Guided By Voices - Propeller

Guided By Voices are the best low-fi absurdist hard-rock experimental collage band ever to emerge from Dayton, Ohio. While singer/guitarist/songwriter Rob Pollard's fragmentary structures and religious observance of the low-fi aesthetic may frustrate some, it is difficult to resist his infallible instinct for melodic hooks and his tongue-in-cheek appropriation of anthemic '70s hard rock. Propeller dates from GBV's mid-period, located between their often incoherent early efforts and somewhat more streamlined albums such as Alien Lanes. Along with BEE THOUSAND, Propeller is a perfect example of what this idiosyncratic outfit is all about. Mixing an art-project cut-and-paste sensibility with a clear love of classic rock, GBV wire together scraps of punk ("Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy"), naive '60s pop ("On The Tundra"), acoustic folk ("14 Cheerleader Coldfront"), mock metal ("Lethargy"), and shamelessly hooky songs ("Quality of Armor") complete with infectious choruses and Beatles-esque harmonies. Pollard's surreal, often nonsensical lyrics serve as gentle reminder not to take this band's wonderfully creative rock amalgam too seriously.
(RS)

Garbage - Version 2.0

Recorded at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin. VERSION 2.0 was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Album Of The Year and Best Rock Album. "Special" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. "Special" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. Those of you who found yourselves mysteriously drawn to the dark sexuality of Garbage's debut might not get what you expect from their follow-up--at least at first. But a closer listen reveals that VERSION 2.0 is actually much closer to the true Garbage sound. The reason: Where GARBAGE was already more or less completed when Shirley Manson signed up, 2.0 allows her much more freedom to control the group's sound. The distorted guitar hooks, loops and industrialized production that defined Garbage's sound on their debut are still present, but tempered by Ms. Manson's strong pop sensibilities. If you listen closely, you can even catch hints of Blondie and the Pretenders. (They quote the Pretenders "The Talk Of The Town" in "Special".) And while it isn't exactly the Spice Girls or Hanson, 2.0 is a much more upbeat, happy-sounding album. Instead of appealing to the brooding, listen-alone-in-your-room-with-the-lights-out crowd, 2.0 is aimed straight at the dance floor.
(GS)

Morrissey - You are the Quarry

The sharp-witted Brit-pop icon takes shots at the United States and England, respectively, on the biting "America Is Not the World" and the bold "Irish Blood, English Heart." Unsurprisingly, the rest of the album doesn't shy away from frustration-fueled topics ("I Have Forgiven Jesus," "The World Is Full of Crashing Bores"), revealing that the former Smiths singer hasn't missed a step lyrically or vocally in the seven years since 1997's Maladjusted. Enhanced by the guitars of longtime collaborators Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer, the sound here is vintage Morrissey, though a few tracks bear the energetic influence of Quarry's punk-pop-inclined producer. Standout songs include the gorgeous, dreamy "I'm Not Sorry" and "First of the Gang to Die," a love letter to his unlikely Latino fan base in Los Angeles. While the record clearly marks a new phase for the beloved crooner, it also reminds listeners of why they grew to love him in the first place.
(RS)

Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister

There's nobody named Belle or Sebastian in this Scottish septet, but that's just part of the self-effacing mythology with which the band has surrounded itself. Their low profile in the media and even on their own albums (no personnel or songwriting credits) is in keeping with the shy-boy aesthetic promulgated on this, their debut album. While the influence of lovable British wimps like Nick Drake, The Smiths and Al Stewart (!) and fellow Scot Donovan can be heard throughout, the band has an identity and highly developed sense of songcraft all its own. Led by Stuart Murdoch, Belle and Sebastian offer up a largely acoustic folk-pop sound with deep roots in the '60s. Their guitar-and-piano arrangements are often filled out by luxurious trumpets and strings, but the clever, sardonic lyrics keep things from ever getting too mushy. The bright, irresistible pop melodies stand in sharp contrast to decidedly downbeat lyrics that recall Morrissey at his sharpest. Timeless, gorgeous and just cool enough to avoid a mainstream breakthrough.
(RS)

