Lover Boy – Brett Denner – I bought the album after being thrilled by three tracks in a row and this is weird but the album is quite as consisten but his voice grates hard after a couple more songs. A sorta denoidal whinge that works great but only as a change up. The tunes stick, the pop well arranged, the songs tuneful powerpop but the end effect is a little flat. I wish I had a grade between a B and a B+. Since I don't: B+
Nine Types Of Light – TV On The Radio – The L.A. vibe has calmed em down, and the experimental sound are more mainstream, the best songs (at least 4 of them) are good enough, but the rest don't reach the heights of their past two albums. Disappointing live. grade: A-
Tomboy – Panda Bear – Another musician I prefer in flits and starts. Unlistenable over 41 minutes, over a song he arrests you entirely. It is like the new coca cola recipe back in the day. For a sip, a sweeter test was preferred, but the makes of Coke soon realized that over a day, a sharper test was needed. For a song, the harmonies and dischords are a blast, over an album they are a headache. Grade: B
So Beautiful, Or So What – Paul Simon – He should release singles whenever he has one ready. here he has 3 or 4 complete, and the rest are flat evocations of his past (Alyson mentioned the "Homeward Bound" quote" but how about the "Boy In The Bubble" in the same song "machine becomes a bomb in the marketplace"). Lucky for Simon, it is a good, if somrehat silly, song. Grade: B+
Ragga Ragga Ragga – Various Artists – Modern dancehall, really useful for a neophyte like me. Grade: B+
Rock Hood – Shinobi Ninja – Da shines right thru the modern dancehall hip hop, hard rock conglom first album. It couldn't and didn't capture their live show, but it is more than a souveneer. And at 17 tracks, it can include the entire Brooklyn To Babylon EP and you haven't missed a thing. More importantly, "Nah Nah" iactually improves on the live version and "Black Dreams" is a jump forward. Listening to sthe start of "This Is How We Do It" without checking, I thought it was the Beastie Boys. Grade: A-