Amerie - In Love & War

Boys Like Girls - Love Drunk

Brooks & Dunn - #1's...And Then Some

Circulatory System - Signal Morning

The Clean - Mister Pop

Cotton Jones - The Rio Ranger [EP]

Danko Jones - Never Too Loud

Howie Day - Sound The Alarm

Marie Digby - Breathing Underwater

John Forte - StyleFREE [EP]

Ernie Halter - Ernie Halter: Live

My Milky Way Arms - Lightsaber Circuit Breaker

Old Wives' Tales - Younger Limbs

Os Mutantes - Haih Or Barauna

Phish - Joy

Polvo - Prism

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - 11:11

Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed

Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Break Up

Tuesday, September 1st
David Bazan - Curse Your Branches

Black Crowes - Before The Frost.....Until The Freeze

Chevelle - Sci-Fi Crimes

The Color Morale - We All Have Demons

Cross Canadian Ragweed - Happiness And All The Other Things

Datarock - Red

The Entrance Band - The Entrance Band

Whitney Houston - I Look To You

Insane Clown Posse - Bang Pow Boom

Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita

The Opposite Of Sex - Live + Burn

Pitbull - Rebelution

Beanie Sigel - Broad Street Bully

Simple Minds - Graffiti Soul

Trey Songz - Ready

These United States - Everything Touches Everything

The Used - Artwork

Andrew WK - 55 Cadillac

Chris Young - The Man I Want To Be

Tuesday, August 25th
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

The Casualties - We Are All We Have

Colbie Caillat - Breakthrough

Collective Soul - Rabbit

David Guetta - One Love

Imogen Heap - Ellipse

Tamar Kaprelian - Delicate Soul

Matisyahu - Light

Mellowdrone - Angry Bear

Mew - No More Stories

Ingrid Michealson - Everybody

Willie Nelson - American Classic

The Pinx - Look What You Made Me Do

Dolores O'Riordan - No Baggage

Smile Empty Soul - Consciousness

Smokey Robinson - Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Roy Hargrove Big Band - Emergence

Shonen Knife - Super Group

Subnoize Souljaz - Blast From The Past

Trey Songz - Ready

Victims Of Circumstance - Roll The Dice

Wildbirds & Peacedrums - The Snake

Zechs Marquise - Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare

Tuesday, August 18th
Brendan Benson - My Old, Familair Friend

The Cave Singers - Welcome Joy

Destroyer - Bay Of Pigs [EP]

Divisible - Less Than Lion

Arlo Guthrie - Arlo Guthrie: Tales of '69

Madness - The Liberty Of Norton Folgat

Nathan Maxwell And The Original Bunny Gang - White Rabbit

Reba McEntire - Keep On Loving You

Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall

Christopher O'Riley - Out Of My Hands

Sean Paul - Imperial Balze

Jack Penate - Everythig Is New

Sister Hazel - Release

Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy

Soulsavers - Broken

Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major

Tuesday, August 11th
Behemoth - Evangelion

Black Mold - Snow Blindness Is Crystal Antz

Cobra Starship - Hot Mess

Holmes - Holmes

Erika Jayne - Pretty Mess

Queen Latifah - Persona

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

The Roots - How I Got Over

George Strait - Twang

Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor

Tuesday, August 3rd
Anchor & Braille - Felt

Bygones - by-

Bill Champlin - No Place Left To Fall

Gloriana - Gloriana

Japandroids - Post-Nothing

K'Jon - I Get Around

Mac McAnally - Down By The River

Modest Mouse - No One First And You're Next

Julian Plenti - Skyscraper

Suicide City - Frenzy

Tantric - Mind Control

Tides Of Man - Empire Theory

YACHT - See Mystery Lights

Yim Yames - Tribute To

Tuesday, July 28th
Angus Khan - Black Leather Soul

Kristina DeBarge - Exposed

Fabolous - Lose's Way

Howling Bells - Radio Wars

Kleerup - Kleerup

Owl City - Ocean Eyes

Sax Ruins - Yaqiquo

Ashley Tisdale - Guilty Pleasure

Melinda Watts - People Get Ready

Tuesday, July 21st
The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away

For The Fallen Dreams - Relentless

Susanna Hoffs & Matthew Sweets - Under The Covers, Vol. 2

Ian Hunter - Man Overboard

La Roux - Bulletproof [EP]