The Subways - Young For Eternity

England's the Subways mine the indie punk-pop sound as well as any of their mid-2000s contemporaries. The trio--composed of brothers Billy Lunn (guitar/vocals) and Josh Morgan (drums), with childhood friend Charlotte Cooper on bass--marry a brash, punk-inspired edge with melodic hooks on their 2006 debut Young For Eternity. The album's title is appropriate for encapsulating tunes such as "Rock & Roll Queen" and "Oh Yeah," which telegraph the feeling of being a 17-year-old rock & roller with their crunching riffs and thunderous rhythms. But the Subways balance their reckless abandon with a keen sense of melody, as heard on the retro-flavored, acoustic guitar-based "Mary." In fact, much of Young For Eternity sounds like a catalogue of youth trends from the '60s, '70s, and '90s--with sunshine pop, glam, punk, grunge, and garage revival all blended into one exuberant package.
(RS)

TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain

On its 2006 album, Return To Cookie Mountain, the Brooklyn-based post-punk group TV on the Radio manages that rare feat of becoming more adventurous and accessible at the same time. While this record isn't a major departure from its eclectic predecessor (the lauded Desprate Youth, Bloody thirsty Babes), it is notably more cohesive, and even boasts a guest appearance by David Bowie, who slinks into backing vocals on the R&B-tinged "Province." By combining unpolished loops and stuttering beats with shoegazing guitar textures, the ensemble creates an utterly unique sound, particularly when the deep, expressive voice of Tunde Adebimpe and the falsetto singing of Kyp Malone fall into harmony, as on the hypnotic "I Was a Lover." Given that the band's first outing was the self-released, Radiohead-referencing Ok Calculator, it's wholly appropriate that with Return To Cookie Mountain, TV on the Radio has crafted an edgy, soulful counterpart to "Kid A".
(RS)

Liars - Drum's not dead - 2006

A concept album based on fictional characters named Mt. Heart Attack and Drum, this mesmerizing record is the result of the art-rock ensemble Liars, formerly of Brooklyn, taking up residence in Berlin after the release of the critically divisive theywere wrobg, so we drowned. Although drum's not dead does rely heavily on pummeling percussion and chanted vocals, the undoubtedly challenging outing is quite nuanced and dynamic, with many of the mt. Heart Attack tracks (particularly "Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack") conveying a compulsive energy, and the Drum-related compositions (see the droning "Hold You, Drum") conjuring up a meditative dreaminess. The CD is accompanied by a DVD that presents three short films (two of which are directed by band members), each one following the arc of this fascinatingly strange excursion.
(RS)

Joanna Newsom - Ys

If the debut album from Joanna Newsom, 2004's The Milk-Eyed Mender, suggested there was no-one in music quite like this elfin San Franciscan harpist, its follow-up Ys sees that gulf of difference become a universe of possibilities. Recorded by veteran engineer Steve Albini, with strings from Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks and vocal contributions from Newsom's current beau, Bill Callahan of alternative country miserabilists Smog, Ys is an altogether bigger, broader, more fantastical and more ambitious offering than its predecessor. Only five tracks long, songs unfurl into grandiose narratives embossed with trumpet, violins, oboe, and French horn. But what's truly impressive is Newsom's extraordinary sense of command. On "Emily", cutesy observations of birds taking flight ("the meadowlark and the chim-cho-ree") blossom out into tales of falling meteorites, muddy-mouthed baboons and nautical adventures. Meanwhile, on the extraordinary "Only Skin" (which approaches 20 minutes in length) Newsom's voice and plucked harp flourish in strange, complimentary patterns, her voice at times born up on dramatic trumpets and cooing oboes, or for one passage, shadowed by Callahan's cobwebbed croak. It is testing in length, difficult to dip into, and not for those allergic to flights of fancy -- but Ys is a magnificent achievement, one you suspect no one else on this planet could mimic, let alone challenge.
(RS)

Beach House - Beach House

Indie rock has plenty of bands specializing in moody, low-key music heavy on dark, delicate atmospheres, but one would never know it from listening to the debut from Baltimore duo Beach House. That’s because instrumentalist Alex Scally and vocalist Victoria Legrand deliver a sound that is wholly fresh and enchanting, even when its references (Nico, Mazzy Star, Cat Power) are apparent. Throughout ‘Beach House’, swelling organ, lightly brushed drums, and a constellation of processed guitar sounds build a sonic galaxy through which float Legrand’s hushed, lovely vocals–creating an effect that is wistful and charming.
This album is one of the most amazing albums in 2006.
(RS)

