The Clientele – Strange Geometry (Merge)
A terrific, moody jangle-pop album that reminds me of Galaxie 500, Robyn Hitchcock, The Church and The Go-Betweens, but all at once. Melancholy beauty.
Jeffrey Lee Pierce – Wildweed (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
This is a reissue of his 1985 solo record and it’s awesome. It takes a while to get used to the sound with big, booming mid ‘80s-sounding drums, but Pierce’s excellent songwriting comes through regardless.
Jens Lekman – Oh You’re So Silent Jens (Secretly Canadian)
Great, melancholic, heart-on-sleeve songwriting that recalls the best of Jonathan Richman, but clearly exists in its own universe. Ignore the haters who focus on his unlicensed sample of a song by The Left Banke and just listen.
The Gun Club -Miami (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
“Brother and Sister” and “Texas Serenade” are the best songs here and both make me sing along and give me chills up my spine simultaneously. It often gets less attention than their also terrific debut Fire of Love, but that’s too bad because this has better sound, more diversity and better songwriting.
The Squid and the Whale (R)
Although the ending felt truncated and it was a bit too short, this is still a thoughtful and honest portrayal of what happens when families fall apart and it doubles as a coming-of-age memoir as well.
Gilmore Girls (Tuesday, WB)
There won’t be any new episodes until January, so I’ve just been watching all of my seasons 1 and 2 boxed sets to get my fix!
The OC (Thursday, Fox)
I’m a recent convert to this show and yes it’s a bit of a soap-opera, but how can I diss any show that uses Bob Mould’s “Paralyzed” in an episode?
Voxtrot – Raised by Wolves EP (Cult Hero)
One of my favorite new bands, this one is a treat for anyone who’s a fan of The Smiths and Belle and Sebastian.
Voxtrot – Magnetic Field (Brooklyn) – December 15, 2005
A commanding performance from a terrific band that I expect to hear great things from in the future. They have another new ep out in March.
Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop)
It’s really hard to get past the excellent first 2 songs (“Bird on a Wire” and “Publish My Love”), but once you do, it becomes apparent that the rest of this album is quite stellar as well and more accomplished than their debut Out of the Shadow.
