New Releases

Here are 6 new releases that I think are more than worthy of your time. I haven't taken the time to give each album the amount of time that I would deem necessary to give it a fair review, so I am giving them to you in one lump sum. I may or may not write reviews for them individually in the future, but for the time being, enjoy them all and let me know what you think of them.

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record


Band Of Horses - Infinite Arms


Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer Of The Void


Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away


The National - High Violet


The New Pornographers - Together

A Lesson In Etiquette

I am only 25 years old, which makes me somewhat less than an authority on the world and what makes it spin (or at least less so than someone whom has lived longer). I will, however, state that in my 25 years, I feel like I have learned a good deal. That being said, I feel it my responsibility to impart on you a few of the things that I have learned.


Co-Habitation Etiquette
When you are living with someone, be it a family member or a friend, there are certain guidelines that should be observed. Such guidelines are:

1] If you didn't buy it and you're unsure if it's up for grabs, don't eat it.
2] If you use the last of the toilet paper, replace the brown cardboard tube with a new roll (see also, Bathroom Etiquette).
3] If you don't plan on being the first person out of the driveway in the morning, then do not block the other person in.
4] If you make a mess, clean it up.
5] If it's not yours, don't loan it out to someone else.


Friendship Etiquette

1] Don't say something that you will later regret. You can never 'un-say' anything.
2] Be the kind of friend that you expect other people to be to you.
3] Be trustworthy. Period.
4] Don't be afraid to be venerable.


Bathroom Etiquette

1] Knock before attempting to enter. Always.
2] Don't pick your nose and wipe it on the wall. There is a whole roll of toilet paper next to you that you can use for that.
3] If you use the last of the toilet paper, replace the brown cardboard tube with a new roll (see also, Co-Habitation Etiquette).
4] There is a lock on the door for a reason, not to mention that the door closes and latches for the same reason. Just as much as I don't want someone barging in on me, I would prefer to not see you doing the type of thing that you do in the bathroom. Close the door.
5] Leave the bathroom the way it was when you entered it.


Restaurant Etiquette
(I would consider myself an expert on this subject before all others)

1] If you walk into a restaurant and someone comes to your table to take your order rather than standing behind a counter and in front of a dollar menu, be prepared to tip.
2] If you bring children in with you, don't let them tear up all of the napkins on the table and throw them in the floor. Someone has to clean that up and chances are they aren't being paid enough to clean up after you and your inconsiderate children.
3] A 10% tip hasn't been acceptable for the last 20 years.
4] If you can't afford to tip well, then you can't afford to eat out.
5] Servers make just over 2 dollars an hour. They depend on tips.
6] There are no places that I know of that cash verbal tips. Saying that someone did a great job does not help them to pay their bills.
7] Be patient, chances are that they have 3 other tables full of people that are just as demanding as you are being.
8] It is unwise to be rude to someone that is going to see your food before you do.
9] If there are enough people in your group that you take up a server's entire section, remember that for the time that you are sitting there, you are their only source of income.
10] When you are done eating, pay and get out (unless you tip well; not decently, well).

Phone Etiquette

1] If the phone is ringing, answer it. You may not feel like talking at that moment, but there is a good chance that the person calling is doing so for a reason. The only exception to this is if you are at work or on the toilet.
2] If you get angry with the person you are talking to, do not hang up on them. It is rude and offers no solution.
3] If you can tell that the person you are talking to is busy or needs to get off of the phone, don't start a long and drawn out story. Save it for later.
4] If you miss a call from someone, call them back. Chances are they called for a reason.
5] If I am on the phone, and you are not the person on the other end of the phone call, do not talk to me. That is rude.
6] If you get a phone call and you are in a room full of people that are talking, watching a movie, or any other activity that demands their attention, excuse yourself from the room rather than continuing your conversation in the midst of their activity. That is rude.


Feel free to share this with anyone that you feel may benefit from these pearls of wisdom.

Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam

If Dr. Dog is our generation's Beatles, and if Wolfmother is our version of Led Zepplin, and if Coheed & Cambria is our representation of Rush, then it's only fitting that we should have our own Queen. I can think of no better contender for that title than Foxy Shazam. Originally entitled "Au Contraire", Foxy Shazam's upcoming self-titled release is a collection of one rock-n-roll power ballad after another. I can't even being to imagine how much fun it would be to see them perform live.

Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Bombs Away
3. Wanna Be Angel
4. Count Me Out
5. Unstoppable
6. Oh Lord
7. Bye Bye Symphony
8. Second Floor
9. Teenage Demon Baby
10. With An Axe
11. Evil Thoughts
12. Killin It
13. Connect Me
14. Some Kind Of Love
15. You and Me

Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

Oh how I have looked forward to this. Honestly, I'd say that the only album that I have looked forward to more than this is Josh Ritter's new album So Runs The World Away, but not by much. Dr. Dog became one of my favorite bands last year with their album Fate which is dripping with Beatles-esque pop sensibility all the while paying tribute to their fuzzy psychedelic rock roots. Shame, Shame is much the same. The songs are slightly less accessible, but after a couple of listens, I can tell that Shame is the golden ticket that this talented young band has been waiting for. I wouldn't be surprised if they became something huge in the next year or so.

Tracklisting:
1. Stranger
2. Shadow People
3. Station
4. Unbearable Why
5. Where'd All The Time Go?
6. Later
7. I Only Wear Blue
8. Someday
9. Mirror, Mirror
10. Jackie Wants A Black Eye
11. Shame, Shame



I am anticipating that this link will be deleted very quickly as this album isn't released yet. If and when it gets deleted, let me know and I'll find an alternative one.

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young

I've never been a huge Strokes fan, that's not to say that I don't enjoy their music, I just have never been crazy over them (I've heard stories of their fans whoring themselves out for tickets. Literally). It was Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. that opened me up to the possibility that these guys are a little more diverse than their collective band showcases. Hammond's music is great and drummer Fabrizio Moretti's side project, Little Joy, is one of my current favorite bands. So when I heard that singer Julian Casablancas was to release a solo album, my interest was peaked. If you want to see growth, listen to any Strokes album and then listen to Phrazes For The Young. It is one pop gem after another. Just give the song "Left & Right In The Dark" one listen and you'll be hooked. Probably one of the best things about the album is that it is just long enough and not so long that it becomes boring.

Tracklisting:
1. Out Of The Blue
2. Left & Right In The Dark
3. 11th Dimension
4. Chords of the Apocalypse
5. Ludlow St.
6. River of Brakelights
7. Glass
8. Tourist

Wrestlerish - The Rude Mechanical

Wrestlerish is a band from South Africa that sounds like Copeland if Copeland were a little poppier and if Aaron Marsh tried a little too hard to sound good. The band has a great sound, don't get me wrong, but personally, I think that singer Werner Olckers sounds like he's trying a little too hard to sound good. If he were to sing a little more naturally and quit trying to make it sound "pretty", then they would be a force to be reckoned with. My personal dislikes aside, "The Rude Mechanical" is a strong first release from a band that has the potential to become something great. I really hope, however, that somewhere along the line, someone tells them to stop trying to be something that they aren't.

Tracklisting:
1. Sleep
2. Orphans
3. Capsized
4. Nextolgia
5. The Rude Mechanical
6. