even with all of this big-ness, there is still room for introspective an heartfelt lyrics and high, delicate guitar work.

Kasabian

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Kasabian

Album: West Ryder Sampler

Label: RCA

Genre: Rock, Britpop

Comments: Ever wonder what happened to Britpop? Like, good-ole Blur and Verve-style Britpop? Well, Kasabian is still playing it, even adding in some more violins and electronic influences than the mid-'90s had because, well, that's just what people do today. They were also nice enough to include their 2004 single "Club Foot," which has become much more famous in time than it ever was in 2004. Trust me, you've heard it, even if you didn't know the name.

Loxsly

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Loxsly

Album: Tomorrow's Fossils

Label: Little Mafia

Genre: Rock, Pop

Comments: "Loxsly has been a staple of the Austin scene for years now, but with last summer's magnificent Flashlights EP, the band flashed a promise that they had only hinted at before. Helmed by Cody Ground, the quintet unloads smooth guitar and keys rhythms with the subtle force of Wilco and Death Cab for Cutie. Ground lets his songs linger with an oblique poeticism that is carefully crafted, a catchy melodicism behind his slightly scratchy, Tweedy-esque vocals that nonetheless remains alluringly elusive. " -Austin Sound

The group's influences include Wilco, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, The Flaming Lips, Deerhoof and Neil Young--and Loxsly ends up sounding a little like a weirder Spoon or Department of Eagles with really interesting lyrics.

I'd recommend "Battalions" or "As the Constellation's Arms Uncurled."

Team Clermont

Márcio Local

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Márcio Local

Album: Says Don Day Don Dree Don Don

Label: Luaka Bop

Genre: World, Samba

Comments: On this mouthful of an album, Local gives us his dancey Afro-Brazilian fusion of roots, samba, soul, reggae and "baile funk." Upbeat and energetic.

Team Clermont

Operation Aloha

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Operation Aloha

Album: Operation Aloha

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock

Comments: When this arrived in the studio, Jeremy and I had a little laugh about all the "supergroups" popping up. This one features members of Gomez, Phantom Planet and Maroon 5, "among other musicians." Apparently the whole bunch of them (14 in all) ran off to Hawaii for a month and came up with this album, finding inspiration from blues-rock and Hawaiian folk music. While there are some pretty grating tracks, others turn out to be rather pleasant. I'd go to "Failure" or "Rain."

Syndicate

The Medium

Add Date: May 12

Artist: The Medium

Album: The Roaring Twenties

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock

Comments: The Roaring Twenties is the full-length debut for The Medium, a group of New Jersey rockers. Strong, demanding vocals and lots of guitar with driving riffs make for an arena-rock sound. Fans of the Kaiser Chiefs may want to check this out.

Go to "I Hear Thunder."

Popup

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Popup

Album: A Time & A Place

Label: Team Love

Genre: Rock

Comments: "Glasgow's very own Popup present a moody collection of songs on their North American release. A Time & A Place teems with pure chaos and unbridled melody. Lead singer Damien Gilhooly's distinctive Scottish accent and sharp songwriting add a unique touch to stand out tracks like 'The First Weekend of the Smoking Ban' and 'Pull the Fuse.' Fans of fellow Scottish rockers The Delgados and Arab Strap will find much to love in Popup's punk harmonizing. Popup is distinctively Glaswegian rock and roll that earnestly spins tales of sharing cigarettes and uttering bad pick-up lines. Fans of Frightened Rabbit, Idlewild and The Dodos will find something to love with A Time & A Place." -AAM

A must-listen for all those folks who like Frightened Rabbit. Go to "The First Weekend of the Smoking Ban," or "Pull the Fuse" for a heavier number.

