Apples in Stereo – New Magnetic Wonder : dense and trippy, yet simple: genius-at-work
Bloc Party – A Weekend In the City : nice, solid, interesting second outing
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Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity : still freaky, still engaging
Kristin Hersh – Learn To Sing Like A Star : very, very nicely put together
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? : weird/fun as ever with added darkness; no super-tracks
Permanent Me – After the Room Clears : perfectly tolerable emo
The Shins – Wincing the Night Away : nice and poppy; I like it better straight
Amon Tobin – Foley Room : positively fucking brilliant
Barenaked Ladies – Are Men : nice, perky (if forgettable) pop
The End – Elementary : heavy, heavy, heavy
Loney, Dear – Loney Noir : sweetly suble one-man-pop-band
Norah Jones – Not Too Late : pablum shit
Talib Kweli and Madlib – Liberation : eh, maybe I don’t get it
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible : raw and emotive as ever, but easier to engage
Bj¯rn Berge – I’m the Anitpop : scary-cool blues-growl covers
The Broken West – I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On : nice, loose, fun, acoustic guitar-driven power-pop
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Some Loud Thunder : uniquely derivative?
Fall Out Boy – Infinity on High : definitely not terrible, good even
Good the Bad and the Queen – The Good the Bad and the Queen : tolerable Brit-electro-pop
Green Concorde – Ten Cities : almost unlistenable
Green Hornet – So Much to Give : great ogan-driven garage/trash rock
Jesse Malin – Glitter In the Gutter : decent twangy classic AOR rock
Kittie – Funeral For Yesterday : interesting metal, if you’re into that sort of thing…
MrNorth – Fear and Desire : interesting, if sappy, rock
New Ruins – The Sound They Make : new & interesting take on pop/americana
RJD2 – The Third Hand : enjoyably light soul-pop
Rob Crow – Living Well : interestingly constructed indie-pop
The Saps – C’mon Already, Start A Fire : hit and miss, but the highs are quite fun
The View – Hats Off To the Buskers : pretty good/standard brit-rock
The Vinyl Skyway – From Telegraph Hill : nice, mellow alt.country influenced rock
!!! – Myth Takes : crazy-fun!
Actiondale – Welcome To Actiondale : very standard guitar-pop-punk
Air – Pocket Symphony : is there anything there?
Air Formation – Daylight Storms : interesting spacey shoegaze
Apple of Discord – You’re Not the Answer : fun once through
Autovein – Bullets and Bruises : bleck
The Bird And The Bee – The Bird And The Bee : cute, light pop fun
Black Lab – Passion Leaves A Trace : yuck
Blonde Redhead – 23 : good, but doesn’t grab me…
The Butterflies of Love – Famous Problems : nice, if forgettable
Calla – Strength in Numbers : still fuzzy and dour, now with some pop
Clutch – From Beale Street to Oblivion : fun knuckle-dragger rock
Dora Flood – We Live Now : some excellent/some cringe-y psych-fuzz-gaze
Everybody Else – Everybody Else : very light, easy pop-rock (think Hanson)
Explosions in the Sky – All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (+bonus disc) : atmosphere and bombast
Federico Aubele – Panamericana : simple and sexy downtempo
Field Music – Tones Of Town : nice Beatles/70’s AOR influenced guitar pop
Fountains Of Wayne – Traffic And Weather : light, snarky pop
Frog Eyes – Tears of the Valedictorian : egads, nowwaynohow
Ghost Stories – Quixoticism : very interesting bedroom-psych-pop (overproduced…)
Goodnight City – Better With the Lights Down : a solid ‘eh’
High Llamas – Can Cladders : ho hum, move along…
Hot Rod Circuit – The Underground Is A Dying Breed : decent emo-ish pop-punk
John Krueger – Later : nice, straightforward teen-rocker-debut
Joss Stone – Introducing Joss Stone : excellent, straightforward modern r&b
Julius Airwave – The City the Forest : all over the (indie) place, all awesome!
Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly Angry Mob : very fun Britpop
Kinetic Stereokids – Basement Kids : awesome Beck-ish indie-dope-hop
Kings Of Leon – Because Of the Times : bold, brash southern rock
The Stooges – The Weirdness : astoundingly terrible
Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future : oh my aching head
Limbeck – Limbeck : very enjoyable, easy to listen to, indie rock
Low – Drums and Guns : …remembers he doesn’t like Low…
Lucinda Williams – West : a slight departure, well done
Magicrays – Off the Map : fresh, sprawling and cinematic
The Moaners – Blackwing Yalobusha : deliciously gritty blues
Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank : angular fits-and-stops in a pop framework
One Lone Car – Variety Hour : not bad, but very unmemorable
The Orchids – Good To Be A Stranger : glowing sunshine-pop
Paolo Nutini – These Streets : good young blue-eyed soul, pre-AOR-ization
Piskie Sits – The Secret Sickness : very cool slacker-y rock (think Pavement…)
The Resentments – On My Way To See You : decent bar-room country
The Sea and Cake – Everybody : straight pop, if a tad dry and snoozy
63 Crayons – Spoils for Survivors : great lo-fi psychedelic pop
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver : LCD = rock+dance
Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha : nice complex pop/rock – the guitar stuff is great
Aqualung – Memory Man : multi-layered pop, borders on boring
Brown and Blue – Oak Park : ok, raw, roots-y rock
The Charms – Strange Magic : good, but overproduced, garage rock
The DT’s – Filthy Habits : dirty, grimy hard-soul
Dean & Britta – Back Numbers : sexy & sultry (background) music
Do Make Say Think – You, You’re A History In Rust : innovative, interesting, (mostly) instrumental
Dog Day – Night Group : clever/inventive interesting pop
Dolores O’Riordan – Are You Listening : nice multi-faceted pop/rock
Elizabeth – First Excommunications : reasonably interesting…
Grinderman – Grinderman : creeepy, but great
Illinois – What The Hell Do I Know : good, noisy, chaotic pop
Josh Pyke – Memories and Dust : pleasant, straightforward Aussie folk-indie-rock
Lodger – How Vulgar : brilliant, catchy, eccentric rock
Long Since Forgotten – The Theft (JA-ver) : decent teen arena-rock
Macy Gray – Big : A for effort, C for quality
Other Men – Wake Up Swimming : decent oddball pop
The Ponys – Turn the Lights Out : catchy as hell with a huge production sound
Shade – Arms Raised on Rooftops : pretty good, if anonymous, 00’s rock
Son Volt – The Search : good moments mixed with dull-as-hell moments
Sound the Alarm – Stay Inside : I’m sure they mean well…
Surfact – Terrific Downfall : eh, … not awful
Tangerine Dream – Madcap’s Flaming Duty : pretty freaky, if new-agey
Two Cow Garage – Three : southern rock-ish fun
Avril Lavigne – The Best Damn Thing : overall wobbly, with some great tunes
Bees – Octopus : assorted psychedelic pop-rock
The Finches – Human Like A House : decent. but why?
The Hatepinks – Tele Malade (Sick in the Head) : wham, bam, punk man!
Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs – You Can’t Buy A Gun When You’re Crying : simple, dirt-covered americana
Mary Weiss – Dangerous Game : fantastic 60’s girl-group rock
The Book of Knots – Traineater : wow! aces ‘concept’ album
Voxtrot – Voxtrot : loosely interesting pop
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky : nice old-skool americana
At Swim Two Birds – Returning To the Scene of the Crime : very mellow, but interesting
Bebel Gilberto – Momento : mildly interesting
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Baby 81 : excellent – right up my alley
Brett Anderson – Brett Anderson : umm, no.
Bright Eyes – Cassadega : v interesting, pleasantly maturing
Bryan Ferry – Dylanesque : nice stylized covers
The Concretes – Hey Trouble : straight-forward pop fare
Cowboy Junkies – At the End of Paths Taken : zzzzzzzzzzz
Dinosaur Jr. – Beyond : without missing a beat…
Dntel – Dumb Luck : just plain Dumb
Elliot Smith – New Moon : yup, it’s Elliot Smith…
Elvis Perkins – Ash Wednesday : completely forgetable…
Feist – The Reminder : pop songs in simple elegance
Fields – Everything Last Winter : very cool prog-ish rock with a dark edge
Grant-Lee Phillips – Strangelet : super easy-to-listen-to pop-americana
Great Lake Swimmers – Ongiara : simple folk-ish pop
Wooden Stars – People Are Different : delightfully odd pop
Last Days of April – Might As Well Live : ho-hum, move along
The National – Boxer : stereotypical ‘mopey indie’
Olympia – Emergencies : no, no, no
Pop Levi – The Return From Black Magick Party : eclectic, rocking tunes
The Rakes – Ten New Messages : catchy, if forgettable, brit-rock
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – Don’t You Fake It : standard post-punk/screamo
Rockabye Baby – Lullaby Renditions Of Bob Marley : sure, why not…
Ry Cooder – My Name is Buddy : eccentric yet soothing americana
Sahara Hotnights – What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing : ho-hum retro-pop/rock with no edge
Shitdisco – Kingdom of Fear : perfectly chosen band name
Simply Red – Stay : ugh, why bother…
Smithereens – Meet the Smithereens : fun copy of a great album
Wooden Wand – James and the Quiet : fine, pleasant oddity
Sondre Lerche – Phantom Punch : nice angular, bouncy rock
Ulrich Schnauss – Goodbye : lacking any edge at all
1997 – A Better View of the Rising Moon : decent, sometimes sappy, he-she pop-punk
A Northern Chorus – The Millions Too Many : a big ol’ ho-hum
Acute – Arms Around A Stranger : eh, who cares
Young Galaxy – Young Galaxy : gauze-y pop ala Luna
The Attorneys – Stereocracy : dynamic, bombastic, anthemic, ho-hum
Bjork – Volta : very interesting, but I just don’t ‘get it’
Boy In Static – Violet : hushed, ineffectual, bedroom pop
Canon – Wide Awake : derivative and narcoleptic stoner rock
Chasing Monroe – If And Only If : nondescript emo-indie rock
Chevelle – Vena Sera : big ol’ dick-swingin’ metal
The Clutters – Don’t Believe A Word : interesting pop-punky trash
The Comas – Spells : interesting but derivative psych-rock-pop
Cornelius – Sensuous : cool junk-store electronica
Coyote Bones – Gentlemen On the Rocks : simple, smooth, homespun pop
Detroit Cobras – Tied & True : toned back a touch, to good effect
Golden Smog – Blood on the Slacks : a few gems in the rough
