Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast

Garnering Britain's coveted Mercury Prize in 2000, The Hour of Bewilderbeast announced the arrival of Badly Drawn Boy (AKA Damon Gough), the most gleefully eccentric singer/songwriter the UK had seen in decades. With his ever-present multi-colored knit cap, loopy stage presence, and an arsenal of beautifully ramshackle songs, Gough charmed listeners with Bewilderbeast's surprisingly eclectic array of songs. Beginning with the utterly gorgeous, string-laden "The Shining," the album takes a sharp turn into lo-fi rock with "Everybody's Stalking," eventually moving on to the melancholy folk of "Stone on the Water," the shimmering jazz-pop of "Once Around the Block," and the delirious funk of "Disillusion." Although Gough occasionally borders on being too quirky for his own good, he always sets up enough loose boundaries to keep the music from wandering too far off the mark. An album of striking energy and originality, Bewilderbeast cements Badly Drawn Boy's reputation as an intriguing performer.( Start a War)

Ween - Chocolate and Cheese

They have the eccentric's gift for incorporating the ludicrous into their musical mythology, but seem equally at home playing it straight (which they don't do often). Like a heavy breakfast, Ween take the better part of the day to digest--but once inside the tummy, they sure taste yummy. Chocolate and Cheese is a lighter snack than any of Ween's previous releases primarily because of an outward focus (quite loose, actually) on the various musics of the seventies. "Freedom Of '76" celebrates Philadelphia's blue-eyed soul sound, "Voodoo Lady" lifts its melody from the Talking Heads and its catch-phrase from A Taste Of Honey, and "Take Me Away" could be a Vegas-era Elvis outtake if it didn't rock so much. But--Gene and Dean being progress-minded folks--Chocolate and Cheesenever disintegrates into nostalgia, or gets bogged down by any single theme. Thus, you get singular classics like "I Can't Put My Finger On It," with its faux-Arabic textures, and the haunting "Buenos Tardes Amigo," a Spaghetti Western narrative that can proudly rub shoulders with Marty Robbins' "El Paso" and any other canonized outlaw tale.( Cheesy!)

Wheatus - Wheatus

Smart, melodic, pop/punk/metal in the grand tradition, with stylistic nods to what seems like every genre practitioner, from Blink 182 to Cheap Trick to the early Who. The songs here are full of anthemic choruses, huge washes of guitar, and appealingly winsome singing by writer/guitarist Brendan Brown. Lyrically, there's a certain snot-nosed suburban teenage sensibility reminiscent of Weezer, and for those with long memories, even the first Dictators album, although Brown's mostly interested in wordplay. Among the album's best numbers are the cheerfully hook-laden "Teenage Dirtbag" (which brings to two the number of puzzling references to Iron Maiden that appear here); "Love is a Mutt From Hell," a very funny he said-she said song with a glorious, soaring chorus; and the equally melodic "Hump 'Em N' Dump 'Em," which appears to be about a one-night stand gone horribly wrong (she eats his cat). Basically there's nothing here that isn't rewarding on some level. A great debut.(Loud Guitar Dudes)

Los Lobos - Ride

Los Lobos still kick up an earthy mix of rock, funk, blues, and pan-Latin rhythms. Generally, few bands are more self-contained than this L.A. quintet, with its multi-instrumentalists and three powerful songwriters, but, for Ride, the door to the outside world has opened up. More than half the songs here are collaborations with artists who've gained Los Lobos' respect--their heroes, peers, and disciples. Dave Alvin, a contemporary of the band on the L.A. scene as guitarist for the Blasters, joins in on the Tex-Mex-flavored "Somewhere in Time." Cafe Tacuba, an eclectic Rock en Espanol band that probably picked up a few tricks from the Wolves, adds to the churning polyrhythms of "La Venganza de Los Pelados." R&B legend Bobby Womack brings his soulful wail to a medley of "Wicked Rain" (first recorded on KIKO) and his own '70s classic "Across 110th Street." Even as Los Lobos move into the future, Ride places a pleasing sonic framework around their musical neighborhood's present and past.(Los Lobos Los)

The Charlatans - Tellin' Stories

Primal Scream's Martin Duffy volunteered to help the band complete the album, which was basically written before Collins' death, and that might explain why there are no overt references to his absence anywhere on the album. Instead, Tellin' Stories is another collection of classicist rock & roll spiked with dance beats, much like any other Charlatans album. Where its predecessor was more informed by mechanized beats, the rhythms are more organic, which perfectly suits the rolling "North Country Boy," the sweeping "One to Another," and the heart-tugging "How Can You Leave Us?" And, like any other Charlatans album, it doesn't quite hold together, falling apart with instrumentals and ill-conceived songs toward the end. On the whole, however, Tellin' Stories is more consistent than their earlier records, and the best songs showcase the band at its strongest, which is quite an achievement considering the traumas the Charlatans underwent during its recording. More than anything, that's a fitting salute to Collins.(Not if you care for me)

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth

With 2006's First Impressions of Earth, the Strokes have not only crafted an album that cracks the 36-minute mark, they've also opted for a bolder sound, courtesy of veteran producer David Kahne. While these changes don't mean a drastically different direction for the New York City-based rock band, they do indicate that frontman Julian Casablancas and the boys are in a more adventurous mode. Earth's initial single, the driving, hard-edged "Juicebox," features Casablancas giving a raspy vocal performance that sounds more impassioned than anything on the group's previous outings, while "On the Other Side" is an almost breezy tune that has the singer recalling the plaintive delivery of Bono. Throughout the record, drummer Fab Moretti and bassist Nikolai Fraiture anchor the proceedings with unflappable rhythmic precision, allowing guitarists Albert Hammond, Jr., and Nick Valensi the freedom to lay down alternately searing and chiming six-string lines that add palpable verve to these 14 tunes. A band that has seen both over-the-top hype and its inevitable backlash, the Strokes seem eager to venture forward on First Impressions of Earth, an album that should not only quiet accusations of sonic sameness but win over new fans.( Vision of Division)

