Mobius Band - Heaven

I realized I loved Mobius Band about a week after they were in town. Synth + guitar indie rock.  The song "Secret Language" is among my current favorites. (It kind of sounds like if Interpol had looked out the window and decided it was really a beautiful day.)

Weezer - Red Album

I loved Weezer's first album. Loved it.  Pinkerton didn't do it for me.  The Green album made me a little sad.  I've been sad about Weezer ever since.

The first track on Red made me believe again. The video for "Pork and Beans" is really nice.  This cd is solid; Weezer is back.

Mates of State - Team Boo

Synth+Drums, husband and wife duo.  I told a friend at work that I didn't know anything by them, and the next day I had a stack of cds on my desk.  I explained that stack to someone else, and she said, "Peter, I have failed you." 

This album: The first song had the same dual vocals as Sleater-Kinney, so I thought it was nice.  Then at 1:25 I thought it was great.  Then at 1:45 I was in love with this album.

"This is the blood that we're made of
So tell it like a chronicle
Who's dancing all around?
Let's give it to me, give it to me now"

Then the second song starts in 3.  And it's great.

I would marry Mates of State, if they were not already married to each other.  And if I had not already pledged myself to marry All-Girl Summer Fun Band.

Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild Soundtrack

I've never been that into Pearl Jam after Ten.  I really dug it in high school.  Nothing else has hit me as an entire album, though i have liked many individual songs in the meantime.  This album however is complete and feels like it really belongs in the movie every time a song pops up.  Fantastic film, fantastic songs.  The best song is Hard Sun and features the chick from Sleater Kinney.  Very cool.

Ben Kweller - Ben Kweller

got an album at the library because of some songs on Pandora.  Really like it.  Library CD's are the best!

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Wow.  This album is fantastic.  There were no shows all winter except this one.  At the time, I didn't know much about them, liked the few songs I had heard, but it didn't make an enormous impact on me... and now i'm kicking myself about as hard as I know how for not going.  This album is amazing.  It kicks off with Is There a Ghost which is about the most powerful first song on an album for me since Sleeping Lessons by the Shins. Check it!

The Mountain Goats - All Hail West Texas

A guy records songs on a boombox.  Sometimes you can hear when he hits the stop button.  Sometimes the sound in one channel cuts out.  And ohmigod it's beautiful.  Let me direct you to the song "Jenny" on this album:

We were the one thing in the galaxy god didn't have his eyes on,
Nine hundred cc's of raw whining power
No outstanding warrants for my arrest
Goddamn, the pirate's life for me.

I've loved this guy for years and had no idea.  A while back I listened to the album "Protein Source of the Future...Now!" and was kind of taken.  Then I forgot about him.  My bad.

The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love - Get Myself Into It

If you're looking for something with some notable grove goin' on, check out The Rapture. The whole album's really quite good within the genre.

The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

There's a very Stephen Merritt-ish (typically trivial?) play between album cover, name, and noisy album sound.  But after a few times through at half volume (sleeping baby), I conclude this album is quite listenable.  I think it's going to grow on me.  Immediately, my fav song is "Drive On, Driver".

Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

Accordion/violin/horn small-European-tavern indie-gypsy greatness.  You won't want to mosh, but you might want to twirl.