Kenny Loggins - All Join In

Demi Lovato - Here We Go Again

Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine

Our Lady Peace - Burn, Burn

Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

Rescue Signals - Indecisions

RX Bandits - Mandala

Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

Sugar Ray - Music For Cougars

Wye Oak - The Knot

Tuesday, July 14th
August Burns Red - Constellations

Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West

Daughtry - Leave This Town

The Dead Weather - Horehound

DevilDriver - Pray For Villains

Jessie James - Jessie James

Judas Priest - A Touch Of Evil: Live

Crosby Loggins - Time To Move

Miss Derringer - Winter Hill

The Most Serene Republic - ...And The Ever Expanding Universe

Project 86 - Picket Fence Cartel

Sick Puppies - Tri-Polar

Summer Cats - Songs For Tuesdays

Time & Distance - Gravity

Twista - Category F5

Tuesday, July 7th
All Time Low - Nothing Personal

Big D And The Kids Table - Fluent In Stroll

Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West

Fritz Helder & the Phantoms - Greatest Hits

Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left

Maxwell - BLACKsummers'night

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns

Sleepy Sun - Embrace

Son Volt - American Central Dust

Stellastarr* - Civilized

UUVVWWZ - UUVVWWZ

Wonderlick - Topless At The Arco Arena

Tuesday, June 30th
Bone Thugs N Harmony - Uni5

Cetan Clawson Revolution - White Heat

Levon Helm - Electric Dirt

Ace Hood - Ruthless

Jeremih - Jeremih

Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage

Meestro - B Sides From B Street

Moby - Wait For Me

organicArma - Awarned [EP]

Brad Paisley - American Saturday Night

Wu-Tang - Chamber Music

Rob Thomas - Cradlesong

Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

Tuesday, June 23rd
Al B. Sure! - Honey I'm Home

Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals

Amber Asylum - Bitter River

Cheap Trick - The Latest

Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day

The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life And Death

Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm

F.L.Y. - Jamboree

Gossip - Music For Men

Ginuwine - A Man's Thoughts

He Is Legend - It Hates You

Patterson Hood - Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs)

Michael Johns - Hold Back My Heart

The Lemonheads - Varshons

The Mars Volta - Octahedron

The Roots - How I Got Over

Regina Spektor - Far

STS9 - Peaceblaster : The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes

Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship

Pete Yorn - Back And Fourth

Tuesday, June 16th
William Fitzsimmons - Live Sessions EP

Incubus - Moments And Melodies [Greatest hits]

Jonas Brothers - Lines, Vines And Trying Times

Kid Mud - Now They Shut Us Down

Loop 2.4.3. - Zodiac Dust

Math The Band - Don't Worry

Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead

Street Sweeper Social Club - Street Sweeper Social Club

Tiny Masters Of Today - Skeletons

Twista - Category F5

Tuesday, June 9th
9mm Solution - The Dream Is Dead

Anti-Flag - People Or The Gun

Black Eye Peas - The E.N.D.

Lynda Carter - At Last

Dance Gavin Dance - Happiness

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

Iron Maiden - Flight 666 [Live]

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Little Boots - Illuminations

Rhett Miller - Rhett Miller

Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Post Honeymoon - Post Honeymoon

Placebo - Battle For The Sun

So Many Dynamos - The Loud Wars

Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Todd Snider - The Excitement Plan

There For Tomorrow - A Little Faster

Tuesday, June 2nd
311 - Uplifter

Butterfly Boucher - Scary Fragile

Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Dave Matthews Band - Whiskey And The Groogrux King

Drop Dead, Gorgeous - The Hot N' Heavy

Eels - Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs Of Desire

Hoots & Hellmouth - The Holy Open Secret

Iggy Pop - Preliminaires

Luaka Bop - 21st Century, 21st Year

Rancid - Dominos Fall

Ryan Star - 11:59

Taking Back Sunday - New Again

Vanessa Williams - The Real Thing

The Magnetic Fields -
Distortion

Go ahead and turn off your computer, your
cell phone, your TV; close all the windows near you and set yourself up somewhere
where you can sit in total silence. The longer you stay there, the more you'll
become attuned to the fact that total silence does not exist. You'll hear the hum
of white noise, of distant electronics or of gentle fluctuations in the air.
You'll realize that, barring a vacuum, there's no space on earth that's totally
silent. The Magnetic Fields not only recognize this, they capitalize on it.


Led by visionary musician Stephin Merritt, the band, over 15 years old
now, has ventured across glorious, synth-soaked landscapes, unassuming lo-fi, and
forayed into every kind of sound imaginable. Their eighth album,
Distortion, is an aptly titled masterwork that I find myself
returning to again and again. Born of melancholy and loneliness - but strangely,
not a depressing record - Merritt proves himself, again, after other successes
like Get Lost and the sweeping 69 Love
Songs, to be a leading voice in independent rock music.


