Sorted by Rating | Sort by Name

5 classic

Animal Collective Feels

Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion

Don't look now, but Merriweather Post Pavilion might just be Animal Collective's best album. MPP finds Animal Collective exercising the perfect amount of restraint in making their most consistent, easily accessible album. Grumpy fusspot purists who listened to (and actually enjoyed!) Sung Tongs and considered themselves Animal Collective experts might try to tell you that this is a bad thing, but they'd be wrong because the fact is: this album is fucking fun. In a way, Animal Collective has been heading towards this album ever since their rise in popularity. On MPP, they take the best parts of their last few albums- the duality of Sung Tongs, the heart of Feels, and the catchiness of Strawberry Jam- and combine them into a ridiculously fun 50 or so minutes. It's impossible to not get taken in by the glorious harmonies of "My Girls" (the part where it goes "OOHHHHH" might just be the best moment in music) or the beautiful purity of "Bluish." I could ramble on every track's merits, but to keep a long story short, Merriweather Post Pavilion is arguably the best record from a band with an already astounding catalogue. Let the argument for best band of the 00s begin.

Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago

Brand New The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me

Circle Takes The Square As The Roots Undo

8 songs of ridiculously charged emotion and passion blended into epic beauty and terrible ugliness to make the perfect amalgamation of the human experience known as life.

DJ Shadow Endtroducing

Godspeed You! Black Emperor F# A# ∞

A concept album, F#A# (infinity) is one of my favorite album for several reasons. Number 1: Nothing chills me more than the guitar/violin backing to the beginning of Dead Flag Blues. Number 2: Nothing makes me shake more than the climax of East Hastings. And Number 3: Nothing is as refreshing as Providence. From start to finish, Godspeed create such a hypnotizing atmosphere, it's hard to remember you're not in some apocalyptic futuristic state and actually in your room or the backseat of your car. No album has made me feel the feelings F#A# Infinity has made me feel, and though it may be musically behind Slow Riot and Lift Your Skinny Fists, it's so conceptually astounding, I find it impossible to grow tired of this record and it's intricacies.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada

Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights

You'll be hard pressed to find a much better album than this one. Interpol's debut is both dark and bright, cleanly produced, and one of the most well-rounded albums around. It can have dance songs, dark songs, and instrumentals, all very emotion-invoking. The highlights are on the second half of the album, from epics "Stella Was A Diver..." and "The New". Paul Banks voice is like a forlorn traveler wandering the streets, and you can hear that distance in every song. The instrumentation is excellent, as Sam Fogarino proves himself as a percussionist, and Carlos D brings it on "Obstacle 1", "Untitled", and anything else on the album. Keep listening for "Leif Erikson", the best song on the album. A classic in every aspect, Turn On The Bright Lights is one of the greatest albums of all time.

Kayo Dot Choirs of the Eye

Radiohead OK Computer

Radiohead Kid A

Whether it's the best Radiohead album or not is irrelevant because it's one of the best albums of the decade, so like it or else

Sigur Ros ( )

Talk Talk Laughing Stock

Genius isn't enough to describe this album. Undoubtedly one of the greatest albums ever assembled by mankind. The atmospheric quality of this record, mixed with the devlings into jazz, dissonance, and general avant-garde beauty make it one of the greatest things to listen to in any mood (except to get pumped up.) There's a nigh a thing on here to find fault in, as everything is crafted to perfection, including the beautiful voice of Mark Hollis, which is capable of sounding fragile and angry at the same time. The songs here are actual pieces of art as oppose to songs, which are formulaic. Each song here is at least 5 minutes of pure well thought out emotion. There are no highlights; everything is brilliant.

Talking Heads Remain In Light

4.5 superb

Animal Collective Sung Tongs

Animal Collective Strawberry Jam

Animal Collective Fall Be Kind

Arcade Fire Funeral

Atlas Sound Logos

So Bradford Cox made a pretty damn good album then approached Channing Freeman to be on the cover

Brand New Daisy

You know how Jesse Lacey always seemed like he was about to lose it on previous Brand New albums? Well, now he's lost it. Daisy, the latest (and final?) studio album from the band neatly packages everything the band does well in a wonderfully new and different aesthetic. The sheen of Deja Entendu and The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is replaced with messiness and danger. Daisy finds the group expanding into genres unfamiliar to them and potentially offputting to their fans (The first song is skramz influenced for fuck's sake), but Brand New remains artistically intact. The power and impressive ability to turn a simple song into an emotional ride is still there. The first wave of connections links Daisy to In Utero, and while stylistically the albums are generally different, the aura around each record feels similar. Daisy is purposefully alienating- dissonant when it could be harmonic, abrasive where it could be smooth, yet those looking for the emotional resonance that Jesse Lacey can deliver with an unhinged shout of a startingly immediate hook will not be disappointed. "Vices," "At the Bottom," "You Stole," "Sink," all feature some of Jesse's best vocal performances. In short, Brand New are still so c-c-c-controversial, but that's precisely why Daisy is the album you need to be listening to right now.

Broken Social Scene You Forgot It In People

Burial Untrue

Coldplay Viva La Vida

Everyone's guilty pleasure got a lot less embarrassing to like on this, their fourth and best record, but now Chris Martin wants to go and fuck it all up. Months after the release of the beautiful, inferably celebratory Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Martin commented that the band should break up after they turn 33. If that were to happen, the world would lose a band finally hitting its stride. The Brian Eno-produced Viva La Vida is a powerful, ballad-less tour de force from Coldplay, complete with exuberance, charm, and the heart they’ve been feigning for years.

