Artist: Wild Light

Title: Adult Nights

Label: StarTime International

Genre: Rock/Pop

“Live Free or Die” is the state motto for New Hampshire. Wild Light definitely lives by this saying as they release their new and refreshing album Adult Nights. This debut by the New England quartet follows their endless touring with MGMT, The Gutter Twins, and Ambulance Ltd. They were even handpicked for a European tour with Arcade Fire where they were wildly accepted by fans. These thirteen son...

Artist: The Move

Title: The Very Best of The Move (EU Release Only)

Label: Salvo/Fly

Genre: Classic Rock

Rating: 10/10

Please read the review for the Anthology Box Set that came out last year here. These twenty-five songs are essential singles from the band and sum up the whole whirlwind that was The Move.

www.themoveonline.com

Artist: Andrew Lipke

Title: Motherpearl and Dynamite

Label: Mad Dragon Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Born in South Africa, Andrew Lipke showed his musical talent early in life and when he moved to the United States in the mid-80’s he decided to pick up a guitar and join the American tradition of the singer-songwriter. Since then he has been releasing music in his eclectic vision and now he is treating us with his nine song collection Motherpearl and Dynamite.

The simplicity of a man and...

Artist: Electric President

Title: Sleep Well

Label: Morr Music

Genre: Electronic

Rating: 7.9/10

Florida produces many drizzly nights during the winter. During each of these nights, you don’t feel like going out into the wet cold to do anything. I went to bed early many nights listening to the rain patter and many albums that eventually became some of my favorites. As those tunes turned, they provided an easy transition into my dreams. I can now add the Electric President’s sopho...

Artist: It’s A Musical

Title: The Music Makes Me Sick

Label: Morr Music

Genre: Pop

Rating:7.3/10

Robert Kretzschmar and Ella Blixt met on tour while they were in separate bands in 2006. There have been a lot of good happenings this way, and now the duo are releasing their debut The Music Makes Me Sick.  With pure pop they are taking their sweet and infectious vocals to a new level with harmonizing lilts and excellent arrangements to compliment the overall sound of the album.  Ther...

Artist: Prince

Title: Lotus Flow3r/MPLSound/Elixir

Label: Self Issued

Genre: Rock/Pop

Without the help of any record label, Prince yet again embarks on an ambitious project involving three albums at one time. Will his guitar prowess prevail or will the whole works overshadaw the real music inside?

www.lotusflow3r.com

Artist: Bishop Allen

Title: Grrr…

Label: Dead Oceans

Genre: Rock/Pop

After releasing an EP for every month and then combining the best for their sophomore album The Broken String, Bishop Allen has established themselves as a standard of the modern indie pop movement. For their third effort, they have released Grrr… which is more of a sound than a title, but provides the bite for their next tour.

The songs of Justin Rice and Christian Rudder are infectious. This is the reason the...

Artist: Vulcano       

Title: Tales From the Black Book (Re-issued 2008)

Label: I Hate

Genre: Metal

Coming from South America, thrashing and biting metal bends the air in a comeback whirl. Vulcano rips through another album and is poised to stay around even longer than their twenty-six years with their trailblazing act of metal greatness.

www.myspace.com/vulcanobrazil

Artist: K’Naan

Title: Troubadour

Label: A&M/Octone

Genre: Hip-Hop

Hailing from Somalia, K’Naan brings his infection of hip-hop laced blitzed rap to the stage with a vim not seen recently. He is a true asset from Africa who speaks to each emotion time and time again to split your mind with shattering rhythms.

www.knaanmusic.ning.com

Artist: Wussy

Title: Wussy

Label: Shake It Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

To follow up their critically acclaimed album Left For Dead, Cincinnati band Wussy decided to not give their third album a title and let the music speak for itself. They are well known for crafting insightful lyrics with their wall of feedback tinged rock and roll. Formed in 2001, this small band has made many small waves throughout the industry and is now trying to fully integrate its sound into the indie rock main...

Artist: Red Red Meat

Title: Bunny Gets Paid (Deluxe Edition)

Label: Sub Pop

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  8.3/10

In 1995, Red Red Meat was on a tear through the music industry. Riding on the coattails of the success Sub Pop Records had with bands like Nirvana, they put out their third album Bunny Gets Paid. Bunny would turn out to be their greatest artistic triumph and become a standard of the alternative genre of the 1990’s. It is now getting the remastering treatment for a reissue as...

