My Favorite Albums from the First Half of 2012

10) Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
This band's clearly got all the talent in the world; I just wish the production was a little better.

New Music 6/19

White Arrows - Dry Land is Not a Myth

This is the debut album from a tremendously fascinating act.  For one, there's the Waterworld reference for an album title.  That'll get you some points.  Further, the lead singer was born blind and had his sight restored by doctors when he was 11, which is fairly interesting, to say the least.  Oh, and this is another in a line of recent White bands from the last couple years: White Stripes, White Denim, White Rabbits, etc.  The band's music is also difficult to describe: it's an amalgamation of pop, electro, garage, and world music.  They sound like, I dunno, maybe if a more pop-friendly Animal Collective snagged Vampire Weekend's rhythm section and tried to write LCD Soundsystem songs?  The pop-friendly part is important: I think this band mostly manages to avoid the esoteric nature of other genre bending acts like the aforementioned Animal Collective.  Anyway, I like this album, I think it could grow on me, and I'm intrigued to see where this band goes next.

Selections

I Can Go

Settle Down

White Arrows – Settle Down

Coming or Going

Roll Forever

New Music Roundup, 6/12

Jukebox the Ghost - Safe 

I had never heard of this band before today, when I read the AV Club's review today that said the group was equally influenced by Ben Folds, Fountains of Wayne, and Queen.  Let me tell you: if you drop those three comparisons, it's going to get my attention.  The group these guys actually remind me the most of is actually fun., but with the grandiosity turned down a little bit and the strange production decisions that dogged the back half of that band's album happily absent.  This is a peppy little album, and I think I could end up listening to it quite a bit.  I'm hoping this band gets some good exposure: this album deserves it.

Selections

Somebody

At Last

Don't Let Me Fall Behind

New Music Roundup, 6/5

Today was a good day, and I haven't even seen the lights of the Goodyear Blimp reminding me Ice Cube's a pimp (yet).  Usually I have a clear cut favorite album of the week, and this week any of three could lay claim to it.  On second thought, maybe there is a clear winner:

Kelly Hogan - I Like to Keep Myself in Pain

Thank God for Metacritic; I might have missed this release otherwise.  And holy shit is this a good album.  Kelly Hogan has made a living primarily singing backup for a number of bigger acts: she's probably most famous as Neko Case's second-in-command on her solo efforts, and Hogan gets a lot of big names to help her on this album: M. Ward, Vic Chestnutt, Robyn Hitchcock, and Stephen Merritt wrote songs for the album, and somehow she got Booker T Jones to play keyboard and James Gadson to play drums for her.  Hogan possesses an incredibly strong, slightly country twang-y voice, and on this album she shows she knows how to control it.  Musically, the album plays like a cross between country and soul.  I have to admit I was somewhat skeptical after listening to the pretty country-heavy opener, but once the Edie Brickell-ish second track "We Can't Have Nice Things" came on, I was sold and remained enthralled until the end.  I strongly recommend this album.

Selections

We Can't Have Nice Things

Haunted

Kelly Hogan – Haunted

Sleeper Awake

Kelly Hogan – Sleeper Awake