Concealed by his subdued baritone and the ever-present static of
electronics and guitar hum, Merritt, John Woo, Sam Davol and Claudia Gonson have
crafted beautifully introspective observations of people and circumstances,
sometimes droll and ironic, others dreary and forlorn. Album opener "Three-Way"
is a loose and airy (mostly) instrumental track that coasts along a slick
bassline, dance percussion and a catchy synth hook that all coalesce into the
mellow, agreeable hum that permeates the album. Tracks "Xavier Says" and
"Please Stop Dancing" are equally awash in such thick slabs of noise, dreamy and
detached in their muted glory. Only "Zombie Boy" doesn't work as effectively;
campy and indulgent, its grating chorus takes cues from all the wrong places in
post-punk and goth rock and its hints of necrophilia are unsettling at
best.

Many of the songs are addressed towards lost love, towards what seems
to be Merritt's passive acceptance of loneliness. "Old Fools" is a slow,
mournful waltz lamenting the misguided ploys for love of such old fools, perhaps
even men like him. Fuzz-heavy guitars and ethereal electronic sounds lend it an
atmosphere of melancholy, and Merritt's gentle attempts at self-deprecation (a
theme of the album) only reinforce its sadness. Merritt is a lonely heart who
writes for lonely hearts, and this alone makes his music an instrument of
consolation and of connection. "Mr. Mistletoe" finds Merritt's best impression
of Bing Crosby, crooning above jingle bells and piano as shimmering noise envelops
his sweet, sorrowful voice. Begging the same unanswerable questions as "Eleanor
Rigby," Merritt aches, for he has "no one to love." "I'll Dream Alone" is a
tender, self-effacing farewell to a lover, wishing them the best and humbly
residing amongst simple piano and what sounds to be electric cello, and "Till the
Bitter End" showcases guest vocalist Shirley Simms in a haunting, electric aria.
Dramatic and dark, it soars and crescendoes on waves of bells and guitars.


"Courtesans" is likewise sweet and wistful, reverb-filled and sparse, as
Simms bemoans caprice and insincerity in love as distant guitars swell. "The
Nun's Litany," perhaps the album's best track, is cute and unusual and full of
unexpected imagery, a hallmark of the Magnetic Fields. Fun and hooky, it is a
clever examination of a member of the cloth who desires to shed her vows of
celibacy and rejection of worldly pleasures in favor of some more...risque
activities. Simms again sings lead and aspires to be a Playboy bunny, a cobra
dancer, a brothel worker, after all "If I could be a backstreet lurker / I'd
make more money and have more fun."

But alas, these, too, like the love
that Merritt seeks, seem intangible and fleeting. Merritt's best escape, as is
demonstrated elsewhere one this album, is his sardonic humor and penchant for
precocious optimism. "Drive On, Driver" is as mellow and upbeat a song as
you're likely to find, as its warm harmonies float on an orchestra of pops, fuzz,
and synth strings. Equally akin to the Beach Boys and My Bloody Valentine, it is
impeccable traditional pop music written in the modern tradition. It's
Pet Sounds filtered through the static and growl of four
decades of rock music. "California Girls" is a fuzzed out pop masterpiece that
sits atop the effortlessly sweet vocals of Simms, as it takes tongue-in-cheek jabs
at these superficial West Coast denizens who "breathe coke and have affairs with
each passing rock star." It is original and hilarious for all its bitterness,
catering to the fans who the band knows would scoff at the fake tans and "perfect
noses" of Sunset Boulevard. Perhaps the song that best encapsulates the album,
however, is the anthemic "Too Drunk to Dream." A poetic, bouncy nod to every bar
song ever written, its syncopation and light melody are buoyed by handclaps and an
inescapably catchy chorus. Inspired as much by the theatricality of many of
Merritt's influences as by its playful take on the therapeutic powers of alcohol,
you'll soon understand why Merritt must get "too pissed to miss ya / Or I'll
never get to sleep / I gotta drink wine not to pine for you / And God knows that
ain't cheap."

Embracing the flutter and noise that we so often tune out,
Distortion is at once soothing and carefree. For all its focus
on lost loves and failed relationships, it is not the music of a man in despair.
Rather, it's a warm, if sometimes wistful, acknowledgment of the bumps along the
road, of little inconveniences and deeply affecting loss. But these bumps are just
like the clicks and hisses that you might hear on warped vinyl; they're not
necessarily bad. Noise is a part of life, after all, and the Magnetic Fields will
be the first to tell you.

Rating: A+
-Dan Powers

It seems like
only yesterday that the electric guitar was the preeminent instrument in rock
bands, the central axis upon which all rock music rested. But it has been
supplanted. Replaced by the keyboard, the synthesizer, even by instruments that
predate it, by orchestral string instruments, horns, electronics. The electric
guitar, like everything else, has morphed and evolved over the years, and bands
like Radiohead and Rage Against the Machine have made use of guitars in striking
and unique ways. But what happened to the electric guitar's starring role?
Transforming from a rhythm instrument in the 60s to a secondary vocalist in the
70s to a symbol of speed and power in the 80s, the guitar has long been the
primary weapon of rock and roll. But not so with the advent of New Wave, of noise
pop, of dance music, of chamber pop; no, it has taken a backseat to feedback, to
pianos, to digitized beats, to violins and violas. That is not to say that there
isn��Ωt still guitar-driven rock, but mainstream bands are typically so produced
that the guitar isn��Ωt the focal point, and to be a spare, guitar-bass-drum
outfit in the indie world is almost a sin. Even the remnants of punk music ride
along vocal hooks, not instrumental ones.

