Austra – Future Politics : cold and stark electronic pop; #notfunatall
Band of Heathens, the – Duende : solidly enjoyable country-rock
Bonobo – Migration : pleasant(-ish), meditative electronic pop
Brian Eno – Reflection : more interesting sounds from a true original
Cherry Glazerr – Apocalipstick : fizzy, snotty, fem-vox indie; #paintbynumbers
Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound : tight, concise indei-rock; #Imissthenoise
Dale Watson – Dale and Ray : dumb throwaway songs
Flaming Lips, the – Oczy Mlody : even weirder than normal; #decentnotgreat
Flo Morrissey And Matthew E.White – Gentlewoman Ruby Man : interesting, if benign, covers album; #soundsgood
Foxygen – Hang : flamboyant and freaky-fun orchestral 70s-throwback psych-pop/rock
Half Japanese – Hear The Lions Roar : quirky and angular
Hanni El Khatib – Savage Times : really good and diverse rock experiments
Molochs, the – America’s Velvet Glory : loose and awesomely fun romp through 60s-70s rock
Piano Magic – Closure : lovely songs, great send-off
Regrettes, the – Feel Your Feelings Fool!: fun and gritty fempowerment rock
Ryan Adams – Prisoner : very nice radio-friendly pop/rock
Scott H. Biram – The Bad Testament : whiskey, desolation, regret, and cussin’
Soft Error – Mechanism : terribly ‘meh’ bleep-bloop
Speedometer – Downtown Funk 74 : really fun heavy-funk from the UK
Spyradio – Pacific : interesting, mellow, ‘post-rock’ from DET
Sundara Karma – Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect : radio-friendly Brit indie; #KOLishvox
Tift Merritt – Stitch of the World : deeply, sensitively, boring
Ty Segall – Ty Segall : awesomely freaky garage tour-de-force
Xiu Xiu – Forget : interesting-if-kooky, trying real hard here
xx, the – I See You : well-put-together arena-style indie-pop; also – terribly boring
Zooey – The Drifters : mildly enjoyable electro/ambient/easy-listening pop
Bash & Pop – Anything Could Happen : very, very, very fun rockers
Bats, the – The Deep Set : realy lovely jangle-rock/pop; #newzealandforever
Biznaga – Sentido del Espectáculo : fun Spanish take on punk
Buried Feather – Mind of the Swarm : swirling, churning kraut-inflected psych-rock
Delicate Steve – This Is Steve : excellent loose and fun psych/indie-rock
Dot Hacker – N°3 : smooth mid-tempo ‘rock’; #notbadjustdull
Fancey – Love Mirage : thoroughly enjoyable 70s-disco-ish pop/rock
Fleece – Voyager : good-but-unmemorable indie rock
Fred Thomas – Changer : interesting and diverse s/s-rock’ #streamofconsciousness
Grandaddy – Last Place : highly polished, occasionally interesting, indie
Heat – Overnight : shimmering and lush 80s-gaze
Horse Thief – Trials And Truths : beardy Americana; #movingon
Japandroids – Near to the Wild Heart of Life : a goddamned home run!!!
Kid Koala – Music To Draw To: Satellite : interesting ‘ambient pop’
Mark Eitzel – Hey Mr Ferryman : gorgeously broken; #AmericanMusicClub
Mark Sultan – BBQ : low-fi, low-key OMB fun
Menace Beach – Lemon Memory : taking a new course, promising indie-rock
Moon Duo – Occult Architecture, Vol. 1 : awesome psych-rock; #motorik #synthandguitar
Next Stop: Horizon – The Grand Still : interesting SWE rockers; #niceadventure
No Sun – If Only : un-memorable shoegaze indie
Priests – Nothing Feels Natural : screamy post-punk/noise; #tiredears
Proper Ornaments, the – Foxhole : channeling elliot smith #justlistentoelliotsmithandbehappy
Rufus T. Firefly – Magnolia : fun Spanish pop/rock
Surf Curse – Nothing Yet : interesting but forgettable indie-‘surf’/rock
Surfer Blood – Snowdonia : nicely ‘sunshiney’ indie-rock/pop
T.S.O.L. – The Trigger Complex : very ho-hum
Tim Cohen – Luck Man : chill psych-folk; #notsappy
All Them Witches – Sleeping Through the War : excellent modern psych; #dronenotdrone #greatsongs
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears – Backlash : fun and original take on garage/punk/soul, #makingtheirownpath #notderivative
Bombpops, the – Fear of Missing Out : cute Cali pop-punk; #femvox
Brent Cash – The New High : lovely and elegant pure pop; #burtbacharach #brianwilson
Circus Devils – Laughs Last : this is good bob
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – The Tourist : jittery and quirky indie-pop/rock; #welldone
Clock Opera – Venn : operatic
Communions – Blue : decent 80s-ish pop/rock; #Danish
Courtneys, the – The Courtneys II : fun and energetic coming-of-age garage-punk/pop; #femvox
Dan Baird – SoLow : bar rock; #betterbenocover
Devilish Dear – These Sunny Days : nondescript shoegaze; #hohum
Dig, the – Bloodshot Tokyo : well-done and enjoyable pop-rock; #veryprofessional
Dollyrots – Whiplash Splash : perhaps fun, but definitely dumb, pop-punk
Dune Rats – The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit : awesomely bratty AF surf-punk
Eisley – I’m Only Dreaming : a shiny pile of nothing
Elbow – Little Fictions : lovely adult-indie love songs
Havalina – Muerdesombra : excellent Spanish space-rock; #justenoughsynth #Madrid
Jim Lauderdale – London Southern : radio-ready country/americana
Johnossi – Blood Jungle : super-solid and fun indie rock, great mix of pop/punk/garage/jangle/…
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana : so weirdly unique and kick-ass
Loungedelic – Horse Riding to Jupiter : lovely widescreen psych; #wellnamed
Meatbodies – Alice : garage-fuzz gloriously wrapped around a pop-glam-metal core
Menzingers, the – After the Party : fun balding power-punk rockers; #abittame
Minus the Bear – Voids : simply ‘not my thing’
Molly Burch – Please Be Mine : well-done indie-pop chanteuse
Mother Mother – No Culture : catchy, easy pop; #nodepth
Novella – Change of State : world politics through a psychedelic pop/rock veil
Orwells, the – Terrible Human Beings : good young Pixies lovers
Polaroid3 – Rivers : ho-hum French indie-pop
Pow! – Crack an Egg : crunchy synth-punk
Rogue Wave – Cover Me : have we run out of ideas?