Chris Isaak - Forever Blue

Chris Isaak's entire oeuvre is about losing beautiful women, and he has lost them with a heart-rending relentlessness that makes Roy Orbison seem like a romantic success in comparison. The remarkable Forever Blue , his fifth album, was written after a personal event that Isaak says "wasn't actually like a break up. It was like an explosion." For someone who seems to almost cultivate romantic depression, that must have been nothing short of inspirational, and on Forever Blue he turns the resulting emotions (sadness, bitterness, loneliness) into a sustained thesis on the wicked game of love. The growling, swamp-blues opener "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" portrays true love as a knife, a thing that hurts more and more the deeper it goes. It begins with the question "You ever love someone so much you thought your little heart was gonna break in two?" Isaak obviously has, and he seems to relish the inevitable hurt, as if the pain fuels his engine. With reverb-drenched guitars and trembling organs setting a plaintive mood that you might call high lonesome rockabilly, Isaak sings about it in low, sexy whispers and high, wailing cries, sometimes within the same line. "No reason left for living," he sighs in the young-Elvis-like title-ballad, and then he remembers one--"new tears to cry." In the disarmingly peppy "I Believe," he professes his belief in "lovers walking side by side" and "a beautiful day." But, of course, there's a punchline: "not for me/And not for you." That's because you walked into his world, and he's going to pull you under, too.(This is the end)

The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder

When the Elephant 6 collective first began putting out records in the mid-1990s, teen angst and raw grunge pop dominated the airwaves, making the E6's baroque psychedelia a whimsical reference to a bygone age. Since then, neo-psych has become the chief aesthetic of much of indie culture: from the orchestral ambitions of Sufjan Stevens to the brown acid bombast of Comets on Fire. In this milieu, the Apples in Stereo--perhaps the most definitive E6 band of the collective's heyday--return with a whopper, the epic, 24-track New Magnetic Wonder, and a lesson for the droners in what a psych revival can be. Keyboardist Bill Doss, bassist Eric Allen, guitarist John Hill, and new drummer John Dufilho (ex-Deathray Davies) join Apples mastermind Robert Schneider in a blissed-out parade of kaleidoscopic pop with enough headphone candy to satisfy the stoners plus melodies for the soccer moms. New Magnetic Wonder is full of positive anthems: "Can You Feel It?" kicks off the album like a rush of musical serotonin, while "Energy" reinvigorates lyrical platitudes ("the world is made of energy/and the world is the possibility") with tent-revival enthusiasm. The backwards piano trickery and interlocking riffs of "Same Old Drag" refute the negativity of its title, while "Sun is Out" relocates Guided By Voices' basement on McCartney's "Penny Lane." Learning from other definitive neo-psych moments such as XTC's SKYLARKING and the Stone Roses' debut, New Magnetic Wonder keeps its hooks in abundance and sounds referential without ever sounding dated. A swirling thrill.(Stereo Appless)

Arctic Monkey's Brianstorm

Also Arctic Monkeys Brianstorm video at youtube.Ever woken up and realised that it was all just a dream? Rather than a shabby soap opera plot twist, this is the scenario behind Arctic Monkeys' difficult second album.

Favourite Worst Nightmare - the follow-up to last year's Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - will be released on April 23, the band's website reveals. It will be preceded by the single and lead track off the album 'Brianstorm' (which we hope and pray is the real title, and not just an unfortunate typo) out April 16.

The full album track-listing is: 'Brianstorm', 'Teddy Picker', ‘D Is For Dangerous', 'Balaclava', 'Fluorescent Adolescent', 'Only Ones Who Know', 'Do Me A Favour', 'This House Is A Circus', 'If You Were There, Beware', 'The Bad Thing', 'Old Yellow Bricks' and '505'.
mp3:Arctic Monkey's Brianstorm

Damien Rice - O

The beginning of the 21st century found the UK offering a host of new Nick Drakes like Ed Harcourt, Badly Drawn Boy, Tom McRae, etc. On the surface, Damien Rice is not too farremoved from them with his intense vocal style, confessional songs, and sparse, acoustic guitar-based arrangements. Upon closer inspection of his debut album O, however, he seems to be more aligned with the likes of David Gray; that's not to say that he mixes folk and electronica, but just that he incorporates old-school singer-songwriter influences in the service of something original. There's a hushed, intimate feel to O, and most of the songs are delivered in a delicate, fragile tone that's perfectly accompanied by the bare-bones production. Tasteful strings and other touches are added here and there, but strictly on an as-needed basis. The closer "Eskimo" erupts into a (literally) operatic climax, and there's a bonus cut touching on an anomalous rock feel, but otherwise this is prime late-night music for your next Leonard Cohen costume party.(rice damien)

Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time

Ben Bridwell (vocals, guitar); Mat Brooke (bass guitar). Everything All The Time is the debut release on Sub Pop from Seattle's Band of Horses. Matt Brooke and Ben Bridwell have abandoned the melancholic slow-core of their previous band Carissa's Weird for a brighter, more straightforward indie rock sound with obvious roots in Neil Young's ragged folk and progressive indie bands like Built to Spill. Everything All The Time benefits from strong songwriting, and the winding, yearning tenor of Bridwell, while the synthesis of introspective folky intimacy, immediately accessible melodies, and button-pushing rock elements is very appealing. Moreover, the album is beautifully produced, with layers of shimmering guitars and a warm, full backbeat, making for an impressive and highly promising first effort.(RS)

Arab Strap - Ten Years Of Years

Originally released to coincide with their late-2006 farewell tour, Ten Years of Tears is unmistakably aimed at fans. Over a third of its contents were previously unreleased, including the first song from their first live performance (which was recorded for John Peel's BBC program: no pressure there), a blasting 1995 demo of "Islands," a gorgeously bleak live version of "Blood," and the very first song they recorded. A very small percentage of the songs are pulled directly from the albums, and the material is unsurprisingly varied in quality, so this really isn't the disc to use as an introduction. The disc's opener -- the 2006 B-side "Preface: Set the Scene," with its uncomplicated contentment -- tells you all you need to know about Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton's amicable split. They might have been on the brink of making a thoroughly happy Arab Strap album, which wouldn't have computed. Or, even worse, they would have felt the need to go through the overly familiar motions, just for the sake of it.(Turbulence)

