Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Best Tracks - Little Thoughts & Positive Tension

Music as tight as early U2. Vocals the evoke Robert Smith. Lyrics that can be as political as The Clash or Rage Against the Machine. A slight British accent. A brilliant sense of urgency is conveyed throughtout the record. This one has instant classic written all over it, and I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of these guys for a long time.

Autolux - Future Perfect
Best Tracks - Capital Kind of Strange & Sugarless

Greg Edwards from Failure's new project. They've been around since 2002, but this is their major debut. Admittedly I was disappointed they left the title track off the album (it was on their 2002 demo), but overall the record is fantastic. This band has depth and subtleties under every note they play. And you can hear them interlock well together. Additionally, they're not afraid of the Beatles school of letting multiple people sing - refreshing in this day and age. There's a certain darkness to the record - they make all the songs feel strangely uncomfortable, yet soothing. The songs, partially because of how they were recorded, can feel like dirges - and that's a good thing.

The Joy Circuit - EP1
Best Track - Xs (only one because it's a short record)

This project, featuring 3/4ths of Year of the Rabbit (Ken Andrews (of Failure) is missing) is sort of the halfway point between the alternapop of Year and the etheral moodiness of National Skyline. Jeff Garber's skill at layering textures on intoxicating melodies is once again demonstrated, and the band as a whole is very tight. These guys are self-produced, and self-distributed - the perfect example of how the internet is revolutionizing music. The record itself is short - too short. But hopefully we'll see a full-length from them soon.

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Worlds Apart
Best Tracks - A Classic Art Showcase & Worlds Apart

Alright, I enjoyed Source Tags and Codes, but it was never my favorite. When I started raving about this album to my friend Deirdre, she was unsure - saying that she'd had enough of them. Well - I want more now! This album is incrediable - each song flows seemlessly into the next, and yet each stands on their own just as well. This album, much more than Source Tags, has a tendency to saunter off into a strange musical interlude - and then snap back into the main song. In fact, that seems to be a motif throughout the album.

The Exit - Home for an Island
Best Tracks - Let's Go To Haiti & Back to the Rebels
Not Currently Available on iTunes Music Store (even though I bought it there)

I first heard of these guys when they opened for Muse, and I was absolutely blown away. I mean, I was knocked over by the sonic crush. These guys were so loose and comfortable on stage - and yet were incrediably tight musically. I swear I was watching the second coming of At The Drive-In. Stylistically these guys jump around a bit, but nothing ever feels out of place. There's a definite reggae influence in some of the material - but it's like if the rhythms were thrown into a post-punk sensibility. The album is fantastic, but unfortunately it doesn't approach them live - this is a band that you have to see! But get the album anyways!

Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze
Best Tracks - Tangled Up in Plaid & Someone's in the Wolf

For the more astute of you, a common theme you'll notice on my list is most of these acts have some connection to the band Failure. Troy Van Leeuwen is featured heavily on this album, the first one he actually recorded on with Queens. And his influence definitely comes through. And yet the album is signature Josh Homme - the textures, the layering, and arrangements. Nick Oliveri is definitely missed, and I think his depature does make the album not as strong as Rated R - but Lullabies does still keep up with Songs for the Deaf. Nonetheless, with a solid feel throughout the record, and rock-solid riffage - this is classic Queens.

Well - that wraps this up. I might make this a semi-regular feature, so long as music continues to remain interesting. And I think it will - so long as bands like Bloc Party are selling out their shows.