Cursive The Ugly Organ

dredg El Cielo

Eluvium Copia

Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP

Eric Whitacre The Complete A Capella Works, 1991-2001

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To

Gospel The Moon is A Dead World

Igor Stravinsky Le Sacre du printemps (

Jaga Jazzist What We Must

Japandroids Post-Nothing

Lights Out Asia Eyes Like Brontide

When Chris Schafer cries "Where is your God now? He isn't here..." on "Psiu! Puxa!" Lights Out Asia cements its position as one of 2008's most intriguing acts. The first three songs off their third studio album Eyes Like Brontide are all beautifully orchestrated electronica/post rock pieces in their own right, but that brief, glorious climax in the fourth announces their presence with a deafening resonance. On Eyes Like Bromtide, Lights Out Asia envelops their listeners in a cold dead place, and doesn't release until the final crescendo of "Six Points of Fire." You can't get more gay post rock descriptions, people. Seriously though, all homosexual metaphors aside, Eyes Like Brontide is an extremely entertaining, mesmerizing record. It very much plays to a specific atmosphere, isolating the listener in Lights Out Asia's reverb heavy drum machines and gorgeous piano lines. Chris Schafer's voice, when present, is incredibly strong and always heartbreaking, such as on the album's first full track, "Radars Over the Ghosts of Cherynobl," when one can feel the dejected cynicism in his voice. He alone makes Eyes Like Brontide an impressive release, but Lights Out Asia's consistency propels the record to the top of 2008's post rock heap. In Eyes Like Brontide, Lights Out Asia have created one of the most intense, beautiful, and dare-I-say epic post rock albums of the year. And with song titles like "If I Die, I Wish You A Horrible Death," how can you resist?

maudlin of the Well Bath

Max Richter The Blue Notebooks

mewithoutYou Brother, Sister

Mono Hymn To The Immortal Wind

If You Are There didn't convince you that Mono deserve a spot among post rock's upper echelon, Hymn to the Immortal Wind certainly will. In pretty much the pulverizing record released so far in 2009, Mono deliver seven gorgeously orchestrated gems bookended by the two best songs of their career, "Ashes in the Snow" and "Everlasting Light." It's sometimes dragged out by the sheer hugeness of it all, but Hymn To the Immortal Wind consistently amazes with beauty and heaviness while staying on the good side of pretentious.

Moving Mountains Pneuma

But this time it's different I swear to god The sun's exploding within my arms And it's getting warmer And I can see that the sun Is truly in love with me if you don't think this is awesome yet, you need to listen again

Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Listen here you tenacious little bugs, this album is pretty much the defenition of awesome. An undoubted grower, I myself found this album inane and boring save the first two tracks until suddenly it all made perfect sense, making one of my favorite albums of all time. Jeff Mangum's voice is initially difficult to stomach, as is his standard folk chord progressions, but his lyrical profoundness and gift for writing beautiful songs make him the indie icon we know him as. The highlights here include "Two Headed Boy Part 2, King Of Carrot Flowers part 1, Ghost, Holland 1945," and nearly every other song on the album. If you don't like it now, that's because you need to listen to it more.

Panda Bear Person Pitch

Pg. 99 Document # 8

Radiohead Amnesiac

My relationship with this album is weird. I listen to it more than OK Computer or Kid A, but I give them the classic ratings. Something is holding me back with this album. I don't know maybe it's the fact that this isn't as perfect as those albums, but there's something beautiful in this conglomerate mess. It's the riskiest Radiohead album and I think that's what makes it so unique and special, even though there are times where their experiments fail. Whatever, still massively underrated.

Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt II

Sed Non Satiata Le Ciel De Notre Enfance

Sonic Youth Sister

Stag Hare Black Medicine Music

Drums, synths, and happiness join together to make Black Medicine Music, an addictive entry from Arizona based solo artist Stag Hare. Awash in the type of warmth consistent with Panda Bear, Black Medicine Music is remarkably catchy and simple; each song hypnotizes with a pulsing rhythm and trance-inducing drone while enveloping the listener in a blanket of subtle melodies and effects. The charm on this record can come from sources as out there as wild harmonica and incoherent mumbling to something as beautifully simple as fuzzy electric guitar, but nothing feels out of place. In fact, despite intimidating song lengths, Black Medicine Music never feels drawn out or "freaky." The album's mesmerizing quality is masterfully executed, and on tracks like "Oz," twelve minutes of gorgeous fuzzy guitar lines and drone still leaves a craving for more. Black Medicine Music has so far been a buried gem that deserves a chance, so whip out the awesome headphones, crank the bass, and get taken away by this ambient triumph.

Sunny Day Real Estate Diary

The Flashbulb Soundtrack to a Vacant Life

For me, the first word that comes to mind when listening to The Flashbulb's Soundtrack to a Vacant Life is Immense. Thirty some odd tracks of music ranging from hard rock, abrasive electronica, ambient soundscapes, drum solos, gorgeous piano ballads, spanish guitar suites, and whatever else The Flashbulb (aka Benn Jordan) decides to incorporate, Vacant Life commands attention, respect, and above all, admiration. As a bipolar individual, Jordan's album varies in emotions from dark to euphoric to frantic, all the while maintaining a feeling of fluidity. It helps that Jordan's musicianship is ace in all forays from percussion to guitar to electronics, as his expertise is apparent in tracks like "Steel for Pappa", "That Missing Week", and pretty much any other track off the record. Also, the amount of intricacies on this album is mind boggling. Jordan uses samples throughout Soundtrack to provide the key atmospheric element to several points in the record, the most obvious being the death-pondering theory in "Kirlian Voyager". From start to finish, Jordan delivers a record that needs to be heard, and since he pretty much asks you to pirate it (he torrented it himself), what's stopping you from picking it up? Soundtrack to a Vacant Life is an essential release for anyone who likes music.

The Microphones The Glow pt.2

Weezer Pinkerton

4 excellent

A City Safe From Sea Throw Me Through Walls

If we still had staff picks, I'd be picking this shit all day. Awesome, catchy as fuuuck post hardcore that John Hanson might review but probably won't. So much goodness here. Solid 4, required listening, etc. Don't you kids all go nuts over bands you only find on sputnikmusic?

