The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love (Capitol)
Though I prefer their first four LPs (this one’s a little prog/’70s metal-ish at times, more than the last), Hazards is another stunning album from Portland’s finest. And as a rare successful concept LP, the audacity of it is breathtaking.
Bob Mould – Life and Times (Anti)
Simply put, Mould has done it again. Life, with echoes of Workbook, is not quite as hard charging as the last two, but I love it once again.
The Damned – So Who’s Paranoid (English Channel U.K.)
The best damned Damned album in 27 years is not quite as great as their three classics 1979-1982, but it’s getting real close. In general, I think Greg Bartalos nailed this in his blog on the subject still up here on our home page. Read that and you’ll know what you’re in for here.
The Rifles – Great Escape (679 U.K.)
The first LP a few years back was no fluke. The Great Escape is even better, a little less straight mod revival, with a great command of the soulful Brit rock material, and a superb flow. Don’t miss the opening “Science Is Violence” and the title track, a slam-bang 1-2 punch to start off a superb LP.
The Muffs – Really Really Happy (Oglio/Five Foot Two)
Been rediscovering this five-year-old spunky punky-pop Ramones/Kinks marriage of late. Devilishly catchy.
A.C. Newman – Get Guilty (Matador)
Here’s another one (along with the last John Doe, Maximo Park, and Ken Stringfellow LPs!) that I suggest you play in reverse order. ‘Cause like those three records, the second half of this is just terrific after an iffy (in comparison) first half. If you’re a New Pornographers fan, you’ll like this for sure, as Newman’s influences as a solo artist do not diverge much.
The Undertones – An Anthology (Union Square/Salvo/Adreck U.K.)
The second disc, handpicked by guitarist Damian O’Neill, makes this a must for even ardent old fans with longstanding collections: Seven really raw cuts from their first 1978 Derry demos circa the hallowed “Teenaged Kicks” EP for Belfast’s Good Vibrations label (even one previously unknown song), four more tracks from 1979-prime demos, and four live-in-London tracks from December 1978, make ownership essential.
Subhumans Canada – Death Was Too Kind (Alternative Tentacles)
AT is smart enough to offer this compilation of the earliest 1978-1981 Subhumans (the original, fantastic Vancouver punk rock originals, not the later English band of the same name this writer respected but never enjoyed), completely remastered and collecting in one place the eight songs they released on two 7” singles and an incredible 12” self-titled EP before their classic debut LP Incorrect Thoughts. Plus two vintage bonus tracks.
T.S.O.L. – Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Free Downloads (Hurley.com)
I could take a lot of space here describing this LP, but why don’t you just go to hurley.com/tsol and download this album for free? It’s the only way it is available by the way, so they want you to. And you don’t have to fill anything out, just click on the link there and, as a certain football announcer would say, “Boom!” you have a new album coming your way, downloaded in mere minutes. And it’s a really good one, too. It’s the 1982 Beneath the Shadows lineup—four out of five, at least, since the drummer is dead—and it’s consistently moody and yet punchy punkish post-punk melodism with lots of great piano and organs like that LP! Again, it’s free, so what have we got to lose?
Belle & Sebastian – The BBC Sessions double CD (Matador)
Aside from the live at Belfast bonus disc (three unreleased covers) and the four unreleased original songs unheard in any form before now, the alternate, quasi-live-in-the-studio looks at their immortal If You’re Feeling Sinister indie folk-pop gems such as the ageless “Dylan in the Movies” and “Judy and the Dream of Horses” or EP track “Lazy Line Painter Jane” is the reason this won’t leave your player, no matter how long you’ve loved other renditions. What a beauty of a band, what a beauty of a release.