Good Shoes – Think Before You Speak : fairly crap
Jim Bryson – Where the Bungalows Roam : nice, gently presented soft-rock-americana
Joe Hedges – Curvature : 100% forgettable
Kelly’s Heels – Neither Use Nor Ornament : galloping, romping party-pop
Miracle Fortress – Five Roses : leisurely psych-pop
Musiq Soulchild – Luvanmusiq : mostly throwaway radio soul
Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army : nice, same polyphonic sound
Rosie Thomas – Those Friends of Mine : nice Sun AM listen
The Soulsavers – It’s Not How Far You Fall It’s the Way You Land : dark, soulful, and super interesting
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga : another smashing success of space and feel
Stars of the Lid – And Their Refinement of the Decline : intricate & enjoyable electro-acoustic ambience
Trembling Blue Stars – The Last Holy Writer : soft, sad drone with a few moments of light
Viola – Wonderabilia : hmmmm, mildly interesting mellow-dance
We Are the Fury – Venus : attack of the crap-glam
Architecture in Helsinki – Places Like This : quirky, odd pop, v sloppy
Battles – Mirrored : trippy, funky, proggy math-rock
Beastie Boys – The Mix Up : meet the new (instrumental) boss
Bon Jovi – Lost Highway : “would it kill you to listen” – “someone will surely die”
Charlotte Hatherley – The Deep Blue : disappointing, mostly just dull
Chris Cornell – Carry On : astoundingly crappy
The Clientelle – God Save the Clientelle : nice, mellow, sunshine-pop
Cloud Cult – The Meaning of 8 : unfocused and too long, with some nice, high spots
Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings : tripped out cartoon-electro-pop
Vietnam – Vietnam
Fourth of July – Fourth of July On the Plains : fairly fun pop-jangly
Rocky Votolato – The Brag & Cuss : nicely on the country side of alt.country
Mark Sultan – The Sultanic Verses : great 30min blast of lo-fi one-man rock
Menomena – Friend and Foe : interesting, innovative pop stylings
Mooney Suzuki – Have Mercy : less raw rawk, more r&b
New Years Day – My Dear : standard-issue OC-emo punk-lite
Noisettes – What’s The Time Mr. Wolf? : high-energy, andgular punk with a pop core
Omar Rodriguez Lopez – Se Dice Bisonte, No Buffalo : I don’t need no stinking noodling
Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full : quite interesting; refreshingly non-cookie-cutter
The Phenomes – There’s Something We’ve Been Meaning To Do : simple, sweet, interesting
Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris : straight-forward QOTSA, a few gems
Radio Moscow – Radio Moscow : frenetic dirty blues-rock
Richard Thompson – Sweet Warrior : typically interesting RT/singer-songwriter tunes
Robbers on High Street – Grand Animals : excellent, well-thought-out, understated rock
Savath and Savalas – Golden Pollen : lush, understated, and slightly disturbing; alas also boring
The Scientists – Sedition : worth investigating …
They Might Be Giants – The Else : fun quirky pop, SAIEW
Tijuana Mon Amour Broadcasting Inc. – Cold Jubilee (Of the Snowqueen) : awesome, immersive, soundscapes
Tough Alliance – New Chance : interesting oddball synth-pop
Turbonegro – Retox : revved-up, 80’s heavy rock
Vincent Black Shadow – Vincent Black Shadow : fairly crap
Wes Jones – Mount Analogue : stony, form-cut downtemps
White Stripes – Icky Thump : uniquely Jack, pure goodness
Amber Pacific – Truth in Sincerity : standard-issue emo-punk-pop
At The Spine – Sonic Resistance : music first, activism second – fun
Bobby Conn – King For A Day
Bonde Do Role – With Lasers : crazy-wild Brazillian party-funk-rock
The Bravery – The Sun and the Moon : not bad, almost great: why not?
Charles Gonzalez – You Are On My Radar : mostly-boring singer-songwriter
Cold Hot Crash – Cold Hot Crash : perfectly decent indie rock
Color Filter – Blueberry : sleepy, layered JA-gaze-pop
The Cribs – Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever : 00’s brit-punk, best when off the pattern
Editors – An End Has A Start : I suppose it’s not terrible
Fridge – The Sun : what is this supposed to be? bah
Girl in a Coma – Both Before I`m Gone : crisp, clean, and interesting : YYYs-ish
Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta! : headache-inducing; some great party tunes
Goon Moon – Licker’s Last Leg : great collection of this-that-and-the-other (stoner) songs
Gore Gore Girls – Get The Gore : very enjoyable 60s-inspired girl-group fun
The High Strung – Get the Guests : extremely fun psychedelic-pop
Idlewild – Make A New World : pedestrial rock
Keren Ann – Keren Ann : nice singer-songwriter turns, if a tad boring…
The Mighty Roars – Swine And Cockerel : fantastically frenzied punk/garage racket
Mystery Jets – Zootime : some interesting, mostly blase Brit-rock
Okkervil River – The Stage Names : i fucking hate this shit
People Press Play – People Press Play : charmingly dull ambi-‘lectro-pop
Piano Magic – Part-Monster : moments of rock/atmospheric brilliance
Pink Martini – Hey Eugene! : fun, uber-eclectic party music
Ray’s Vast Basement – Starvation Under Orange Trees : interesting, mellow, period-piece
Rihanna – Good Girl Gone Bad (bonus cd)
Sherwood – A Different Light : tolerable guitar lite-pop
Super Furry Animals – Hey Venus! : very enjoyable psych-pop adventure
Talib Kweli – Ear Drum
Taxi Taxi – Maps and Legends : nice simple-yet-dense pop-rock
Thrills – Teenager : pop-jangly, but flat and uninspiring
Tiger Army – Music From Regions Beyond : interesting, but sounds like everything else
Travis – The Boy with No Name : mildly interesting pop, brit-style
Us3 – Say What : serviceable jazz-funkiness
Axe Riverboy – Tu Tu To Tango : very nice, simple pop
BC Camplight – Blink of a Nihilist : moments of Brian Wilson-y genius
Blanche – Little Amber Bottles : another nice bit of americana-ism
Fiery Furnaces – Widow City : crazy-complex mind-buster indie pop/rock
Honeyroot – The Sun Will Come : some great downbeat, some cheeezzze
Kevin Drew – Spirit If : dynamic post-rock – not my thing…
Raising the Fawn – Sleight of Hand : adventurous, sprawling rock – some gems
99th Floor – Eclectic Guitar : excellent! psychedelic-ish rock
500 Miles to Memphis – Sunshine in a Shot Glass : rolicking fun punk-country (w/dull spots…)
Adam Franklin – Bolts of Melody : some cool shoegaze-y psychedelia
Aiff – Afro Soul System : fun and funky!