A Silver Mount Zion This Is Our Punk-Rock, Thee Rusted Satellites Gather and Sing

On This Is Our Punk Rock, A Silver Mount Zion create an epic album led by the raw vocals of Efrim Menuck. Each song has it's moments that make it stellar, from the choir introduction to the opening track to the "Everybody Hurts" spinoff that closes the record. In a genre that is supposedly dying, ASMZ put a fresh spin on post rock, with this album being an original, enjoyable listen.

A Silver Mount Zion Born Into Trouble As the Sparks Fly...

A Sunny Day In Glasgow Ashes Grammar

Akercocke Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go...

Animal Collective Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished

Arcade Fire Neon Bible

Beach Boys Pet Sounds

Belle and Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister

blink-182 blink-182

Boards of Canada Music Has the Right to Children

Bon Iver Blood Bank

Brand New Deja Entendu

Brian Eno Ambient 1: Music For Airports

City Of Caterpillar City Of Caterpillar

Converge Jane Doe

Converge Axe To Fall

Daitro Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes

Daitro Y

Daitro / Sed Non Satiata Split

2008's best split LP comes from an unsurprising source. As Sputnikmusic critic Ryan Flatley put it, Daitro and Sed Non Satiata are two of France's most respected emo acts, and they like to do splits. So not only was the existence of this eight song split from les hommes de France expected, its high quality was expected as well. Both Daitro and Sed Non Satiata are in top form here, both working to their respective strengths. Sed Non Satiata's side proves the more consistent, with slow burning post rock tinged epics, while Daitro bring their fair share of highlights with ‘Nous Ne Participons Pas Tous ?a M? Utopie’ and ‘Un Fl? Pour Un Autre.’ Two awesome bands just keep doing their thang, and 2008's top split earns its title.

Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Death From Above 1979 You're a Woman, I'm a Machine

Deerhunter Microcastle

Deltron 3030 Deltron 3030

DJ Sprinkles Midtown 120 Blues

Do Make Say Think Other Truths

Elliott Smith Either/Or

Glassjaw Worship and Tribute

Green Day Insomniac

Green Day Dookie

Grouper Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill

Have A Nice Life Deathconsciousness

For all the jocking Deathconsciousness has gotten here at sputnik, you'd be forgiven if you went into it expecting the perfect album. It's not; the middle simply goes on too long with a few very uninteresting parts. But there are four moments on Deathconsciousness that make it worth every minute: when the vocals come up at the end of "A Quick One...", the dejected sigh of "Arrowheads" on "Bloodhail," when the bass floods "I Don't Love," and all of "Earthmover." Deathconsciousness is remarkably well put-together conceptually, and this is coming from someone who doesn't know jack about Antiochus or whatever. The aura of this album is one of fuzzy, repressed isolation, and Have A Nice play to it with outstanding results. Epic, occasionally beautiful, and overlong, Deathconsciousness is admittedly a mixed bag, but it rewards the patient listener. So curl up in the backseat, close your eyes, and lose yourself in one of 2008's most awe-inspiring releases.

Interpol Antics

Jeff Mangum Live at Jittery Joe's

Released a year before Mangum's masterpiece In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Live at Jittery Joe's shows Jeff Mangum at his most lovable, and that's saying something. His inimitable voice carries naively on his studio records, with a child-like simplicity so innocent, that many times I've just wanted to hunt him down and hug him (no homo, naturally). Live, Jeff performs with even more cuddly initmacy, nervously noodling on his guitar, stuttering through personal stories between songs, and asking for requests. Despite his apparent lack of confidence in his work, Live At Jittery Joe's is a killer performance from Mangum, flipping between past, present, and future Neutral Milk Hotel tracks (and a bitchin' Phil Spector cover) seamlessly, en route to a disc essential for anyone enamored with the legendary indie-folk icon.

Jonny Greenwood There Will Be Blood OST

Joy Division Closer

Kayo Dot Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue

Kidcrash Jokes

King Crimson Red

Kiss Kiss Reality Vs. The Optimist

Kiss Kiss The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left

Kow Otani Shadow of the Colossus: Roar of the Earth

Kreng L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu

There's something really, really unnerving about Kreng. His first official release, L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu, can be considered a masterpiece, a chore, or just creepy as all hell. The most likely reactions will probably be the first and third choices. Kreng is an ambient artist who experiments in jazz and classical while interspersing devastatingly unsettling samples between tense and dark music. Kreng's willingness to allow silence and static to create a definitive atmosphere recalls Godspeed You! Black Emperor circa F#A# (Infinity), and Kreng's expert use of melodies and dissonance is as impressive as it is disturbing. It's a record that needs to be heard for itself, preferably while alone in a dark, quiet room. For one of those "transport-you-to-another-place" records, L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu should fit the bill perfectly.

Kronos Quartet and Mogwai The Fountain OST

Laura Radio Swan is Down

maudlin of the Well Part the Second

Mew No More Stories

Mono You Are There

Mono / Worlds End Girlfriend Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain

My Bloody Valentine Loveless

Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York

Nirvana In Utero

Outkast Aquemini

pg.lost It's Not Me, It's You!

Philip Glass Glassworks

My introduction to Philip Glass was a snippet of the score from the wildly influential film Koyaaniqatsi (I think that's how you spell it). After that I was intrigued. The album I found in a shop in Brattleboro, Vermont, was Glassworks. As far as music I've heard goes, this isn't like anything. It sounds very much like a film score in some parts, a la The Illusionist. The style is very repetetive, deeply rooted in minimalism; the genre he helped to create. The opening song ("Opening", lol) is a brilliant acoustic piano pattern that repeats for 6 minutes, yet subtley remains interesting throughout. This isn't the case for all the songs, as one song refuses to do anything ("Facades"), while another, "Floe", insists on doing too much. However, both songs have a counterpart ("Islands" and "Rubric", respectively) that achieves beautifully what the other couldn't. You gotta have the patience of a Venus Flytrap to sit through the epic repetition, but if you do, the payoff's worth it.