That��Ωs what makes Pete Doherty
something of a rarity in our modern era. He writes music the way that the (early)
Beatles did, the way the Rolling Stones did, and the way his first band, the
Libertines, did. His music, and that of his band, Babyshambles, is raw
and simple, like early punk, but with more sophisticated melodies. He is an
incredible songwriter, have no doubt; he merely chooses to write music in a more
traditional vein. Thus on Babyshambles��Ω second album, Shotter��Ωs
Nation, we find a band as comfortable in the 1970s as now, powered by
Gretsch guitars, filtered through Dunlop fuzzboxes and Marshall stacks.
Babyshambles revive the Britpop/rock originated by the Fab Four (and reiterated by
Oasis) but still sound fresh as ever.

Shotter��Ωs
Nation is a thoroughly satisfying album, not too ambitious but certainly
not content to drone through the same three chords on every track. ��ΩCarry On Up
the Morning��٠is a dark, terse number, driven by syncopated, bouncing guitar and
first single ��ΩDelivery��Ω finds a band tighter than the Libertines; short
bursts of punk-inflected guitar, precise vocal harmonies, organ and a breakdown
that could mesh easily with the psychedelia of the Animals all show the band��Ωs
depth. ��ΩYou Talk��Ω and ��ΩSide of the Road��Ω touch on the 70s punk influences
of the band, upbeat and messy, raucous and submerged in squealing guitar and
quickly unraveling vocals. The two ��Ωuntitled��Ω tracks, ��ΩUnBiloTitled��Ω and
��ΩUnstookie Titled��Ω come from a place less hectic, less high strung than the
rest of the album. ��ΩUnBiloTitled��Ω takes the time to spin a story about two
(still somewhat mystifying) characters in Bilo and the Wolfman, using subdued, but
still fuzz-laden, guitar, measured vocals, and organ to prove that Doherty is as
much invested in the epic as in the infectious brevity of other tracks.
��ΩUnstookie Titled��Ω has the gentlest instrumentals, with softer electric
guitar and even some bells. It could fit neatly on a U2 album, and its anthemic
build at the end reinforces this. ��ΩCrumb Begging Bahead��Ω��Ωs organ and
reverb-laden guitar suggest the Doors as an influence; think ��ΩRoadhouse
Blues.��Ω ��ΩThere She Goes��Ω is an incredibly compelling exercise in the
band��Ωs jazz and swing influences, with brushed drums, stand-up bass, and
Doherty��Ωs most convincing croon, a reverb-soaked affair that pays tribute to a
��Ωlittle heartache.��Ω Second single ��ΩFrench Dog Blues��Ω and ��ΩBaddie��Ωs
Boogie��Ω are two of the album��Ωs most upbeat moments, and fittingly are right
alongside each other. The handclaps and frenzied drums of ��ΩFrench Dog Blues��Ω
add to its energy and whimsy, and the bright, major key riffs of ��ΩBaddie��Ωs
Boogie��Ω (less grating than on ��ΩYou Talk��Ω) along with its harmonica, toe-
tapping verses and urgent chorus make it one of the stand-out songs, if not the
best. ��ΩDeft Left Hand��Ω is tight and focused, but its bluesy riffs are
ultimately forgettable.

The album��Ωs closer, ��ΩLost Art of Murder,��Ω
shows another side of Doherty that was revealed in his solo work but somewhat lost
on the first Babyshambles album. Akin to the softer moments of many classic rock
acts, it has glints of the sunny, carefree melodies of the Beach Boys,
understated, beautiful acoustic guitar and the wash of jazzy guitar. Doherty��Ωs
voice is the only seemingly misplaced element, too crass and imperfect to match
the gentle waves of the song, but this is exactly why it works; the song feels all
the more sincere. It seems almost autobiographical in its plea to its addressee to
pull herself away from her unnamed vice, likely the same that pulled Doherty down
not too long ago (he was addicted to heroin for some time). And perhaps it��Ωs
fitting that the album ends this way, hopeful, bright, and stripped of the
frenetic, raw energy of the rest of the songs. It isn��Ωt a retreat, merely a
reprieve, an unhurried dirge. And that��Ωs why I��Ωm all the more confident that
Doherty will continue to make great music. It shows an artist wholly sure of
himself but humble enough to recognize that there is always more music
within.

