Their 3rd full-length Lp and first since 2011’s Screws Get Loose moves them even further away from their alt-country beginnings. The end result is another strong effort and from what I can deduce, the lyrics are darker and more personal than ever. My favorite song on this album (so far) is “Western Sky” but that may change as I play this more and more.

This album, like much of her previous solo work, has been praised to high heaven (justifiably so), and critics are running out of superlatives to describe her voice, her songs, her unique sound and her arrangements. On this, her first new album since 2009’s excellent Middle Cyclone, she is joined by a small army of guest stars (ranging from M Ward to Rachel Flotard of Visqueen), some of whom have played with her in the past as well. With all that said, this is still her show and I’ll add that in addition to this album being a logical jumping off point from where she left us with Middle Cyclone, as a new parent the song “Nearly Midnight, Honolulu” just floors me.

This is by no means an essential record for each artist, but rather a curious collaboration that’s a treat for Costello die-hards such as myself. Instead of writing new lyrics for these songs, Elvis decided to sample himself and repurpose old lyrics (“Pills and Soap,” “Invasion Hit Parade,” “Satellite” and “Bedlam” are just four of the old songs of his that he either quotes or samples here). I’m not sure how I feel about this, but it is fun for a long-time fan to spot the reference. As for the album itself, I enjoy it now but am not sure I’ll be playing it a few months down the road.

This is the first new release by Girls Against Boys since 2002’s You Can’t Fight What You Can’t See. To be honest, I loved seeing this band live in the ’90s, but I don’t feel that their recordings ever captured their true live power. i may have to reassess this, however, as this EP is solid and very enjoyable post-hardcore (or what they used to call “indie rock” in the ’90s before it became a catch-all term for just about anything) in the vein of Shellac or other like contemporaries.

Yes, it’s a cocver of the Patti Smith song (co-written by Bruce Springsteen, of course), and yes I really like this version. This was a Record Store Day 7” and the collaboration came about because the two bands toured together last year.

From their recently released split 7” with Screaming Females on Recess, this is my first exposure to them. They alternate between ’90s indie rock ala Sonic Youth with bits of ’70s hard rock thrown in. I’d like to hear more.

The second song released from their forthcoming 7th album Danger (and first since 1996’s Gin and Innuendoes) is another song in a more punk-ish vein than their usual power-pop, ’60s British Invasion inspired sound. You can hear it here.

I’m sure that many of you have seen the absolutely mesmerizing Chipotle commercial that this cover of the song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory comes from, but regardless, this song stands out on its own.

Before 2012’s excellent Will You Be There with Me, Honeychurch released two previous albums (2001’s Calling Me Home and 2004’s Makes Me Feel Better). These albums are long out-of-print, but in 2008, the band decided to compile the strongest songs from these releases on to one CD. Furthermore, there are demo versions of “Winter” (which ended up on their most recent album) and The Magnetic Fields‘ “The Book of Love” here as bonus tracks as well. Beautiful stuff!

This is, of course, not a new album but the 2005 reissue of The Lucy Show’s 1986 sophomore (and final) album. There are several bonus tracks, including a jaw-dropping demo version of “New Message” (the album’s best song). How it and “A Million Things” weren’t huge hits back then is something I don’t really understand, but at least we can enjoy this music regardless.