Phosphorescent Pride

Radiohead Hail To The Thief

Red House Painters Red House Painters I

Rise Against Siren Song Of The Counter Culture

Mainstream punk at it's finest, Rise Against's 3rd album Siren Song Of The Counterculture could easily be considered a modern punk classic. Edgy, hard, unrelentingly, unabashedly loud music. The vocals are harsh and delivered with ridiculously intense, as if every word sung by Tim is cutting his vocal chords and he's proud of it. Songs such as "Give It All" and "State of the Union" are fantastic anthemic protests, and the unexpectedly touching Swing Life Away is awesome. No song is truly weak, and the unrelenting speed of the album makes for some of the best mosh music this side of Metal.

Slowdive Souvlaki

Sonic Youth Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth EVOL

Soundtrack Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Spires Flowers and Fireworks

For all intents and purposes, Flowers and Fireworks is the type of record sputnik should eat up. It's magnificent entry into skramz, longer than the average record, but just as consistent and solid. On Flowers and Fireworks, Spires are exciting, methodical, and mesmerizing all at once. Sure, a general homogeneity hangs over the record, but if that is the record’s most egregious flaw, then Flowers and Fireworks must be heralded as a success, for it takes a band in a stagnant genre offering something mostly unoriginal, and yet on almost every level, it works. Here’s to hoping Spires stick around, because if there’s one thing emo doesn’t need, it’s another promising act calling it quits after their first record.

Spokes People Like People Like You

Before this year started, if you were to ask me "What do you think will be your favorite post rock album of 2008?" I never would have thought that my answer would be Spokes' People Like People Like You. Why should it be? 2008 promised albums from post rock staples like Mogwai and A Silver Mount Zion. Even after I'd heard the album and the year progressed, I didn't think Spokes would hold it's place against the epic grandeur of Pg. Lost or the chilled, fresh vibe of My Education. Yet here I am, 9 months into the year, and still People Like People Like You continues to impress. It's not all that different from its contemporaries: cymbals swell, most of the tracks are instrumental (with two beautiful exceptions), but what sets it apart is how invariably warm this record is. People Like People Like You seeps with blissful contentment through sweeping violins, charmingly sweet melodies, and occasionally, achingly wistful vocals. It's refreshingly short and masterfully executed, with the production getting everything it can out of such expertly crafted songs. It's criminal how little hype this has received from sputnik when it's a record that truly deserves it.

Steinski What Does It All Mean?

Sunny Day Real Estate How It Feels To Be Something On

The Antlers Hospice

The Ascent of Everest How Lonely Sits the City

How Lonely Sits the City is one of those albums where the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Spoken word samples and doomtastic strings of Godspeed? Check. Sweet vocals reminiscent of Do Make Say Think and Sigur Ros? Check. Disgustingly long novellas for song titles? Unfortunately, yes. But while all these things are fine and dandy, The Ascent of Everest sounds just a bit too latched on to their contemporaries to say anything of real relevance. This isn't to say the album isn't a great post rock record. There's chill-inducing crescendos and cymbal smashing all around, and each of How Lonely's five tracks has some element to give it merit. The absolute standout is "A Threnody," which poignantly uses an excerpt from Mario Cuomo's speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention to devastating effect. For a post rock novice, this is a great starting point for the genre, as it's less (musically) pretentious than Godspeed and less intimidating than Sigur Ros circa ( ), but to the post rock aficionado, How Lonely Sits The City is fairly ho hum. I still recommend it though, because all in all, this is a pretty damn solid record.

The Avalanches Since I Left You

The Beatles Revolver

The Dodos Visiter

The Roots Rising Down

The Who Tommy

Toby Driver In the L..L..Library Loft

TV on the Radio Dear Science

Vessels White Fields and Open Devices

Post rock with beautiful vocals and asymmetrical time signatures? Count me in! Vessels' White Fields and Open Devices is an impressive debut from the british quintet, boasting ten tracks of scorching instrumentals, pop songs, and piano ballads. No song on the album is weak, and no two songs on the record find their merit with the same tricks, making White Fields an extremely well rounded and rewarding listen. It's chock full of gems: "A Hundred Times in Every Direction" and "Yuki" use the delicately gorgeous voice of Tom Evans to create heartwrenching tracks, whereas instrumental burners "Altered Beast" and "An Idle Brain and the Devil's Workshop" are excellently crafted post rock tunes that cut the crap and get to the point for 7 minutes. White Fields and Open Devices is a long record, but it's definitely worth it, so just get it. I mean, how often do you come across a ten song post rock record with no skippable tracks?

Weezer The Blue Album

Why? Alopecia

Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wolves in the Throne Room Two Hunters

Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

3.5 great

A Silver Mount Zion He Has Left Us Alone...

A Silver Mount Zion 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

With their 5th album, A Silver Mount Zion hint that their new material will be rockier, more fun, and more bitchin than ever before. Though they don't consistently deliver on that front, 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons rocks pretty damn hard for a post rock record. Though Efrim Menuck's voice is getting worse as he thinks it's getting better, the record still serves up its fair share of moments such as the dynamite "1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound" and the gorgeous "Blindblindblind". Thanks to intricate orchestrations, choral arrangements, and some overall slick tunes, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons might just be ASMZ's best release. Just maybe.

Animal Collective People [EP]

Animalsound In the Forests of the United States

With production heavy on reverb and a passionate howl that echoes earnestly at every chorus, Jones creates an atmosphere perfectly in tune with his record's title. Nothing but guitar and tambourine accompany Jones, and he places himself utterly alone, singing his soul for only the surrounding wildlife to hear. Not to say he sounds particularly happy about this; on the contrary, the setting of In the Forests of the United States suggests complete and total isolation. From this context, Jones delivers an album of songs directly from his comfort zone, and though Jones never deviates from his beaten path musically, his In the Forests of the United States is a pretty darn good record.