Sadies, the – Northern Passages : another gem from the virtuoso Good bros
Shannon Wright – Division : boring pop rock
Sloppy Heads – Useless Smile : delightfully ‘sloppy’ noise-pop; #YLTadjacent
Sun Kil Moon – Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood : a very long wtf
Teen Daze – Themes For Dying Earth : lovely and expansive ambient-pop
Alison Krauss – Windy City : delightful country covers album
Baked – Farnham : stylistically diverse fuzz rockers; indie/country/heavy/psych
Black Kids – Rookie : dumb indie-pop
Blonde Tongues – Safe Like Silk In Polyester Sheets : nicely lilting, but nondescript, indie-folk/rock
Boss Hog – Brood X : throwback NYC noise/indie-rock; #skuzzy
Brian Eno – Sisters
Brian Jonestown Massacre, the – Don’t Get Lost : sprawling, hazy, psychedelic rock; #lovethemotorik #toolong
Bråves – Bråves : pretentious electro-pop; #stupid
Chicano Batman – Freedom Is Free : super-chill retro-70s funk/soul/psych/rock-jams
Conor Oberst – Salutations : loose and open heartfelt folk-rockers; #justenoughdirt
Craig Finn – We All Want The Same Thing : somber s/s
Depeche Mode – Spirit : gloomy synth-driven political songs
Dirty Projectors – Dirty Projectors : bizarre electro-pop/rock + R&B vocal stylings atop sad-sack breakup songs; #keepmoving
Dominic – Goodnight, Doggies : great DIY indie-rock, uneven with some real excellence
Dude York – Sincerely : loud and crunchy power-pop; #fun!
Feelies, the – In Between : lovely jangly indie with just enough muscle
Great Ytene – Locus : cloudy sounds with muddy structure, broken.
Holy Holy – Paint : decent update on 80s (synth-based) rock
Jay Som – Everybody Works : really really great indie rock; #thoughtful #somuchpromise
Julie’s Haircut – Invocation and Ritual Dance Of My Demon Twin : hypnotic krautrock-psych
Little Kicks, the – Shake Off Your Troubles : pretentious and sappy indie-pop; #terrible
Los Campesinos! – Sick Scenes : shouty sing-along pop-punk
Octopus Project, the – Memory Mirror : fun, solid, fever-dream avant-pop
Old 97’s – Graveyard Whistling : super-fun drinkin’, shoutin’. & strummin’ tunes
Pigeon Detectives, the – Broken Glances : decent Britrock
Pissed Jeans – Why Love Now : noisy, aggressive punk rock
Ron Gallo – Heavy Meta : fun, witty, and expansive ‘garage’ rock; #stillmorepromisethanreality
Sam Patch – Yeah You, And I : ho-hum modern ‘indie’; #arcadefire #vampireweekend
Shadow Band – Wilderness of Love : dusky nondescript psych-folk
Shins, the – Heartworms : nice and unmemorable indie-rock
Singapore Sling – Kill Kill Kill : great dark psychedelic rockers; #goodgoodgood #Iceland
Six Organs Of Admittance – Burning The Threshold : lush, soothing and contemplative avant-psych/folk; #lovelyguitars
Son Volt – Notes of Blue : good rock+folk burners, w? old-blues influenced riffs
Sondre Lerche – Pleasure : well-done 80’s-pop-influenced folk-rock
Strand of Oaks – Hard Love : decent psychedelic rock/folk; #atouchofgarage
Temples – Volcano : solid synth-psych/pop’ #likeanewband
Tennis – Yours Conditionally : (mostly) lovely indie-pop 70s-style jams; #abitsamey
Thievery Corporation – The Temple Of I And I : fun, dubby jams
La Terre Tremble !!! – Faux bourdon : odd and diverse ‘outsider-pop’, via FRA
Lapelles, the – The Lapelles : snappy Brit indie guitar rock; #posttragedy
Little Comets – Worhead : fucking horrible indie-rock
Mavericks, the – Brand New Day : standard fun Mavericks outing
Mister And Mississippi – Mirage : mostly ho-hum Dutch synth-pop/rock
Moon Duo – Occult Architecture Vol. 2 : the ‘light’ half of the release, a tiny step back but still very good
Moonlandingz, the – Interplanetary Class Classics : delightfully fun weirdo/art-rock lunacy; #motorik
Nana Grizol – Ursa Minor : nice, quirky, E6-ish indie-pop/rock; #clemsnidelike
New Pornographers, the – Whiteout Conditions : fun indie-pop/rock, some good high points; #unevenandoverwhelming
Nightmen – Can’t Avoid Success : garage rock + bubblegum pop, done reasonably well; #SWE
Passion Pit – Tremendous Sea of Love : interesting, but definitely ‘not my thing’
Pokey LaFarge – Manic Revelations : very fun, retro-cool, original American roots tunes
R. Stevie Moore & Jason Falkner – Make It Be : diverse weirdo/indie/diy/folk/rock, unlistenable interludes; #superproduction