The Poison Arrows

Add Date: May 12

Artist: The Poison Arrows

Album: First Class, And Forever

Label: File 13

Genre: Rock

Comments: "The Poison Arrows' new album First Class, And Forever, has something for everyone: synthesizers, post-rock guitars, melodic bass lines and anthemic choruses. Led by former Atombombpocketknife rocker Justin Sinkovich and Don Caballero bassist Patrick Morris, The Poison Arrows have created one of the finest rock albums so far this year. First Class, And Forever packs enough hooks and melodies for any pop purist while Sinkovich's angular guitar tears through post-punk riffs. "Total Beverage" takes the menacing rhythm section and places above anarchic guitar and synth. First Class, And Forever is steeped in the rich indie rock history of Chicago that fans of The Jesus Lizard, Obits & Young Widows are sure to enjoy." -AAM

Go to "Casual Wave" or "Fire Up the Happiness Center."

Hopewell

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Hopewell

Album: Good Good Desperation

Label: Tee Pee

Genre: Rock, Psych rock

Comments: Credited as purveyors of the new psych-rock scene, Hopewell has been blending vintage fuzz pedal jams with their early space rock and shoegaze roots for over a decade. Good Good Desperation, their sixth album, effortlessly slips from cacophonous dueling piano passages to the organ-driven roots rock, and manages to actually sound different from most of the super vintage psych-rock bands making records now while retaining that sought-after "epic" classic rock feel.

Check out "Stranger" (track 7) or "Over the Mountain" (track 9).

AAM

Clues

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Clues

Album: Clues

Label: Constellations

Genre: Rock, Indie pop-rock

Comments: One of my top concert experiences of all time was seeing Arcade Fire open for The Unicorns back in 2004. I remember Brendan Reed of Arcade Fire for having bright red hair and crazy energy as he beat on drums, and Alden Penner of The Unicorns, for wearing short shorts but not being as much of a cocky-ass as Nick Diamond. Here, on this self-titled album, the two come together as Clues, making frenzied, warm music that in many ways recognizably incorporates elements from their respective big-name bands of origin. There is talk of silly indie childish things like dragons (reminiscent of The Unicorns' ghost fixation), and some familiar blippy bits. Alternatively, the piano-driven numbers--like "You Have My Eyes Now"--have more of an Arcade tinge.

I'd have to say that overall, Clues doesn't have the pure indie-pop appeal of The Unicorns, or the mature orchestration of Arcade Fire, and it doesn't quite succeed in finding its own (psych, post-punk, no-wave?) middle ground. Regardless, Clues is sure to be a hit, and fans of either band (or Born Ruffians or maybe even Wolf Parade) ought to give it a shot. Go to the big "You Have My Eyes Now" or "Perfect Fit," both of which work.

AAM

Raised by Robots

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Raised by Robots

Album: Disorganization Will Save Us All

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock, Indie rock

Comments: "Raised by Robots is an indie rock band from San Fransisco/Oakland that took their love of music and eclectic influences--including Why?, Menomena, The Arcade Fire, Okkervil River, Al Green, The Flaming Lips, Johnny Cash, DJ Shadow and Brian Wilson--but have created something wholly unique. ... [t]he EP finds anthemic choruses amidst dark, atmospheric post-post-rock, pulling the listener through winding, unexpected song structures that offer pop rewards to those who hang on for the ride." -Terrorbird

This 16-minute EP offers up indie rock vocals (think The Unicorns) with instrumentation that sometimes sounds like Do Make Say Think crossed with Why?--very enjoyable. I liked the whole thing, but go to "Murder Weapons" and "A New Horror."

Strange Jerome

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Strange Jerome

Album: Guns, Ammo, Jewelry, Coins

Label: Haunted Ranch

Genre: Alt-Country, Roots-Rock, Americana

Comments: "A clever roots rock band that mixes alternative country, shadowy folk and blues influences creating a timely blend that has been described as Lucinda Williams and the Cowboy Junkies meets the Pretenders." -Planetary

This Seattle-based band has Americana numbers about whiskey, love, and rough-n-tumble times.

Josh Weinstein

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Josh Weinstein

Album: Love & Alcohol

Label: RandomLogo

Genre: Folk, blues, blues rock

Comments: From the onesheet: "Bukowski-esque lyrics evoke a slide-show of anonymous strangers haunting the dark corners of a midnight city. Front-porch-blues and field-gospel co-mingle with Waitsian jazz and folk harmonies. Rock rumbles with its roots and forms a genre Weinstein calls 'junkyard electric': upright bass, electric guitar, found-item percussion, and whatever Weinstein himself can get his hands on at the time... [A]t its core, Love & Alcohol is a blues album..."