As Tall As Lions You Can't Take It With You

At the Drive-In Relationship of Command

Definitely a strong album, but not without it's flaws. Several tracks are just simply awesome, like Arcarsenal and Invalid Litter Department, but that can't hold up the album enough to make it a classic. The guitar lines tend to get samey, and so do Cedric's vocals. The real shining point is the backup vocals that pop up for anthemic shouts like "Get Away, Get Away!" and "Pacifier Pacifies, Yeah it Pacifies!". Fun album, but not as classic as some claim it to be.

blink-182 Enema Of The State

blink-182 Dude Ranch

Blue Sky Black Death Late Night Cinema

Brother/Ghost Black Ice

Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet Requiem for a Dream

Coldplay A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Cursive Mama, I'm Swollen

Cymbals Eat Guitars Why There Are Mountains

Cynic Traced In Air

Dan Deacon Bromst

Good. Even Nick Greer likes it. It'd be better if he hated it though.

Death Cab For Cutie Narrow Stairs

Do Make Say Think You, You're a History in Rust

Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) What It Takes To Move Forward

Explosions In The Sky The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

This album is the most post rock of all the post rock albums ever created which is both good and bad

Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes

fun. Aim and Ignite

It's pretty obvious that I think this is the worst thing ever and no one should listen to it 3.5/5

Gallows Grey Britain

Ghastly City Sleep Ghastly City Sleep

Girls Album

Green Day American Idiot

To be quite honest, this album wasn't terrible. I listened to this album when American Idiot was the only single, and to be honest, I loved the album after that. I got sick of Boulevard like the rest of you, but for the love of God, the unwarranted flack this album carries along with it. It's rarely political, there's a loose storyline, but most importantly the songs are good. Letterbomb, Homecoming, Whatsername, and the title track each stand out as very good songs. While it may not be complicated, as it stands, which is an album of punky pop songs, it serves it's purpose perfectly.

Green Day Nimrod

Green Day International Superhits

Green Day Kerplunk

Gregor Samsa 55:12

Gregor Samsa Rest

Grizzly Bear Veckatimest

Hercules and Love Affair Hercules and Love Affair

Not so much disco for the modern era as it is disco in the modern era, Hercules and Love Affair is Andrew Butler pretty much having a blast creating some of the catchiest music around. Sure to incite the occasional spasmodic Caucasian hump-dance, Hercules and Love Affair runs from start to finish unabashedly in groove-heaven, pimped out with horns, octave hopping bass-lines, and uhn-tiss-kaht-tiss beats out the wazoo. Featuring the more than capable voices of Antony (of "& the Johnsons" fame), solo siren Nomi, and seductive Kim Ann, Butler's record sports ten consistently charming tracks that prove monstrously entertaining. The opening quintet is absolutely dynamite, with tracks like "Hercules' Theme" and "Blind" providing quality dance music with more hooks than you can shake a stick at, and though the second half drags a bit, it doesn't lessen the overall value of the record. An extremely enjoyable effort.

hitide.lotide The Forest

Jeff Buckley Grace

Jimmy Eat World Bleed American

Jonny Greenwood Bodysong

Kanye West 808s And Heartbreak

Manchester Orchestra Mean Everything To Nothing

Mark Northfield Ascendant

Ever wondered what a Sondheim musical from his darker years would sound like if it was recorded by an indie pianist and some buds? Well, wait no longer! An album that’s almost unsettling in its classical bend, Ascendant features some terrific vocal performances from a variety of singers and some marvelously crafted tunes, with arguably the most beautiful of the year in “Zero.” This albums stark, sparse, and a little flat, but Northfield’s gift for composition makes it all work in the end. At its conclusion, Ascendant leaves a distinct feeling of “…what?” But figuring out that confusion makes it worth the while.

Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia Indian Ink

Mesa Verde The Old Road

mewithoutYou It's all crazy! It's all false! It's all

Mutyumu Ilya

Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral

Nirvana Nevermind

Nirvana Greatest Hits

Ohana Dead Beat

P.O.S. Never Better

Passion Pit Manners

Phantom Planet Phantom Planet

Primus Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Radiohead The Bends

Radiohead Com Lag (2plus2isfive)

Radiohead Airbag/How Am I Driving?

Radiohead In Rainbows

With In Rainbows, Radiohead have accomplished an atmosphere that many have never thought possible for them: Fun. Starting with three straight tracks that genuinely rock- The jovial bounce of "15 Step", the low-fi distortion of "Bodysnatchers", and the slow groove of "Nude"-, In Rainbows makes Radiohead sound almost playful. Radiohead's sound here is far smaller than on any record they've put out before; The quiet feel found on tracks like "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" or "Faust Arp" dominates the whole of the album. This works most of the time, but on songs like "House of Cards" and "Reckoner", the minimalism leads to loose bolts on the otherwise tightly constructed In Rainbows. The second disc (or is it bonus disc?) is stronger than the wandering first, flipping between the hardest rockers ("Up on the Ladder", "Down is the New Up") and the softest ballads ("Last Flowers", "Go Slowly") seamlessly. It's unfortunate they didn't release the second disc at the same time as the first, as the lovely "4 Minute Warning" sums up In Rainbows better than the loopily aimless "Videotape": Relaxed, occasionally powerful, and above all, accessible. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the revolutionary "pay your own price" distribution tactic that Radiohead used that turned the music industry on its side, but that doesn't mean Radiohead put any less effort into the record. In Rainbows is a solid, human sounding album from a band that hasn't sounded human in over a decade.

Regina Spektor Far

Awesome stuff, but lets face it, sometimes she gets irritating. Not enough to detract too much from a light collection of songs though

Rent: Original Broadway Soundtrack Rent

Ride Nowhere

sgt. Stylus Fantasticus

Shangrala This Is How We Communicate

Sigur Ros með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

The album whose name was the biggest pain in the ass to type this year also turned out to be one of the biggest surprises. Sigur Ros drop the funeral marches and pick up the acoustic guitars on this unexpected turn from a band trying to remain relevant in what's considered by many an irrelevant genre. 'Gobbledigook' announces the change triumphantly with pounding drums, hand claps and lalalas that more closely resemble Animal Collective, than say, Explosions in the Sky. The change works wonderfully for a few tracks, before Sigur Ros prove they're still among the best at what they do: epic post rock. 'Festival' and 'Ara Batur' are two of their best tracks in a long time, the latter decked out with a gloriously over-the-top orchestra and choir. It'll be interesting to see where Sigur Ros go from here. This album leaves their avenues completely open.

