Justin Hinds has an amazing catalogue of the best first-wave Ska (back when that term meant something) and this anthology is the treasure-trove from this chill-king and his band of merry groovers. Every topic you can imagine from hanging around on a Saturday night to drinking milk to cock-fighting, this man pens a tune for, and what great tunes they are. This amazing import frustrates me with its unjust obscurity, so I'm glad to be sharing it with anyone who has the ears for this amazing music. Call your friends up, get your 'supplies' out and prepare for what will be a hazy soul-nourishing weekend. See you on Monday!
The frontman/mutant of Black Moth Super Rainbow, and yes it sounds like Black Moth Super Rainbow, which in itself sounds like Boards of Canada meets Electric Light Orchestra. With a formula like that, why stray? How can you go wrong? Seriously though kids, this is it right here. Right here, this is it. 
These folks know their R. Kelly. They also know plenty of gimmicky maneuvers that dominate popular r&b, and they use them to a bizarre advantage. At times both catchy and sad, poppy Canucks, No Kids, manage to invent their own genre, given the dumb name of 'indie-hop', but despite that bullshit tag they are just a really good pop band. They have the tools, they know their skills and it all executes surprisingly well. Even the cover art makes me want to go to my closest park, fly a kite with some friends and throw this on the boomboxer. Falsettos abound and beats popping off every wall, No Kids are just plain fun, and isn't that all we could ever really ask for?
Certainly not notorious for being the most optimistic songwriter, Bill Callahan, squeezed out The Doctor Came at Dawn from his filthy fucked-over soul using a lot of the staples he became known for in the late 90s, but there is a heavy distinctiveness to this work in particular. The minimalist Jandek-inspired 'out of tuned' guitars never sounded so good as they do here, and the lyrics couldn't possibly be more bleak, yet the aura of gloom is so powerful and overwhelming, that I'm sure Bill didn't even anticipate just how weighted this album would become as an end-result. That being said, there is so much here that speaks to human loss in volumes and if you're not ready for it, it might devastate you more than you could prepare yourself for. Take a deep breath, take it all in and once you pull yourself out of that wallowing depression, you'll say to yourself, 'hey, that was one good fucking album'. 
Every once in a great while, a record hits my senses and immediately takes residence with me in an intimately personal way. It evokes feelings of growth, childhood and wonder, but more importantly it pulls on the fiber of your being in ways you don't quite understand, nor ever will. The Heartfelt is one of those albums for me if you couldn't guess. Comprised of Jimmy, Meredith and David Figurine (not their real names), this out of print album of superb electro-pop combines the best sounds of early 90s synth textures with perfect melody unison. There is a waft of magic on this, their last record (for now) that lingers years after the first listen and nestles itself nicely in your bloodpump. One of my personal favorites. Eat yer heart out. 
Brooding and self-depricating garage splatter, these San-Franners sinister musings on 'this' and 'that' intrigue the senses and call to mind bands like Crystal Stilts and the darker side of the Slumberland catalogue. Signing to Woodsist last year, it seems more than fitting, I would even call them a kind of Joy Division meets Ganglians with a bit of surf rock turned mope styling. This album hits all of the high water marks that good garage punk never seems to hit. Royal Baths have a promising career ahead of them, one can only hope, because this shit right heres be the good jamz kids. 
It might be easy to tell that I'm a sucker for the good pop song. I listen to all kinds of music, but there's something to be said of the simplicity of hearing that occasional tune that refuses to unjam itself from your head and heart. Beulah are experts in fusing 90s pop rock with innovative progressions, and a wide variety of styles and instruments. Lumped in with the Elephant 6 collective, and appropriately so, there are many similarities to bands like Elf Power and The Essex Green. However Beulah does stand out on its own merits, and have a way with writing those perfect pop numbers that are pure ear candy; and they do it with great aplomb. The Coast is Never Clear is their third full-length, and the maturity that they have reached far out-surpasses their previous LP, When Your Heartstrings Break. It's hard to really pinpoint with words the kind of mojo this band is working with, but when they're in full-swing and those harmonies shine and all of the varied instruments fall into place, it's a beautiful thing to hear. Someone tell them to reform already, it's 2011 for god sakes. 
Ex-Tripping Daisy/Secret Machines and all around good guy, Benjamin Curtis, teams up with identical French twins, Alejandra and Claudia Deheza from On!Air!Library! for this post-shoegaze outfit that takes its name from a mythical pickpocket academy in South America. Easy reference points are Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine, but with a deliberately more electronic bent. Crafting synthetic serotonin landscapes with lush dual floating vocals, it's no mistake that Alpinisms was a labor of love in its origins and one that rewards repeated listens. Though given the formula and somewhat revival of many nu gaze (a term I loathe but will use only once for this review) bands in recent years, School of Seven Bells sticks far above the rest due to their eclectic approach to the genre, and let's face it these three know how to create an engaging melody. Ethereal, transcendent and a tad new-wavey, Alpinisms is a stunning debut from a band that's going places, even despite the recent departure of Claudia from the lineup. Bravo. A++
Obtuse electronic chameleon, Chris Clark, shortens his name to just Clark for his third full-length album and unleashes upon us a pulverizing, beat-centric, analog odyssey that leaves many the fine-tuned detail lodged in the deep recesses of the subconscious. Body Riddle is that record where Chris finds his own unique voice, steps away from being the Aphex Twin disciple of yore, and combines many different elements from many Warp electronic staples to produce something that doesn't sound quite like any of his contemporaries. You can hear bits of Boards of Canada, old Seefeel and Flying Lotus among many others. This synthesis of elements not only sounds good on paper, but is executed so flawlessly that it's kind of mind-blowing for the uninitiated. Body Riddle perfectly exemplifies Chris Clark cutting off the fat and shooting for the stars, where he landed however is even more exciting than anybody could have imagined. 
!T.O.O.H.! (acronym for The Obliteration of Humanity) formed in the Czech Republic in 1990 under the name Devastator. A death/grind outfit with heavy punk-vocal influence, the band is unbelievably accomplished, particularly given their rather brief discography of three EPs and three LPs (four, if you count the English language release of Z Vyšší Vůle).
The legendary 'A Lazarus Taxon' by post rock stalwarts, Tortoise. It's just as great as you think it would be and more. Perfect way to end the week and start a new one. Let's just enjoy this one for now and talk about it later.
