[INDIE ROCK/ELECTRONIC] Grand Duchy - Petits Fours [LP]

So this is what Frank Black's been up to. This is the album he recorded with his wife. The first song on the album is pretty solid. After that, though, it starts getting a little (okay, a lot) too electronic for my tastes. Black also gives away too much of the vocal duties to his wife (who's decent but no comparison), I guess in order to try and take some of the focus away from himself and to prevent people from comparing this to his other stuff. It didn't work.

2.5/5.

http://www.myspace.com/grandduchymusic

[ELECTRONICA] The Juan MacLean - The Future Will Come [LP]

The Juan MacLean is John MacLean, one of the most pretentious artists on the DFA label. His stuff is generally pretty solid, and he's had some acclaim on his last few records. I was looking forward to some good electronica, but this album seemed to drag on way too long. I found myself checking to see how much time was left way too many times for my taste, and it just seemed more like a chore than anything to keep listening to this. Disappointing.

2/5.

http://www.myspace.com/thejuanmaclean

[ART ROCK/PROGRESSIVE] ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - The Century of Self [LP]

I would tend to agree with the sentiments that progressive rock is generally reserved for the smelly guy at the comic book shop with the Rush concert shirt from 1984 but I would make a case for ...Trail of Dead as one of the best bands in that genre. Their first three albums were pretty fantastic, although unfortunately their new album tends to be more like the last two. I was encouraged by the Festival Thyme EP that came out earlier this year, but it didn't translate as well to a full album as I thought. It's still decent music, but I miss the anger and noise that was in the first three. Those had more of a punk feel to them, and recently ...Trail of Dead has seemed to me more like a regular indie band, and they've lost a lot of what made them intriguing to me in the first place. There are some good songs, and the album is listenable without getting bored, but they don't really do enough to stand out anymore. A respectable album, but you know they're capable of so much more. Here's hoping they rebound.

3/5.

http://www.myspace.com/trailofdead

[MATH ROCK/NOISE] Zu - Carboniferous [LP]

Zu is a little-known Italian band despite having released a ton of albums. They're kind of interesting in that they're some weird combination of math rock, noise, and metal, but not nearly as fun to listen to as they seem. I had some trouble getting through this album because it's very repetitive and doesn't really offer anything great in the way of vocals, which are sparse. Songs blend together and the whole album drags on too long.

2/5.

http://www.myspace.com/zuband

[AMBIENT/POST-ROCK] Eluvium - Life Through Bombardment [7xLP]

Eluvium, an ambient/post-rock musician, has just released a limited release seven vinyl collection of every song he's ever recorded. Because it's not really a new LP and because it's just so massive, I'm not going to post a review here, but I'm going to recommend it and point it out as something absolutely ridiculous (it's 40 tracks long on seven vinyls, for crying out loud.) Look into it if you like that kind of music, it's supposed to be fantastic.

[AMBIENT/EXPERIMENTAL] Sonic Youth - Sensational Fix [EP]

Sonic Youth, the fantastic band that blessed indie fans everywhere with Daydream Nation back in 1988 and has been releasing more albums than you can shake a finger at ever since, is back with another experimental collection of songs, Sensational Fix. The album is only four songs long, and if you're expecting something like Sonic Youth's albums, don't. This is a bunch of experimental and ambient stuff from them that will be familiar to some more hardcore Sonic Youth fans. Nothing here of note, just something to get if you're a diehard Sonic Youth fan.

2/5.

www.myspace.com/sonicyouth

[PSYCHEDELIC/SHOEGAZE] Lotus Plaza - The Floodlight Collective [LP]

Lotus Plaza is the side project of Lockett Pundt from Deerhunter. His debut album, The Floodlight Collective, is pretty neat, as you might expect. There are definitely some cool sounds on this album, and it sets an atmosphere pretty well. I would hesitate to say it may be one of this month's best albums since it's all a little too muddled and more than a bit forgettable, but it's a decent first try. More confidence would make it better.

3/5.

http://www.myspace.com/44626479

[GARAGE ROCK/BLUES] Dan Auerbach- Keep It Hid [LP]

With all the superficial indie rock band that are rehashing genres to death, it's always good to see musicians look back to our rock and roll forefathers for guidance and embrace one of America's greatest contributions to the world: blues. Dan Auerbach, leader of the garage rock duo The Black Keys, has made a career for himself making delta blues for indie rock fans to enjoy. His debut solo album is a welcome addition to the Black Keys discography. The songs featured on Keep It Hid sound less like a Black Keys album and more like something you would hear from My Morning Jacket. The lo-fi, garage rock sound has been downplayed in favor of sprawling, blues-guitar leading classic rock. The moments where Auerbach streches past his comfort zone, like on the Fleet Foxes-esque "Trouble Weights A Ton", are by far the most rewarding songs found on the album. Keep It Hid shows Dan Auerbach as an effective solo artist with a lot of range.

3.5/5

http://www.myspace.com/danauerbachmusic

[ALT-COUNTRY/FOLK] M. Ward - Hold Time [LP]

M. Ward has long been one of alt-country's most notable figures. He rose to the top of the Portland, Oregon music scene, collaborated with actress Zooey Deschanel as part of the side project She and Him and has guested with artists like My Morning Jacket, Cat Power, Bright Eyes, and Jenny Lewis as well. He's also managed to be creepily consistent, releasing a string of solid albums in a genre where it's not uncommon for a band to release maybe one or two good albums and nothing else, or to drop off after a few releases. His latest album, Hold Time, continues that tradition of consistency - there are times when his lyrics are a bit awkward or he tries to do too much with some of the music in the background, but this is clearly an album that fits in with the rest of his library and works well enough to end up as another solid, if unspectacular, album. His unique vocal style remains, and he manages to turn out a few more catchy songs on here, most notably "Epistemology", which is one of the best songs I've heard all year so far. Be sure to check this out if you're interested in any kind of roots music, or if you've ever been interested in M. Ward or any of the other indie bands he's collaborated with.

