RJD2 – The Third Hand

Type: Rock/Hip-Hop/Phat Beats

Good Tracks:
2. You Never Had It So Good
3. Have Mercy
4. Reality
5. Work It Out
6. Laws Of The Gods
7. Get It
9. The Bad Penny
10. Beyond
11. Sweet Piece
14. Just When
15. Evening Gospel

I don’t understand why everyone hates this so much. There are so many good songs on this release! This is a perfect example of Pitchfork giving a perfectly good release a shitty rating, and then everyone else has to follow suit and bash it. Way better than some of the bands they blindly hand 1000 point reviews to (examples: “TV On The Radio”, “Grizzly Bear”). Best tracks are “Have Mercy”, “The Bad Penny”, “Just When”, and “Evening Gospel”.

The Fall – This Nation’s Saving Grace

Type: Punk

Good Tracks:
6. L.A.
16. Cruisers Creek

SO OVERRATED. I can’t believe this is considered to be their great album. “Middle Class Revolt” is actually a really good album and way fucking better than this piece. If you want to listen to a great Fall album get “Middle Class Revolt” because it’s awesome, and if you want to have a boring time get this album.

A.C. Newman – The Slow Wonder

Type: Indie

Good Tracks:
1. Miracle Drug
3. On The Table
8. Better Than Most

A promising release. These three songs are awesome, but the rest is pretty shitty. I noticed he has these same three songs up on his myspace, so he must know what good music is supposed to sound like. I bet his next release is going to be great .

Handsome Furs – Plague Park

Type: Mellow Acoustic-Electro

Good Tracks:
1. What We Had
2. Hearts Of Iron
6. Sing! Captain

Liked these three tracks alot, wasn’t really into most of it though. The first track is really good and way above and beyond anything else on the album.

Pinback – Blue Screen Life

Type: Rock

Good Tracks:
5. Penelope
6. Talby
12. Tres

Gross . This album was such a let-down after hearing all their other releases.

Neptune – Patterns

Type: Sludge Metal

Good Tracks:
1. #13
2. The Lighthouse
3. Donkeyskin
5. The Late Worm
7. Fourteen Pleasures

You will never like this unless you’re in the mood for it. Luckily I was in the mood for this when I listened to it. These guys make all their own instruments, and it sounds like it. “Donkeyskin” and “Fourteen Pleasures” are in a tie for best on the album. Very menacing fucked up sloppy music.

Peter and The Wolf – Lightness

Type: Folk

Good Tracks:
1. Midnight Train
2. The Ivy
3. Safe Travels
5. The Highway
15. Lightness

Could’ve been alot better. I say this because it starts off really strong, and then totally falls apart until it gets to the song “Lightness”, which is really good. Best song is “The Highway”.

Pinback – Pinback

Type: Sweet Bass Rock Action Mellow Party

Good Tracks:
1. Tripoli
2. Hurley
6. Loro
7. Crutch

Even though there’s only 4 tracks listed it’s definitely awesome. I listened to these four songs non-stop for a week. The other songs weren’t really good at all, and i’m not sure how shit like that happens. “Tripoli” is a very catchy song with a great chorus. “Crutch” so far seems to be my favorite.

Okkervil River – The Stage Names

Type: Indie

Good Tracks:
1. “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe”
2. “Unless It’s Kicks”
5. “Plus Ones”
6. “A Girl in Port”
9. “John Allyn Smith Sails”

Not bad. This is the first of their albums i’ve listened to. The opening track is great. That and “Plus Ones” are def the 2 best tracks. Track 9 has some sweet lyrics.

Pinback – Autumn Of The Seraphs

Type: Indie

Good Tracks:
1. “From Nothing to Nowhere” – 3:29
2. “Barnes” – 4:19
3. “Good to Sea” – 3:14
4. “How We Breathe” – 4:09
5. “Walters” – 4:02
9. “Torch” – 4:36
10. “Bouquet” – 5:12

I would say this album is just as good as their previous. Tracks 6,7, and 8 didn’t really catch me at all, otherwise this would’ve been a very good album. Tracks 1 and 4 are the best. Track 4 has a great bass line.

Pinback – Summer In Abaddon

Type: Indie

Good Tracks:
1. Non Photo-Blue
2. Sender
3. Syracuse
5. Fortress
6. This Red Book
7. Soaked
8. 3×0
9. The Yellow Ones

Cool mellow rock. Really nice bass playing. Tracks 1 and 9 are great. Sounds like Built To Spill but tighter and less rockin, not in a bad way though.

Architecture In Helsinki – Places Like This

Type: Indie Pop

Good Tracks:
1. Red Turned White
2. Heart It Races
4. Feather In A Baseball Cap
7. Debbie
8. Lazy (Lazy)
9. Nothing’s Wrong
10. Same Old Innocence

I wasn’t expecting much from this album at all, but it turned out to be much better than their previous album. Best track is “Heart It Races”, and is also their first single for obvious reasons. “Debbie” is also a nuts song. These songs will grow on you if given a chance. Fun music.

Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist

Type : Rock

Good Tracks:
3. Bleeding the Orchid
4. That’s the Way
9. Bring the Light
10. Come On Let’s Go
11. For God And Country

Not especially great. Track 4 is def my favorite. If Bring The Light weren’t such a repetitive song it could be pretty sweet. This isn’t so much of a letdown compared with the train-wreck that is Zwan. If you forget that the rest of the album exists then it can be worth listening to.

Iron & Wine – Boy With A Coin

Type : Soft Rock

Good Tracks:
2. Boy With A Coin

Bah . I would’ve expected a lot more from this dude. I guess one good song out of three isn’t so bad, but to even say this song is good is generous. It’s ok the LP will be sweet .

Islands – Return To The Sea

Type : Silly Jam-Rock

Good Tracks:
1. Swans (Life After Death)
4. Rough Gem
6. Where There’s A Will There’s A Whalebone
8. Volcanoes

Pretty neat. Track 6 is easily the best on here, which goes from rock to reggae to hip-hop within 25 seconds. Rough Gem is also a great song with great lyrics. The first track is listed solely for how great it ends.