Primus - Sailing The Seas Of Cheese

Sailing the Seas of Cheese completely redefined the possibilities of the electric bass in rock music for those who'd never heard the group before. Slapping like a funk player, but strumming power chords and finger-tapping like a metal guitar hero, Les Claypool coaxed sounds from his instrument that had rarely if ever been made the focus of a rock band. Claypool's riffs were so full and dominant that they hardly needed to be doubled by guitarist Larry LaLonde (and wouldn't have had the same effect anyway), which freed him up on most songs to launch into dissonant, atonal solos that essentially functioned as texture, complementing Claypool's oddly whimsical sense of melody. The combination results in a weird atmosphere that could be transformed into something dark or eerie, but Claypool's thin, nasal voice and demented blue-collar persona place the record firmly in the realm of the cheerfully bizarre. The compositions are mostly riff-driven, fleshing out their heavy metal roots with prog rock tricks from Rush and Frank Zappa, as well as the novelty side of Zappa's sense of humor. The willful goofiness may alienate some listeners, but it can also obscure some genuinely dark humor, and it never detracts from the band's frequently stunning musicianship. Somewhat analogous to jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, Claypool hasn't inspired many direct imitators because of his tremendous feats of dexterity. But his stature as a virtuoso able to take his instrument into previously undreamed-of realms is without question. Though Sailing the Seas of Cheese tones down Primus' penchant for jamming, it's the tightest, most song-oriented representation of their jaw-dropping, one-of-a-kind style. (play the bass)

Kings of Convenience - Quiet Is The New Loud

Emerging in 2001 on a small wave of hype touting Norway as a new musical hotbed, Quiet Is The New Loud was startling in its earnestness, even to ears that had been softened by the likes of Belle & Sebastian. Where that Scottish band tempers its twee-ness with clever, winking wordplay, Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe are more akin to a latter-day Simon & Garfunkel or a couple of Nick Drakes who are lucky to have found each other. Disarmingly sensitive, poetic tracks such as "Parallel Lines" ("What's the immaterial substance that envelops two/That one perceives as hunger and the other as food") are sung by the duo in honeyed harmonies with a pleasantly laid-back delivery. Oye and Boe eschew drums on all but two tracks (upbeat highlights "Toxic Girl" and "Failure"), simply using layered guitars and the occasional string, piano, or trumpet flourish to accent the hushed power of their songs. The overall effect is one of bedroom introspection, well suited to their nostalgic, inward-looking lyrics.(This old heartache)

DeVotchKa - Curse Your Little Heart

Denver-based cabaret/Gypsy/indie rock collective DeVotchKa's collection of four covers, a traditional piece and one new original puts to shame many artists who have tried to bridge the gap between full-length albums in the past with a hastily thrown together EP. In between a languid and lush version of "I Cried Like a Silly Boy" by Ted Thacker, and a frenzied, South of the Border carnival jam called "Zopilote Mojado," DeVotchKa manages to turn Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Last Beat of My Heart" into the anthem at the end of the world and the Velvet Underground's oft-covered "Venus in Furs" into the best 16 Horsepower song ever stuck to tape. Even the two weakest cuts, a breezy version of the Frank Sinatra standard "Something Stupid" and the dervish-like title track warrant repeated listens, making this little transient jukebox one of the best kept secrets of 2006.(Strange!)

Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom

Mike Patton's "pop" project Peeping Tom kept fans waiting for a really, really long time. Consequently, the four years between its inception around 2002 and fruition in 2006 were a gestation period for urban-legend speculation about the record's sound to flood the public consciousness. Was he really working with Norah Jones? What did he mean by "pop record"? Given the thrashing, acidic nature of Patton's other projects like Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, and Tomahawk, nobody expected this album to be "Mike Patton Sings Boyz II Men," and most fans figured the notoriously enigmatic musician was just messing around. Peeping Tom makes a good case for itself as a pop\rock record or even as an alternative hip-hop record, but honestly, the most telling way to describe the album is as a Mike Patton record. This very debate has kept fans and critics talking for years, and whether you think Patton is a narcissist or a walking slice of humble pie, it adds a satisfying dimension to what is his most accessible record since Mr. Bungle's 1999 album, California. That album, like this one, still sounds a little like psychotic carnival music, but that's why listeners love him.(Hello)

Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter

Don't hate singer-songwriter Pete Yorn for the nepotistic show-biz connections that detractors claim are the source of his record deal. Hate him instead for the fact that he comes up with more hook-filled, radio-ready potential hits than you and your whole family. With a sensibility based firmly on American roots rock a la Tom Petty, John Cougar, the Wallflowers, etc., Yorn yokes catchy guitar riffs to memorable choruses and note-perfect arrangements on song after song here. It usually takes a new artist a few albums to hone their craft this well, but Yorn got it right his first time out.(FF)

The Stooges - The Weirdness

It's unreasonable to expect the reunited Stooges of 2007's The Weirdness to match the power, intensity, and attitude of their 1969 self-titled debut or 1970's Fun House. And they don't. However, this disc has much to offer. These aren't the drug-addled, knuckle-headed burnouts who changed the direction of rock-&-roll in one visionary swoop. Rather, this is an older, wiser, and more accomplished set of musicians having fun. Iggy and the Aeshton brothers (with Mike Watt replacing Dave Alexander on bass) know they have a reputation to uphold, and it's clear from note one that this is a Stooges album. Ron Aeshton's guitar burns with vintage fury, and while it's not as revelatory as it was in the early 1970s, it's still one of the most distinct guitar sounds ever. Iggy's lyrics are less blunt here, but just as wry and bizarre, with "Trolling" and "My Idea of Fun" sounding about as close to old Stooges outtakes as one could hope for. Scott Aeshton clearly wants to show off his new chops, but never at the expense of the band's essential primitiveness. Frankly, The Weirdness could have been a bloated disaster, but the boys kept things simple and made a record that doesn't necessarily build on the legend, but doesn't tarnish it either.(DF)

Art Of Noise - Into The Battle With The Art Of Noise

The title Into Battle With the Art of Noise says it all, because Art of Noise were probably one of the most combative bands around at the time, tackling preconceptions of what music is and how to write it, and combining modern technology and avant-garde techniques to create stunning new fusions. The impact of early tracks can still be felt today, and even if something like "Moments in Love" seems like nothing but an easy instrumental, the unnerving, ominous midsection breaks the orchestrated mood until a sudden flourish of harps returns everything back to a now-uncertain calm. The remainder of the EP's tracks are quick and almost fragmentary but show the group having fun with touches and approaches that would be brought to bear elsewhere: the orchestral stabs and ominous flow of "Donna," the brutal percussion stomp of "Flesh in Armour," and the cut-up revamp of the Andrews Sisters and "The Army Now." One listen to Into Battle With the Art of Noise and some of the influences in industrial, hip-hop, techno, and pop become clearer.(RS)

