Portishead – Third – Sweet. During their long sabbatical, I managed to become a bigger fan of this band. This album is no big change from their sound. It is what they do. And what they do is cool. This album was exactly what I wanted from them, full of chilled, vampish tunes and enough noise to keep things interesting.
Portugal, The Man – Censored Colors – This is a vast, diverse album. I’m not sure if there are any hits or singles on the album, but it is a good thing to have on in the background. The music tends towards the powerful, spirited side of the world. It has a fair amount of musical emotion, if that makes sense. I could see people thinking that maybe this album is a touch “uppity”. But I like it. Apparently, I am also a touch uppity.
Primal Scream – Beautiful Future– I’ve never been as big of a fan of Primal Scream as I thought I should be. Somehow I’ve never been pulled into their web. I have crossed paths with them many times and have heard many of their albums. This is a good album. It is lively, has some really good tunes, and no one can be faulted for buying it and enjoying it. But like all of the Primal Scream albums, it’s just missing a certain something that keep me from loving it. I can’t explain it any better than that, really.
The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely– Typical Jack White album focusing on some lo-fi bluesy rock. Not entirely sure how this outfit is different than a White Stripes album. More instruments in the mix, I guess. The last Raconteurs album seemed a bit more traditional rock. This one just sounds like a White Stripes album, just not as good. But it does have banjo, so that has to count for something to someone somewhere.
The Radio Dept. – Freddie and The Trojan Horse EP – 4 song EP from British Indie band The Radio Dept. These guys are a nice band, generally focusing on pleasant mid-tempo tunes. The title track here isn’t their best song ever. But that’s not really the point I don’t think. This EP is a throwback to the way things were in the 80’s when bands focused more on releasing EP’s and singles and less so much on albums. As such, this is a nice little gift from the band. Not their best work but still an example of the quality music that The Radio Dept. produces. Click here to download the song Freddie and The Trojan Horse from their label.
Robots In Disguise – We’re In the Music Biz – A fun, irreverent little album. This is one of those albums where I don’t think anyone takes themselves too seriously. The music and vocals all sound like there were no more than 2 or 3 takes and they just selected the best version and stuck with it. I’m not sure if any of the songs are particularly awesome but overall it’s such a silly little release that you can’t help but like it.