An Angle – The Truth Is That You Are Alive : pop-tastic rock experiments
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam : damn weird audio mayhem
Apostle of Hustle – National Anthem of Nowhere : very good, straight-forward rock album
Arctic Monkeys – Favorite Worst Nightmare : worthy of the hype, a rockin’ fun album
Balkan Beat Box – Nu Med : strange ‘international’ dub
Biffy Clyro – Puzzle : ummm, no.
Black Diamond Heavies – Every Damn Time : heavy, gritty, no-guitar blues (Alive Recd’s)
Bowerbirds – Hymns For A Dark Horse : interestingly instrumented soft-folk
Chemical Brothers – We Are the Night : interesting, not compelling…
Chromeo – Fancy Footwork : shiat 80’s keyboard dance attack
Circus Devils – Sgt. Disco : giant, messy, R. Pollard release – a few minor gems
The Crystal Method – Drive : like a jog in traffic…
Driver of the Year – Will Destroy You : QOTSA-ish rock bombast
Figurines – When the Deer Wore Blue : sweet, but numbingly dry/irritating, indie pop
Fire Files – Two New Sciences : somewhat crap, guys-next-door …
Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble – Plastic Bag In the Tree : “all instrumental sorta acid folk music, sorta”
Get Him Eat Him – Arms Down : wholly overdone, interesting but with no space to breathe
High Tension Wires – Midnight Cashier : 20 mins of fun, uptempo garage-punk
Hopewell – Beautiful Targets : very over-the-top psych-rock
Interpol – Our Love to Admire : ho-hum moody arena rock
Jet Lag Gemini – Fire the Cannons : hooks galore – still boring
Josh Rouse – Country Mouse, City House : mellow, pleasant, (sorta dull)
Maps – We Can Create : grand tour of electro-psych-hip-dream-pop landscapes
The Mercies – The Mercies : straight power-pop
Metric – Grow Up and Blow Away : very compelling indie mellow-pop-trip-rock
Minus Story – Ion Truss : ho-hum attempt at grandiose (meandering) rock
The Mood Swings – No Limit : very short, decent power-pop (lite)
…music video? – Now That My TV Has Wings I’ll Never Be Lonely : nice laptop-blip-pop
Perry Farrells Satellite Party – Ultra Payloaded : fun party-rock album
Portugal, The Man – Church Mouth : excellent zep-ish heavy-riff rock
Pride Tiger – The Lucky Ones : some great stoner-70’s cock rock tunes
They Shoot Horses Dont They – Pick Up Sticks : S-U-C-K
Rooney – Calling the World : very catchy, very lite, pop-rock
Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger : all bark, no bite; essentially boring ( a few gems)
Sara Bareilles – Little Voice : clever/sexy/soulful adult pop
Shout Out Louds – Our Ill Wills : interesting, but way over-produced
Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist : far, far, far from the good Pumpkins
The Softlightes – Say No to Being Cool, Say Yes to Being Happy : sticky sweet synth-pop-lite
Spoiler NYC – Grease Fire in Hell’s Kitchen : hack-y Social D wanna-be
The Stereotypes – 4 : sunshiny power-pop
The Sunday Drivers – Tiny Telephone : very easy power-pop, via Spain
Turbo Fruits – Turbo Fruits : great trashy/stoned/garage rock
Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters : excellent, epic rainy-day atmospherics
UNKLE – War Stories : decent enough, but nothing inventive or ‘out there’. Inst. disc more enjoyable
Velvet Revolver – Libertad : simple, interesting, knuckle-head rock
Vic Chesnutt – North Star Deserter : amazing, textured, soulful album
Akron/Family – Love is Simple : bellwether freak-folk album
Aliens – Astronomy for Dogs : awesome psychedelic rock
Dirtblonde – White Noise, Rubber Heart : uninteresting drum-machine blues
The Dowry – The Circus and The Sea : interesting and pleasant indie-folk
Leatherettes – Jet Black And Bleached : repetetive, derivative garage crap
Mum – Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy : semi-interesting…
Shivaree – Tainted Love_Mating Calls and Fight Songs : uber-cheezy ‘torch’ covers
Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War : very well done and elegantly constructed – still bores me…
Tegan and Sara – The Con : quirky, unorthodox pop
Two Lone Swordsmen – Wrong Meeting : fantastically produced combo of rock+electro beats
Two Lone Swordsmen – Wrong Meeting II : less rock, more electro – still extr. well-done
Amel Larrieux – Lovely Standards : well named. a lovely standards collection
The Antiques – Sewn with Stitches : dark, moody, psych-tinged rock
Ashton – Rewind : crap-o emo
Attack Formation – We Are Alive In Tune : wild & crazy freak-out extravaganza
Beirut – The Flying Cup Club : Stephin Merritt + Sufjan Stephens + (david byrne)
Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil : great 60’s tinged psychedelic minimalist-rock
Black Lips – Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo : live recording falls a bit flat
The Breakers DK – Here For A Laugh : fun party/classic rock – the album ryan adams wishes he’d made
Buffalo Tom – Three Easy Pieces : ehhh, ho-hum pop
Circus Diablo – Circus Diablo : by-the-numbers cock-rock
Collective Soul – Afterwords : blah
Dax Riggs – We Sing Of Only Blood or Love : awesome dirty-death-howl blues
Eisley – Combinations : very sweet, very nice vocal-based pop
Fauxliage – Fauxliage : ez-downtempo, kinda massage-room-newage-y
The Go – Howl On the Haunted Beat You Ride : superbly executed 60’s style garage-psychedelia
Guards of Metropolis – Alligator : pretty good, but one of a million same-sounders
Heavy Trash – Going Way Out with Heavy Trash : killer blue-rockabilly-americana
Jesse Harris – Feel : nice singer/songwriter – not compelling, not offensive
Juliette & the Licks – Four on the Floor : listenable, but nothing special
Kelly Jones – Only the Names Have Been Changed : blah melancholy singer-songwriter junk
King Khan & the Shrines – What Is! : fantastically fun retro/psychadelic burners
Mae – Singularity : not good, not bad – move along…
Matt Nathanson – Some Mad Hope : nice singer-songwriter radio pop
Milburn – These Are the Facts : good rendition of the 05+’s brit-rock sound
Minus the Bear – Planet of Ice : interesting, overly complex, post-rock/pop
Night Terrors – Cobras : crazed punk-rock!
Oh Juliet – A Southern Boys Guide to Raising the Dead : derivative modern emo-rock
Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child : nice sunday morning alt.pop ear-candy
Peachfuzz – Catch Your Snap : very fun 60’s/70’s AOR-ish pop-rock
Pepe Deluxe – Spare Time Machine : in a crazy electro-psych-prog-spasm style
Rilo Kiley – Under the Blacklight : all traces of ‘rock-and-roll’ have been removed
Rogue Wave – Asleep At Heaven’s Gate : delightful modern pop/soft-rock
St. Vincent – Marry Me : unique and quirky pop-torch collection
Sunset Rubdown – Random Spirit Lover : crazed experimental acid-folk-rock freakout
Tehss – Underground : nondescript French pop-rock
Tim Gilbertson – Tim Gilbertson : very nice, straight pop
Annie Lennox – Songs of Mass Destruction : fine…
Brimstone Howl – Guts of Steel : tube-amp style gritty blues-rock
Bruce Springsteen – Magic : (surprisingly) solid rock record
The Downbeat 5 – Smoke & Mirrors : decent live garage rock, quality wavers…
Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace : lacking in the big, big hooks; terribly flat
Hot Hot Heat – Happiness Ltd. : not sure what this is trying to be, but it’s not very good…
King Louie & the Loose Diamonds – Memphis Treet : old-skool memphis lo-fi party rock
The Nightwatchman – One Man Revolution : some nice hooks and listenable voice, but forgettable
PJ Harvey – White Chalk : dark, complex and intense; (but not really my thing…)
Sea Wolf – Leaves in the River : fantastic, extr. well-done, indie rock
Vector Lovers – Afterglow : elegantly textured electronics; cumbersome at points
12 Stone Toddler – Does It Scare You : funkified country-screamo-punk circus music
1990s – Cookies : fun, if excessively shallow, straight rock album
All Time Low – So Wrong, It’s Right : fun, standard teen punk-pop
Angels & Airwaves – I-Empire : tries to hard to be an anthemic ‘everything’ = shiny veneer
Angie Stone – The Art of Love and War : some mildly interesting, mostly crap R&B
Band of Horses – Cease to Begin : great, smart, indie-pop; a grower
Beth Hart – 37 Days : omg overwrought
The Bones – Burnout Boulevard : fun, but boilerplate, agressive punk-pop
Britney Spears – Blackout : not at all bad
The Cake Sale – The Cake Sale : painfully mellow multi-artist collab.
Caribou – Andorra : interesting sonics/atmospherics, but cold and sterile as hell
Cary Brothers – Who You Are : nice enough, sweet enough, too dull …
Charle Hunter Trio – Mistico : fun, proggy, more-rock-than-jazz workout
The Cult – Born Into This : dense, riff-heavy, party/arena rock
Damon and Naomi – Within’ These Walls : spacey, moody, mostly boring
The Devastations – Yes, U : schmaltzy electro-makeout muzik
Dimi Dero Inc – Sisyphus, Window Cleaning : promising rock, needs to lighten up
Dirty Projectors – Rise Above : interesting, extremely weird concept-art
The Dying Californian – Coarsegold : puths the baby right to sleep, so that’s good…
Electric Six – I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me From Being The Master : party!,excitement!,exclamation points!!