Real Estate – In Mind : a bit formulaic, but enjoyable nonetheless
Rosemary Baby – Timeless : lovely indie-pop/rock via Portugal
Samantha Fish – Chills & Fever : nice blues/rock covers
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox – Fake Blues : fun and clever takes on popular songs
Seasurfer – Under The Milkyway… Who Cares : fuzz/reverb/shoegaze + dreampop = quite nice; #GER
Skaters – Rock and Roll Bye Bye : nice DIY indie with a broad palette of sounds/textures
Skyway Man – Seen Comin’ from a Mighty Eye : complex and elaborate tunes, wrapped in lovely psych-pop/rock
Soulwax – From Deewee : slick and groovy electro-rock; #surprisinglysatisfying
Spiral Stairs – Doris and the Daggers : so good
Spoon – Hot Thoughts : inspiration of a genius, typically awesome use of ‘space’; #needsmoreguitar
Stone Foundation – Street Rituals : really great UK R&B/Funk with a splash of Style Council
Tall Ships – Impressions : painfully dull ‘smart’ rock
Tim Darcy – Saturday Night : weirdly narcotic/ambient/noise poetic “spurts”
Timber Timbre – Sincerely, Future Pollution : cold post-punk synths building immersive soundscapes
Tobin Sprout – The Universe and Me : delightful lo-fi scrapbook rock
Tuxedo – Tuxedo II : fun(-ish) fake-80s r&b; #partymix
Ty Richards – Zillion : mildly unhinged indie-rock; #beckish
Underground Youth, the – What Kind Of Dystopian Hellhole Is This? : dark post-punk/dark-psych; #awesometitle
Vant – Dumb Blood : shouty Brit ‘political’ rock; #cliche
Viva Suecia – Otros Principios Fundamentales : kinda interesting Spanish rock; Sweden?
Waifs, the – Ironbark : nice Sunday-morning AUS folk
Why? – Moh Lhean : nothing earthshaking, but a decent Why? outing
Wire – Silver/Lead : solid Wire outing
Aye Nako – Silver Haze : blown-out indie-emo; #tiredears
Black Angels, the – Death Song : good heavy(-ish) psych
Bob Dylan – Triplicate : sprawling collection of (Sinatra) standards
Brandon Can’t Dance – Graveyard of Good Times : scattershot synth-pop/rock with a bit of everything
British Sea Power – Let the Dancers Inherit the Party : good, wide-screen, vanilla, rock
Cairo Gang, the – Untouchable : really great, authentic retro-rockers; #sogood #TySegalladjacent #lovelyjangle
Cavalier Song – Blezard : dischordant, atmostpheric experimental guitar ‘rock’
Circa Waves – Different Creatures : good indie rock, nothing earth-shattering but nice
Cold Beat – Chaos by Invitation : angular, synth-driven post-punk, with a touch of pop
Crossing, the – Ted Hearne; Sound from the Bench : very interesting contempory classical written for voice/guitar/drums
Desperate Journalist – Grow Up : anthemic indie/(almost)punk ;#paintbynumber
Diet Cig – Swear I’m Good At This : solidly punchy indie/garage/punk/pop
Drake – More Life : I feel so old; #fuckingidiotic
Fujiya And Miyagi – Fujiya And Miyagi : krautrock-influenced dance tunes; #sometimesquitegood
Future Islands – The Far Field : very boring radio-ready synth pop
Gnod – Just Say No To The Psycho Right-Wing Capitalist Fascist Industrial Death Machine : “as we watch neoliberalism be ground to a nub, we rejoice in white-hot noise rock”
Gonjasufi – Mandela Effect
Guided by Voices – August by Cake : fresh-sounding GbV, uneven of course; #100
Ha Ha Tonka – Heart-Shaped Mountain : well-executed and earworm filled anthemic Americana/indie
Happyness – Write In : very good, jangly indie-rock/pop
Idles – Brutalism : solidly rough-and-tumble punk
Jamiroquai – Automaton : fun and funky disco-y outing
Jarvis Cocker And Chilly Gonzales – Room 29 : interesting, arty, ‘song cycle’ about the haunted Chateau Marmont
Jesus and Mary Chain, the – Damage and Joy : good, solid indie-rock; none of the past fire
Knox Hamilton – The Heights : straightforward radio-ready indie-pop; #boring
Magnetic Fields, the – 50 Song Memoir : what a project! Not all great, but consistently interesting with a wonderful warmth
!!! – Shake the Shudder : open and warm disco/dance-punk
Afghan Whigs, the – In Spades : excellent new Twilight Singers album
Andrew Combs – Canyons Of My Mind : smart, gentle and breezy Americana; #capitalA
Bat House – Bat House : widescreen math-rock/post-rock; #busy #almostinteresting
Beach Fossils – Somersault : breezy DIY summer rock, sophisticated enough to stick?