Rating: A-
-Dan Powers

Jimmy Eat
World - Chase This
Light

Labeled as
pop-punk, emo, alternative and any mix of the three, Jimmy Eat World is, when it
comes down to it, a consistently strong band. Though they may have struggled to
replicate the immense success of singles "The Middle" and "Sweetness" from
their 2001 self-titled effort, brilliant and infectious both, on their 2004 album
Futures, latest album Chase This Light is
not seeking to shed old labels or cultivate new ones. It is merely an extension of
the often intelligent, if sometimes mired in a bit of melodrama, songwriting of
vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins.

True, many of the songs may focus on
confessional, emotive themes of love lost or gained, of failure and rejection. But
isn't that what most pop music is about? I see no crime in the way that Adkins
composes his songs. Distancing himself from the esoteric nature of many other pop-
punk songwriters, Adkins strives for universality, or, at the least, connection.
Whether his occasionally heart-on-sleeve lyrics are "emo" or not doesn't
concern me; the label and, quite frankly, the genre, never made sense to me. If
you're referring to self-pitying, cloyingly dramatic elegies and overwrought,
wrenching apologetics (think Dashboard Confessional), then yes, the "emo" genre
does exist. Regardless, Adkins is better than this. Much of the album is polished
and certainly poppy. Amidst choruses of "ahs" and tasteful, restrained
harmonies, Jimmy Eat World has found a characteristic "sound." Take songs like
"Let It Happen" and "Always Be;" harder-edged guitar gives way to clean
arpeggios and confessional lyrics, but it never feels insincere. Adkins seems
genuinely pained when he remarks in "Always Be" that he realized he had to lose
love to discover what it meant, and that he's "been losing plenty since."


But what differentiates Adkins is his ability to recognize irony and to
allow for self-deprecating verse; his is a maturity that manifests itself in a
decidedly hopeful turn. In "Let It Happen," above the echoed guitar and
incessant drums, he boasts that you can "Say whatever you want cause I can laugh
it off." He is honest and accepts his faults, touching on his youthful arrogance
in "Always Be," recalling that he "was just a boy like any other...I thought I
was ten times smarter." Jimmy Eat World, likewise, is a band that is more mature
and more confident than ever.

Other standouts include the sympathetic
"Carry You," the New Wave beat of "Here It Goes" and the poignant title track,
but the album's best moments are packaged with less of the too-perfect sheen
found on other songs. "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" is a downcast, lumbering
number, driven by a slow 12 bar chord progression and tense, funereal strings. Its
melancholic lyrics recall contemporaries like Death Cab for Cutie but its feel is
indescribably singular on the album, almost like the theme of a prisoner being led
to an execution. "Firefight" and "Feeling Lucky" are two of the album's
absolutely best tracks, rollicking and punk-inflected with energy to spare, and
"Firefight" promises to have the hit potential of some of their work from
2001's self-titled outing.

The album's finest moment proves, once again,
that what Jimmy Eat World does most skillfully is craft those memorable, hooky 3
minute anthems for which they've earned their fame. "Big Casino," the album's
leadoff single, is exactly that. It is epic and anthemic, encouraging and hopeful
to the very last ringing chord. The song uses casino winnings as a metaphor for
real-life successes, and it is, above all else, triumphant. Adkins sings, as if
extending his hand to every listener that feels down, "Rock on young savior /
Don't give up your hopes," and shouts in the exultant chorus that he'll
"accept with poise with grace / When they draw my name from the lottery." "Big
Casino" may even have some significance to the band, reminding them that they are
still a creative force, still productive members of the music community, that
"there's still some living left when your prime comes and goes." Which isn't
to say that they're past their prime, no; on the contrary, it appears that Jimmy
Eat World is on the upswing. For all the rejection and loss and failure of which
Adkins writes, it is tempered with hope. This is an album of renewal, and Jimmy
Eat World is nothing short of a "New Jersey success story."

Rating:
B+
-Dan Powers

Radiohead - In
Rainbows

Sometimes the hype surrounding an album is all
it��Ωs got. When an album is ��Ωhighly anticipated,��Ω or ��Ωeagerly awaited,��Ω
it��Ωs usually a recipe for trouble. People are expecting so much of the new
release that it��Ωs almost impossible to live up to the standards set for it, and
because expectations are so high, listeners are usually let
down.

But then,
there��Ωs Radiohead. The band that has been called the greatest in the world
today. The band that took 4 years to release a new album after 2003��Ωs
Hail to the Thief. The band that defined the meaning of the
phrase ��Ωhighly anticipated.��Ω The band that, unfathomably, created
more hype for their latest, In Rainbows, which came
out last week. By letting fans name their own price for the album and releasing it
only on their website ��٠and in no other media ��٠Radiohead took the immense
hype surrounding this album and multiplied it by about a million.

