THE ARMED – Perfect Saviors
(Ex- ?) Hardcore provocateurs go full-on arena rock, probably mocking arena rock at the same time, and it rules. (8)
ANDREW BIRD – Outside Problems
A companion album to last year’s “Inside Problems”, this one’s mainly instrumental, improvised, and quite joyful. Nobody sounds quite like Bird and his music is impossible to describe, but if you’re not familiar with his music try it, you’re in for a treat. (8)
BRAD – In The Moment That You’re Born
Side project of Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard brings on the grunge nostalgia with a solid album that sounds extremely Seattle. (8)
THE CLIENTELE – I'm Not There Anymore
I never really got into this whole soft indie pop British thing (Felt, Belle & Sebastian…) and I’ve always been a Who guy not a Kinks guy, so The Clientele shouldn’t really be my cup of tea, especially now that they throw a bit of latter-day Radiohead electronica weirdness into the mix. But this is good! (8)
CUT WORMS – Cut Worms
Young New Yorker sounds like he’s raiding his grandad’s record collection in wondrous amazement and discovering “Please Please Me”, Frankie Valli, and the Beach Boys for the first time. (7)
RHIANNON GIDDENS – You’re The One
Americana star and folk polyglot delivers her most diverse album yet, further incorporating gospel, R&B, jazz, and Cajun into her palette. (8)
HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER – Jump For Joy
One of his more uptempo efforts, this is a very good and very American soft rock album with a sound somewhere between Don Henley and Little Feat. (8)
MUTOID MAN – Mutants
Cave In/Converge/High On Fire side-project/supergroup has tons of fun in the studio just being dumb metalheads. (8)
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW – Jubilee
Bluegrass can be really fun. (8)
OXBOW – Love’s Holiday
A bipolar album wildly oscillating between Jesus Lizard noise and melodic art rock tunes, some of which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Nick Cave album. (8)
MOLLY TUTTLE & THE GOLDEN HIGHWAY - City Of Gold
Bluegrass star releases another excellent album with top-notch songwriting and astounding virtuosity from a band that can’t hide behind distortion and volume – get a load of this!!! (8)