Black Lips – Satan’s Grafitti or God’s Art? : sloppy and noisy mess; #stupidfun
Blondie – Pollinator : fun and current pop/rock’ #noretro
BNQT – Volume 1 : lovely 70s-ish soft rock; #supergroup
Cayetana – New Kind of Normal : interesting indie/pop-punk
Charly Bliss – Guppy : I simply can’t get past the baby voice
Curse Of Lono – Severed : delightfully “Americana”-esque roots-rock from the UK
Day Wave – The Days We Had : soothing, summery synth-pop
Doug Tuttle – Peace Potato : excellent headphone-psych-rock/pop
Elf Power – Twitching in Time : that classic meandering E6 sound
Erasure – World Be Gone : synth-pop protest music
Fazerdaze – Morningside : buzzing, lo-fi, bedroom-pop; #promising #onenote
Feist – Pleasure : complex and well-executed pop/rock
Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up : sophisticated harmonies and delicate vox over folk structures; #sodamnboring
Forest Swords – Compassion : passionate and compelling electro- tales
Fuzzystar – Telegraphing : (somewhat) interesting indie rock
Gorillaz – Humanz : star-studded doomsday party anthems
Hard Proof – Stinger : ferocious Afrobeat workouts
Have Mercy – Make The Best Of It : bombastic quiet/loud indie-emo
Hollerado – Born Yesterday : super-fun and raucous rockers
Hoops – Routines : solid lo-fi beachy indie-pop; #shortandsweet
Jesu & Sun Kil Moon – 30 Seconds To The Decline Of Planet Earth : subtle, odd, and conversational/confessional spoken-vox ‘rock’
Juliana Hatfield – Pussycat : she’s pissed about that Orange asshole. Aren’t we all…
Kasabian – For Crying Out Loud : built to please, not to thrill; #ladrock
Kendrick Lamar – Damn : whatever…
Kevin Morby – City Music : lovely and lush s/s rock; #pastoral
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Murder Of The Universe : continuing the bonkers psychedelic garage rock; #idioticspokenword
Land of Talk – Life After Youth : smart and open indie-pop/rock; #summery #femvox #sundaydrive
Loose Tooth – Big Day : wacky, spastic indie rock covering all the sonic bases (post-punk, emo, lo-fi,…)
Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog : ‘slacker gospel’,unmistakably Mac
Mando Diao – Good Times : decent synth-rock/power-pop
Mark Lanegan Band – Gargoyle : very-excellent gut-punch with that baritone warmth;
#careerhero
Algiers – The Underside Of Power : powerful ‘industrial gospel’; #politicalrock
Morning Teleportation – Salivating for Symbiosis
Mountain Goats, the – Goths : thematic solidity providing structure, JD providing the weird; #noguitar #sosolid
Paul Weller – A Kind Revolution : mature, confident and diverse late-career outing;#delight #suchalegacy
Peregrine Falls – Peregrine Falls : crazy, fusion-ed mix of musical styles; #instrumental #freejazzy
Pom Poms – Turn You Out : radio-ready indie-rock; #emptyinside #tickstheboxes
Pond – The Weather : delightful psych/prog/rock/pop(-ish) tunes
PWR BTTM – Pageant : angst-y LGBQ-pos power-pop
Ray Davies – Americana : thoughtful and tuneful addition to the catalog
Robyn Hitchcock – Robyn Hitchcock : some fun bright spots
Russian Red – Karaoke : ghostly and subdued covers
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Async : gorgeously textured ambient sounds
Saint Pé – Fixed Focus : loose, fun rock; #Nashville #bestblacklipsoftheyear
San Cisco – The Water : hollow sunshine pop; #AUS #smartlikeabagofrocks
Shadowgraphs – Venomous Blossoms : lovely, expansive psychedelic-pop/rock; #wellnamed
Sheryl Crow – Be Myself : Nice AOR pop-rock; #backtobasics
Slowdive – Slowdive : gauze-y and ethereal shoegaze
Sonic Dawn, the – Into The Long Night : fun Dutch psych-rock, the non-sitar type
Splashh – Waiting A Lifetime : decent but nondescript guitar/indie-rock
Sylvan Esso – What Now : smart and engaging indie-pop, with a good dose of snark
Taffy – Nyctophilia : rocking shoegaze-pop from Japan
Tangerines – Into the Flophouse : awesmely fun mix of 60s/70s influence with a modern (retro) ‘live band’ sound
Thurston Moore – Rock N Roll Consciousness : fantastically paced very professional rock
Trombone Shorty – Parking Lot Symphony : funky fun
Vacant Lots, the – Endless Night : jangly and laconic “60’s NY”-ish psych rock
Wavves – You’re Welcome : fun and different; #nothingreat
Wooden Wand – Clipper Ship : folk with a touch of psych; #wishitwereweirder
All We Are – Sunny Hills : interesting/promising rockers
Alt-J -Relaxer : points for adventurousness, but mostly dull
Amazons, the – The Amazons : trying for arena-rock/pop; #bananapeels
Amplifier – Trippin’ With Dr. Faustus : decent modern prog-rock; #notreallymything
Ariel Pink – Dedicated To Bobby Jameson : lazy, hazy, lo-fi jamz
Avey Tare – Eucalyptus : disjointed avant-*
B Boys – Dada : angular indie rock – all fun and punk attitude; #parquetcourtsish
Baio – Man of the World : fucking horrible synth-pop
Benjamin Booker – Witness : fun and loose r&b/soul/rock/gospel
Beth Ditto – Fake Sugar : big glossy pop; occasional good spots
Black Pussy – Power : tight stoner psych-boogie-rock
Bonaparte – The Return of Stravinsky Wellington : fun and well-assembled indie-rock/pop; #GER
Booher – Funny Tears : (mildly) interesting americana-inflected indie; #confessionals
Broken Social Scene – Hug of Thunder : bombastic ‘group-dynamic’ modern rockers; #sowellproduced
Chain Gang Of 1974, the – Felt : ho-hum attempt to get on the radio
Charlatans, the – Different Days : professional indie/adult-pop