Sigur Ros �gætis Byrjun

Silversun Pickups Carnavas

Slint Spiderland

Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Snowman The Horse, the Rat and the Swan

South Park South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut OS

Straylight Run Straylight Run

Sun Kil Moon Ghosts of the Great Highway

Talk Talk Spirit of Eden

I am convinced that if the career of Talk Talk was parallel to the life of a human, Spirit of Eden would be the adolescence. Sandwiched between the simple pop rock of their early years and the arty maturity of their final record, Spirit of Eden shows Talk Talk's transition into the group that would make that legendary post rock album Laughing Stock. And it is a transition. On Spirit of Eden, Talk Talk explores the genre that would come to be known as post rock, with some admirable periods of ambience and dabbles in the deeper side of electronics, yet they're also unwilling to completely abandon their poppy sound, and the portions when they attempt to conserve their mainstream appeal come off sounding clumsy rather than listenable. Spirit of Eden is a strong effort from Talk Talk, but like teenagers, they at times sound awkward as they grow from childish pop to cultivated adult music.

Television Marquee Moon

The Appleseed Cast Sagarmatha

The Cranberries No Need to Argue

The Dodos Time to Die

While no one will consider Time to Die a bad album, it certainly is an album that will incite ponderous thoughts of what could have been. This could have been Feels to Visiter's Sung Tongs; the follow up to a breakthrough record that propels the band to superstar status by expanding on the good of the previous record while eliminating the bad. Instead we get The Dodos' cliffnotes. Time To Die is a pop rock less-freak-than-folk record that despite being consistently solid, lacks the oomph that made The Dodos a special act in the first place. Everything sounds so in-check; the melodies are generally orthodox, the drumming (while always peppy) is generally tame, and- the worst crime of all- there is no risk to the project. So while the album will give its jollies and be an impressive release and all that, it's the untapped potential that will be most memorable from Time to Die.

The Envy Corps Dwell

Dwell is a slick collection of anthems from Iowa indie-poppers Envy Corps. The hype's already begun to hit these guys, with comparisons to Radiohead and Modest Mouse already pigeon-holing them, but don't be fooled; Dwell is a record that stands on its own, taking the best work from its contemporaries and incorporating it into eleven tracks of euphoric bliss. Look out for tracks like "Story Problem" and "Sylvia (The Beekeeper)", as they're quite liable to stick in your head for days and look out for The Envy Corps, because they've made an album that should be listened to.

The Gaslight Anthem The '59 Sound

The National Boxer

The Samuel Jackson Five Goodbye Melody Mountain

The Smiths The Queen Is Dead

Hate to be the black sheep here, but I don't see what the big deal is about this album. Is it solid? Sure. The title track is definitely rocking and one of my favorite indie rock songs. But the rest of the album, while remaining good, doesn't have anything great. "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" is beautiful, but other than that and the title track, this isn't anything special.

The Strokes First Impressions of Earth

The Strokes Is This It?

The White Stripes Elephant

Thom Yorke The Eraser

Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. III and IV...

Thy Catafalque Róka Hasa Rádió

Trophy Scars Bad Luck

United Nations United Nations

Volcano Choir Unmap

Yndi Halda Enjoy Eternal Bliss EP

Yonlu A Society In Which No Tear is Shed...

It?s unfortunate that a substantial amount of people will get into Yonlu primarily because he killed himself at the age of sixteen. If history is any indication, the buildup for his only record, A Society In Which No Tear Is Shed Is Incredibly Mediocre, will only be astronomically heightened with the infamous ?posthumous? tag that turns mediocre albums into intriguing ones and great albums into legends. Still, with Yonlu (aka Vinicius Gageiro Marques), it?s practically impossible to talk about A Society In Which No Tear Is Shed without mentioning his imminent suicide. The record is drenched with a stark loneliness and melancholy that defines Marques? work and foreshadows his fate. Toying with every style from Elliott Smith aping doubled-vocals folk to breakbeat techno, Yonlu creates an impressively diverse work with the kind of shit-to-the-wind mentality and experimental approach one would expect from a well-listened teenager. Cross that with his exceptional ability to articulate emotional turmoil and the results speak for themselves. A Society in which No Tear Is Shed Is Incredibly Mediocre is a sprawling and yet unmistakably unified collection of intensely personal songs by a gifted artist cut down before he even approached his prime.

3 good

Amplive Rainydayz Remixes

Andrew Bird Noble Beast

Andrew Lloyd Webber Jesus Christ Superstar: Original Cast

Animal Collective Water Curses EP

Brandi Carlile The Story

As far as girl-with-guitar artists go, you could do a lot worse than Brandi Carlile. He second album, The Story, is pretty good quality-wise, and her songwriting, though sometimes a bit on the generic side, is above average when compared to her contemporaries. She absolutely nails harmony on songs like "Cannonball", and on more uptempo tracks like "Have You Ever", she dips into corny, but granted she brings the listener right in with her. Her voice is terrific, ranging from a songstress's weary southern hum, to flawless falsetto, to a lovely passionate, agressive vocal style. Her album doesn't match her live prowess, but it's still good to chill to when you're sick of avant garde deep music.

Brian Eno Another Green World

Camera Obscura My Maudlin Career

There are three kinds of 3 ratings. The first is when you acknowledge an album is good but don't really listen to it (see: overrated). The second is when you think the album's ok and listen to it sometimes. The third is when the album isn't your bag at all and you'll probably get sick of it in a week but right now it's all you're listening to. This is the third.

