Gary War - Horribles Parade

I go back & forth on liking this record. At times, it's beautiful. At times, so annoying! I have this soft spot for people who sit around, stoned out of their minds, in their rooms making music. But this record is just going too far. Yeah it's fine to get a drum machine, a couple of synths, a crappy guitar, and some pedals & record what you want. But when you just echo & reverb the fuck out of shit it doesn't add to the music. Especially when the whole record uses these effects. I get it, that's the schtick. Just write me a real god damn song and prove that I should be interested in your music. Anyways this shit is totally jacking on Blank Dogs (coincidentally on the same label?)

My hope for 2k10 is no more of this "finding Myspace bands who use too much reverb with 5 friends and then not telling anyone so I can sign them to my label" in the 2k9. F that.

Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild

The lyrics on Backspacer are probably the weakest of any Pearl Jam record and I suspect that Eddie used up all his best material on his debut solo album/soundtrack. He tackles some pretty complex issues (as does the movie, book) and does it beautifully. It’s stripped down, but never sounds like Pearl Jam Unplugged.

Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come

The only jazz record you need to own.

The Sounds – Crossing the Rubicon

I really wanted to like this album. I love The Sounds. I love their unbelievably hot lead singer (mmm, Maja) and let’s not overlook her incredible voice. She’s definitely my favorite female vocalist. But, and I hate to say it, this album is lacking and it’s not even The Sounds fault. More than anything it’s the piss poor production that takes away from the album. At first I thought I had gotten a bad copy because the drums sound shitty and distorted and overly compressed. Furthermore, no album made after 1988 should have reverse reverb on it, much less on the vocals where it ends up taking away rather than adding anything. Some of the songs are alright and almost catchy, but you end up wanted them to be re-recorded.

One Day as a Lion - One Day as a Lion

Did you think a band that features the drummer from mars volta and the singer from Rage Against the Machine wouldn’t be amazing? Oh. Well, it’s actually really awesome. Zach plays a fuzzy distorted synth keyboard and sings while the drummer lays down the best groove since James Brown.

Song: Ohia - Didn't It Rain

I listened to this album six times today on accident. I think that means it’s good. It's only seven songs, but you wouldn't want any more.

Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones

Anyone seriously in the know knows this is Ryan Gosling’s band. Yes, that Ryan Gosling. The guy from The Notebook, the movie your girlfriend made you watch which actually wasn’t that bad and so what if you cried? Ryan Gosling and his friend rounded up some elementary school kids to sing a bunch of songs about zombies and death. I think it’s a great concept. And I heard when they went on tour they had a different group of kids play with them each night. How awesome is that? There are some really great songs on this (In The Room Where You Sleep, Pa Pa Power, Lose Your Soul) but unfortunately it’s not enough. As a whole there’s too much filler. The up tempo stuff is great, but you end up wishing there was more of it.

Ratatat - LP3

It sounds like Ratatat grew out their hair and started doing all the right drugs.

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains

This is what Modest Mouse might sound like if they had stayed weird. Any of the songs on this album would fit great next to Cowboy Dan on a playlist. Oh, and that playlist would be perfect for a road trip. My friend Matt from high school would call this “angular” but I still don’t know what that means.

Lightning Dust - Infinite Light

I used to run sound at a small venue in Chicago and a band came thru that was on Jagjaguar records. I remember thinking, isn’t that kind of a good label? I can’t remember what band it was (because they weren’t worth remembering), but Lightning Dust makes Jagjaguar proud. Powerful, dark, moody music rounded out by an amazingly delicate female voice. Church organ, piano, simple strummed acoustic, subtle drums and just the right amount of reverb on all of it. Everything’s played and placed perfectly. Well done.

Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall

What can I say about Jay that hasn't already been said? Fuck it, who cares. Jay Reatard writes some of the poppiest punk songs in this day & age. This new record is just pop hit after pop hit. Catchy choruses and licks that think 'hey, maybe I could write this.' But you know what? You didn't. Jay totally beat you to it.