Coldcut & On-U Sound – Outside the Echo Chamber : super well done, beat-driven dub-tastic electronics&samples-based pop
Coronas, the – Trust The Wire : simple/safe indie-pop/rock; #noadventurehere
Cowbell – Haunted Heart : fun, swinging English rockabilly(-ish)
Daddy Issues – Deep Dream : heart-on-sleeve indie rock/punk; #findingtheirway
Dan Auerbach – Waiting on a Song : really-enjoyable retro-rock; #noblues #funlisten
Death Of Pop, the – Fed Up : technically brilliant and expansive “Brit-pop”
Dispatch – America, Location 12 : fun singalong/campfire-harmonies rock
Drums, the – Abysmal Thoughts : glossy indie-pop; #noadventurehere
Formation – Look At The Powerful People : groovy,
well-produced blue-eyed dance-rock; #oldLCDish
Foster Parents – Grim : instrumental math-rock from Singapore
Gardens – Maricopa : nice “A for effort” rockers; C-foractualoutput
Haim – Something To Tell You : High-end, glossy pop; Shooting for stardom; #icarus #fleetwoodmac
Her’s – Songs Of Her’s : they’ll probably like that my review is: “hmmmmm”
Jamie Aaron Aux – Close The Circle : good, well-produced indie; #morethansurfacedeep #notterriblycompelling
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound : honest, blue-collar country rock; #hohum
Jason Loewenstein – Spooky Action : solid throwback indie-rock; #paintbynumbers #rockroyalty
Jay-Z – 4:44
Jeff Tweedy – Together at Last : lovely and sparse open-hearted acoustic s/s
Jonathan Coulton – Solid State : very fun sci-fi concept album #companiontographicnovel
Jungle Giants, the – Quiet Ferocity : cris and punchy indie-rock/pop; #polished #AUS
Kamikaze Girls – Seafoam : energetic, and super-gloomy, fuzz-filled rockers;#femvox #angst
Lo Tom – Lo Tom : tight and crisp indie-rock; #supergroup
Lorde – Melodrama : interesting high-gloss-pop,
with a touch of grit
Lost Balloons – Hey Summer : lovely, lively, breezy, jangly power-pop-psych
Martin Rev – Demolition 9 : the iconoclast delivers a set of short, spiky burst of noise and delight
Matt The Electrician – The Doubles : fun singalong folk/pop/rock
Matthew Sweet – Tomorrow Forever : excellent 70s-inflected Power Pop
Michael Nau – Some Twist : hazy lo-fi indie-pop/rock; #agrower
Minutes Til Midnight – A Cold-Blooded Calculation : knuckledragging post-punk beaters
Moby And The Void Pacific Choir – More Fast Songs About The Apocalypse : decent electro-punk bangers; #interesting
Needles//Pins – Good Night Tomorrow : raucous punk/americana bar-shout-rock
Omar Souleyman – To Syria, With Love
Palehound – A Place I’ll Always Go : excellent indie rock #femvox #90ssound
Peaking Lights – The Fifth State Of Consciousness : groovy 80s-pop+dub
Peter Perrett – How The West Was Won : laconic Lou-Reed-esque rockers; #dontcallitacomeback
Phoenix – Ti Amo : well-done but ho-hum indie/electro-pop
Popguns, the – Sugar Kisses : high-quality indie-pop #brits #femvox #varied
Portugal. The Man – Woodstock : storming toward pop stardom (abandoning rock); #willitwork
Psychic Temple – IV
Public Enemy – Nothing Is Quick In The Desert : not a comeback
Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley : gorgeously executed at-rock concept album; #storyofawelshcoalregion
Randy Newman – Cars 3 OST
Relationship, the – Clara Obscura : bright and engaging Cali-pop/rock/power-pop; #prosatwork
Ride – Weather Diaries : ho-hum, tired ol’ shoegaze
Royal Blood – How Did We Get So Dark : ho-hum melodic rock; #aimingformainstream
Ruby Suns, the – Sprite Fountain : weird poly-rhythmic indie-pop; #wha?
Saint Etienne – Home Counties : classy adult/indie-pop; #superbritish
Sea Pinks – Watercourse : fun, sunny jangle-pop/rock
Secret Colours – Dream Dream : bubbly indie-pop; “a definite nod to the 70’s with a mix of “indie, pop, psychedelia, and garage rock”
Sexy Zebras – La Polla : ripping Spanish rockers
Sleepy Sun – Private Tales : interesting, if forgettable, indie/psych-pop/rock
Spoon Canoe – Greeting Farewell : math-y, emo-y raspy-voice indie
Stevens, the – Good : fun and simple lo-fi pop-rock
Strypes, the – Spitting Image : nice tour of late 70s rock/power-pop; #unoriginalbutfun
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister – Planetarium : beautiful art pop
Sunshine & The Rain – In the Darkness of My Light : 60’s garage/girl-group sound, full of fuzz, reverb and melody; #femvox
Tops – Sugar at the Gate : sultry & smooth soft-rock/pop; #nomeat
Toro y Moi – Boo Boo : #dullwave #amiright
Trevor Sensor – Andy Warhol’s Dream : gorgeously rough-sounding indie/rock/folk/pop; #datrasp
Tyler, the Creator – Scum Fuck Flower Boy
Ulrika Spacek – Modern English Decoration : good swirling psych-rock
Unkle – The Road, Pt. 1 : diverse cinematic electronic exploration
Vita Bergen – Retriever : solidly robust anthemic indie-pop from Sweden
Warm Soda – I Don’t Wanna Grow Up : fun-as-heck power-pop
Washed Out – Mister Mellow : not-very-interesting ‘chillwave’; #visualsokaudionot
Waters – Something More! : bombastic, high-gloss, arena-ready power-pop/alt-rock; #needsmoreiterations
Wooden Wand – Toth’s Law : loose and broadly enjoyable
A Giant Dog – Toy : noisy 70’s/art/indie/glam-rock; #stupid
Accidentals, the – Odyssey : fun summery indie-pop/rock/folk
Action Bronson – Blue Chips 7000 : funky beats, mmmeh raps
Alex Cameron – Forced Witness : 80s-style s/s : “the songs are as effortlessly catchy as they are eminently creepy”
Alvvays – Antisocialities : nothing dream-pop with a little layer of lo-fi shoegaze on top