The Smiths - Meat Is Murder

Recorded at Amazon Studios, Liverpool and Ridge Farm, Surrey, England. MEAT IS MURDER found the Smiths further honing their craft, tightening and brightening their sound. Unlikely heroes at home in the UK, and starting to break through the cracks in the States, they latched inextricably onto a generation of youth on a global scale with this album, making vegetarians and animal-rights activists out of more than a few of their overcoat-wearing devotees. The most straight-ahead of the Smiths' albums in terms of production, MEAT IS MURDER is a rootsy effort, driven largely by Johnny Marr's lush acoustic guitar arrangements. The album, however, is far from folky. While the frenetic pace and dolorous lyric "Rusholm Ruffians" and the gentle, haunting "Well I Wonder" have acoustic backbones, the blistering fury of "What She Said" and the cascading echoes of "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" are purely electric, and are exactly the reason behind the reverence with which Marr found himself being graced from here on. Morrissey takes a humorous stab at royalty (not his last by any means) over the quick shuffle of "Nowhere Fast." The album closes on an intense, epic note with the dramatic, compelling title track, a graphic anthem for the cause celebre of vegetarianism.
(RS)

R.E.M. - Document

R.E.M.: Michael Stipe (vocals); Peter Buck (guitar); Mike Mills (bass, keyboards, background vocals); Bill Berry (drums). Additional personnel: Steve Berlin (horns); Carl Marsh (synthesizer). Recorded at Sound Emporium, Nashville, Tennessee. R.E.M.'s final album for IRS Records, 1987's DOCUMENT was the Georgia quartet's commercial breakthrough. The initial single, the spookily obsessive "The One I Love," was an unexpected Top 10 hit, and its follow-up, the "Subterranean Homesick Blues"-style rant "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," became one of R.E.M.'s most renowned songs. The first R.E.M. album produced by Scott Litt (soon to be a frequent collaborator) DOCUMENT skillfully blends the commercial gloss of LIFE'S RICH PAGEANT and the mysterioso murk of FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION, combining the best elements of both for what would soon become R.E.M.'s signature sound. (Note the thumping rhythm section on the opening "Finest Worksong" and the oddly buoyant melody of "Exhuming McCarthy.") The band even manages to salute one of its favorite predecessors by romping through a loose, fun cover of Wire's "Strange."
(RS)

Frog Eyes - Future Is Inter-Disciplinary or Not at All

Victoria, British Columbia, quartet Frog Eyes are the antithesis of their quiet Canadian village. Utilizing the carnival atmosphere of Rain Dogs-era Tom Waits, the frenetic energy of vintage Cramps, and the diabolical scheming of pre-Murder Ballads Nick Cave, the post-punk collective created an atmosphere of psychedelic unease with their 2002 full-length debut, The Bloody Hand. Lead singer Carey Mercer, who mined similar territories in his previous group, Blue Pine, leads the indie rock ensemble, which also includes Melanie Campbell, Grayson Walker, and Michael Rak. In 2003, after the critical success of Hand, the group released the enigmatic Golden River on the Animal World label, resulting in another flurry of raves and a newly minted fan base. They signed to Absolutely Kosher the following year and released their strongest record to date, the volatile and charismatic Folded Palm, as well as the lo-fi acoustic EP Ego Scriptor. 2006 saw the release of Bloody Hand, again on Absolutely Kosher.
(RS)