Check out "Every New York" and "She Rolls Jaunty."

The High Strung

Add Date: May 12

Artist: The High Strung

Album: Ode to the Inverse of the Dude

Label: Park the Van

Genre: Rock, indie pop, psych pop

Comments: The fourth album from Detroit's The High Strung finds songwriter Josh Malerman and the band moving in a different direction from the garage rock/power pop hybrid of recent works like Moxie Bravo and Get the Guests. Their second release for Park the Van (Dr. Dog, Floating Action, The Peekers), Ode to the Inverse of the Dude is more of a psychedelic pop record. I like the promoter's comparisons to Of Montreal and The Apples in Stereo; The High Strung have always hinted at Elephant 6 forebears in their music, but now those influences come clearly into play. Check out "Standing at the Door of Self-Discovery," "The Life Style That Got Away" and "I Got Your Back."

The Wooden Birds

Add Date: May 12

Artist: The Wooden Birds

Album: Magnolia

Label: Barsuk

Genre: Folk, folk rock, indie rock

Comments: The Wooden Birds is the new project featuring American Analog Set frontman Andrew Kenny, and Magnolia is their debut album on Barsuk (Ra Ra Riot, The Long Winters, Nada Surf). It's filled with quiet, folksy tunes that bring to mind Owen and Iron & Wine. Fans of Kenny's previous work and Bon Iver should also take notice of what Barsuk describes as "[h]ypnotic songwriting... unmistakable harmonies... beautiful, masterful music." I really liked a couple of songs at the end of the record, "Believe in Love" and "Bad," while "Sugar" was recently NPR's Song of the Day.

American Folklore

Add Date: May 12

Artist: American Folklore

Album: American Folklore

Label: Haymaker Wax

Genre: Folk, folk rock, blues rock

Comments: Some bands define their musical style with the name that they choose, but American Folklore doesn't really fit its own mold. And that's a good thing. This debut from NYC-via-Waco artist Corey Crawford is a folk record, sure, but it pulls in sounds ranging from blues rock to alt-country to lo-fi. The promoter says: "Although many of the songs start with a blues riff base, Crawford's one-man band accommodates numerous genres and instruments into his music (harmonicas, flutes, electronics) and lyrics revolving around experiences with drugs, alcohol, and Mexican whorehouses." What's not to like? Check out "Switchblade Comb" and "Rebel-Rebel."

Best of the Week - May 5

BEST OF THE WEEK - May 5

John Vanderslice
Pink Mountaintops
Headless Heroes
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band
Maximo Park

Also check out: Ben Harper, Bob Dylan, Depeche Mode, Guru, Jenny Owen Youngs, Mika Miko, New York Dolls, NOMO

Depeche Mode

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Depeche Mode

Album: Sounds of the Universe

Label: Mute/Capitol

Genre: Rock, synth pop

Comments: If I'm counting correctly, this is the 12th studio album from Depeche Mode, over a career which spans nearly three full decades. The 2005 release Playing the Angel was supposed to be the band's comeback album; if so, Sounds of the Universe is a respectable followup. Depeche Mode has of course outlasted most of its contemporaries--not to mention many of the bands that played off and/or were heavily influenced by their wildly successful electropop sound--but that doesn't mean they're making the same music as they were 20 or 25 years ago. While not a departure from their earlier work, Sounds of the Universe has a distinctly modern feel. Check out "Fragile Tension," "In Sympathy" and "Miles Away/The Truth Is."

Maximo Park

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Maximo Park

Album: Quicken the Heart

Label: Warp

Genre: Rock, Brit rock, post-punk

Comments: Not being a diehard British rock fan (sorry, Will), it can be hard for me to differentiate between the many New Wave and post-punk records imported from across the pond. Not so with Quicken the Heart. Their football club is hanging dangerously in the Premier League relegation zone, but Newcastle's Maximo Park have struck with a very solid effort, their third full-length for Warp (Grizzly Bear, Prefuse 73, !!!). A little less Joy Division and a little more Wire and Paul Weller than many of their counterparts, Maximo Park will be enjoyed by fans of The Futureheads, Clearlake and The Jam. Start with "Calm."