4/5.

www.myspace.com/mward

Snoop Dogg produces Johnny Cash remix album

For real, Snoop Dogg has produced an album full of Johnny Cash remixes. It was released on January 27th, but this is the first time I'm hearing of it. It's called "Johnny Cash - Remixed." News so weird I had to report it.

[DREAM POP/ELECTRONIC] The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules [LP]

The Whitest Boy Alive is the solo project of German musician Erlend Øye, a member of the Kings of Convenience. Despite the painfully lame band name and unoriginal album title, this album is actually pretty cool in that it's basically a minimalist album that incorporates electronic music, pop, and shoegaze into one neat package. It goes on a bit too long and is somewhat forgettable but entertaining for a play every once in a while.

3/5.

http://www.myspace.com/thewhitestboyalive

[INDIE ROCK/POWER POP] Cut Off Your Hands- You & I [LP]

The debut album from New Zealand's Cut Off Your Hands sounds like your favorite band. And your favorite band's favorite band. And your favorite band's favorite band's favorite band (and so on). In short, COYH take from the best post-punk revival bands of the 21 century, and leave behind a hit-and-miss collection of tunes. Some songs, such as "Turn Cold" and "Let's Get Out of Here", are fun, if very familiar, pop songs that show off some of band's songwriting ability. Other songs are derivitave beyond belief, and the band's attempt to slow their songs down on certain occassions comes with mixed results. You & I comes a little too late in the decade to be considered a notable album, but it shows a band with a lot to offer. If the band wasn't so restrained by their influences, they could potentially become a respectable outfit.

3/5

http://www.myspace.com/cutoffyourhands

[INDIE POP] The Bird and the Bee- Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future [LP]

If you're looking for a 21-century version of The Cardigans, then look no further than L.A. based scenesters The Bird and the Bee. Their topics of interest don't stretch much farther than bad boyfriends and dancing, but they do offer a beautifully constructed 60's jazz-meets-electro sound that is quite infectious. This isn't an album you're going to revisit over and over again, but Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future is a fun ride while it lasts.

3/5

http://www.myspace.com/thebirdandthebee

[NOISE/LO-FI] Wavves - Wavvves [LP]

Solo artist Wavves' new album, Wavvves (not a typo) is, if nothing else, one of the more unique albums I've heard so far this year. It's a very spaced-out noise/lo-fi album that I feel tends to wander too much without getting anywhere - sometimes the album seems more like an annoyance than music. Although it's only about a half an hour long, it can seem too long at times. There are some catchy songs on the album, but they tend to be buried between and under a lot of filler.

2/5.

http://www.myspace.com/wavves

[FREAK FOLK/NEW WEIRD AMERICA] Alela Diane - To Be Still [LP]

Alela Diane is a member of the cool folk scene going on in Portland, Oregon lately. She's opened for the Decemberists and is opening for Blitzen Trapper right now, and for good reason - she has a very chilling voice and some very interesting melodies. Like a lot of music in that scene, her stuff is ALMOST typical folk but there's something off about it, which I find really interesting. It doesn't bother me that she doesn't sing with anyone else, and that's saying something about how powerful her sound is.

4/5.

http://www.myspace.com/alelamusic

[DREAM POP] Burning Hearts - Aboa Sleeping [LP]

I was attracted to this album by its cover art at first - it reminded me of the cover art for "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven", probably with the whole disembodied hands thing. Luckily, the album was as cool as the artwork for it. It's very peaceful music - although the female vocals are really pretty, I didn't really pay attention to the lyrics, I listened to them for the sound alone. Some cool instrument work as well, very catchy, and the album doesn't outstay its welcome.

3.5/5.

http://www.myspace.com/burningheartsmusic

[INSTRUMENTAL/HIP-HOP] Exile - Radio [LP]

There have been a whole lot of instrumental hip hop albums coming out lately, haven't there? Radio is the latest one I've listened to, after being pretty intrigued by some articles I read about it. The first turn-off for me came as soon as I checked the track listing - this falls into the same trap as many other hip-hop albums do nowadays by being too long (one hour.) The music is pretty interesting and has some cool broadcast audio over it, but its length means it gets boring well before it's over.

2.5/5.

http://www.myspace.com/alexile

[AMBIENT/GLITCH] Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country [LP]

Tim Hecker is an ambient electronic musician with a pretty deep catalog of albums - this is his sixth full-length. Last year he recorded a collaboration with Aiden Baker, but now he's back to solo stuff, and he comes through with another outstanding album. It's definitely not something for everyone - if you're impatient or easily frustrated, you might want to look elsewhere - but it does such a fantastic job of capturing a mood and atmosphere over 48 minutes.

4/5.

http://www.myspace.com/rainbowbloodx

[SLOWCORE/FOLK] Barzin - Notes to an Absent Lover [LP]

Barzin is a Canadian slowcore singer-songwriter - this is his third album. I felt as though this album was more pleasing to the ear initially than under further inspection, but this has some nice, pretty, sad songs on it. I was particularly impressed with some of the music behind the lyrics myself. A little bit short at nine songs lasting 36 minutes and not all that memorable, but it's nice listening for one of those gloomy days.

3/5.

http://www.myspace.com/barzinh