Artist: Obits

Title: I Blame You

Label: Sub Pop

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  6/10

Looking at the cover of Obits new album I Blame You may conjure up some inklings of the late 70’s punk rock scene. Upon listening, you may think this is something recorded in that era as well. Maybe the scene of New York City has crafted their sound, or maybe it is a bit of hero worship of Television and Roky Erickson. Either way, the Obits are releasing their debut to a world of vintage sound lovers.

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Artist: Handsome Furs

Title: Face Control

Label: Sub Pop

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  7.9/10

Dan Boekner, doubling as the front man of both Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs, has been very busy as of late recording and releasing albums. Face Control is his second release under Handsome Furs, and he is aspiring to join the ranks of the indie crowd that cannot get enough of his experimental rock sound.

Handsome Furs is more of a straight forward sound versus the high experimentation of Wolf ...

Artist: Josh Wilson

Title: Trying To Fit the Ocean Into A Cup

Label: Sparrow

Genre: Gospel/Pop

Rating:  6.9/10

With a praising baritone, Josh Wilson has put out music that he aspires to be uplifting and spiritually praising to God. His new effort Trying To Fit the Ocean Into A Cup, delves into the layers of praising and worshiping God in several styles that are standard for the Christian music genre and have been the staple for many singers for many years. On this album he gives the...

Artist: Tigers Jaw

Title: Tigers Jaw

Label: Prison Jazz Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  8.1/10

I thought the only thing good from Scranton, PA was the Dunder-Mifflinnites of the mockumentary The Office. Tigers Jaw is out to prove that there are more bands in this tiny steel city other than Scrantonicity (The band of accountant Kevin Malone in The Office). On their self titled third album, Tigers Jaw is taking up arms against the standard radio rock of today and making some modern day gr...

Artist: The Decemberists

Title: Hazards of Love

Label: Capitol Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  10/10

After finding critical acclaim and winning over millions of fans with The Crane Wife in 2006, Colin Meloy decided to take some time to pen some songs based on the obscure 1966 EP Hazards of Love by the English folk singer Anne Briggs. After some time, the handful of songs turned into a full blown rock opera. Meloy has said he does not intend to make a stage play based on the album; ...

Artist: Green River Ordinance

Title: Out Of My Hands

Label: Virgin Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  6.7/10

I wonder where the band members saw the term Green River Ordinance. These ordinances are laws that prohibit door to door sales within the city limits. It is a better name than some like !!! pronounced chk, chk, chk (how do you pronounce chk, chk, chk?) or my band in college, Whitley Schreiber and the Goat/Dogs. Putting the naming of a band aside, the Green River Ordinance produ...

Artist: Jeb Loy Nichols

Title: Parish Bar

Label: Compass

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  5.6/10

Jeb Loy Nichols brings us another singer-songwriter type album in his new homemade album Parish Bar. Born in Wyoming and now residing in the country of Wales, Jeb gives each album a mixture of his soul and longing to get through each genre he happens upon. There is not a lot of temperance in his manner as he flashes yet another sense of artist license.

Nichols says about his new album, “Some ...

Artist: The Lost Revival

Title: Homemade Confetti

Label: Champions of the Arts

Genre: Rock/Pop

The Lost Revival list themselves as a kind of experimental folk rock. They sound pretty normal to me. Maybe they are trying to not be normal? For their debut album, Homemade Confetti, The Lost Revival have pulled out their best Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan impression and added their unique and own twist to an interesting result.

This seven member band from Columbus, OH is doing the best thing to get out...

Artist: The Waking Eyes

Title: Hold On To Whatever It Is

Label: Coalition Entertainment Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  8.1/10

Ah, Canada. Our neighbor to the north has been producing a lot of good music lately, and there is no exception to The Waking Eyes. It has been four years since their last album, but the wait has been a good one for their fans as they have been greeted by a bevy of songs recently in a three cd set rarities compilation and the best of those sessions have cong...

Artist: The New Monarchs

Title: Blueprints

Label: Soup Bowl Records

Genre: Electronica

Rating:  5.5/10

I’m sure the winters of Minnesota with its several feet of snow and friendly but introvert people inspire many musicians to write all winter long and then showcase their talents during the summer months. The New Monarchs are no different with their debut album Blueprints as the duo of Seth Hogan and Taylor Nelson break down their dance album in true pent-up talent.