For most
bands, this move would be career suicide. For Radiohead, the fact that the album
was going to be good was almost a foregone conclusion. Radiohead is the only band
in the world that could have pulled this off, because they are successful, perhaps
more than any other band, based not on politics, showmanship, or trends. They are
successful based on their creation, of really, really good music. In
Rainbows is no exception.

What��Ωs so impressive about this album
is that it doesn��Ωt seem as if there was an ��Ωapproach��Ω taken to this album.
There are no political undertones, like on Hail to the Thief,
there��Ωs no genre-creation like on Kid A, and there��Ωs no
social commentary like on OK Computer. All reports from the
studio before the album��Ωs release discussed disorganized sessions, with no real
feel or direction. For most bands, again, this type of recording would be a death
sentence. But for Radiohead, it��Ωs actually very refreshing, and really comes
shining through on the album. The disc starts with the quirky, punchy ��Ω��Ω15
Step��Ω��Ω, in which Thom Yorke muses ��ΩHow come I end up where I started?��Ω
Good question, Thom. Earth-shattering? Absolutely not. Does it make you think?
Sure, a little. But damn, that beat is catchy. And that is what sticks
with you long after the album ends. While the marketing of the album might start a
revolution, the album itself certainly won��Ωt. And it��Ωs nice to see Radiohead
back off from the politics a little bit.

The only possible drawback to this
album is that there��Ωs no climax. None of the songs really follow a
chorus/verse/chorus form, and they all take the ��Ωtrod along without changing��Ω
form, that might be tiresome to some people after a few listens. ��ΩHouse of
Cards��٠is the main offender of this, and is the only track on the album that I
have gotten fairly bored of already. But in most cases, this method works because,
unlike any other time in their history, Radiohead is not trying to save the world.
The standout track, the glorious ��ΩWeird Fishes/Arpeggi��Ω, is really the same
guitar phrase and beat repeated for about 5 minutes. But damn, is that guitar
phrase intricately beautiful. I love this song because, like most of the songs on
this album, ��ΩWeird Fishes/Arpeggi��Ω goes absolutely nowhere. That��Ωs exactly
where I hope Radiohead goes.

Rating: A
-Jordan
Gremli


Prepped to be one
of the best albums of the year by critics and fans alike, Radiohead's
In Rainbows is an unavoidable phenomenon. Whether or not it
ends up on year-end best-of lists (with influential but often controversial
Pitchfork Media salivating upon its release) doesn't make too much of a
difference. The impact it made merely by being sold in such a unique and, in many
ways, revolutionary fashion, shows a band that is still thinking of how to keep
itself current and relevant.

However, though the sales pitch - name your
price for the digital release - was interesting for both its generosity and the
reflection of how little the band needs the royalties, the music seems less than
focused for a band typically precise to the point of absurdity about minutiae of
sound that most bands wouldn't even consider. I'm not saying that In
Rainbows is in any way a bad album; no, for most bands, it would be
considered an incredibly successful venture. But Radiohead is somehow different;
they've constructed a universe for themselves within the bounds of their music.
Each album that they've released in the past has drawn from a multitude of
sources; as Radiohead grew from an arena rock band, the next big, anthemic British
phenom, they spearheaded something of an avant-garde movement in the 90s and
2000s, finding themselves the experimental leaders of a generation of rock bands.
Thom Yorke's vocals could be piercing or gentle, emotive to the point that a
whisper could sound snide; Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien found as much utility
in traditional distortion and echo as they did in bowed guitar and expansive
collages of noise.

Never a band afraid of experimentation, Radiohead has
ventured into electronica and art rock on numerous occasions, sometimes hitting
the mark, sometimes falling slightly short, but always remaining a compelling
listen. Even 2000's Kid A, conceptual in its design and
certainly off the beaten path for a band established as one of the biggest in the
world, yielded greater appreciation upon repeated listens. It was challenging; its
combination of looped electronic beats, horns, strings and a rising cacophony of
sometimes seemingly random sounds occasionally felt like they were just there to
prove that Radiohead could continue to think outside of the box.