Lucinda Williams - West

Like Billie Holiday, John Lee Hooker, and Kurt Cobain, among others, Lucinda Williams is an artist with that certain difficult-to-define quality, the ability to channel the collective soul through a voice that is intimate, personal, and entirely her own. West, Williams's 2007 release, bears all the hallmarks of her best work: excellent songcraft, poetically tough lyrics, and her angel-on-morphine voice. As an album, it is her most consistent and appealing since 1998's Car Wheels On a Gravel Road. Williams's seemingly odd choice to work with mainstream pop producer Hal Willner works wonderfully. Willner built the album up from Williams's demo recordings, keeping her original vocals, and creating a sound that shimmers but never loses sight of the music's tough rootsiness. Yet it's Williams's searingly honest songwriting and achingly beautiful performances that make West so brilliant. Whether it's gutbucket blues ("Wrap My Head Around That"), bittersweet lilt ("Learning How To Live"), or harrowing confessionals ("Unsuffer Me"), Williams knows how to scrape the bottom of the human heart and put it into song. The result is one of the finest albums in her already sterling discography.(RS)

IAMX - Kiss And Swallow

This first solo album by Chris Corner, joint-operating member of 1990s trip-hop runner-ups Sneaker Pimps, is a deceptive affair. First off because anyone who fondly remembers the fluid traces of original Pimps vocalist Kelli Dayton, who appeared on the groups most memorable work -- but left as the band's later work faltered -- are nowhere to be found. In exchange, Corner's own voice dominates this record in an over-romanticized darkwave approach that pins its hopes on the '80s taste of today, rather than the placid beauty of the mid-'90s Bristol sound, which most feel is not quite ready for its retro 15 minutes. But if Corner essentially fails as a vocalist, he still knows how to write a killer hook. "Naked but Safe" swaggers with Corner gasping "Keep me fed, keep me watered." While "Sailor" is a Gary Glitter-inspired tome to three-way prison sex, with all the dark cabaret hustle such a subject affords. The production across the record is obviously perfect, although perhaps a bit too much so in places, particularly when the strings flutter in on "Your Joy Is My Low." Not even Depeche Mode (whose fans will find plenty to enjoy on this CD) ever had bleeps that sounded so crisp. But Corner is no David Gahan, and despite a few glimpses of a muse worthwhile, this disc will no doubt find most of it's action in the used CD bin. (RS)

Radiohead - OK Computer

OK Computer was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for Album Of The Year and won the 1998 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance. OK Computer, Radiohead's third album, is the bombastic follow-up to 1995's sleeper hit The Bends, which left critics and listeners as impressed with the band's ability as they were curious about their potential. In spite of its technological-sounding title and apocalyptic sci-fi themes, OK Computer is firmly grounded in the rock verities. Waves of guitars rage beneath the haunting melodies and near-hysterical fits of singer Thom Yorke. This complex, intense swarm of guitars is held aloft by a solid, inventive rhythm section and an impressive array of piano and keyboard textures. "Paranoid Android" is a six-minute-plus epic with alternating time signatures, wild dynamic shifts, drama and adrenaline to spare. "Let Down," with its double-tracked vocals and rhythmic throb, may give a brief glimpse back at Radiohead's past, but at no point is OK Computer anything but a hurtle forward.(RS)

Billy Bragg - Don't Try This At Home

After dipping his toes in the notion of using backing musicians on Talking With the Taxman About Poetry, Billy Bragg finally dove in headfirst with Worker's Playtime, but Don't Try This at Home was where Bragg first began to sound completely comfortable with the notion of a full band. With Johnny Marr (who helped produce two tracks), Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, and Kirsty MacColl on hand to give the sessions a taste of star power, Don't Try This at Home sounds full but uncluttered; the arrangements (most complete with -- gasp! -- drums) flesh out Bragg's melodies, giving them greater strength in the process, and Billy's craggy vocals wrap around the melodies with significantly more flexibility than on previous recordings. With the exception of the rabble-rousing "Accident Waiting to Happen" and "North Sea Bubble," and the witty "Sexuality," most of Don't Try This at Home finds Billy Bragg in a contemplative mood; the political tunes are subtle (and don't hector), such as the mournful "Rumours of War," and the songs about love tend to examine the less hopeful side of relationships, like "Mother of the Bride" and the lovely "You Woke Up My Neighborhood." But there's also an understated wit to many of the songs, especially the well-drawn "God's Footballer," and Bragg approached the work of other songwriters to splendid effect on Fred Neil's "Dolphins and Sid Griffin's "Everywhere." Don't Try This at Home isn't the sort of album that announces itself loudly, but slip into its understated textures and you'll discover one of Bragg's warmest and most thoughtful albums.(RS)

The Libertines - Up the Bracket

The Libertines really shine when they mix the two approaches and let their ambitions lead the way. "Did you see the stylish kids in the riot?" begins "Time for Heroes," an oddly poetic mix of love and war that recalls the band's spiritual and sonic forefathers the Clash; "The Good Old Days" blends jazzy verses, martial choruses, and lyrics like "It's not about tenements and needles and all the evils in their eyes and the backs of their minds." On songs like these, "Tell the King," and "Up the Bracket," the group not only outdoes most of its peers but begins to reach the greatness of the Kinks, the Jam, and all the rest of the groups whose brilliant melodic abilities and satirical looks at British society paved the way. Though the album is a bit short at 36 minutes, that's long enough to make it a brilliant debut; the worst you can say about its weakest tracks is that they're really solid and catchy. Punk poets, lagered-up lads, London hipsters -- the Libertines play many different roles on Up the Bracket, all of which suit them to a tee. At this point in their career they're not as overhyped as many of their contemporaries, so enjoy them while they're still fresh.(FTP)

