The Naked And Famous ~ Passive Me, Aggressive You

This album feels like a mix-tape of really good bands. One song has me comparing them to Passion Pit or Temper Trap, but then the next song has me thinking M83. Then another suggests Stars, and then another suggests Radiohead. In this case, I really like the range. High energy stuff. Fun album.


Passive Me, Aggressive You Album buy from Amazon:

Passive Me, Aggressive You MP3 Album [$5.99]
Passive Me Aggressive You Audio CD [$9.99]
Passive Me, Aggressive You Vinyl [$18.98]

Everclear ~ Ten Years Gone The Best Of Everclear

There most definitely is an Everclear sound. They are instantly recognizable, and that is a good thing. Alexakis and company, while maturing over the years, have created alternating harrowing ("Wonderful") and humorous ("Volvo Driving Soccer Mom") tunes that have the same song structure, production quality, etc. 


Everclear ~ Ten Years Gone The Best Of Everclear buy from Amazon:

Ten Years Gone The Best Of Everclear 1994-2004 [$5.00]
Best of Everclear Audio CD [$9.99]

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Album

After stumbling upon "Home" on hypem, I saw their album was just $5 on Amazon. After listening to previews of the other songs on the album, I went ahead and bought it. I don't usually listen to this genre of music but I actually am liking the CD so far. "Home" is already a favorite, as well as Jade, Janglin', and a few others. Their music is different from what I usually listen to, but the purchase was well worth it.


Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Album buy from Amazon:

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros MP3 Album [$5.00]

Coldplay ~ X & Y Album

It's hard to believe but it's been three years since Coldplay released A Rush of Blood to the Head. Now they are back with their third record X&Y. All of Coldplay's releases share one thing in common; they take some time getting into. When I first listened to Parachutes in the fall of 2000 I was not impressed. After a week it was the only thing I listened to for a six months. When A Rush of Blood to the Head came out it also took a few weeks for it to grow on me. The same thing applies to X&Y. 


Coldplay  ~ X & Y Album buy from Amazon:

X & Y MP3 Album [$5.00]
X&Y Audio CD [$8.59]
X&Y [Vinyl] [$30.23]

Primus ~ Green Naugahyde Album

While the songs on Green Naugahyde seem to have more in common with Les Claypool's solo material than classic Primus albums such as Sailing the Seas of Cheese and Pork Soda, the material here is no less worthy. It is great to finally have a complete album under the Primus moniker, with Larry Lalonde's outstanding guitar playing and amazing original drummer Jay Lane alongside Les Claypool. The songs are interesting and performed very well as you would expect.


Primus ~ Green Naugahyde Album buy from Amazon:


Green Naugahyde MP3 Album [$3.99]
Green Naugahyde Audio CD [$11.71]
Green Naugahyde Vinyl [$19.90]

Dum Dum Girls ~ Only In Dreams Album

Loved their last album and this one is even better. DD is writing great songs and their style is emerging and what a treat for everyone this band exists!

The vocals here have almost a country punk tinge to them on some of the retro rocking songs and this makes them even more awesome.


Dum Dum Girls ~ Only In Dreams Album buy from Amazon:

Only In Dreams MP3 Album [$9.60]
Only in Dreams Audio CD [$11.58]
Only In Dreams Vinyl [$16.56]

Seether ~ Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces Album

Seether returns with another workaday outing that rocks like late 2001. Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces is virtually interchangeable with any previous Seether disc, as well as pretty much anything by the likes of Nickelback, Shinedown, and other "post-grunge" rock bands. True, "Fake It" has zeal, and "Rise Above This" may very well provide the soundtrack to late-night, soul-searching sessions for teenagers from Cape Cod to Cape Town. Shaun Morgan’s often unnecessarily profane lyrics are another problem.

Seether ~ Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces Album buy from Amazon:

Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces (Bonus Track Version) [Explicit] [$5.00]
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces Audio CD [$8.97]

Kings Of Leon ~ Only By The Night Album

In several recent reviews, I've read Only By the Night decried as being "too commercial" or "too polished" and "straying too far from the Kings' signature sound". After a few listens, I've got to disagree with all of the above. As for the popular commercial appeal of this record, there is perhaps only one rock radio friendly single on this album and it's already peaked. "Sex on Fire" has been the Kings' most successful single to date. It has also been their most controversial, as far as their "old" fans are concerned.