Angus & Julia Stone – Snow : lovely, dreamy indie rock with a great analog feel; #suchpros
Arcade Fire – Everything Now : embarrassingly stupid, a really terrible record
Beaches – Second of Spring : diverse and sprawling AUS psych-rock; #greathighspots
Blank Range – Marooned with the Treasure : fun and loose Nashville-based country-rock/indie;
#whiskeysoaked
Bomba Estereo – Ayo : a big bold latin/cumbia party
Brand New – Science Fiction : not emo, not indie, not very good; #amijustahater
Cribs, the – 24-7 Rock Star Shit : mmmeh,this ship has sailed
Cut Copy – Haiku From Zero : groovy little electro-pop tunez with an 80s bent
David Barbe – 10th of Seas : nice little lo-fi indie outing; #goaheadandcallitacomeback
Death From Above – Outrage! Is Now : good dance-punk; #nothingtoseeheremoveon
Deerhoof – Mountain Moves : inventive and weird punk-art-pop-rock
Dent May – Across The Multiverse : super-hooky pop; #disco
Districts, the – Popular Manipulations : fun little indie rockers
Ducktails – Jersey Devil : dumb yacht-rock all the way down
Duke Spirit, the – Sky Is Mine : mid-tempo psych/dream-pop/shoegaze; #femvox
EMA – Exile In The Outer Ring : deep-in-the-dread noise-pop; #quitegood
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – Choir Of The Mind : sensitive and engaging s/s
Fall, the – New Facts Emerge : nasty, greasy garage/punk-rock; “ever more hypnotically righteous”
Foo Fighters – Concrete And Gold : absolutely nailed by-the-numbers arena-rock
Frankie Rose – Cage Tropical : synth-driven indie-pop; #rememberwhen
Fresh & Onlys, the – Wolf Lie Down : straightforward but excellent, not fancy just so solid and real
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Luciferian Towers : very boring post-rock
Gogol Bordello – Seekers And Finders : fun(-ish) “gypsy-punk” art-rock
Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins : professionally boring arena-folk/pop/indie
Guantanamo Baywatch – Desert Center : fun and loose surf rockers
Guided by Voices – How Do You Spell Heaven : awesome high spots in here, uneven of course; #verygoodGBV
Heliocentrics, the – The Sunshine Makers OST : awesome psych-funk-jazz-rock instrumentals!!!
Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow : excellent(!!) “rapturous” indie/folk/blues
Infinity Girl – Somewhere Nice, Someday : solid shoegaze sendoff
Jack Johnson – All The Light Above It Too : professionally dull beach-nap-tunes
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – Sketches Of Brunswick East : deliciously engaging psych-pop/art-rock
L.A. Witch – L.A. Witch : sludgy reverb-heavy country rockers; #femvox
Lana Del Rey – Lust For Life : professionally miserable pop iconography
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream : Pro-level electro-funk-disco-pop
Lee Ranaldo – Electric Trim : “Strange, Sprawling, and Occasionally Compelling”; #lovethevoxandgit
Low Cut Connie – Dirty Pictures (Part 1) : awesome barroom rockers!
Manchester Orchestra – A Black Mile To The Surface : super-well-executed cinematic rock, they’ve got it dialed in!; #stillnotmything
Matt Pond PA – Still Summer : subtly soothing indie-rock/pop
Metz – Strange Peace : perhaps less brutal, still noisy as hell
Mogwai – Every Country’s Sun : well-executed, direct and open post-rock instrumentals
Nadine Shah – Holiday Destination : bold and powerful post-rock; #femvox
National, the – Sleep Well Beast : highly polished, professional modern rock – also, boring
Neuman – Crashpad : interesting Spanish s/s indie
Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine : modern rock, equal parts terrible and tollerable
Oh Sees – Orc : raucous experimental punk, natch’
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – The Punishment Of Luxury : boring retro-electro-pop
Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, the – The Echo Of Pleasure : lovely retro psych-pop
Queens of the Stone Age – Villains : boogie-rock recast as “dance music”; #goodhighspots
Rainer Maria – S/T : some indie-rocking-good high spots; #callitacomeback
Rat Boy – Scum : fun and bratty “ska-pop” wackiness; #stupidinterludes #nolegs
Sherlocks, the – Live For The Moment : young, fun brit/indie/arena-rock
Shout Out Louds – Ease My Mind : superb indie-pop/”sunset rock”; exquisitely lilting and jangly
Together Pangea – Bulls and Roosters : really fun Cali/party/indie, wild and melodic with a nod to the 70s
Tori Amos – Native Invader : I’m sure many people find this delightful
Watchfires – A Quiet Rebellion : overwrought indie/emo
Widowspeak – Expect The Best : 90s-style country-tinged hazy dream-pop
Willowz, the – Fifth : infectious, eclectic garage rockers; #rifftastic
Work Drugs – Flaunt The Imperfection : pro-style soft-rock/pop
Alex Lahey – I Love You Like A Brother : snappy young Aussie power-pop
Andrew Bird – Echolocations River : great experimental instrumentals
Barns Courtney – The Attractions of Youth : gritty, American-style blues/indie/rock
Beck – Colors : fun pop; I hear Beck and I want a time-machine
Boogarins – Lá Vem a Morte : super-groovy Brazilian psych-rock
Bully – Losing : tight, visceral indie-rock; #grunge
Chain & The Gang – Experimental Music : frenzied garage experiments!
Chris Thomas King – Hotel Voodoo : subdued cajun-inflected blues; #diverse
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice : fun and engaging ‘heartland rock’ style indie
Cults – Offering : lively and lush indie-pop/rock
Curtis Harding – Face Your Fear : legit classic soul sounds!!