Elbow - Leaders of the Free World

As with its lauded predecessors (and many of the best rock records, in general), Leaders of the Free World reveals its charms with repeated listens; although frontman Guy Garvey's plaintive vocals and the band's lush arrangements are immediately striking, their subtleties are slowly unveiled. The weighty opening number, "Station Approach," gradually gains steam, while "Picky Bastard" coasts along on a slinky, mischievous melody. The album's centerpiece, appropriately enough, is the fierce title track, which features scathing guitar work that plays off of chiming keyboard lines. Elbow also excels at soaring songs of heartbreak, as best evidenced on "My Very Best," where Garvey emotes "you've gone and made a beautiful hole in my heart" over a swooning string section. Although Elbow doesn't quite have the mass appeal of its contemporary Coldplay, the group's staunch adventurousness is one of its finest attributes, and those willing to spend some time with Leaders of the Free World will be rewarded with a rich, dynamic record.(Good cd)

Suede - Coming Up

Brett Anderson carried on after Bernard Butler's departure, adding a teenage guitarist and restructuring the intent of Suede, if not the sound, for their third album, Coming Up. The most striking thing about Coming Up is the simplicity. Gone are the grand, sweeping gestures of both Suede and Dog Man Star, leaving behind the glam, which is now spiked with an invigorating sense of self-belief — Anderson is out to prove that he's a survivor, and he does give a damn whether you believe he is or not. So Coming Up has none of the lush, melancholy, and paranoid overtones of Dog Man Star. It's about celebrating being young, going out, taking drugs, having sex, and living life. And it sounds just like it reads — Richard Oakes pounds out fizzy, fuzzy guitar riffs while the rhythm section lays back with dirty, sexy grooves and new keyboardist Neil Godling exudes a sultry, unattainable cool. Even on the wistful ballads "By the Sea" and "Picnic by the Motorway," there's none of the enveloping melancholy that consumed Dog Man Star — they're as optimistic as the buoyant, melodic rockers that comprise the rest of the album. As a statement of purpose, Coming Up is unimpeachable. Though it doesn't break any new ground for the band — unless you count the newfound sense of optimism — it's a remarkable consolidation and crystallization of Suede's talents and all the evidence anyone needs that Brett Anderson was always the guiding force behind the band.(RS1)(RS2)(RS3)

Kate Bush - Lionheart

Proving that the English admired Kate Bush's work, 1978's Lionheart album managed to reach the number six spot in her homeland while failing to make a substantial impact in North America. The single "Hammer Horror" went to number 44 on the U.K. singles chart, but the remaining tracks from the album spin, leap, and pirouette with Bush's vocal dramatics, most of them dissipating into a mist rather than hovering around long enough to be memorable. Her fairytale essence wraps itself around tracks like "In Search of Peter Pan," "Kashka From Baghdad," and "Oh England My Lionheart," but unravels before any substance can be heard. "Wow" does the best job at expressing her voice as it waves and flutters through the chorus, with a melody that shimmers in a peculiar but compatible manner. Some of the tracks, such as "Coffee Homeground" or "In the Warm Room," bask in their own subtle obscurity, a trait that Bush improved upon later in her career but couldn't secure on this album. Lionheart acts as a gauge more than a complete album, as Bush is trying to see how many different ways she can sound vocally colorful, even enigmatic, rather than focus on her material's content and fluidity. Hearing Lionheart after listening to Never for Ever or The Dreaming album, it's apparent how quickly Bush had progressed both vocally and in her writing in such a short time.(RS)

Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy EP

Come to Daddy has been interpreted by some as Richard D. James' sly send-up of the Prodigy's massive hit "Firestarter." If that's the case, it only goes to show how clever the Aphex Twin really is. Built around an intense drum loop and a deliriously demented, booming voice yelling "Come to Daddy!," the track could be the biggest sonic assault James has ever constructed, and even with the underlying menace, it remains one of his most accessible and memorable songs. The EP is filled out with several "Come to Daddy" remixes that reveal subtleties in the main track, plus a few tracks like "Flim" that show Aphex still capable of the gorgeous, fragile melodies of his early ambient work.(Howdy!)

The Postal Service - Give Up

A side project from Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello, who formerly played with synth-poppers Figurine but now records as Dntel, the Postal Service creates bedroom electronica with surprising emotional pull on GIVE UP. Ten tracks lyrically convey both a youthful ennui and the nostalgic ache of longing. Tamborello creates a tense sonic space that allows Gibbard's spare yet careful guitar to occasionally chime in and cut the tension. While Tamborello's sculpted electronics hearken back to the minimalism of early Depeche Mode, Gibbard's expressively fey vocals and emotional sentiments lend a warm, comforting contrast to the machine-age chilliness (as do the occasional backing vocals from Jen Wood and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis). This contrast is best illustrated on "We Will Become Silhouettes," when Gibbard sings "[A]nd we become silhouettes when our bodies finally go," only to be followed by a string of optimistic bleeps that are the sonic equivalent of a miniature sky full of twinkling stars.(FTP)

Morrissey - Kill Uncle

Recorded in England. Initial pressing contained additional track. Steven Morrissey returns with his stylishly moody pop and dry wit. With Kill Uncle Morrissey finds his own style, after distancing himself from the Smiths with the harder-edged Viva Hate and Bona Drag. His lyrics provide scathing satire and observations on the banalities and discomforts of an outdated neo-Victorian society, while his musings on others' failing relationships ("Driving Your Girlfriend Home" and "King Leer") are filled with the detached envy that's become a Morrissey character trait. There are no real surprises on Kill Uncle, just the standard Mozzer fare we've come to expect and to crave, but there are some great Morrissey pop songs, such as "Our Frank" and "Sing Your Life." Musically, Morrissey is treading familiar ground--but that's a good thing.(RS)