The Field – From Here We Go Sublime : not enough of anything, including drone, ambient, pop, …
Future of the Left – Curses! : fairly great smart-lunatic-fringe punk
The Get Quick – See You in the Crossfire : interesting, non-formula power-pop
Ghostwriters – Political Animal : highly (overly) political, a few fun tunez
High on Fire – Death Is This Communion : deep, dark, scary power-metal
The Hives – The Black and White Album : formula-arena-rock, and I like the taste!
Holly Beth Vincent – Super Rocket Star : unoffensive indie-rock
Intelligence – Deuteronomy : not sure what the aim is here .. but it misses
Intramural – This is a Landslide : sometimes excellent electro-guest-rock
Jonah Matranga – And : country-tinged wimp-pop
Josh Groban – Noel
Les Savy Fav – Let’s Stay Friends : cool, angular, and quirky; punky guitar rock
Letters Letters – Letters Letters : strange noise-influenced electro-pop
Motion City Soundtrack – Even If It Kills Me : decent tweeny pop-rock
Moving Mountains – Pneuma : mildly entertaining post-rock instro-noodling
New Amsterdams – At the Foot Of My Rival : sweet, innocent, singer-songwriter rock-lite
The Owls – Daughters and Suns : fun adult-indie, think early EBTG
Pissed Jeans – Hope For Men : nonsense heavy-metal-ish punk
The Puppini Sisters – Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo : cutesie retro doo-wop/pop/standards
Radiohead – In Rainbows : another ‘only Radiohead’ album
The Redwalls – The Redwalls : fun, 60s-era r&b/rock, less shiny=better
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand : delightfully pleasant
Sacred Cowboys – Cold Harvest : ho-hum indie rock
The Shake – Trippin’ the Whole Colourful World : great 60’s retro psych-pop
Sixteens – Into the Gold Wave of Future Non Rip-Off! : mostly unlistenable
The Spill Canvas – No Really, I’m Fine : very ‘listenable’, quite awful
Stereophonics – Pull the Pin : heavy riffs over interesting tunes
Suzanne Vega – Beauty and Crime : solid, interesting, adult-pop
Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers – Swampblood : country-fried punk freakouts
This Beautiful Republic – Even Heroes Need A Parachute : awful
Thurston Moore – Trees Outside the Academy : simpler & mellower
Times New Viking – Present the Paisley Reich : interesting; sometimes painfully lo-fi
VAST – April : moody and simple, engaging acoustic-based rock
We Are Wolves – Total Magique : headache dance-rock
The Winnerys – Daily Urban Times : fun Merseybeat retro power-pop
Alicia Keys – As I Am : classic, sexy, emotive R&B
The Coral – Roots and Echoes : straightforward 60’s-flavor pop; a touch bland…
Fatal Flying Guilloteens – Quantum Fucking : chaos
Haunted George – Pile O’ Meat : gritty, grimy, scary one-man blues-punk
The Mess Makers – Wipe Your Face : fun groove-garage/punk
Nick Lowe – At My Age : mellow, varied and compelling
Silverchair – Young Modern : warning: contains irritants
Two-Star Hotel – Sweat and Glitter : dance-pop-punk-dance
CocoRosie – The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn : freaky, unique pop
Dragons of Zynth – Coronation Thieves : like a REALLY f-ing weird TVOtR
The Go! Team – Proof of Youth (+ bonus disc) : like hyped up cheerleader routines on acid!!!
Hooverphonic – The President of the LSD Golf Club : sweetly trippy, psychedelic, downtempo pop-rock
Jim Kirkwood – We Are Nightingales : bleak, dark, synth-ambient
Phosphorescent – Pride : lame psych-folk
The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust : less JAMC, more Ronnettes
Saturday Looks Good To Me – Fill Up the Room : 60’s pop flavored oddball-indie
Six Organs of Admittance – Shelter From the Ash : nice, sleepy guit album
Vampire Hands – Virgin Dust American Lips : complex rock w/ intense tribal rythyms
Younger Brother – The Last Days of Gravity : fun psychedelic electro/trance
-live-
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Cristal Ballroom, Portland OR 01-20 [Matrix]
Thee Emergency – Silver Platters, Seattle WA 01-28
Bloc Party – Black Session, Studio 106, Maison de la Radio, Paris, FR 01-22
Essex Green – The Paradise, Boston MA 01-27
Casper And The Cookies – Caledonia Lounge, Athens GA 02-03
Paul Weller – Avalon, Hollywood CA 02-04
Guy Clark, Joe Ely, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett – Pikes Peak Center, Colorado Springs, CO 02-08
Brakes – Colin Murray Show, BBC1 02-08
Arcade Fire – Judson Memorial Church, NYC 02-13
The Shins – Paramount, Seattle WA 02-10
Iggy & the Stooges – SXSW-KLRU Sudios, Austin TX 03-06
Mountain Goats – The Independent, SF CA 03-08
Paul Weller – Live on KCRW 03-13
Polyphonic Spree – Fillmore, Denver CO 03-22
Badly Drawn Boy – GAMH, SF CA 03-23
Of Montreal – 40 Watt Club, Athens GA 03-24
The Shins – Live on KCRW 03-27
The Dexateens – Music Farm, Charleston SC 03-31
Avril Lavigne – AOL Music Sessions, March 2007
Apples in Stereo – Bluebird Theatre, Denver CO 04-01
The Shins – Black Session, Studio 105, Maison de la Radio, Paris, FR 04-02