With producer...

Artist: Tor and Sufjan Stevens

Title: Illinoize EP

Genre: Folk/Hip-Hop

Rating: 10/10

Taking samples from three of Sufjan Stevens' albums, Tor produces an amazing collection of mix-tape mashups that only a true artist could unveil. Who would have thought that these seven songs could be formed out of the folkiness of Sufjan and re-imagined in a world with Outkast, Brother Ali, and Pete Rock?

NOTE:These songs can be downloaded for free at www.Illinoize.biz

Artist: Alaska in Winter

Title: Holiday

Label: Milan Records

Genre: Electronic/Pop

When you are from New Mexico, maybe there is a little bit of wishing for the snow of the great Alaskan state. Brandon Bethancourt, the lead singer and composer of Alaska in Winter, spent a semester in Alaska studying art; but upon returning to his home state of New Mexico, he put the musical thoughts he had penned while in an isolated cabin to work with friends Zach Condon, of Beirut, Heather Trost, of...

Artist: International Jetsetters

Title: Heart is Black

Label: Planting Seeds Records

Genre: Alternative Rock/Pop

Rating:  7.2/10

It has now been a little over a year and half since Mark Crozer decided to start a new band called the International Jetsetters. Most people have absolutely no idea who Mark Crozer is, but you may know him better as the lead guitarist from the legendary indie rock band, The Jesus and Mary Chain. After several years performing in obscurity throughout our ne...

Artist: Victor Krummenacher

Title: Patriarch’s Blues

Label: Magnetic

Genre: Blues/Rock

Within the span of about a month, Victor Krummenacher lost both his father and step-father. With these losses weighing heavily on his mind, Victor went to his recording studio and in two days, put out what is possibly his best collection of songs for his seventh solo album. It’s strange what loss can do to your mind and talents; especially when you lose someone as close as your father and the...

Artist: Titus Andronicus

Title: The Airing of Grievances

Label: XL Recordings

Genre: Rock/Punk

Rating: 8.7/10

There is something strange in the do-it-yourself punk genre of music that draws you in with a wonder and excitement that you cannot explain with mere words. There is the sincere need to throw up your fist and dance around uninhibited to the strange music that is coming through the speakers, and shout every lyric until your throat is scratchy and you can’t talk the next day...

Artist: M. Ward

Title: Hold Time

Label: Merge Records

Genre: Folk/Pop

Rating: 8.8/10

Since M. Ward’s last album Post War in 2006, he has been very busy collaborating with several artists to add his touch to the indie music scene. His biggest triumph was last year’s duet with Zooey Deschanel as the band She & Him which brought accolades from around the globe for Volume One. Many thought that maybe his solo career was on the back burner, but now he has brought forth another stunni...

Artist: Obscured By Clouds

Title: Psychelectric

Label: Psychelectric Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  5/10

Nearly all new music is inspired by someone or a band that is admired by the artist. Some influences are hidden in the subtext or maybe the liner notes while others are very obvious from where their creative flow is emanating. Obscured By Clouds not only takes their name from the great progressive rock band Pink Floyd, but also writes music that is right in line with the classi...

Artist: Starling Electric

Title: Clouded Staircase

Label: Bar None Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating: 7.7/10

In 2006, Starling Electric, a quintet from Ann Arbor, Michigan self issued their first album Clouded Staircase. Since then the band has grown in popularity while touring and their album was picked up by Bar None Records for a full scale release. I’m glad record labels like Bar None go out of their way to discover talent that can make a truly great album and not just the single...

Artist: Readymade Breakup

Title: Alive on the Vine

Label: Self Issued

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating: 7.9/10

The last time I went through New Jersey, it smelled. That is about all I remember of my short stay in the Eastern state. Readymade Breakup is doing their very best to get away from the armpit of the United States and onto your radio. Alive on the Vine is their second effort and it is by far their best.  I always love when a band uses the do-it-yourself method and comes through with a true...