Xiu Xiu - Tu Mi Piaci

Bob Dylan - Love And Theft

Time Out of Mind was a legitimate comeback, Bob Dylan's first collection of original songs in nearly ten years and a risky rumination on mortality, but its sequel, Love and Theft, is his true return to form, not just his best album since Blood on the Tracks, but the loosest, funniest, warmest record he's made since The Basement Tapes. There are none of the foreboding, apocalyptic warnings that permeated Time Out of Mind and even underpinned "Things Have Changed," his Oscar-winning theme to Curtis Hanson's 2000 film Wonder Boys. Just as important, Daniel Lanois' deliberately arty, diffuse production has retreated into the mist, replaced by an uncluttered, resonant production that gives Dylan and his ace backing band room to breathe. And they run wild with that liberty, rocking the house with the grinding "Lonesome Day Blues" and burning it down with the fabulously swinging "Summer Days." They're equally captivating on the slower songs, whether it's the breezily romantic "Bye and Bye," the torch song "Moonlight," or the epic reflective closer, "Sugar Baby." Musically, Dylan hasn't been this natural or vital since he was with the Band, and even then, those records were never as relaxed and easy or even as hard-rocking as these. That alone would make Love and Theft a remarkable achievement, but they're supported by a tremendous set of songs that fully synthesize all the strands in his music, from the folksinger of the early '60s, through the absurdist storyteller of the mid-'60s, through the traditionalist of the early '70s, to the grizzled professional of the '90s. None of this is conscious, it's all natural. There's an ease to his writing and a swagger to his performance unheard in years -- he's cracking jokes and murmuring wry asides, telling stories, crooning, and swinging. It's reminiscent of his classic records, but he's never made a record that's been such sheer, giddy fun as this, and it stands proudly among his very best albums.(RS)

Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures

Portishead - Portishead

Portishead's debut album, Dummy, popularized trip-hop, making its slow, narcotic rhythms, hypnotic samples, and film noir production commonplace among sophisticated, self-consciously "mature" pop fans. The group recoiled from such widespread acclaim and influence, taking three years to deliver its eponymous second album. On the surface, Portishead isn't all that dissimilar from Dummy, but its haunting, foreboding sonic textures make it clear that the group isn't interested in the crossover success of such fellow travelers as Sneaker Pimps. Upon repeated plays, the subtle differences between the two albums become clear. Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley recorded original music that they later sampled for the backing tracks on the album, giving the record a hazy, dreamlike quality that shares many of the same signatures of Dummy, but is darker and more adventurous. Beth Gibbons has taken the opportunity to play up her tortured diva role to the hilt, emoting wildly over the tracks. Her voice is electronically phased on most of the tracks, adding layers to the claustrophobic menace of the music. The sonics on Portishead would make it an impressive follow-up, but what seals its success is the remarkable songwriting. Throughout the album, the group crafts impeccable modern-day torch songs, from the frightening, repetitive "Cowboys" to the horn-punctuated "All Mine," which justify the detailed, engrossing production. The end result is an album that reveals more with each listen and becomes more captivating and haunting each time it's played.(RS)

Portishead - Dummy

Portishead's album debut is a brilliant, surprisingly natural synthesis of claustrophobic spy soundtracks, dark breakbeats inspired by frontman Geoff Barrow's love of hip-hop, and a vocalist (Beth Gibbons) in the classic confessional singer/songwriter mold. Beginning with the otherworldly theremin and martial beats of "Mysterons," Dummy hits an early high with "Sour Times," a post-modern torch song driven by a Lalo Schifrin sample. The chilling atmospheres conjured by Adrian Utley's excellent guitar work and Barrow's turntables and keyboards prove the perfect foil for Gibbons, who balances sultriness and melancholia in equal measure. Occasionally reminiscent of a torchier version of Sade, Gibbons provides a clear focus for these songs, with Barrow and company behind her laying down one of the best full-length productions ever heard in the dance world. Where previous acts like Massive Attack had attracted dance heads in the main, Portishead crossed over to an American, alternative audience, connecting with the legion of angst-ridden indie fans as well. Better than any album before it, Dummy merged the pinpoint-precise productions of the dance world with pop hallmarks like great songwriting and excellent vocal performances.(RS)

Bjork - Debut

With Debut, the Icelandic thrush Bjork Godmundsdottir (late of the Sugarcubes) brings her knowing innocence and quirky voice to bear on an engaging program of renegade pop tunes. The unusual instrumental textures on songs such as "Human Behavior," fleshed out with timpani, small percussion instruments, vibraphones and harps, suggests a post-modern version of Phil Spector. As a singer, Bjork's swooping octave leaps and guttural cries betray the elemental contradictions in her music. She projects the girlish innocence and barely constrained sensuality of a wise child, old beyond her years (the techno-reggae romanticism of "Venus As A Boy," the bouncy house changes of "Big Time Sensuality" and "Violently Happy"), and sometimes she sounds like she's trying to rediscover how such doe-eyed love might actually feel, as if for the first time (the mysterious groove of "One Day" and the jazzy standard "Like Someone In Love," with its spare harp accompaniment). There's a pronounced techno feel to Debut, with its airy synthesizers and spacious, uncluttered mixes, but without the cool, mechanized detachment of that genre. On "Aeroplane" Bjork combines a saxophone quartet with Middle Eastern-flavored percussion to steer her tale of obsessive love just outside of the pop mainstream, while the unusual saxophone harmonies of "The Anchor Song" lend a folkish color to her extended metaphors on home and erotic immersion. It's precisely Bjork's sense of adventure that gives Debut such a cool exotic flavor.(RS)

Pulp - This Is Hardcore Deluxe

A different kind of album from 'Different Class' it is still home to some of Pulp's finest work, including the brilliant, slow-burning 'Help the Aged', the emotional 'A Little Soul' and the epic 'This Is Hardcore', one of the very finest tracks in their considerable canon. 'This Is Hardcore' is an overlooked classic that is ripe for rediscovery. This Deluxe Edition is a 2CD set. The first disc is the original album in its full glory, featuring the the hit singles 'Help The Aged', 'This Is Hardcore' and 'A Little Soul'. The second disc of bonus material has been personally chosen by Jarvis Cocker, featuring b-sides, previously unreleased versions of 'Cocaine Socialism' and 'Tomorrow Never Dies' alongside 6 more previously unreleased demos. This luxuriously packaged set comes complete with a 32 page booklet featuring previously unseen photos from the album sessions and sleevenotes written by Cocker.(GS)