Chevelle Wonder What's Next

Circa Survive Juturna

Cocteau Twins Treasure

dredg The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion

I'm pretty sure this is not as good as everyone says it is and I hate when that happens so I will listen to this a lot and my opinion will stay the same then I will be very pissed because I wasted my time.

Editors The Back Room

El Guincho Alegranza!

Despite sounding clunky on paper and getting pegged as "The Spanish Person Pitch," Alegranza! stands as a completely singular work. Somewhere between maddening and hypnotizing, El Guincho's album achieves a remarkably strong blend between being something familiar and being something unlike anything before it. Using heavily repeated grooves and minimalist composition, Alegranza! makes for an intriguing listen, at least. There are several moments on Alegranza! that invoke a “Hey, that sounds kind of like (so and so),” but before the similarity becomes a knockoff, El Guincho takes off in a completely different direction, making the album both heavily influenced and completely unique at the same time. With Alegranza!, El Guincho takes what could have been a disaster and forms one of the most peculiar, inimitable records of the year. Chow down

Eminem The Eminem Show

Fountains of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers

Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

Friendly Fires Friendly Fires

Gifts From Enola From Fathoms

Girl Talk Feed the Animals

Like a joke that's funny the first two times before everyone starts ruining it.

Glissando With Our Arms Wide Open We March Towards...

God Is An Astronaut All Is Violent, All Is Bright

Green Day 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours

Her Name Is Calla The Heritage

John Zorn Naked City

Joy Division Permanent

Another posthumous Joy Division record, Permanent is fairly straightforward, the equivalent to a greatest hits, save for the fact Joy Division had one hit. That song was so popular, it appears twice on this record. "Love Will Tell Us Apart" is a pretty simple pop song fo rJoy Division, and it's a highlight, though not twice. Other highlights include Transmission, Atmosphere, Dead Souls, and Twenty Four Hours. The middle of the record is some of the better tracks off of Unknown Pleasures and the weaker ones of Closer, save for Twenty Four Hours. Overall fairly weak, but not a bad compilation. You're better off getting the albums.

Joy Division Unknown Pleasures

Kanye West Late Registration

Kasabian Kasabian

Linkin Park Hybrid Theory

Lostprophets Start Something

Low Long Division

Massive Attack Mezzanine

Moving Mountains Foreword EP

My Chemical Romance Life on the Murder Scene

My Chemical Romance The Black Parade

My Education Bad Vibrations

New Found Glory Sticks and Stones

New Rivals Fire For Effect EP

Nine Inch Nails The Slip

Nirvana Bleach

Nirvana Live! Tonight! Sold Out!

Off Minor Some Blood

P.O.D. Satellite

Paavoharju Laulu Laakson Kukista

pg.lost In Never Out

Protest the Hero Fortress

Radiohead The Astoria London Live 27/5/94 [DVD]

Ramones Loud, Fast Ramones - Their Toughest Hits

Red Hot Chili Peppers BloodSugarSexMagik

Red Hot Chili Peppers By The Way

Red Hot Chili Peppers Greatest Hits And Videos

Russian Circles Station

Saxon Shore The Exquisite Death Of Saxon Shore

Straylight Run Prepare To Be Wrong EP

Sum 41 All Killer No Filler

Sun Kil Moon April

Sunny Day Real Estate Live

System of a Down Mezmerize

System of a Down Toxicity

Taking Back Sunday Where You Want To Be

Taking Back Sunday Louder Now

Taking Back Sunday Tell All Your Friends

Taking Back Sunday New Again

New Again is an ironic title for this album considering it sounds just like everything Taking Back Sunday's put out since Where You Want to Be. Same pits, same thrills, same general consistency without being all that special save for a couple songs. Adam Lazzara still sings about girls and the songs all have that early 00s powerpop edge that's defined Taking Back Sunday for their entire careers. Is this a bad thing? No, New Again is the type of record that provides earnest enjoyment in its familiarity and wordy choruses. They might consider themselves "new again," but this current Taking Back Sunday are comfortably holding down pop punk with the same old tricks.

The Afghan Whigs Gentlemen

The Beatles Abbey Road

The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles 1

The Fratellis Costello Music

The Lonely Island Incredibad

The Offspring Greatest Hits

The Strokes Room On Fire

The Trophy Fire A Lifetime in the Middle of the Ocean

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground and Nico

Thrice The Alchemy Index: Vols. I and II...

Thrice Beggars

Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start Embers

Why? Eskimo Snow

2.5 average

30 Seconds to Mars A Beautiful Lie

AFI Sing the Sorrow

Bayside Bayside

This album is little more than bland pop punk. The vocals are some of the most boring performances I've ever heard, and their so called post-punk influence appears in a couple of song's vocal melodies. Overall a boring album with a few nice songs here and there (Devotion and Desire is very very good), but nothing here should make you want to buy this album.

Blue October Foiled

canyonsofstatic The Disappearance

canyon-noun a deep valley with steep sides, often with a stream flowing through it. See: Giant Hole static- adjective noting or pertaining to atmospheric electricity interfering with radar, radio, the sending and receiving of wireless messages. See: White noise. Pretty much the problem with canyonsofstatic's debut record The Disappearance: It's big and grand and doesn't say anything of significance. There's not much to say about The Disappearance, which is perhaps its greatest flaw. I could just say "epic post rock that's not really that epic" and chances are you would know exactly what this sounds like. Canyonsofstatic have potential, and with time could flesh out into something truly remarkable, but right now, they're simply another interesting looking name in a sea of bands that sound good by themselves, average in context.

Caspian Tertia

Coldplay X&Y

Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca

DJ Gyngyvytus Skeet Spirit: A Crunk Tribute to Radiohead

Whatever you're expecting from Skeet Spirit is likely exactly what you're going to get. DJ Gyngyvytus' formula to this devilish concoction runs as follows: Take some of Radiohead's greatest hits from the pre-Hail to the Thief era, put a two-step beat behind it, and add gratuitous amounts of monosyllabic questions and answers ("WHAT?" "YEAH!"), et voila: a two and a half minute bastardization of the original track that barely shares any melodic similarity to the Radiohead song said bastardization is based off of. The result? A "tribute" that's as polarizing as it is ridiculous. Hearing "We don't give a ***, y'all pussy like bitches" over something vaguely reminiscent of "Street Spirit" is enough to bring any Radiohead purist to tears, but discovering one's inner Lil' Jon to a "Paranoid Android" remix? Hell, regardless of the shoddy quality, Skeet Spirit is something that demands to be heard.

