2008 Album Review (Part 3)

The Stills - Oceans Will RiseThe StillsOceans Will Rise – I really liked The Stills’ debut album Logic Will Break Your Heart. And like this one, I never really got around to listening to their second album Without Feathers. I’m glad I am spending the time listening to all of these albums from last year as I may have missed out on this one. Like their debut, this is earnest, melodic music more interested in melody than in bashing out rock tunes. A few of the songs lean toward sonic wallpaper territory but most of the songs stand up really well to repeated listening. Actually, the more I hear it, the more I dig it. If this CD ever ended up in my car’s CD player, it would be stuck in there for a month.

Supergrass - Diamond Hoo HaSupergrassDiamond Hoo Ha – This is a nice little indie-rock album. Nothing is entirely awesome, nothing sucks. It has a good groove with a few high points (“Bad Blood” is a good one). Don’t like it, don’t hate it. And if you like the indie rock sound, you could do much worse than this one.

Tapes n Tapes - Walk It OffTapes ‘n TapesWalk It Off – I absolutely loved their debut album The Loon. I was expecting their follow up to be a bit of a disappointment simply because I loved the first album so much. And in general I was disappointed in this album. This album just doesn’t have the quirkiness of the first album. Something is missing. It is still a good listen and they should be proud of this release, I just didn’t fall in love with it like I did with their debut.

Thievery Corporation - Radio RetaliationThievery CorporationRadio Retaliation – Yet more laid back world music-inspired beats from Thievery Corporation. I used to freaking love these guys. Now I just really like them. I think they have stagnated a little. Their albums aren’t as groundbreaking as they used to be. That doesn’t mean this is a bad album as it’s as good as any they’ve put out. But I guess I’m getting tired of the sound.

Thieves Like Us - Your Heart FeelsThieves Like UsYour Heart Feels EP– 4 song EP that sounds like it came out of the 80’s. It’s on the darker side musically and the synths are the most basic of 80’s sounds. This is an EP more about the sound than about the songs. None are ones that you would sing along with, but if you love the dark ’80’s sound with cheese synths, then this is the EP for you.

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