Skidmore Fountain

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Skidmore Fountain

Album: Cloudless Blue

Label: Young Love

Genre: Rock

Comments: The promoter says: "Think ELO and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Think Flaming Lips and Can. Think Terry Riley and Talking Heads. Channeling a kindred spirit, New York City-based indie rock band Skidmore Fountain is a bit on the unconventional side, with a 5-string electric cello, guitar, drums, and vocals making up the group. They bring the recording studio to the stage with live string arrangements and ambient soundscapes looping through an Echoplex, vocals intensified through analog delay pedals, and lushly orchestrated guitar lines, all sitting atop pounding old school R&B and dub rhythms."

Spin "Asylum."

Red Sea Station

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Red Sea Station

Album: Red Sea Station

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock, indie pop

Comments: From the promotional material on Red Sea Station's eponymous debut: "Inspired by the dreamy and ethereal soundscapes of late-'80s British pop, unbridled optimism, over-the-top vocal sounds, intricately woven electronic arrangements and an American Indie ethos." Among the influences claimed by the band are Ride, The Beach Boys, Aphex Twin and Superchunk; they've been compared to everyone from of Montreal to Phoenix to Modest Mouse. This is pretty enjoyable pop music; start with "The Streets Are Whispering."

Xu Xu Fang

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Xu Xu Fang

Album: Seven Days Now (EP)

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock, space pop

Comments: From the promoter: "Xu Xu Fang's latest offering, Seven Days Now, is a brooding musical experience of dark pop. Xu Xu Xang features Bobby Tamkin, formerly of heady psych-rockers The Warlocks and Hovercraft. Seven Days Now... continues to tread deeper in Xu Xu Fang's heavy tunes and space-like ambience. The album opens with a hazy, Xanax-ed cover of The Cure's 'Fascination Street,' and quickly sweeps into the fuzzy title track... Xu Xu Fang are true innovators that carry the meditative moods of Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros and the softer moments of The Verve, and Seven Days Now will have you dreaming of the long, sun-drenched days of summer."

The two songs mentioned above are the standouts of this 5-song set.

Suckers

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Suckers

Album: Suckers (EP)

Label: I Am Sound

Genre: Rock, indie rock

Comments: Debut EP from this Brooklyn band, co-produced by Yeasayer's Anand Wilder. The promoter says: "With a little help from their friends, Yeasayer and Dragons of Zynth, Suckers created a twisted pop masterpiece that is a must-hear for fans of Wolf Parade, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Lissy Trullie!"

Start with "Afterthoughts & TV."

Headless Heroes

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Headless Heroes

Album: The Silence of Love

Label: World's Fair

Genre: Folk, folk rock

Comments: A truly wonderful covers record from a new project called Headless Heroes, featuring Alela Diane on vocals. (If you haven't heard Alela's February Rough Trade release, To Be Still, go check it out right now.) Headless Heroes tackle everything from '60s folk to '80s shoegaze; the music is beautifully and intricately done, and Alela's voice is one of the best in the folk world these days. My favorites were "True Love Will Find You in the End" (Daniel Johnston), "Here Before" (Vashti Bunyan), "Just Like Honey" (The Jesus & Mary Chain) and "See My Love" ('60s folk pioneers The Golden Soul).

Mika Miko

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Mika Miko

Album: We Be XuXa

Label: PPM

Genre: Rock, punk

Comments: Promoter says: "On We Be XuXa, Mika Miko expand on their notable songwriting skills with an unforgettable mix of killer punk riffs and simple melodies that will be stuck in your head all day long... We Be XuXa embodies all previous punk bands before them like The Germs, Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney, while never sounding like a rehash."

Before No Age, Abe Vigoda and the like, Mika Miko were taking the stage at The Smell in Los Angeles. (No Age's Dean Spunt was around; he's run the PPM label since long before he joined Randy Randall to form his current band.) Think a female-fronted version of one of those art-punk bands--Mika Miko was an all-girl band until Seth Densham took over on drums--and you'll be on to the sound of We Be XuXa. Start with "Turkey Sandwich."