Extra Life Secular Works

Fall Out Boy From Under The Cork Tree

You can look at From Under the Cork Tree in two ways. The good thing is that its the defenition of emo pop punk. The bad thing is that it's emo pop punk. Like Nevermind to grunge, From Under The Cork Tree is the defining album of a dying genre, but it's also quite crappy and banal. Not worth your time.

Fennesz Black Sea

Frickin A Big Egos... No Ideas

Goo Goo Dolls Dizzy Up The Girl

Green Day Warning

Green Day Bullet in a Bible

Guns N' Roses Appetite For Destruction

Harvey Milk Life... The Best Game in Town

Interpol Remix EP

Interpol The Black EP

Interpol Our Love To Admire

Unfortunately, this is another dud from one trick pony and apparently one hit wonder Interpol. As Antics was the album got them noticed by major labels, Our Love To Admire sticks to the same formula to a T. There are some fine moments, such as the orchestral and hypnotizing Pioneer to the Falls, but most of the tracks on Our Love To Admire are reminiscent of the forgettable tracks off Antics, and there's not much worth repeating. With jagged guitars, surprisingly minimal basswork, and Paul Banks' more and more sheeplike voice, Our Love To Admire is a safe record; but not a good one.

Jonsi and Alex Riceboy Sleeps

Kayo Dot Blue Lambency Downward

KT Tunstall Eye To The Telescope

Linkin Park Meteora

Max Richter 24 Postcards in Full Color

Muse Black Holes and Revelations

My Chemical Romance Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

N Sync No Strings Attached

New Found Glory From the Screen to Your Stereo

New Found Glory New Found Glory

Pink M!ssundaztood

Radiohead Pablo Honey

Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's The Sex

stellastarr* Civilized

Sugarcult Palm Trees And Power Lines

Switchfoot The Beautiful Letdown

System of a Down Hypnotize

The Jesus and Mary Chain Psychocandy

The Killers Hot Fuss

Weezer The Red Album

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show Your Bones

2 poor

Ace of Base The Sign

blink-182 Take Off Your Pants and Jacket

Codeine Frigid Stars

DragonForce Inhuman Rampage

Eminem Encore

From First to Last Heroine

Green Day Shenanigans

Green Day 21st Century Breakdown

21st Century Breakdown expands upon American Idiot in almost every way imaginable. It?s bigger, more ambitious, and somehow more conceptually vague/ridiculous than American Idiot (seriously). This time around, Green Day discard anything resembling subtlety, which is not to say that subtlety was ever their forte. It is to say, however, that listening to 21st Century Breakdown in its entirety is an experience comparable to masturbating multiple times in succession. Every corner of the album is laden with production gimmicks and song constructions that make it clear that Green Day wanted to make 21st Century Breakdown the most epic experience ever ever ever and to their credit, there sure are anthems abound in these eighteen tracks of driving power chords and soaring harmonies. But rhyming ?fighting for? and ?dying for? can only be inspiring so many times before sounding trite, and 21st Century Breakdown spirals out of control in its own heroic glory and never regains focus, thus ending with a product that Green Day couldn?t afford to produce: an average record.

HIM Dark Light

New Found Glory Nothing Gold Can Stay

Panic! At the Disco A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

R. Kelly Trapped in the Closet (Chapters 1-12)

Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist

Straylight Run Un Mas Dos EP

Oh, how far Straylight Run has fallen. Since their promising albeit at-times-generic self titled debut, they've descended into obscurity, with the Un Mas Dos EP offering no hope of resurgence. The only reason to get this is to hear what the group sounds like without the dynamic Michelle Nolan, and the results aren't pretty. Minus their most interesting performer, Straylight Run sound directionless and almost comical, caught somewhere between elite indie rock and emotional pop-punk without the pros of either. The generic soft-verse, louder-chorus weighs down Un Mas Dos till it can't recover, despite the nice bridge they play in every song. John Nolan's lyrics are particularly disappointing, especially on the faux political "Ten Ton Shoes," which makes no statement of any significance. Straylight Run are circling the drain, and if a follow up of Un Mas Dos continues in the same vein, don't be surprised if you never hear from them again.

Switches Lay Down the Law

The Killers Sam's Town

The Killers Day & Age

The Used In Love and Death

The Warriors War is Hell

Weezer Raditude

Yeah Yeah Yeahs It's Blitz!

More like It's Glitz! Karen O and those two other guys drop the acoustic folk/rock and start doing cheesey dance pop. Results are predictably bad.

1.5 very poor

Ashlee Simpson Autobiography

Ben Lee The Rebirth of Venus

Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative

Creed Human Clay

Julian Plenti Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper

Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight

Primitive Radio Gods Rocket

An overall awful album. It has 1 terrific song in "Broken Phone Booth", but the rest is a hodgepodge of crap from the 80's and 90's. O'Connor's lyrics are awful, and his consistently angry tone holds less and less merit as his songs get worse and worse. Don't buy it, just download "Broken Phone Booth".

Simple Plan No Helmets, No Pads... Just Balls

Soundtrack Spider-Man 2 (Original Soundtrack)

Weezer Make Believe

1 awful

Atreyu Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses

Black Kids Partie Traumatic

Good Charlotte The Chronicles of Life and Death

Hawthorne Heights The Silence In Black And White

Hawthorne Heights If Only You Were Lonely

Lindsay Lohan A Little More Personal (Raw)

New Found Glory Catalyst

Pussycat Dolls PCD

Simple Plan Still Not Getting Any...

The Click Five Greetings from Imrie House