Daniele Luppi And Parquet Courts – Milano : fun “place in time” collaborative exploration
Deep State – Thought Garden : propulsive and punky indie rockers; #guitrock
Destroyer – Ken : excellent modern take on late-80s electro/rock-pop; #veryfun
Front Bottoms, the – Going Grey : fun and energetic indie rock; #guitandsynth
Fuck Art, Let’s Dance! – Forward! Future! : stupid dance/post-punk: #GER
Grooms – Exit Index : cool and dark-ish rock/pop/gaze
Group Home – Forever :
Guadalupe Plata – Guadalupe Plata : live brilliance doesn’t tranfer to record well
Horrors, the – V : (faux-)gloomy arena/indie-rock
J. Roddy Walston & The Business – Destroyers of the Soft Life : tempered radio rock; #hasthefiregoneout
Jasss – Weightless : electro-industrial-dance? ;#weirdbutgood
Jessica Lea Mayfield – Sorry Is Gone : so-good breakup album, back to the indie rock
Kakkmaddafakka – Hus : fun indie-pop from Norway
Killers, the – Wonderful Wonderful : very ho-hum arena/indie
King Khan – Murderburgers : slightly-subdued garage insanity
King Krule – The Ooz : #idonthavethewordsforthis
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis – Superscope : interesting,
non-kitchy, old-time rock-and-roll; #quitegood
Legendary Shack Shakers – After You’ve Gone : unhinged rockabililly/roots/punk/indie, very well done
Liam Gallagher – As You Were : decent arena-rock, but very clean and lacking adventure
Los Coronas – Señales de Humo : really, really fun surf rock from Madrid; #withhorns!
Luna – A Sentimental Education : cool set of Luna-fied covers
New Politics – Lost In Translation : fairly stupid modern rock; #notterrible
Pack A.D., the – Dollhouse : solid,
blues-y indie/punk/rock
Pale Honey – Devotion : very promising indie-rock, buzzing guitar and honey-sweet vocals
Radio Moscow – New Beginnings : kaleidoscopic blues/psych/classic-rock featuring lots of shredding
Reverend and the Makers – The Death of a King : wildly adventurous indie; rock-punk-jazz-ragtime-soul-blues
Robert Plant – Carry Fire : THOROUGHLY enjoyable
Rural Alberta Advantage, the – The Wild : fun and energetic sing-along folk-rock
Seamus Fogarty – The Curious Hand : lovely modern (electro-)folk
Shamir – Revelations : striped-down “outsider pop”; #interesting
Slaughter Beach, Dog – Birdie : well executed, gentle indie-s/s pop
St. Vincent – Masseduction
Stereophonics – Scream Above The Sounds : somewhere between ‘interesting arena-indie’ and ‘awful pop-rock crap’
Tricky – Ununiform : uwotm8?
Van Morrison – Roll with the Punches : classic voice, nice cuts
Wand – Plum : well-done neo-psych, deluxe ed = too noodly
War on Drugs, the – A Deeper Understanding : super-pro heartfelt heartland-rockers
Weezer – Pacific Daydream : very shiny guitar pop; #noadventure #overproduced
Weird Owl – Bubblegum Brainwaves : mostly interesting synth-heavy-psych
Wolf Parade – Cry Cry Cry : very solid modern indie-rock
Wu-Tang Clan – The Saga Continues :
Greta Van Fleet – From The Fires : fun, young Zep-cover-band-playing-originals
Jim White – Waffles, Triangles And Jesus : thoughtful, kooky and adventurous multi-genre/’Americana’
Blitzen Trapper – Wild and Reckless : confident and easy-going rock/country/folk; true to their sound
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest : airy electro-pop/folk; sex for the ears
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Polygondwanaland : crazy math-psych that all pulls together;
#sogood #4thisthecharm
Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black : really great R&B ‘protest’ album
Sleigh Bells – Kid Kruschev : ho-hum extension of their original sound; #trendshavemovedon
OCS – Memory of a Cut Off Head : weird but lovely (almost-)baroque pop
Neil Young & Promise of the Real – The Visitor : Fuck Trump
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Who Built The Moon : enjoyable 90s throwback brit-pop/rock
Teen Daze – Themes For A New Earth : gentle instrumental/ambient ‘pop/rock’; #darngood
Golden Boys, the – Better Than Good Times : fun and rambunctious indie/garage rockers
Vulfpeck – Mr. Finish Line : ho-hum modern funk/RnB/soul
Lovely Bad Things – Teenage Grown Ups : young, shouty, 90s-ish indie-rock/pop; #Burger
Quicksand – Interiors : angular and sophisticated (?) post-hardcore-punk
Jim James – Tribute To 2 : boring, toned-down covers; #soserious
Lisa Loeb – Lullaby Girl : sweet ‘adult-lullaby’ covers
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – Soul of a Woman : nice mix of down/mid/high-tempo tracks; #thisissoul
Wooden Wand – Toth’s Law Vol. 2
Wooden Wand – Toth’s Law Vol. 3
-live-
Ween – Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn NY 06-06-17 (flac)
Spiral Stairs- The Bell House, Brooklyn NY 06-23-17
Luna – Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn NY 11-18-17
Wood Brothers, the – Live at the Barn
Sleater-Kinney – Live in Paris
Stargazer Lilies, the – Part Time Punks Sessions
Aerosmith – Unplugged 1990
Gary Clark Jr. – Live North America 2016
Peter Murphy – Bare-Boned And Sacred
Flaming Lips, the – Onboard The International Space Station
Shawn Colvin – Big Bang Concert Series (live)
Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell Live
T. Rex – T Rextasy (live 1971)
Royal Trux – Platinum Tips + Ice Cream
Brant Bjork – Europe ’16
Goat – Fuzzed In Europe
Replacements, the – For Sale: Live At Maxwell’s 1986
-re-release/comps/mixes-
va – MOJO Presents: Heavy Nuggets Vol. 4
Matthew Dear – DJ-Kicks
va – MOJO Presents: Something Else: A Tribute to the Kinks
va – T2 Trainspotting OST
Kris Kristofferson – The Austin Sessions (reissue)
Cabbage – Young, Dumb and Full of
Cozmic Corridors – Cozmic Corridors (reissue)
Guy Clark – The Best of the Dualtone Years
Smart Remarks – Foreign Fields 1982-1984
va – Battle Hymns
va – MOJO Presents: Desert Songs
va – Pop Acid: Taking A Trip Into The Strange & Psychedelic Pop Unknown (1967-1973)
va – Studio One Rocksteady Vol. 2, The Soul of Young Jamaica; Rocksteady, Soul and Early Reggae
Tomorrow’s People – Open Soul
David Bowie – BOWPROMO (RSD)
Head And The Heart, the – Stinson Beach Sessions
Michael Mayer – DJ Kicks
Raveonettes, the – 2016 Atomized : compellingly abstract; #thesoundadvances
Ryan Adams – Prisoner End of World Edition B-Sides
va – Function Underground The Black and Brown American Rock Sound 1969-1974
va – Mojo Presents: Children of Pepper
va – MOJO Presents: Pigs Might Fly
va – Uncut: Tune In!