Kings Of Leon ~ Only By The Night Album buy from Amazon:

Only By The Night MP3 Album [$5.00]
Only by the Night Audio CD (Import) [$9.81]

Evanescence ~ Fallen Album

The Daredevil soundtrack provided a nice boost for this previously unknown quartet from Little Rock, Arkansas. Evanescence’s songs "My Immortal" and the imposing "Bring Me to Life" are clear standouts in the film, mainly because they work so well with the dramatic, eerie undertones of the storyline. They reappear here on the band’s debut, alongside a selection of similarly brooding tracks that evoke pensive artists like Tori Amos and the Cranberries.


Evanescence ~ Fallen Album buy from Amazon:

Fallen MP3 Album [$5.00]
Fallen Audio CD [$9.00]

The Decemberists ~ Long Live The King

As a fitting bookend to the most successful year of the band's career, The Decemberists will release a new EP entitled Long Live The King. Similar to the critically acclaimed, chart-topping bow The King is Dead, the EP is a mostly-acoustic set of 6 Americana-based songs, recorded around the same time as The King is Dead, and including their stunning cover of the Grateful Dead track "Row Jimmy." The EP was produced once again by Tucker Martine.


 The Decemberists ~ Long Live The King Album buy from Amazon:

Long Live The King MP3 Album [$5.94]
Long Live the King Audio CD [$7.99]

Florence + The Machine ~ Ceremonials Album

As a whole, "Ceremonials" is a bit darker than "Lungs"- there's less twinkling of the harp (don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of beautiful harp!), less hopeful whispering about happiness, but in its place are soaring moments of Florence Welch's FULL voice (she's a powerhouse) and range. Wow. 


Florence + The Machine ~ Ceremonials Album buy from Amazon:

Ceremonials MP3 Album [$12.99]
Ceremonials Audio CD [$12.99]
Ceremonials Audio CD (Import) [$37.11]
Ceremonials Vinyl [$17.56]

Arctic Monkeys ~ Suck It And See Album

The Arctic Monkeys rose to prominence with a style of music that was fairly upbeat, lively and more rock orientated and with each new album they move further away from their early template, shedding fans with each new release along the way. 

With the band's previous album, Humbug, the music became more difficult and experimental, with production duties being handled in part by legendary QOTSA/Kyuss musician Josh Homme. 


Arctic Monkeys ~ Suck It And See Album buy from Amazon:

Suck It And See MP3 Album [$5.00]
Suck It and See Audio CD [$11.70]

David Bowie ~ The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust

If "Ziggy" were Bowie's only release, his place in Rock's pantheon would still be assured. This album pretty much established Bowie as major artist in the U.S. Just a couple of observations; this album is unusually "Beatle-esque". Note the layered/textured harmonies, the insistent lead guitar (Mick Ronson's guitar style lends itself beautifully to this material), the almost omni-present acoustic rhythm guitar, and last but not least, the uncanny resemblance of "Five years" to John Lennon's "The dream is over" (Lennon and Bowie apparently were close friends - John is featured on "Fame"). 


David Bowie ~ The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust Album buy from Amazon:

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars [$5.00]
Ziggy Stardust Audio CD [$12.19]

Girls ~ Father, Son, Holy Ghost Album

The name of this San Francisco band pretty much consolidates every traditional pop song down to its root cause. 

The band takes pop roots and branches them out, sometimes elevating them to heavy-metal heights and acid-rock lengths, as on the sprawling "Die," which contains the lines, giddily voiced, "None of us is gonna be just fine / No, we're all going straight to hell tonight." 


Girls ~ Father, Son, Holy Ghost Album buy from Amazon:

Father, Son, Holy Ghost (Amazon MP3 Exclusive) [$5.00]
Father, Son, Holy Ghost Audio CD [$8.99]
Father, Son, Holy Ghost Vinyl [$22.55]

Florence + The Machine ~ Lungs Album

Florence and the Machine is one of those little bands that seeps in under the pop radar, and becomes a sensation based on pure talent. And Florence Welch and Co. produce a solid debut, "Lungs," that blends delicate polished instrumentals and different genres -- there's little splatters of pop, punk and soul woven together, and cemented in place by Welch's lovely voice. 


Florence + The Machine ~ Lungs Album buy from Amazon:

Lungs MP3 Album [$5.99]
Lungs Audio CD [$10.00]
Lungs [Vinyl] [$18.99]