We Are All We Need – Above And Beyond – This is trance the old way, trance before it became melody plus beats plus Armin, this is the sort of album whose first track is called “Quieter Is Louder” and means it – B
Dyger/Daouaapogn – Asgeir – Singer songwriter from Iceland, pretty, nice falsetto, sings in Icelandic so expect to never hear from him again till he learns English – B-
What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World – The Decemberists – Colin starts the album by apologizing for having to change some and then fails to do so much..a little livelier perhaps – B
The Mindsweep – Enter Shikari – Yet more of the post-hardcore UK band with two singers, one soft, one loud, both genre pros – B-
American Beauty/American Psycho – Fall Out Boy – Better than their reunion album in 2013, and quite funny (really? The Beatle’s version of “Twist and Shout” referenced?). If it is hit and miss, it keeps its chin up and has a sense of humor, plus “Uma Thurman” is terrific – B+
Wanted On Voyage – George Ezra – The question is, is there another song as great as “Budapest”? and the answer is, yes, indeed there is two (“Cassie ‘O” and “Barcelona”) and everything else by this UK folkie with a unique voice is OK to good – B
Moonlight – Hanni El Khatib – More of the same from this blues rocker, only a little better – B+
Second Sight – Hey Rosetta – Orchestral pop rock and there’s nothing wrong with that, it is both languorous and tight, if it was only a little less languorous and a little more tight – B
B4.DA.$$ – Joey Bada$$ – The 20 year old Pro Era rapper comes through big on this terrific rap album, a tough minded little bastard about money and the lack of it. Hey, maybe he’s for real? – B+
Chronicle – Lights & Motions – Sweetly ambient shoegaze, it drifts along perfectly in the still of the night – B
Tetsuo And Youth – Lupe Fiasco – This is what we never expected, a beautiful sprawl of an album filled with fascinating musical juxtapositions, minimal sermonizing, and moments (the first and the last on the album to name two) and sharp, flowing raps with ideas that may take weeks to get to the bottom of. Till then, try get past the second song, the eight minute “Mural” and find yourself at the funky “Blur My Hands”. Keep going towards the end (past “Fall” and “Winter”) and the brilliant “Adoration Of The Magi” begins to feel like a deep album cut – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A
The Pale Emperor – Marilyn Manson – From the deadly drums intro of the first song to the scowling birds (or screaming girls) at the end, this is MM Part 2, a rising up to where he once was and if you’re a fan you’ll find it very easy to enjoy (if that’s the word) this gothic nightmare last man standing – B+
Everything’s Coming Up Roses – Night Terrors Of 1927 – Blake Sennett’s new band add EDM to indie pop, Alyson wrote about em (here) back in 2013 and if what they wanted was a big pop sound they got it. I wish the songs were a little sharper – B-
Fear And Saturday Night – Ryan Bingham – I can’t remember why I disliked his “Crazy Heart” stuff so much but whatever, this is a very good modern Americana country folk album – B+
No Cities to Love – Sleater Kinney – The title track is the gateway in and this is a forceful rocking album with some pretty good and some less good tunes, though the hooks will lay you low eventually – B+
Viet Cong – Viet Cong – Industrial beats meets alt rock… works for me – B+