Michael Nesmith – Infinite Tuesday Autobiographical Riffs
Beach House – B-Sides And Rarities
Beatles, the – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Buffalo Tom – Let Me Come Over (25th anniv ed)
Can – The Singles
Chuck Berry – Chuck
Lee Fields And The Expressions – Special Night Instrumentals
Mike Krol – Mike Krol Is Never Dead; The First Two Records
Prince – Purple Rain (expanded deluxe ed)
Ry Cooder – Paradise And Lunch (remaster)
STRFKR – Vault Vol. 2
va – BADBADNOTGOOD: Late Night Tales
va – Gibble Gobble & Sadaba; Exotic Blues & Rhythm vol. 5 & 6
va – Stax Classics: 10 Titles, 10 Legendary Artists
Tindersticks – Minute Bodies The Intimate World Of F. Percy Smith
Cage The Elephant – Unpeeled : fun and more-expansive versions
Ducktails – Daffy Duck in Hollywood
Echo And The Bunnymen – The Killing Moon: The Singles 1980-1990
Hüsker Dü – Savage Young Dü
Neil Young – Hitchhiker
Bill Ryder-Jones – Covers October 2017
Frank Sinatra – Ultimate Christmas
Lone – DJ Kicks
Styx – Pieces of Eight (reissue)
va – Tegan And Sara Present The Con X Covers
Tobacco – Ripe and Majestic [Anthology]
va – C88
Jamila Woods – Heavn (Deluxe Ed)
Aretha Franklin – A Brand New Me Aretha Franklin (with The Royal Philharmonic Orch)
Sufjan Stevens – The Greatest Gift
Chris Isaak – Christmas Live On Soundstage
Green Day – Greatest Hits: God’s Favorite Band
Hoops – Tapes #1-3
Sia – Everyday Is Christmas
Tame Impala – Currents B-Sides And Remixes
va – Birth of Soul: Special Detroit Edition 1961-64
va – Soulsville U.S.A.: A Celebration of Stax
va – Teen Spirit: MOJO Presents 15 Noise-Filled Classics from the American Underground Scene 1989-1992
-singles/EPs-
David Bowie – No Plan EP
Night Moves – Carl Sagan EP
Chavez – Cockfighters EP
John Mayer – The Search For Everything: Wave One EP : naptime
Of Montreal – Rune Husk EP
Less Than Jake – Sound The Alarm EP
Animal Collective – The Painters EP
Letting Up Despite Great Faults – Alexander Devotion EP
Moby – Black Lacquer EP
Relient K – Truly Madly Deeply EP
Blonde Redhead – 3 O’Clock EP
Dope Lemon – Hounds Tooth EP
Roadkill Ghost Choir – False Youth Etcetera Vol. 1 EP
Anohni – Paradise EP
Animal Collective – Meeting of the Waters EP
Charlatans, the – Plastic Machinery single
Fenech-Soler – The Covers EP : interesting electro- takes
Foster the People – III EP
Grouplove – Little Mess EP
Heaven – Lonesome Town EP
Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes single
LCD Soundsystem – Call the Police / American Dream single
London Grammar – Oh Woman Oh Man single
Jay-Jay Johanson – You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone EP
Phoenix – J-Boy single
PJ Harvey – A Dog Called Money / I’ll Be Waiting single
Sleep Party People – Fainting Spell single
Son Lux – Remedy EP
War On Drugs, the – Thinking Of A Place single
Woods – Love Is Love EP
Carl Barât And The Jackals – Harder They Fall EP
DJ Shadow – The Mountain Has Fallen EP
Iron And Wine – Archive Series Volume No. 3 RSD 12″
Kills, the – Echo Home/Non-Electric EP
KVB, the – Fixation/White Walls EP
Major Lazer – Know No Better EP
Fucked Up – Year of the Snake EP
Frightened Rabbit – Recorded Songs EP
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions – Son of a Lady EP
Lemon Twigs, the – Brothers of Destruction EP
Luna – A Place of Greater Safety EP
Mountain Goats, the – Marsh Witch Visions EP
Vast – Here I Am EP
Tennis – We Can Die Happy EP
Belle and Sebastian – How to Solve Our Human Problems Part 1 EP
Sufjan Stevens – Tonya Harding single
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