Jenny Owen Youngs

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Jenny Owen Youngs

Album: Transmitter Failure

Label: Nettwerk

Genre: Rock, folk-pop, singer/songwriter

Comments: Allmusic.com says that New Jersey's "Jenny Owen Youngs fuses Liz Phair's perceptive and brashly funny lyrics with the orchestrated folk-pop of Regina Spektor and Erin McKeown, adding just a hint of Nellie McKay's jazzy cabaret leanings and Cat Power's throaty, confessional angst." That pretty much sums up what you'll hear on Transmitter Failure, Youngs' second album, and first for Nettwerk (Great Lake Swimmers, The Submarines)--though her 2005 debut Batten the Hatches was reissued by the label two years after its initial release.

Check out "Last Person" and "Dissolve."

Hands and Knees

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Hands and Knees

Album: Et Tu, Fluffy?

Label: Midriff

Genre: Rock, indie pop

Comments: Boston's Hands on Knees make jangly indie pop that reminds me of Born Ruffians, only with a folksier feel. Check out "Hot Little Item."

Vincent Minor

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Vincent Minor

Album: Born in the Wrong Era (EP)

Label: Social Science

Genre: Rock, folk pop

Comments: Vincent Minor makes piano-driven, literary pop that will easily appeal to fans of Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds. A very promising 5-song debut EP; I really enjoyed "Late Night Show."

New York Dolls

Add Date: May 5

Artist: New York Dolls

Album: 'Cause I Sez So

Label: Atco

Genre: Rock and Roll

Comments: Formed in 1974, listening to the New York Dolls is like looking back at the beginnings of the New York punk scene, which eventually brought us so many bands from the '80s. Well, it's 35 years later, and they are still rocking. More power to them.

Ed Harcourt

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Ed Harcourt

Album: Russian Roulette

Label: Dovecote

Genre: Folk, Singer-songwriter

Comments: Ed Harcourt is a decently successful British singer-songwriter. His songs have the requisite amount of emotion for the genre, and, don't worry, he doesn't follow the one-guy-and-a-guitar model of music. His instrumentation is much more broad, usually focusing on piano, and leads to a fuller musical experience.

Fischerspooner

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Fischerspooner

Album: Entertainment

Label: World's Fair

Genre: Electronica

Comments: The third album from this New-York based group finds the many artists following a more conventional dance sound. Sadly, the group's on-stage art shows (many dancers are among the "band members") cannot be translated onto the CD, but the very '80s-ish dance music is.

Electric Owls

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Electric Owls

Album: Ain't Too Bright

Label: Vagrant

Genre: Rock, Folk

Comments: Reading the lyrics for Electric Owls and listening to the music itself is a completely different experience. There are happy folk-ish songs about cannibalism and rape. I think that's all you need to know.

The Proclaimers

Add Date: May 5

Artist: The Proclaimers

Album: 17 (EP)

Label: W14

Genre: Rock, pop

Comments: If The Proclaimers sound vaguely familiar to you, that's because they did "I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)" way back in the '80s. Now that you know them, here are a few things you probably didn't know about The Proclaimers: they are Scottish, they are twins, and they do a wonderful cover of Kings of Leon's song "17" on this acoustic EP.

Pink Mountaintops

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Pink Mountaintops

Album: Outside Love

Label: Jagjaguwar

Genre: Rock, shoegaze pop, folk rock

Comments: Pink Mountaintops is Black Mountain's Stephen McBean, but Outside Love doesn't sound too much like the prog rock of that Vancouver troupe. The music is just as good, and nearly as psychedelic--can you measure that in degrees?--but in a more poppy, slightly folksy, sort of way. This is actually Pink Mountaintops' third record, all for Jagjaguwar (Okkervil River, new signing Dinosaur Jr., and, yes, Black Mountain as well), but it's the first that I've come across. And it's very impressive. Hard to pin down the sound, but I could see fans of Jesus & Mary Chain/Echo & the Bunnymen shoegaze pop, Magnetic Fields lo-fi, and Band of Horses folk rock all finding something to enjoy with the Pink Mountaintops. And lest you think this is a solo record, Outside Love features contributions from several of McBean's Black Mountain cohorts, Jesse Sykes, and members of Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Whiskeytown and Bonnie "Prince" Billy's band.

