They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science

I've been really digging "Here Comes Science", TMBG's 4th children's album, the last few weeks.  Their other children's albums were varying degrees of ok.  But this one stands out from the others.  I think I actually like it better than their last "grown-up" album, The Else.

M.I.A. - Kala

I heard "boyz" a few times on the current, but thought it sounded like just some passing teen fad.  I became more intrigued when I independently ran across this amazon.com editorial review:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TJ6CM2/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234414132&sr=102-6#productDescription

Now, I think I'm hooked.  I was pleased also to hear "Paper Planes" in Slumdog Millionaire.

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood - Close But No Cigar

I was listening to this song on an airplane ride, and it dawned on me that this song borrows so much (musical styling) from Cake, that it is clearly no accident.  I think I didn't notice at first because I listen to enough Cake that their sound is more of a genre to me than an artist's sound.

Mason Jennings - Simple Life

Mason Jennings has released two albums since last I checked.  Simple Life and In The Ever are both solid albums, as far as I'm concerned.  They both have the same thing I liked in Boneclouds.  (Maybe that thing is Mason Jennings.)

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".

They Might Be Giants - Here Come the 123s

Technically, children are the primary audience, but some of these songs stand on their own as well as any other album.  Upon a few listens, probably not as good as Here Come the ABCs, but I've had "Seven" in my head all day.

Also, this doesn't seem to be available on streaming services, but Rhapsody & Amazon sell DRM-free mp3s.  I'll go out on a limb and blame Disney.

Jim Noir - Tower of Love

Heard the song "Tell Me What To Do" on The Current.  Listening to this album the last few days.  I like it, though I can't tell yet if I'll like it even more as I listen more.

The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Recommending this here because it's new, and I didn't know it existed until recently.  So far, I think I don't like it as much as their previous albums "Get Behind Me Satan" and "Elephant", but time will tell.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

(Via Chris on Pandora.)  I can't escape the thought that this guy sounds like Radiohead, but I'm really impressed by this album.  The tracks are really varied, which I think is a mark of good musicians.  Oh, and watch out for the first track.  It's a doozy.

Lizzie West - Holy Road

I have a standing theory about the progression of how music sounds the more you listen to a given artist or album.  I've listened to Lizzie West a lot (comparatively), and the music still keeps getting better.