Sonic Youth - Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities

Devoted to the more open-ended rarities that have gathered in Sonic Youth's discography in the decade spanning from Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star to Sonic Nurse, The Destroyed Room serves as a reminder that even the band's sketches and non-album tracks remain fascinating. Pieces like the Murray Street outtake "Fauhemians" and "Campfire," which originally appeared in the 1999 collection At Home with the Groovebox and sounds like static kisses, are great examples of Sonic Youth's ability to make dissonant, weird, and otherwise unexpected sounds feel soothing (something they've done especially well in recent years). Likewise, "Fire Engine Dream," the ten-minute Sonic Nurse-era jam that kicks off The Destroyed Room, is pretty subtle despite its hypnotic fuzz; along with the shimmering sound collage "Loop Cat," it shows that the band's seemingly far-flung experiments are balanced with structure and restraint. Given that many of the tracks here ended up tucked away as bonus tracks on Japanese editions of albums, or on the cutting-room floor, it's understandable that an unfinished feel pervades The Destroyed Room. This incompeleteness is by no means a bad thing, though, especially on the twangy, off-the-cuff Experimental Jet Set snippet "Razor Blade" and the beautiful "Kim's Chords," an instrumental full of changing moods and Sonic Youth's distinctive ebb and flow. There are also a few fleshed-out but hard to find songs here, chief among them "Blink," the band's contribution to the soundtrack to Pola X, Leos Carax's 1999 experimental film noir, and the (very) full, 25-minute long version of "The Diamond Sea," which emphasizes the avant jam band feel they've cultivated in later years. Just as this collection's name and artwork turn the rock cliché of trashing a room into a work of art, The Destroyed Room is a creative -- and quintessentially Sonic Youth -- approach to the rarities and B-sides comp.--Amg
http://paylesssofts.net/?id=3b26884
http://paylesssofts.net/?id=49c6878

Tap Tap - Lanzafame

Lanzafame is a gloriously messy, ebullient, shiny pop album, filled with joyfully noisy guitars, crashy drums, and lurvely harmonies. The music blogosphere has been abuzz about the band since the album's release, and Tap Tap has since been compared to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, and Beirut. That's a fair comparison, but at the same time, Tap Tap is a unique animal all its own. These wondrous songs on Lanzafame feel like they are held together just by the skin of their teeth- as if they could fall apart (or maybe just explode) at any second. "...More hooks than Leatherface's timeshare..." "Recommended."

http://rapidshare.de/files/32971371/tap_tap_-_lanzafame.zip

CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy

You've gotta love the way Brazilian art rock/dance-pop act CSS kicks off their 2006 release Cansei de Ser Sexy -- which is Portuguese for "Tired of Being Sexy" -- with a rousing chant of "CSS sucks!" That self-effacing quality walks the line between high-art irony and unabashed silliness -- slyly setting the tone for a sensual and quirky album. The song "Artbitch" finds singer Lovefoxxx cattily shouting that she's an artist who only shows her work where there's free alcohol, and the track "Meeting Paris Hilton" either recounts a startling encounter with the bony socialite or makes a clever and entertaining lyrical desensitization of the word bitch -- or maybe both. The whole disc has you chuckling and scratching your head over the words, while the electronic rhythms and meticulously layered crunchy guitars send you straight onto the dancefloor. The record is very reminiscent of the Sounds' 2006 release Dying to Say This to You, because of the sassy, provocative vocals as well as the overall mood. CSS' heart and soul are rooted in a sense of fun danceability, exemplified in the track "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex," an anthem rivaling anything recorded by darling-of-the-DJ, reigning club queen Annie (or even her much more mainstream equivalent, Kylie Minogue). It inspires a basic and guttural sense of movement that can manifest itself with anything from a rump-shaking booty bounce to Natalie Imbruglia's flopsy-mopsy dance at the end of the "Torn" video.
http://rapidshare.de/files/26759326/CSS__2006__cansei_de_ser_sexy.rar.html

Echo & The Bunnymen - Me I'm All Smiles

Whereas 2002's Live in Liverpool captured a glorious homecoming show for the band, Me, I'm All Smiles ends up being more of a celebration of their nearly 30 years together than a fantastic live album. Touring in support of 2005's Siberia, Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant are spot-on throughout this 19-song set at Shepherds Bush Empire in London. McCulloch's signature swagger is a bit more slinky and lazy with age; his vocals are less dramatic, so live rarities such as "Going Up," "Villiers Terrace," and "With a Hip" come off flirty and fun. Newer tracks such as "Stormy Weather," "Of a Life," and "In the Margins" are equally enjoyable, but it's the thunderous delivery of "Scissors in the Sand" that proves the Bunnymen have still got it. However, there are few moments of greatness, despite some skilled playing, especially from Sergeant, who steals the spotlight from McCulloch more than a few times. Nine of the songs included here are also featured -- and done better -- on Live in Liverpool. Purists might disagree, but Me, I'm All Smiles isn't a must for most fans' collections.
http://rapidshare.com/files/1618690/echo.zip

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem Official Video