Start with "While We Were Dreaming," and I also liked "Execution" and "Holiday."

John Vanderslice

Add Date: May 5

Artist: John Vanderslice

Album: Romanian Names

Label: Dead Oceans

Genre: Rock, indie rock, indie pop

Comments: For those of us who've been following John Vanderslice's career, there's an awful lot that's different about Romanian Names. First, he's left longtime label Barsuk to link up with Dead Oceans (Bishop Allen, Akron/Family). Furthermore, he moved outside of his own Tiny Telephone studio to record this in his basement. And, more so than any previous Vanderslice issue, this is a pop record, with no song longer than four minutes*.

None of these are major adjustments, though, and there's clearly more binding the new stuff to his past work than marking a clear change in direction. I think the starkest departure is the difference of his last record, 2007's driving, almost angry Emerald City to the quieter, more contemplative nature of Romanian Names, which fits in more readily with his strongest albums to date, Cellar Door and Pixel Revolt. I've also discovered that the record is a grower; on early listens, I thought that this was a solid effort with several good songs (and a few to skip over), but the whole thing sounds better, and flows more smoothly, each time I go through it.

Romanian Names will appeal to fans of Andrew Bird, Takka Takka and Chad VanGaalen. The promoter has done a nice job of highlighting the strongest tracks; "Fetal Horses" is the first single, and also check out "Sunken Union Boat," "Tremble and Tear" and "D.I.A.L.O."

* - Not that Vanderslice was ever known for 9-minute prog rock jams, but, for instance, "Exodus Damage" and "Trance Manual," two of the strongest songs from Pixel Revolt, are both over five minutes long. This clearly explains Vanderslice's lack of Top 40 airplay. Until now.

Bob Dylan

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Bob Dylan

Album: Together Though Life

Label: Columbia

Genre: Folk, Rock, Blues Rock

Comments: Bluesy and rich with a distinctly American feel, Together Through Life once again shows that Dylan's still got IT, even if he hasn't got anything new. Overall, there are more recognizable blues riffs (listen to "My Wife's Home Town," and there is no denying credit to Willie Dixon) and, in a way, a less melancholy feel than was found on Time Out of Mind or Modern Times. Dylan continues to put in his clever two-cents on old folk numbers and themes, and makes a pleasant album.

I liked "If You Ever Go to Houston" and the love-sick "Life Is Hard."

Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band

Album: Outer South

Label: Merge

Genre: Folk, Alt-Country, Rock

Comments: "While touring in support of Conor Oberst, the talented six-piece (Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band) began to write new songs, each band member sharing their compositions and working them out on the road. Energized by the live performances, eager to capture the synergy they felt onstage, Oberst took his musical compadres to Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas outside of El Paso to capture these gems on tape. The result, the sparkling Outer South is the first album credited to Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band and features the fruits of their enticing musical symbiosis."

My main impression of Conor Oberst comes from the few songs my best friend in middle school put on mix CDs when she was going through a self-declared "emo" phase. While songs like "Lover I Don't Have to Love" had their place on impassioned teenage-girl driving adventures, I found them shrill when I listened to them again. Outer South is a big step away from those emotional, often spinning-out-of-control ballads, though it does retain much of their earnestness, innovative poetic lyricism and dose of new Americana. Based on this album, I'm ready to give Oberst and his pals another chance.

Go to the almost Spoon-esque "Big Black Nothing" or the deceptively upbeat "Cabbage Town."

Hugh Cornwell

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Hugh Cornwell

Album: Hooverdam

Label: Invisible Hands Music

Genre: Rock

Comments: Hooverdam presents enjoyable music with punk/new wave roots from Hugh Cornell, former guitarist and vocalist for UK hit The Stranglers. A bit of a Morrissey/general dirty old man vibe.

Go to "Within You or Without You" or "Banging on at the Same Old Beat."