In Rainbows, considerably more accessible than either
Kid A or Amnesiac, still feels lacking.
It's not a difficult listen; the melodies are typically straightforward and,
though the arrangements are complex, it is what you might call "sparser" than
other Radiohead outings. Synthesized strings, bells and other percussion accompany
the schizophrenic range of Greenwood's guitar, but the album feels, at times, as
though the band invested less into the music. Certain songs, including the
haunting, melancholy beauty of "Faust Arp," the subdued chaos of
"Bodysnatchers," and the layered harmonies of "Reckoner" all find a band
rising to the occasion of presenting new and interesting ideas. "Jigsaw Falling
into Place" realizes the glorious union of tension and resolution at which
Radiohead excels, and it is a stand-out, but it is regrettably an exception. It
may not be revolutionary (which it by no means has to be), but they engage the
listener on a level that much of the album fails to do. "15 Step" apes a New
Wave dance beat that recalls New Order, complete with handclaps, and builds a
syncopated guitar riff above Yorke's off-kilter vocals, but never seems to
resolve. "Nude" is noteworthy for its backwards-looped drums and guitar,
beautiful in its downtempo atmospherics and showcasing Yorke's incredible
falsetto, but it ultimately feels rootless. But for the last 15 seconds (a
glorious culmination of vocal harmony and synth strings), it is an exploration
without reward, stripping bare the songwriting to sheer emotion and little
substance. "All I Need," likewise, is a plodding, bass-driven foray into
minimalist electronic rock that winds in mildly dissonant circles to a dismal
conclusion.

Without going into too much detail, much of the album feels,
as Jordan says, directionless. Perhaps because of the lack of hooks, something
which Radiohead forsook for many years following OK Computer
until 2003's Hail to the Thief, prevents the album from
reaching some sort of cohesive feeling, but more troubling for Radiohead is the
indifference which the music exudes. It feels, entirely contrary to the title,
colorless. It is bland but for a few moments of brilliant craft, something which
Radiohead will never lose. But it ultimately feels apathetic; it doesn't embody
the cold distance from everyday life of which OK Computer
reminded us or engage us on another aural plane like Kid A, it
is merely there. It crosses into lo-fi, almost ambient territory without ever
truly committing itself to one of the many "Radioheads" that we have come to
recognize, and presents an idea only half-realized.

Rating: A-
/A
-Dan Powers

Foo Fighters - Echoes,
Silence, Patience and Grace


At a certain point in
their career, most bands run into one of two problems: Either they never
capitalize on their initial potential and ape their influences to the point of
excess, or they find a sound that's successful but are unprepared or unwilling to
change. The Foo Fighters have never been a band to wear their influences on their
sleeve, but, admittedly, they ran into a bit of the second problem on the past few
albums; it's easy to get stuck in a sound that works. If There Is
Nothing Left to Lose sounded at times like The Colour and the
Shape, it's because The Colour and the Shape was
incredibly cohesive, interesting, and dynamic. It would be inaccurate to say that
the Foo Fighters have ever made a bad album, but One by One
certainly felt tired in light of their other work (which I consider some of the
best of the 90s). 2005��Ωs In Your Honor was an interesting
experiment and found the band branching out towards a side of their sound that
they'd only begun to explore; the mellow, introspective melodies that had marked
songs like "Walking After You" and "Aurora." While parsing your album into two
sides, one electric and one acoustic, seemed interesting and daring at the time,
it ultimately felt a little less than successful. If they had removed some of the
filler and kept the best of both (singles like "Best of You" and "DOA" were
phenomenal, believe me, as were parts of the acoustic side), they might've
released one stellar album. Instead, the listener was left with their interest
piqued but a little unsatisfied.

That's not the case with
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. Never have these guys
sounded more at ease with themselves. While One by One may
have sounded like a pretty talented, but not always spot on, cover band,
Grace finds a band mature enough to tackle new ideas that may
have only been halfheartedly approached before. First single "The Pretender"
finds the band in familiar territory, driven by the thump of Taylor Hawkins' kick
drum and Dave Grohl's energizing, aggressive vocals. "Cheer Up Boys, Your Make-
Up is Running" is another variation on the theme of a classic Foo rocker,
incessant and frenzied with a chugging bassline. Both are great additions to their
canon of riff-heavy alt rock, but the real wonders on this album lie in the
experimentation.

Grohl further explores his acoustic singer-songwriter
persona, perhaps not as deeply as the lilting jazz of his duet with Norah Jones on
the last effort, but pushes the boundaries of their music nonetheless. He manages
to make folk sound like hard rock and vice versa almost seamlessly; take "Come
Alive," for example, where gentle fingerstyle acoustic, feeling like Yes meets
Nirvana (far-fetched, I know��Ωbut its atypical rhythms and chord progressions
seemed very jazzy), soon gives way to Hawkins' tom, layered electric guitar and a
rising intensity that could almost beckon the dead from their graves with Grohl's
repeated mantra of "Come alive, come alive��Ω" "Let It Die" likewise builds
upon solo acoustic guitar, but the melody is fraught with tension right from the
get-go; you're fully aware that this song won't stay quiet for long. And, at
1:55, just to be sure you're awake, a few hits of distorted guitar hint at
what��Ωs to come. "But Honestly," in a similar vein, sounds, immediately, as if
the whole thing could be an unplugged version of a more radio-friendly power
ballad.