Idlewild - The Remote Part

Idlewild has only now become a group of musical statesmen. Their fourth album, The Remote Part, captures a divinely aged five-piece, an aware group of young men who are inspired by countless works of American literature while also influenced by their everyday life in their native Scotland. Focusing on the literal has humbled Idlewild, and emotional, punk-inspired tantrums have been forgotten. Look at their 1999 debut, Hope Is Important: It's an angry, grunge-soaked songbook that drowned frontman Roddy Woomble's vocal charm. 100 Broken Windows became a critical hit with its melodic indie-punk mix, but it was as conflicted as their previous effort. Two years on and several band changes later, the members of Idlewild have found what they've been searching for -- a beautiful calmness and a comfortable spot to reflect upon -- and The Remote Part flawlessly does the job. From the charging, radiant chorus of "You Held the World in Your Arms" to "Live in a Hiding Place"'s sweeping melodies, you'll sense that Idlewild is content with what the band has created. The crystal-edged "(I Am) What I Am Not" delves back into Idlewild's signature crunchy style with class, but it's the ambitious epic "American English" that defines The Remote Part's quick-witted desire. Woomble is a crooner, so convinced that what's happening in the song is true and tangible. It's obvious in the bandmembers' earlier work that they were headed to this point in their career. There's much to be said about growing up, especially from your late teens to your late twenties. The Remote Part naturally works with Idlewild's maturation, knowing it could all be different later on.(RS)

The Levellers - Levelling the Land

That the band's all-time theme song "One Way" should become a stick to beat the Levellers with by its critics made a certain sense -- experiencing a crowd of fans singing along to "There's only one way of life and that's your own" must have been equivalent to the one scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian, when Brian tries to convince his followers to think for themselves. Give the band this much, though -- another lyric states "the problems of the world/Won't be solved by this guitar." Such situations aside, what comes clear upon listening to Levelling the Land might as well be another good comparison point, with the vague invocations to a mystic past crossed with a focus on the here and now. A nod or two to then-rampant Madchester semi-funky beats bubble up here and there, while songs like "The Boatman" suggest is that the group was neither the salvation of music's conscience nor a sad joke -- they're at heart a less ambitious but still vaguely pleasant Waterboys. Chadwick's singing is of a more strained, higher-pitched Mike Scott -- if not as dramatic, then on the flipside less immediately prone to tripping over his own acrobatics -- while the music aims for the Big and Anthemic crossed with the Authentically Folky. Sevink's fiddle provides most of the latter, adding reasonable enough color on tracks like "Another Man's Cause" and the jaunty "Far From Home." The Mission UKSinead O'Connor's hip-hop revamp of "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" was favored listening in the studio. The Levellers certainly have their heart in the right place -- concluding track "The Battle of the Beanfield" commemorates a notorious Thatcher-era crackdown on a group of travelers -- but on Levelling the Land, they're neither fish nor fowl, not great nor pathetic. They're enjoyable enough and have a way with instant anthems, and that's about it.(RS)

Tangerine Dream - Underwater Sunlight

Underwater Sunlight is the second Tangerine Dream record with a clearly defined central theme-in this case, the ocean. (Their first concept album was the studio predecessor, LE PARC). One may speculate that the band's concurrent and successful soundtrack work inspired their newfound interest in making cinematic records. The song cycle opens with the two-part meditation "Song of the Whale," featuring digitally-produced "acoustic" guitars. This epic captures the feeling of the sun rising over the sea, the play of waves over the sand, and the gentle rollicking and deep moan of the eponymous mammal. Each of the succeeding tracks recreates an element of the hydrosphere: dancing dolphins, manta rays, scuba diving. Perhaps the most impressive track is the closing "Underwater Twilight," wherein lulling synths create the effect of sun-dappled waters, eventually giving way to an urgent, roiling tide. If you can't get to the beach, Underwater Sunlight will take you there.(RS)

The Pixies - Doolittle

From the opening bars of Doolittle, the Pixies' brilliant duality comes into focus. Chiming guitar streaks waft over an AOR-ready riff, while vocals bark out references to a deliberately obscure culture. "Debaser," for instance, finds singer/songwriter Black Francis alluding to "Chien Andalou," Spanish director Luis Bunuel's surrealist film renowned for a scene where an eyeball is sliced. The Pixies' calling card is their calculated sonic mayhem. Francis and bass player Kim Deal weave vocal harmonies of inimitable dissonance as guitarist Joey Santiago's leads ring like air-raid sirens. Doolittle perfectly captures The Pixies' refusal to be categorized into one form of musical identity. The album's most gorgeous melody is wrapped around the words "cease to exist, giving my goodbye," and crowned with the title "Wave Of Mutilation." The rest of the album follows suit, and even the love songs bear Francis' warped humor, boasting titles like "Tame" and "Dead." Doolittle is quintessential Pixies. Unflinching in their abrasion, the group created some of the best, most intriguing rock music of the early 1990s.(MU)

Elliott Smith - XO

The Cinderella-esque climb from lo-fi indie cult artist to Grammy nominee/major label darling must have been a perilous one for Smith, who makes the leap to the big time here after three well-regarded albums on small labels. He's lost none of his bite, though. The production values on XO may be slightly higher, but Smith's vision remains undiluted. The production, centered around acoustic guitar augmented by keyboards and lush vocal harmonies, recalls pop icons like the Beach Boys (especially on the closing acapella cut), Beatles and Big Star, but this is no sunny Cali-pop album. Leavening the instrumental brightness are Smith's Nick Drake-ish whisper and his thoroughly downcast lyrics, which cast him squarely in the Mark Eitzel/Smog camp of unrelenting self-effacement and misery. The combination of Smith's internal angst and his melodic pop constructions makes for a compelling artistic tension.(FTP)

Pop Levi - The Return to Form Black Magick Party

I saw Pop Levi live a few months back at the Water Rats and it's fair to say they blew my mind. Pop Levi, the frontman and writer comes across as being possessed by the spirits of Jimi Hendrix (with his guitar solo's), Marc Bolan (the glam-influenced sound), Prince (his dance moves in stage) and Beck (in how current it sounds). The band are tight to and look the part, the drummer has to be the best rock drummer since Keith Moon (ok so that may be pushing it!). But seriously i cant wait for this album, i've heard quite a few tracks from the singles," Sugar Assault Me Now" is an Indie Dancefloor anthem, "Blue Honey" is like Led Zepplein for a new century and "From The Day You Were Born" is like a ballad that John Lennon would make if he were still alive today. They both come from Liverpool, so maybe he has his spirit too. Pop Levi could well be one of the smashes of 2007, and are in with a big chance of the Mercury Prize i'd say, like me i would buy this record on Feb 12th and go and see them before everyone else catches on at the summer festivals...(RS)

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy [Remastered]

Jesus & Mary Chain: Jim Reid, William Reid (vocals, guitar); Douglas Hart (bass guitar); Bobby Gillespie (drums). Recording information: Southern Studios, London, England. A love of classic pop songs and sonic terrorism conspire on this euphoric collection. Fuzz guitar, distortion and feedback drench almost every track, but beneath this assertive noise lies a gift for melody inspired by the Beach Boys and girl-group genre. The contrast is beguiling and if the constituent parts are not original, the audacity of such a combination is. Understated voices and nihilistic lyrics belie the intensity forged within. Created by passionate adherents of pop culture, Psychocandy is one of the 1980s' landmark releases, inspiring some to follow a similar course, while others took similar influences to forge a quite different perspective. DVD Features: DVD features videos for "Just Like Honey," "Never Understand" & "You Trip Me Up" (RS).