NOMO

Add Date: May 5

Artist: NOMO

Album: Invisible Cities

Label: Ubiquity

Genre: Jazz, International

Comments: "With a theme stolen from Italian novelist Italo Calvino, each tune on Invisible Cities is a little world of its own, dense with rhythm and timbre. Hot horns blaze through intersecting lines, heavy percussion drives the band down winding streets, the bass rumbles in some subterranean corridor. The sounds come from far reaching points, not from a fixed place on a globe, but from an area of the human spirit; one that is joyous, open and in motion." -Ubiquity

The Flying Change

Add Date: May 5

Artist: The Flying Change

Album: Pain Is a Reliable Signal

Label: Scarlet Shame

Genre: Folk, Landscape-Pop, Alt-Folk

Comments: When I first listened to Pain Is a Reliable Signal, I was decidedly unimpressed. Then I went and ate dinner and The Flying Change (the work of NYC songwriter Sam Jacobs) sounded much better. The album is a product of a four year "lonely pinball journey" through a painful medical saga as Jacobs and his family attempt to understand and treat his wife's debilitating back pain. Pain and ache are tangible over the course of the "landscape-pop" album, which stays tight even as layered instrumentation flicks in and out. Recorded in just two live takes, Pain Is a Reliable Signal deals with the old themes of "love, loss, and reckoning."

Go to "If You See Something" or "Hold My Heartache."

Team Clermont

Ben Harper & the Relentless 7

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Ben Harper & the Relentless 7

Album: White Lies for Dark Times

Label: Virgin

Genre: Rock, Blues rock

Comments: This is a solid rock record with a raw blues flavor that showcases the experienced musicianship going into it. Thundering and urgent, songs like "Number with No Name" are a must-listen for fans of Southern rock and Blues rock alike.

Syndicate

Thieves Like Us

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Thieves Like Us

Album: Play Music

Label: Shelflife/Fantasy Memory

Genre: Electronica, electropop

Comments: Thieves Like Us make pulsing, slightly disco/spacey electro-pop. Fans of Cut Copy or New Order should give them a listen. I liked "Drugs in My Body."

Terrorbird

Honor By August

Add Date: May 12

Artist: Honor By August

Album: Found

Label: Self-released

Genre: Rock, Alt, Modern

Comments: Based out of D.C., Honor by August came out of the same Georgetown scene that birthed Vertical Horizon (according to Wikipedia). They have a modern rock sound with old alt influences, mixing personal lyrics with lots of guitar.

High Ceiling

Add Date: May 5

Artist: High Ceiling

Album: Illusions

Label: Self-released

Genre: Folk, jam bands, rock

Comments: "High Ceiling plays organic music for the conscious-minded masses. Roots, jamrock, and reggae might best describe their sound, which adheres itself to the kind of fresh sounding grooves you'd find on a JOHN BROWN'S BODY album, but with the added epic solos, jams, and improvisation you would expect to hear at a PHISH show."

Powderfinger

Guru

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Guru

Album: Guru 8.0: Lost and Found

Label: 7 Grand

Genre: Hip Hop

Comments: "After breaking musical boundaries in his Jazzmattazz project, which saw collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Isaac Hayes and Macy Gray, Guru is back in full hip hop mode for 'Guru 8.0 Lost & Found. Featuring guest and beats from longtime collaborator Solar, Guru 8.0 Lost & Found is a direct, focused set of songs that finds Guru reflecting on his career as a solo artist and as part of Gangstarr over a diverse set of beats, including the heavy electronic beats of 'Fastlane,' or the East Coast jazzy slap of 'Read Between the Linez.' A straight-up hip-hop killer from one of the genre's most reliable artists."

Look beyond the lo-fi cover--Guru is legit.

Terrorbird

Seume

Add Date: May 5

Artist: Seume

Album: It Is What It Is

Label: Grassland Records

Genre: Rock

Comments: Seume (pronounced "sue-me") is the one man project of David Seume. His songs have a pretty basic rock sound, with the occasional Dave Matthews-style horn thrown in.