The album's best moments are at once anthemic and subdued, new
and traditional. "Long Road to Ruin" proves, once again, that Grohl is no
stranger to writing incredible hooks, driven by a sing-along chorus and the
undeniable spunk of arena rock. "Summer's End" and "Statues" both sound
rootsier than previous work of the Foos; "Summer��Ωs End" could easily have been
written by Tom Petty, with its shuffling guitar and not-so-fast chorus, while
"Statues" recalls the Allman Brothers and the Band in its country-rock slide
guitar and traditional feel, even showcasing an accordion. "Stranger Things Have
Happened" hits upon a simple but memorable arpeggiated guitar lick, hearkening
back to the blues that many modern rock artists have long forgotten; it could
easily become a tour staple. "The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," an homage
to the Australian miners trapped in a collapse in early 2006, showcases the
beautiful and unique guitar work of Grohl and relatively newfound virtuoso Kaki
King; like "Razor" on In Your Honor, Grohl's collaboration
with former Queens of the Stone Age bandmate Josh Homme, this track is captivating
in its singularity; there's nothing else like it on the album. The band's
missteps are few; only "Erase Replace" feels like it fell short of the mark, and
with each listen, these songs grow on me. The album's closer, "Home," is an
exercise in sincerity. Grohl's soft vocals and piano, embellished with strings
and just the right amount of percussion, don't ever come off as unnecessary or
contrived. That's one thing that the Foo Fighters have done better here than
anywhere else; they sound like themselves. When Grohl almost mourns "All I want
is to be home," he can rest easy; the Foo Fighters sound more comfortable in
their own skin than ever.

Rating: A-
-Dan
Powers


Motion
City Soundtrack - Even If It Kills Me

Motion City Soundtrack
has always been the lovable underdog. Thrown into the pop-punk genre, many
potential fans link the Minneapolis quintet with your 12 year old sister's
favorite bands: Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Simple Plan, to name
a few. But MCS has always been a little bit different. They've always been just a
little bit better than their pop-punk peers. Their exciting debut, I
Am the Movie, became proof that emo kids could have fun, that pop-punk kids
could have emotion, and that indie scenesters were capable of liking something
that more than 50 people had heard of. Everyone seemed to enjoy Motion City
Soundtrack because they were ubiquitous. Anyone could find something to enjoy in
the hooky 15-30 year old anthems like "The Future Freaks Me Out" and "My
Favorite Accident". The band was quirky, funny, catchy, and perhaps most
importantly, good.

But then they went mainstream, and the scenesters got
scared. With the release of their second album, Commit This to Memory,
singles "Everything is Alright" and "Hold Me Down" got major radio airplay and
MCS was about to fall into the dangerous category of "My 12-year-old Sister's
Favorite Bands".

The stage was set therefore, for the definitive third
album, Even if it Kills Me. At such a crossroads in a band's career, MCS
had the choice of playing to a tween crowd begging for another Good Charlotte, or
playing to the scenesters who found them to beginning with. The solution? Do both.
On Even if it Kills Me, MCS is as catchy as ever. The hooks are there, and
they get stuck in your head just as easily as the memorable "I'm on fire" line
from "The Future Freaks Me Out". The playful keyboard is there, the fast-paced
fun is there, and Justin Pierre's near-falsetto vocals are there in all their
glory. So are the semi-ambiguous lyrics about break-ups, hook-ups, and toss-ups
that any 15-30 year old thinks about on a regular basis.

But there's more
to this story. On Even If It Kills Me, Motion City Soundtrack grows up, if
only a little bit. This is the first album that lead singer Justin Pierre has
written sober. His frequent drug and alcohol use nearly tore apart the band and
Pierre's life, and this album is the first one written clean. The result is a
collection of more logical songs than MCS has ever produced, and thus they aren't
as quirky as they used to be. But where Even if it Kills Me makes up the
ground is in its honesty. Pierre is the star of this album, and each one of these
songs quite obviously comes directly from the heart of a man who has been to hell
and back. In winners like first single "This is for Real" and "Hello
Helicopter", we see a new side of Pierre: an almost desperate side to the man who
seems to cover up his flaws with crazy hair, crazy sideburns, and fun glasses.


The album culminates with the title track, which is Pierre is his absolute
rawest: "I sure want to get back on track/And I'll do whatever it takes, even if
it kills me."

You can't not root for the lovable Pierre when he
bears his quirky soul like this. And there's a lot to root for on this album.
There are moments when it's too raw to the point of being over your head, and
there are moments when MCS tries too hard to revert to their I Am the
Movie days. This album isn't going to change music, but it gives you a
glimmer of hope that maybe pop music isn't dead after all.

And that's
something to root for.

Rating: B+
- Jordan
Gremli