Kill Devil Hills – Troubador, LA CA 04-10
Dean & Britta – World CafÈ, WXPN 04-04
Avril Lavigne – Saturday Night Live, NYC 04-14
Heavy Trash – Hamburg Molotow, GER 04-15
The Broken West – Live on KCRW 04-19
The Books – Neumo’s, Seattle WA 04-26
Spoon – Toad’s Place, New Haven CT 04-26
Avril Lavigne – CBC Exclusive, Calgary April 2007
Modest Mouse – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, Providence RI 05-02
Elf Power – Emo’s, Austin TX 05-08
Arcade Fire – Greek Theatre, Berkeley CA 06-02
White Stripes – Nuernberg, Rock im Park 06-02
Lucinda Williams – Mountain Winery, Saratoga CA 06-08
David Barbe & The Quick Hooks – 40 Watt Club, Athens GA 06-11
Cracker (Duo) – 40 Watt Club, Athens GA 06-11
Cold War Kids – That Tent, Bonnaro Fest., Manchester TN 06-15
Abra Moore – Poor David’s Pub, Dallas TX 06-23
Modest Mouse – Postbahnhof am Ostbahnof Berlin, DE 07-06
Decemberists with L.A. Philarmonic – Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood CA 07-07
Polyphonic Spree – Great American Music Hall, SF CA 07-17 v1
Polyphonic Spree – Great American Music Hall, SF CA 07-17 v2
Polyphonic Spree – Live on KCRW 07-19
Iggy & the Stooges – FIB; Benicassim, Spain 07-19 FM
Architecture in Helsinki – Live on KCRW 07-20
Fountains Of Wayne – Wiggins Park, Camden NJ 07-20
Arctic Monkeys – FIB; Benicassim, Spain 07-21 FM
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – FIB; Benicassim, Spain 07-22 FM
The Go! Team – FIB; Benicassim, Spain 07-22 FM
Grinderman – Madison Square Garden, NYC 07-24
White Stripes – Madison Square Garden, NYC 07-24
The Police – MSG, NYC 08-01
Daniel Johnston (w Casper & the Cookies) – 40 Watt Club, Athens GA 08-11
Gimme Shelter Benefit – 40 Watt Club, Athens GA 08-15
Detroit Cobras – Slim’s, SF CA 08-17
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – The Fillmore, SF CA 08-21
The New Pornographers – KEXP, Seattle WA 09-14
Spoon – Treasure Island Music Fest., SF CA 09-16
The New Pornographers – Warfield, SF CA 09-17-07
The Flaming Lips – Roseland Theatre, Portland OR 09-19 [matrix]
The New Pornographers – KCRW, Santa Monica CA 09-20
Dax Riggs – Rhythm and Brews, Chattanooga TN 09-23
The Go! Team – Live on KCRW 10-22
Caribou – Live on KCRW 10-26
Federico Aubele – Live on KCRW 10-29
Elvis Costello & Clover – GAMH, SF 11-08 [late show]
Spoon – The Moon, Tallahassee FL 11-08-07 [matrix]
Bruce Springsteen – TD Banknorth Garden, Boston MA 11-19
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – Live on KCRW 12-03
-re-release/comps/mixes-
Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele (The Instrumentals) : some interesting bits
Green Day – Kerplunk (remaster) : one of the best ever
Alkaline Trio – Remains : nice outtakes/B’s collection
Black Snake Moan OST : nice blues revival
Corinne Bailey Rae – Corinne Bailey Rae deluxe ed. (2cd)
Green Day – 1.039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (remaster) : remember being 16?
Peter Bjorn and John – Falling Out (reissue)
Peter Bjorn and John – Peter Bjorn and John (reissue)
Hot Fuzz OST : some very cool throwback tracks
Over the Rhine – Discount Fireworks
Baby I’m Yours : eh, London pub mix
Bridging the Distance: A Portland OR Covers Compilation : 70s AOR = good; 80s hair metal = bad
CafÈ del Mar, Classics III : fun tiki/cocktail mix
Sly & the Family Stone – Stand! (remaster)
Sly & the Family Stone – There’s A Riot Goin’ On (remaster)
Beastie Boys – Awesome! I Fuckin’ Shot That
Grindhouse/Planet Terror OST : decent creepy soundscapes
Attack of the One Man Bands!
Smoking Aces OST : hot fun
Solomon Burke – The Platinum Collection
Ryan Adams – Keep Me In Your Thoughts (A Retrospective)
Ocean’s Thirteen OST : fantastic mood-maker
Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue (remaster)
Queens of the Stone Age – Unplugged and Paralyzed (boot)
Hellbound Honeys Vol. 1 : fun all girl-group garage stomper
Insound – Let’s Get Digital 2
Motel Lovers – Southern Sould from the Chitlin’ Circuit : fun dirty soul (snicker snicker)
Nouvelle Vague Presents – New Wave
Masterjazz Presents Kool Groove Lounge Redux (The Bria Project) : “kool groove lounge” party disk
Buck 65 – I Dream of Love – Live and In Private (ltd. ed. tour CD) : dumb white rap
The Hentchmen – Hench-Forth.Five (reissue) : great 60’s-esque garage rock
Green Day – Transmissions
Morphine – Good (remaster) : RIP Mark Sandman
Saturday Sessions (The Dermot O’Leary Show) : mostly fun 2cd collection of live tracks and covers
Ween – Chocolate and Cheese (reissue)
Blossom Toes – We Are Ever So Clean (remaster) : excellent 60s psych rock
Elvis Presley – Viva Las Vegas (remaster) : the king!!, awesome live CD2
The Gossip – Standing In the Way of Control (reissue)
Hot Chip – DJ Kicks : 80’s dance + 90’s house mix
ObscureSound.com : Best of July 2007
Greetings From America’s Wang – A Haughey mix
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (deluxe reiss.)
