Patrick Wolf - Lycanthropy

Patrick Wolf has no insecurities about his last name, identity, and supposed upbringing among animals. In fact, Lycanthropy (the belief that one is a wolf) begins with a wolf's howl. None of this, however, should detract from his formative compositions. This debut is relentlessly resourceful, never failing to reveal a new instrument (accordion, violin, recorder, to name a few). Augmented by laptop, Wolf's curious stories come to fruition with his accent-thick vocals and dark, biographical lyrics. After (what else?) "Wolf Song" secures roots in his Irish blood, he explores inner conflicts of war and peace ("Peter Pan" and "A Boy Like Me," his most accessible track), a newfound life in Paris (the percussion-heavy "Paris"), gender ("Lycanthropy"), and child molestation ("The Childcatcher"). Known to keep a bird's nest in his hair, this young, eccentric prodigy is well beyond his years, making the most from a completely unusual childhood.
(FTP)

Razorlight - Razorlight

Razorlight: Johnny Borrell (vocals, guitars); Bjorn Agren (guitar); Carl Dalemo (electric bass); Andy Burrows (drums). Following up on the momentum of its hit U.K. debut, UP ALL NIGHT, Razorlight issued its self-titled sophomore album in 2006, unveiling another strikingly assured set of energetic Britpop. With an upbeat, straightforward approach marked by shimmering, anthemic guitar lines and driving rhythms, Razorlight, led by the gleefully self-absorbed singer Johnny Borrell, reinforced its lauded status with supremely catchy, post-punk-inspired tunes such as the jaunty "In the Morning" and the playfully titled R.E.M. nod "Pop Song 2006."
(RS)

Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights

Combining the insistent drone of Joy Division with the dreamy melodies of the Chameleons, the fire of Mission of Burma, and an occasional jagged edge a la The Fall, the foursome inconceivably manage to defy anachronism on their debut full-length Turn On the Bright Lights . Just how they do it is indefinable, perhaps it's just a trick of the light, or the life that breathes gloomily, radiantly throughout, but it's undeniable. Vocals which fall somewhere between Ian Curtis's plaintive, edge-of-oblivion wail and the winking, laconic drawl of James's Tim Booth, ripping uncompromisingly through unpredictable, unforgettable lamentations from the reflective ("NYC") to the imploring ("PDA"). When the darkly etched, implosive, mournful lyrics poke out as they do on the unrelenting "Obstacle 1" ("she puts the weights into my little heart and she gets in my room and she tears it apart"), the hook is set for an important debut by a band that portends to be around a while.The stunning debut album that incorporates so many postpunk influences: Joy Division, Television, Morrissey, . Includes the bonus track "Specialist".
(FTP)

Beck - Guerolito

On 2005's well-received Guero, Beck succeeded in fluidly incorporating most of his musical personas--rhyme-ready rocker, wistful folk troubadour, funky white boy, etc. Later in the year, Beck released Guerolito, a track-by-track reinterpretation of the former record featuring remixes by various peers and admirers. The 14-track outing, which also includes the frenetic non-album song "Clap Hands," begins with Homelife's "Ghost Range," a radical reworking of "E-Pro" that replaces a straightforward rock vibe with busy, burbling layers of added instrumentation, including cellos and violas. Longtime Beck friends Air and Adrock (of the Beastie Boys) also offer up winning contributions, with the former transforming "Missing" into the dreamy, synth-heavy "Heaven Hammer" and the latter tweaking "Black Tambourine" into the dub-like "Shake Shake Tambourine." Other highlights include Boards of Canada's shimmering take on "Broken Drum" and Diplo's "Wish Coin," which turns the bluesy "Go It Alone" into a shuffling dance track. While this dynamic disc stays true to Beck's adventurous aesthetic, it also takes his songs down intriguing (and sometimes unlikely) back roads, making it as fascinating and enjoyable as the original album.
(RS)

Kasabian - Empire

On its second full-length, the U.K. band Kasabian is at its most effective when it sticks close to Mickie Most-inspired pop gems like the title track and the monolithically rocking "Shoot the Runner" (the latter of which, perhaps uniquely in the modern rock canon, conjures elements of both the Fall and of Deep Purple). The Ecstasy-gobbling ghost of Madchester hovers over the swaying "By My Side," while the hurtling hallucinogenic high of "Aponea" is the realistic-sounding aural manifestation of a cracking night's clubbing. No wonder singer Tom Meighan sounds fashionably exhausted on the pretty, reflective "British Legion," which, with its mood of post-party ennui, is nostalgically reminiscent of mid-period Kinks.
(RS)

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)