Away From The World – Dave Matthews Band – From James Brown rave ups to sonic freakouts to Willie Nelson quotes to songs called "The Riff" that can't even live up to its name, and all with that reedy, horrible voice on top. The most overrated band in the world suck again – Grade: DThe Carpenter – The Avett Brothers – Remember the US indie folk movement from a coupla years back? You couldn't throw a brick without hitting a beard. So do the Avett Brothers, who play, country-folk rock with an alty indie edge. Like Wilco without the jams. If they had a better lead singer they might be on to something – Grade: B
Django Django – Django Django – Electronic didgetery by a Beta Band brother and pals, is an acquired taste especially when too many of them are "Zumm Zumm" like embryonic workouts. By a band considered major (they are up for a Mercury Award) – Grade: C+
Love This Giant – David Byrne And St. Vincent – Maybe Byrne is truly a great artist, but he isn't a great musical artist any more. This is a profoundly depressing project of too clever by half art songs with discordant horns on top of Byrnes patented yelp when not under St. Vincent's moribund singing. The problem here is, first and foremost, the songs. Which are not good, "Ice Age" might be excusable as a project that didn't quite work, "I Am An Ape" isn't. And "Why, the single, you already have. Come back Imelda Marcos, all is forgiven – Grade: D+
Coexist – the XX – Again, yes, "Angel" is a terrific single, a wonderful lo-fi ballad. But the rest of this stuff is pretty damn dreary stuff, though if you loved the first album I can see you liking this. I don't hate it, but I find it hard to pay attention to music that is so damn ethereal – Grade: B-
Elysium – Pet Shop Boys – Perhaps the title of this album is ironic, or maybe they are just saying that PSB are human and not gods. In which case, it helps make sense of these morose dance ballads. PSB have always been capable of a good cry, but the relentless gloominess of Elysium is quite an achievement in itself. Any other band would sink like a stone under the weight of it all, but PSB, the last band, if standing, at least that is much more than a nostalgia act, manage an accumulative passion. Put it this way: quarter of a century and not a bad album. Not this one either – Grade: B+
La Futura – ZZ Top – Speaking of 80s bands that aren't nostalgia acts. Remember when ZZ Top were a pop band? Yeah, well, as a pop band they were a one hit wonder but as a hard Southern blues band they can do no wrong. This neither adds nor subtracts from their 40 years of hard hard rhythm section plus guitar heroics and why should it? – Grade: B+
Prestige – Daddy Yankee – in the mid-00s Reggaeton was on the mind of all right thinking dance fanatics and Daddy Yankee was the best. he hasn't changed, this is a hard nose thriller of a reggaeton album, no nonsense Spanish rap plus Merengue rhythms, and simply the best at this business. Unfortunately, the English speaking world moved on – Grade: A
Tempest – Bob Dylan – The first 7 songs are all great, especially the first one. But the last three songs are all among his poorest efforts, all of them. The Dylan tribute? Elton John did it better in a third the time. The one that sinks? Drowns. And the third of the trio, a mid-length at 9 minutes piece of nastiness, both begins and completes the disaster – Grade: B+
Theatre Is Evil – Amanda Palmer – Much like the live show, this is filled with hills and valleys, but the valleys don't go down so deep, and the hills are mountains. A million bucks well spent if you ask me – Grade: B+