Boston Spaceships - Brown Submarine

Following the conclusion of Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard has released a number of solo albums; Boston Spaceships is his new band. It's a trio as Pollard is joined by Chris Slusarenko, another former GBV member, and John Moen, who is in the Decemberists. Boston Spaceships sound very similar to GBV, and should please fans of the latter as a result. It's full of upbeat rockers that maintain the power-pop/rock/indie/lo-fi status that GBV kept. The whole album of fourteen tracks clocks in at under 33 minutes. It's short, but it's fun. Robert Pollard and company keep the spirit of rock and roll alive, which is certainly a good thing.

www.myspace.com/bostonspaceships
www.bostonspaceships.com

Jason Anderson - The Hopeful and the Unafraid

This is his third studio album and 6th album if you count the work he did under the Wolf Colonel moniker. Jason plays indie rock that is somewhat minimal and lo-fi and owes a huge debt to Bruce Springsteen's sound. This might be my favorite Jason Anderson album so far, it is great. It's no secret that I love his music and am a strong advocate for his live shows - if you get the chance, go see him live! And dig this album, it's full of great tunes.

www.myspace.com/jasonandersonisawesome
www.indiepages.com/wolfcolonel

Rivers Cuomo - Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo

Weezer's frontman presents us with a collection of lo-fi home-recorded demos that, for the most part - "Buddy Holly" being the lone exception - never made it to a Weezer record. There's a reason for that. These songs are nowhere near as good as classic Weezer. The recording quality is also very poor, though considering that Rivers recorded most of these himself right from his bedroom or house, it is to be expected. Even so, I highly suggest listening to Weezer instead (in particular, the "Blue" album and Pinkerton). The best songs on here are "I Was Made For You," "Chess," and "Longtime Sunshine."

www.riverscuomo.com
Please note that this site links directly to Rivers' personal MySpace page.

For music:
www.myspace.com/weezer
www.weezer.com

Shelby Bryant - Luscious

I had high hopes for this album based upon the awful album art, but it kind of reminds me of what it would sound like if The Unicorns/Islands mated with the Flaming Lips and the results were not as good as they should be. Quirky lo-fi pop stuff.


This is the closest I can find to a website for this guy; it was the one listed on the record promo sheet so I guess it's alright.
www.midheaven.com/artists/bryant.shelby.html