Beastie Boys – Best of Grand Royal 12″s : some fun mixes
Control OST
Dan In Real Life OST : nice collection of s lerche
Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild OST : ho-hum
I’m Not There OST : some great versions of great songs
Kurt Cobain: About A Son OST
Nirvana – Nevermind (MFSL remaster)
Operation Ivy – Operation Ivy (remaster) : great, fun, East Bay album
Elvis Presley – Rocks Through His Early Years
Radiohead – Paragons of Virtue (boot) : nice b-sides/rarities collection
Radio 1, Established 1967 : quite hit and miss (miss and hit…)
R.E.M – Live : sometimes a tad overdone, but some great tunes
Social Distortion – Greatest Hits
Thursday – Kill the House Lights : whateva’ collection
Antipodean Screams, vol.2 : Aussie/Kiwi garage-punk comp
ESP (Nervous Jerk comp) : often quite good
The Flaming Lips – UFOs at the Zoo (DVD aud)
-singles/EPs-
Alkaline Trio + Smoking Popes split 7”
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Satan Said Dance CDS : this song sucks
Questions in Dialect – The Ghost Wishes to Speak EP
The Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur EP : eh
Daniel Wylie – Let’s Go Surfing EP : a few interesting pop moments
Harlem Shakes – Burning Birthdays EP : somewhat intoxicating pop
Joss Stone – Tell Me ‘Bout It CDS
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Desecration Smile CDS : suck
Cut Chemist – What’s the Altitude EP
Josh Rouse & Paz Suay – She’s Spanish, I’m American EP : decent throwaway pop
LCD Soundsystem – North American Scum CDS
TV on the Radio – Live at Amoeba Music EP
Jeremy Larson – Swim EP
Black Milk/Illy Hutch & the Macks – split 7”
EL-P – Flyentology EP
The Fratellis – The Flathead CDS
The Fratellis – Whistle For the Choir CDS
Guster – Satellite EP : throwaway garbage
The Shins – Australia CDS
Joy Electric – Workmanship EP : short, mildly-interesting, druggy pop-electronica
Mammal – Mammal EP : punk+funk+rawk+testes
Ulrich Schnauss – Quicksand Memory EP : great trippy-fuzzy remixes
Sea Wolf – Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low EP : excellent, concise, mellow rock
Silversun Pickups – Tripwire Session (Live in Chicago) EP : tour-de-force
Bloc Party – The Prayer EP
The Decemberists – Live from SoHo EP : nice taster
Kaiser Chiefs – Everything Is Average Nowadays CDS
Matt Pond PA – If You Want Blood EP
Soko – Soko Not Sokute EP : mildly interesting myspace cuteness
The Spill Canvas – Denial Feels So Good EP
In Fiction – Ghost EP
Coaltar Of The Deepers – Tortoise EP : really weird industrial-shoegaze-pop
Dawn of Man – In the Bronze Age EP : interesting, overdriven pop
Boat Club – Caught the Breeze EP : instrumentals=awesome carribean flavored sunshine-pop, vocals=fall flat
The Distinguished Gentlemen – Renaissance EP : nice r&b-ish downtempo flava
Feist – 1234 CDS
Kings Of Leon – Fans CDS
Lightbreak – Andalucia EP : i just threw up a little
Lily Allen – Alfie EP
Northern Roon – Only Seconds EP : wannabe arena rock
Novice – Novice EP : they love changing dynamics; good for them
Republic of Letters – Spirit or a Ghost EP
The Tuss – Confederation Trough 7″ : whodat? whocarez, pretty damn good
Velvet Revolver – Melody and the Tyranny EP
Ween – Friends EP : typically weird/interesting
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Is Is EP : tight, concise, brash EP
Of Montreal – Icons, Abstract Thee EP : depressing, but catchy as hell
The Morning Light – The Sounds of Love EP : perfectly acceptable teen power-pop
Man on Earth – Something Better EP : points for being a nice short ep…
Los Campesinos! – Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP : silly, throwaway happy-pop
Seventeen Evergreen – Lunar One EP : chilled-out space epic
Two Gallants – The Scenery of Farewell EP : excellent stripped-down 5-track attack
The Blakes – Streets EP : stomping rock veering into psychedelia
The Fall – Reformation EP
Hem – Home Again, Home Again EP : sweet country-tinged indie pop
Caribou – Pink Room Session : excellent, different, versions
Killerbirds – Killerbirds EP : fun tough-chick rock
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – Dolly 7″
The Midway State – Met A Man On Top Of The Hill EP : Coldplay still sucks
Nightmare of You – Bang EP : interesting, if pedestrian, rock
The Coral – Jacqueline CDS
Radio Massacre International – Blacker EP : weirdo noodly space-jazz
The Scenic – It’s A Secret to Everyone EP : arena-rock crappo
Silversun Pickups – Well Thought Out Twinkles CDS
Amon Tobin – Kitchen Sink remixes
Scissor Sisters – Kiss You Off CDS