Umphrey's McGee - Las Tortugas Music Festival

I had originally heard of these folks a few years ago while I was working at a coffee shop, from some younger, almost high schooly girls, so I didn't have much hope for them from the get go. Last night I had the opportunity to see them live for zero dollars, so I was pretty much like Yeah! I'll go. I went. There's this four day music festival here where I work, Las Tortugas, and if I didn't work here, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't pay to get in. I was under the impression that Umphrey's may very well be a jam band, but like I said, it was free. They had some tasty guitar riffs, and lo and behold, the crowd was moving, but I got jammed out. Not even like the cool 'melt your face off' jam, just the 'ehhh I'm bored now' jammed out. The drummer from The Grateful Dead was also there. He also played. I went to bed.

Paramore – Brand New Eyes

I fell in love with Paramore thanks to Guitar Hero and everyone made fun of me for it. I guess it’s a good thing that nothing on this album is as good as that one song I played repeatedly (on expert, no less). It’s really close, but something’s missing.

Pearl Jam - Backspacer

What did you expect? It’s the same thing they’ve been doing for the past twenty years. And I mean that as a compliment.

The Nightwatchman – The Fabled City

Dylan goes electric. Morello goes acoustic. Tom’s not much of a singer, but it’s better than Audioslave (duh, obvz). I think I would have liked this more had he kept it stripped down with just him and an acoustic like his first album. It ends up in a weird place between not rocking enough and rocking too much all at the same time.

The Drones – Havilah

Fucking amazing. Psychedelic. Twisted. Australian. Rock and roll. Even the slower stuff rocks. Listen to it and then listen to it ten more times because it only gets better. Gareth Liddiard has the most amazing guitar tone I’ve ever heard – unique yet it embodies the epitome of what rock and roll guitars should sound like – and his voice gives the impression that his diet consists mostly of whiskey and cigarettes.

Girls – Album

Every douche bag tastemaker publication is hailing this as the next best thing so rest assured, it sucks. The same people that told you Dan Deacon was good are raving about Girls. Naw I’m sayin’? Really it’s just some whiney bitch with long hair crying about his ex-girlfriend while trying to make a surf pop record. The guitars don’t sound in tune at times, I suppose in an attempt to hide their straight up pop tendencies and his voice resembles Elvis Costello, except annoying to the point of being unlistenable.

CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn

Before I ever listened to CocoRosie, my friend saw them live and took acid and molly and had an amazing time. 30 seconds into this album all I could think is, wow, I wish I had some acid. I imagine stumbling into an enchanted forest and finding pixies and centaurs and elves and lost children making this kind of music.

Marissa Nadler - Little Hells

It’s almost difficult listening to this album all at once because it’s too good. It’s the audio equivalent of looking into the sun. You can get a glimpse, but any more than that and it’d be too much to handle. This reminds me of Tiny Vipers (only because it’s a girl and her guitar singing slow, sad songs) but Marissa Nadler outshines, having put together a truly great record.

These Arms Are Snakes – Tail Swallower and Dove

It’s surprising when a band can continually make better albums then their last. Not even Bruce Springsteen could do that. It’s heavy and rocking, but still creative without falling back on the same tricks every other post-hardcore band relies on. It could be said this is more of the same, but it pushes their sound even further.

Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk

You would think that four guys that can, by most accounts, write decent songs would automatically write a song four times as great when united and yet we’re left with a sub par album filled with these boring songs. Their first mistake was that they named themselves Monsters of Folk. AND no one thought it was a bad idea to write a song called “Losin Yo Head.” This is supposed to be our generation’s Traveling Wilburys as if the Traveling Wilburys were any good.

Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem

I actually haven’t even really listened to this because it sucks so much. Which is disheartening because a Mount Eerie metal album sounds like it could (nay, should) be amazing. I love Mount Eerie, but it’s difficult to hear the songs thru all the noise.

Why? - Eskimo Snow

Eskimo Snow? More like eskimo blow. I’ve liked Why? for a long time which is what makes this so disappointing. I’ll listen to it, but only because I’m tired of listening to their older/better shit.