Apples and Cats

Bill Callahan

Add Date: April 28

Artist: Bill Callahan

Album: Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle

Label: Drag City

Genre: Rock, Indie

Comments: This new album from Bill Callahan is definitely worth checking out. Less jangly than Woke on a Whaleheart, but more ornamented than Smog stuff, the tracks have the right touch of melancholy and self-reflection. I am really into "Rococo Zephyr" right now.

For a more adept review, read this one from Pitchfork:

"I used to be darker/ Then I got lighter/ Then I got dark again." With these three simple lines from "Jim Cain", the opening track of his lovelorn new album, the always-succinct Bill Callahan sums up his tempestuous musical trajectory. For those of you keeping score at home, "darker" seems to refer to most of his output as Smog, when his songwriting often succumbed to the weary dread his dead-planet of a voice exudes like gravity. The lightening occurred over the course of A River Ain't Too Much to Love, his final record as Smog, and Woke on a Whaleheart, his first post-Smog effort. On these records, romantic gratitude gradually replaced romantic pessimism. Bill Callahan was happy; at peace. But it wasn't to last. The slumbering beast of love, "the lion walking down city streets," awoke, and it was pissed. He got dark again.

"I started telling the story/ Without knowing the end." And he's still doing so. Over the past two decades, Callahan's music has chronicled his unique, troubling insights about responsibility, faith, and love. The darkness that falls over Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle does not make it a Smog record-- it is an uncommonly gentle darkness that sounds light at first blush. Smog's malevolence seemed like a sweeping indictment of human nature, but here, Callahan's lyrics feel intensely personal. The record, an evident break-up affair, has such a strong air of private conversation that listening to it feels like eavesdropping; the second-person pronouns sail right past us to strike the target of the absent beloved. The reverent intimacy can become almost uncomfortable, as Callahan proffers up his words in the same way the devout handle rosaries.

Like Whaleheart, Eagle is kitted out with the instrumentation-- cellos and violins, French horns, pump organs, electric pianos-- that he embraced post-Smog. On Whaleheart, such embellishments were rangy and shambling; here they're loosely clenched, as if Callahan built the music to hold him together. Eagle addresses a specific-sounding lost love, but more broadly, it does what every Callahan record does: It takes a long hard look at who he is and what he believes at this moment. As a result, it finds him questioning the truths he discovered on Whaleheart, as when, on "Eid Ma Clack Shaw", he dreams the perfect song and scribbles it down in the middle of the night, discovering in his notebook the next morning the nonsense words of the song's title.

This self-portrait is so complex and subtle that it's tempting to skip discussing the actual music, which speaks so eloquently for itself. Some of the finest, most varied arrangements of Callahan's career are here. Wafting strings and contrapuntal soprano vocals render "Rococo Zephyr" as buoyant and lilting as its namesake. On "Eid Ma Clack Shaw", silvery electric guitar moves up and down staccato piano. "My Friend" and "All Thoughts are Prey to Some Beast" are almost like folk-Krautrock, with interlocked motifs billowing out over rigid pulses. Best of all is how the clenched arrangements open out into flowing, tender catharsis, and these are the moments you'll come to anticipate-- wait for the beatific chorus that bears Callahan's dense voice improbably high above the sinuous strains of "The Wind and the Dove", or the effervescent strings casting periodic surges of light through "Jim Cain".

Like the birds he loves so well, Callahan's albums find him alighting momentarily on precarious perches and naming what he sees. By the time we hear the music, he seems to have flown on again. His vantage from Eagle is one of textured ambivalence; his images split and shimmer like double-exposures, immediately releasing an obvious meaning quickly followed by a subtler one that equivocates the first. He's "still as a river could be," and a "child of linger on." He used to be "sort of blind," but now he can "sort of see." On "Faith/Void", he decides that it's time to "put God away," to no longer strive for his "peace in the light." Twenty years in, and Bill Callahan appears to be tearing up everything he's believed and starting from scratch, armed with the terrifying wisdom of knowing that one knows nothing, and searching for meaning regardless. He's resigned but heroically presses on. The void looms, but the music keeps it barely at bay.

— Brian Howe, April 17, 2009" Pitchfork