Blind Melon - Soup

From the onset, Blind Melon eluded simple musical categorization. They weren't grunge moaners, or alternative posers, or nouveau hippies--just five guys who took a classic FM sound and molded it to their own requirements. So when "No Rain" began climbing the charts, it was hard not to cheer on their progress through the sea of plaid-shirt mediocrity. On Soup, Blind Melon throw the last of their caution to the wind, weaving a quilt of familiar classic-rock colors out of the kind of threads that hadn't been seen in these parts since the AOR heyday of the mid-'70s. Opening (and closing) the album to the strains of a New Orleans brass band is an announcement that, as far as instrumentation goes, all bets are off. In this, Soup evokes such '70s progressives as Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull--expanding on the heavy blues boogie with unexpected touches. "Toes Across the Floor" switches from a spacey, Pink Floyd-esque mysterioso verse to an up-tempo, raga-ish chorus that's packed with a flute, some maracas and Shannon Hoon leading a faux traditional Hawaiian chorus, among other things. "Dumptruck" veers schizophrenically between jazzy strides, particularly in the inspired interplay between bassist Brad Smith and drummer Glen Graham, and the fuzzed-up psychedelic funk of Roger Stevens and Christopher Thorn's guitars. In between, there are simpler, down-home evocations of acoustic roots (both "Walk" and "Skinned" benefit from the addition of traditional string instruments) and groove-oriented, Zep-style work-outs ("2X4"). What Soup boils down to is a sometimes-exhilarating hodgepodge of extremely varied ingredients--one that reaffirms Blind Melon's choice to cook with their own instincts rather than with modern rock styles. (BF)

Blind Melon - Nico

Named for the late Shannon Hoon's infant daughter, NICO is a collection of outtakes, previously-unreleased originals and a pair of covers. Blind Melon was regularly pegged as a happy-go-lucky, hippie throwback act, but this collection exposes a band that bristled with creativity. Among the discoveries here that show Blind Melon to be more than a back-up band for the Bee Girl are "Glitch," a hypnotic percussive song that evokes the Master Musicians Of Jajouka. Blind Melon's creative spark was surely a restless one. "Letters From A Porcupine" is a musical message left by singer Hoon on guitarist Christopher Thorn's answering machine. An impromptu session in Hoon's hotel room toward the end of a 19-month tour produced "Life Ain't So Shitty." The band's version of John Lennon's protest song "John Sinclair" shows off a major influence; a Steppenwolf cover ("The Pusher") provides some eerie foreshadowing.(BF)

David Gilmour - On an Island

The men of Pink Floyd have always taken their time, turning out stately epics at a less than hectic clip. Accordingly, 22 years separate On an Island from About Face, the previous solo album by Floyd axeman/singer David Gilmour. On the latter, Gilmour was still trying to distance his own sound from Floyd's, but with that band mostly a memory in 2006, he was free to honor its legacy, much as Paul McCartney's later albums acknowledged the Beatles' work. The template for On an Island seems to be tracks like "Breathe" from Dark Side Of The Moon. The mood is an overwhelmingly mellow, spacious one, with Gilmour's trademark double-tracked vocals and plangent, liquid guitar tones flowing gracefully across almost exclusively slow-to-mid-tempo arrangements. But with Roger Waters missing from the equation, there's a notable lack of misanthropy in Gilmore's lyrical sentiments. The themes are more in keeping with the life of a fabulously wealthy elder statesman of British rock: placidly philosophical, with a luxurious air that finds its parallel in the elegant layers of guitar and keyboard lines that color the album in shimmering pastel shades. Dvd Features: Track List Royal Albert Hall, London, May 2006 1. Take A Breath - Live Abbey Road Session, August 2006 2. Astronomy Domine New York Session, April 2006 3. On An Island 4. This Heaven 5. Smile 6. Take A Breath 7. High Bopes 8. Comfortably Numb (RS)

New Nicole Atkins

Words can’t describe how gorgeous and heartbreaking this track is, so we’ll just let it speak for itself. “The Way It Is,” off her upcoming debut full-length record, Neptune City, to be released June 26 on Columbia Records.
Come see Nicole at SXSW:
March 14 3:50 PM Gorilla vs. Bear/Gothamist Party @ The Mohawk
March 14 11:00 PM Pure Volume Lounge (Indoors: 2nd St & Trinity)
March 16 6:00 PM Industry of Music Party @ Fado's, back stage
March 17 1:00 AM Official SXSW Showcase @ Copa
MP3: Nicole Atkins - “The Way It Is”

Cocteau Twins - Lullabies To Violaine

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Blondie - Eat to the Beat

1979's Eat to the Beat was Blondie's fourth album, and the first to follow the enormous commercial breakthrough of 1978's Parallel Lines. Though its singles, the brilliant "Dreaming" and the disco-influenced "Atomic," were lesser hits than Eat to the Beat' "Heart of Glass" and "One Way or Another," Eat to the Beat 's success cemented Blondie's status as by far the most commercially viable of the first wave of New York punk bands. By this time, the band's always-tenuous connection to punk was barely noticeable; the artsy "Victor," the Springsteen-ish "Union City Blue," written for the soundtrack of Debbie Harry's first film, Steeltown, and the reggae-tinged "Die Young Stay Pretty" are early evidence of the sort of casual genre-hopping which defined the band's next album, AUTOAMERICAN. The ripping title track, "Accidents Never Happen" and the dreamy "Living in the Real World," however, are more typical Blondie fare.(RS)