“Without doubt, it was The Beatles, the Stones, and The Move, in that order, in England.” –Tony Secunda (Manager of The Move, The Moody Blues, and T. Rex)

Artist: The Move
Album: Antholgy 1966-1972 (EU Release Only)
Label: Salvo/Fly
Rating: 11/10

The above quote is a wallop. You may dismiss Secunda since he was the manager of The Move; but it should be noted, this quote came years after he was fired by the band. That’s right, Tony Secunda was fired by The Move and he still revered thei...

Artist: Old Ghost

Title: Hearts and Coffins EP

Label: Infinite Universe Records

Genre: Country/Folk/Pop

Rating:  8.8/10

Just the band’s name Old Ghost conjures up the images of their influences. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Will Oldham are very present living ghosts in the works of Paul Hutzler and his band toiling around Seattle with their brand of folksy and country tinged pop. The Hearts and Coffins EP is a follow up to their 2004 debut album Light Returns.

Influence is always a g...

Artist: Ben Folds

Title: Way to Normal

Label: Epic Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  7.3/10

After garnering tons of attention from critics and radio listeners alike, Ben Folds decided to reform Ben Folds Five around his own name and call his act solo. Ben Folds Five was a great band in its own right, but being a solo act required Ben to seriously focus on his writing talent and career. Way to Normal is yet another glimpse into Folds life as he croons about falling off his piano, gett...

Artist: Lucy Woodward

Title: …Is Hot and Bothered

Label: Barnes and Noble

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  5.9/10

For her second album, Lucy Woodward signed an exclusive deal with Barnes and Noble booksellers. I was under the impression that Barnes and Noble was a bookseller, not a viable record label. After viewing the album on their website, I am not happy with what I see. It is extremely obvious the “user” reviews are fake to bolster the “image” of this album to the public. I k...

Artist: Jaugernaut (a.d)

Title: Contra-Mantra

Label: Self Issued

Genre: Progressive Rock

Rating:  5/10

In 1984, Jaugernaut released the album Take Em There. The album garnered some attention in Europe, but record labels were not looking for progressive rock bands with twelve minute songs. Every record executive of the time was looking for the three minute pop song with a hook like Madonna and Micheal Jackson, and that was enough to make Take Em There become a cult classic of vinyl c...

Artist: U2

Title: No Line On The Horizon

Label: Interscope Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  6.5/10

The newest album from U2 is probably the most anticipated album around the globe in a long time. The last such album with this much hoopla worldwide was U2’s last album in 2004, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which went on to win every imaginable award known to music. It must be a great world in which everything you touch turns to gold and Grammys, and now Bono and company are givi...

Artist: Hotel Lights

Title: Firecracker People

Label: Bar None Records

Genre: Rock/Pop

Rating:  6.2/10

Ben Folds Five was easily one of the best “outsider” bands of the 1990’s. Ben Folds himself has gone on to a very successful solo career and the former drummer, Darren Jesse, is doing his best to make a niche for himself with his band Hotel Lights. Firecracker People is the second album for Hotel Lights after their self titled debut in 2006.

Jesse shows his knack for songwri...

Artist: Donal Hinely

Title: Blue State Boy

Label: Atom Records

Genre: Country/Pop

When you make your album title Blue State Boy, the political assumptions are present in your mind. Donal Hinely is giving the world a new taste of his liberal views while living in a conservative state yet again on his most recent release. Over the years, Hinely has been revered as a lyrical wordsmith who makes every song a memorable quote and has no qualms in making his opinion well known.

Starting wi...

Artist: Chris Letcher

Title: Harmonium

Label: 2Feet Music

Genre: Experimental Rock/Pop

Rating: 7.1/10

South Africa is not the usual breeding ground for experimental musicians weaving the traditional set of instruments with odd ones like kalimbas (a small “hand piano” percussion instrument), coke bottles (I’m assuming the old fashioned glass ones), glockenspiels (somewhat like a xylophone), and baritone saxophones (normal for a band, right?) while dripping them with synth sound...

Artist: dOUBT

Title: Box of Headaches

Label: Johann’s Face Records

Genre: Rock

In the 1990’s, Steve Albini was one of the newest recording engineers in the business to do albums that were done quickly and very inexpensively. This method allowed him to get a true noisy, grungy, and almost straight from the garage sound. Over the years he has worked on thousands of albums for hundreds of bands including Nirvana, The Pixies, Bush, and The Stooges. Just mentioning those names conjure...