The Takeover UK - It's All Happening

Four lads from...Pittsburgh! This is their debut EP. They are awesome. They play upbeat rockandroll that has powerpop influences and a sprinkling of punk thrown in for good measure. Great stuff. They remind me of Locksley. Spin this!

www.myspace.com/thetakeoveruk
www.rykodisc.com/thetakeoveruk/bio

LAKE - Oh, The Places We'll Go

Delightful indie pop on the third album from this Olympia, Washington group of musicians. Both male and female vocals. It has a lo-fi 70's feel to it. Very well done.

www.myspace.com/lakemusicmusic
www.laketheband.com

Past Lives - Strange Symmetry

Features ex-Blood Brothers members Jordan Blilie (vocals), Morgan Henderson (guitar/keyboard), and Mark Gajadhar (drums), as well as ex-Shoplifting member Devin Welch (guitar), who at one point, was also in the Blood Brothers. The result is a band that sounds very similar to the Blood Brothers - "experimental" rock with post-hardcore influences and angsty high-pitched male vocals. They are slightly less abrasive though (key word: slightly). This is certainly not music for everyone. However, I think I like these guys better than Jaguar Love, the band formed by the other half of the Blood Brothers. It just seems more accessible than them.

www.myspace.com/pastlivesmusic
www.pastliveslife.com/

Annuals - Such Fun

They were talked about quite a bit in 2006 when their debut, Be He Me, was released, but soon after it seemed no one cared about this North Carolina band much anymore. But they're back with their second album and it's decent stuff. Folky indie-rock, they remind me of an indie pop version of My Morning Jacket. The members of Annuals are also in the band Sunfold. The album artwork paintings were done by Bob Ross!

www.myspace.com/annuals
www.annualsmusic.com

The (International) Noise Conspiracy - The Cross Of My Calling

Their fourth studio full-length album. They're Swedish so my review isn't even necessary; put it on, press play, you know it's gonna be good! But if you need more info, they play rock/pop/punk/garage-punk. Their sound is more polished on this record than it was in the past. Their guitarist is named Lars, the drummer is Ludwig, Inge plays bass, and Dennis is the lead singer. So the majority of them have awesome rock star names. Rockandroll!

www.myspace.com/internationalnoiseconspiracy
www.internationalnoise.com

Dead To Me - Little Brother EP

Good ol' pop/punk from San Francisco. This is their second release; their debut, Cuban Ballerina, was released in 2006. They are fun and I like them. Good upbeat music. They are similar to their label mates of Fat Wreck Chords, which includes some of the big bands of the 90's pop/punk scene - NOFX, Less Than Jake, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, and so many more.

www.myspace.com/deadtomesf
http://www.fatwreck.com/band/index/83

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Sunday At Devil Dirt

Their second album together, following in the footsteps of 2006's Ballad Of The Broken Seas. Isobel Campbell is best known for her work with Belle and Sebastian and The Gentle Waves. Mark Lanegan is recognized for singing with Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, and The Gutter Twins. Both have also released solo albums. Campbell wrote all of this album's songs, except for two ("Salvation," by Jim McCulloch, and "Who Built The Road," which she cowrote with McCulloch). Lanegan does the majority of the vocal work with Campbell adding background vocals and occasionally joining him for duets. He has a rough, deep and gravelly voice that is reminiscent of Tom Waits or Johnny Cash. Her voice is light and whispery; quite the opposite of his. The music is mostly sparse country/folk with some pop and blues influences at times. Decent stuff if you don't expect the same style of music Lanegan or Campbell is famous for.

www.myspace.com/isobelcampbell

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns

This is the fifth full-length for the band whose members hail from both Scotland and Ireland. They have experienced a massive increase in their fanbase due to the single "Chasing Cars" off of their last album, Eyes Open. Their sound can be classified as poppy alt-rock that is fit to be played to an arena of fans with its full sound. When they released their third album, Final Straw, in 2004, they were often compared to Coldplay, and this sound remains. They are also similar to the newer work that U2 has put out. Overall, I'd classify this as makeout rock. Good for background music to your romantic times, but it won't draw you away too much from what your main focus is.

www.myspace.com/snowpatrol
www.snowpatrol.com

Thing One - You'll Be Fine

Hailing from New Jersey, they started out playing hip-hop but they have since evolved into an electropop/dance/rock band. There are still some hip-hop influences as well as some soul and funk influences, but their main objective now is to get you dancing, and they do a damn good job. I saw them live and their set was excellent; they combine computer generated sounds with live instrumentation to result in a truly danceable sound that filled up the room. Check them out. (Interesting side facts: Bassist Spencer Miles is the brother of Ra Ra Riot's lead singer, Wesley Miles; Miles and singer Joey Palestina went to high school with Vampire Weekend guitarist Ezra Koenig - maybe there's something in the water back home?)

www.myspace.com/thingone
www.thing-one.com

Eagles Of Death Metal - Heart On

Shit, goddamn...these guys rule. The third album for Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme, they continue their same style of upbeat rock/garage/glam that is most definitely influenced by the records that the Rolling Stones recorded during the disco era. Nothing too serious, just dumb rock music, which means that you should like it. For a good time, play this CD.

www.myspace.com/eaglesofdeathmetal
www.eaglesofdeathmetal.com

Tom Gabel - Heart Burns EP

Tom is the frontman for the Gainesville, Florida punk band, Against Me!. Though this is officially his first solo EP, Against Me! began as his solo project, so it's not unfamiliar territory for him. He maintains the political and protest songs of his bands, offering commentary on the world around us. This release maintains the punk and rock energy of his band while exploring folk, singer-songwriter acoustic guitars (though not in a wimpy manner), and even a bit of electronics. This dude is awesome, he rocks, I'd go see him live and I've listened to this EP four times in a row and I'm still not bored. Awesome!

www.myspace.com/tomgabelmusic
www.ifeelsicktomystomach.blogspot.com

Bloc Party - Intimacy

The British quartet presents their third full-length album. Their first album was full of catchy angular rock/post-punk; the second album saw them branching out a bit, experimenting with new rhythms and electronics, but maintaining most of the good qualities that their first album possessed. On Intimacy, however, they feel like a pretentious band that shows too many weaknesses and simply recycles their strengths without creating anything new. The lyrics are laughable (see: "'Cause I love my mind when I'm fucking you", "Sometimes I think I would float away if this sadness did not weigh me down", and "You get sadder the smarter you get and it's a bore"); the songs are just uninteresting. The upbeat songs, which are the type that Bloc Party became famous for, are retreads of their older songs and not even as catchy. The two bonus tracks that are included with the CD are fairly decent; last spring's single, "Flux", remains the best track these boys have put out since (at least) 2007. Despite this, it's a disappointing and underwhelming release from a band that we should be able to expect more from.

www.myspace.com/blocparty
www.blocparty.com