Cold War Kids Loyalty To Loyalty
Another dynamite release from this Fullerton, CA group that sound like New Orleans barroom soul-rock. Over pounding, bass-driven, piano-laced beats and a thick mystic atmosphere, singer Nathan Willett conjured the Baptist soul man within to spin tales of drunks and rapists, of the terminally ill and the men who stole money from church collection plates on the band's first album, Robbers and Cowards. It was a raucous affair, with crisp, minimalistic production, that also happened to be one of the best white-boy soul-rock records released in recent memory.
On Loyalty To Loyalty, the drinks are a little stronger, the atmosphere’s a little thicker, and one thing is perfectly clear- the Cold War Kids have carved out a formula that works, and it works damn well.
Kings Of Leon Only by the Night
The Kings have returned, but it's not quite the pure rock album that it was promised to be. What it is, however, is bigger than everything they've done in the past, put together. The ambition is sky-high, the melodies are fine-tuned, the pool of influences deeper than ever. The first six songs on Only by the Night stand alone in their own right. Frontman Caleb Followill earns the most improved award this time around, with a performance nobody would've though possible, given the half-hearted, intentionally dissonant warbles of the past. He's loud and proud, his bluesy rasp suddenly infused with depth and nuance. If the second half of the disc were as good as the first, OBTN would be a shoe-in contender for album of the year. But it's still in the running for top five.
Mogwai The Hawk is Howling
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Mogwai has always been a special kind of band. The Scottish post-rock power players have a discography that stands up to any other in reference to overall composition and escalating brilliance. I'd been looking forward to The Hawk is Howling for a long time now, but despite the fact that they took two years off and enlisted a production dream team, this is easily Mogwai's weakest release yet. Extemporaneously long intros and surprisingly repetitive riffs bog down an album that could've been a lot shorter - and a lot better.
Plain White T's Big Bad World
Excellent. Just as that goddamned "Hey There Deliliah" song starts slipping off the radar of the color-by-numbers emotional proximity mines (aka teenage and twentysomething girls), Plain White T's return with Big Bad World. Most of the songs are, naturally, about various mistakes made in the boy/girl cat/mouse runaround, and although some of the allusions to sex are stronger here than in their previous album, Every Second Counts. It's sure to be a holiday seller among parents shopping at Sam Goody (the only people that ever do anymore), since none of the songs have hostile themes or come across as anything more than the sappy bile you'd find inside a dead Care Bear.
TV On The Radio Dear Science
Artsy, but not too artsy, post-punk mixed with doo-wop and soul is a pretty damned good combination. TV On The Radio's fourth album finds a way to make experimental music popular, and they do it well. Off-beat drums, jazzy interludes and sing-along vocals make for a visceral album that raises this band's stock considerably. "Halfway Home" could very well be the album opener of the year. This one is worth a look, for sure (after you check out the Cold War Kids).
The Action Design: Never Say
Adventure: Adventure
All Girl Summer Fun Band: Looking Into It
Bang! Bang!: Industry Box (4-CD box set)
Bette Midler: Jackpot - The Best Bette
Blitzen Trapper: Furr (vinyl)
Brightblack Morning Light: Motion to Rejoin
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone: Town Topic
Charlie Haden: Rambling Boy
Cold War Kids: Loyalty to Loyalty
Conifer: Crown Fire
Danielson Famile: Fetch the Compas Kids (vinyl reissue)
Danielson Famile: Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Chopping Block (vinyl reissue)
Danielson Famile: Tri-Danielson!!! (Alpha | Omega) (vinyl reissue)
David Berkeley: Strange Light
David Gilmour: Live in Gdansk (2-CD and 2-DVD box set)
David Grubbs: Optimist Notes the Dusk
Donovan Quinn & The 13th Month: Donovan Quinn & The 13th Month
Dr. Dooom: Dr. Dooom 2
Dynamite Club: Fusion Era
Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile: Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
Evergrey: Torn
Everlast: Love, War and The Ghost Of Whitey Ford
French Kicks: Covers EP (digital only)
Friendly Fires: Friendly Fires (vinyl)
Girl Talk: Feed The Animals
Golden Smog: Stay Golden, Smog: The Best of Golden Smog
Graham Nash: Songs for Beginners (remastered with bonus DVD)
Hank Williams III: Hank III Collector's Edition (3-CD box set)
Heart: Heart Presents a Lovemonger's Christmas
High Places: High Places (vinyl)
Holy Sons: Decline of the West
The Howling Hex: Earth Junk
I Heart Lung: Interoceans
Islands: Arm's Way
Jackson Browne: Time the Conqueror
Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue
Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash Remixed (vinyl)
Juno Reactor: Transmissions (reissue)
Karl Blau: Nature's Got Away (vinyl)
KatJonBand: KatJonBand
Kings Of Leon: Only by the Night
Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat: Nebulous Dreams
Koufax: Strugglers
La Dusseldorf: La Dusseldorf
Laura Warshauer: Laura Warshauer
Ledisi: It's Christmas
Lenka: Lenka
Lights: Lights EP
Lily Holbrook: Wicked Ways
Lou Reed: Berlin (vinyl reissue)
Mamiffer: Hirror Enniffer
Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club: Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club
Mark Eitzel: West (reissue)
Mason Proper: Olly Oxen Free
Matt Duke: Kingdom Underground
Max Richter: 24 Postcards in Full Color
Milosh: III
Mogwai: The Hawk is Howling (vinyl)
The Mojomatics: Don't Pretend That You Know Me
Monkey: Journey to the West
The Morning Light: The Morning Light
Nagisa Ne Te: Yosuga (vinyl)
Old Crow Medicine: Tennessee Pusher
Paul Flaherty: Aria Nativa
Peter Broderick: Home
Peter, Bjorn and John: Seaside Rock (vinyl only)
Pica Beats: Beating Back the Claws of the Cold
Pink Spiders: Sweat It Out
Pixies: Bossanova (vinyl reissue)
Pixies: Trompe le Monde (vinyl reissue)
Plain White T's: Big Bad World
The Pretenders: Break Up The Concrete (vinyl only) (CD out October 7th)
Replacements: All Shook Down (remastered with bonus tracks)
Replacements: Don't Tell a Soul (remastered with bonus tracks)
Replacements: Pleased to Meet Me (remastered with bonus tracks)
Replacements: Tim (remastered with bonus tracks)
Ryan Montbleau Band: Patience on Friday
Santogold: Santogold (vinyl)
Serena Maneesh: S-M Backwards
Sing It Loud: Come Around
Spyro Gyra: A Night Before Christmas
The Standard: Swimmer
Starf*cker: Starf*cker (vinyl)
Tecumseh: Avalanche & Inundation
Ten Kens: Ten Kens
Terry Lynn: Kingstonlogic 2.0
Thea Gilmore: Liejacker
Theo Travis & Robert Fripp: Thread
These United States: Crimes
Tito Puente: The Complete 78's, Vol. 2
Toadies: No Deliverance (vinyl)
The Tough Alliance: New Chance
Tracy Shedd: Cigarettes & Smoke Machines
TV on the Radio: Dear Science (vinyl)
Various Artists: In The Pines: Tar Heel Folk Songs & Fiddle Tunes: Old-Time Music Of North Carolina 1926-1936
Various Artists; Like Black Holes in the Sky: The Tribute to Syd Barrett
Various Artists: Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist (soundtrack)
Various Artists: Nights in Rodanthe (soundtrack)
Various Artists: Sex and the City, Vol. 2: More Music (soundtrack)
Various Artists: What Just Happened? Music from the Motion Picture (soundtrack)
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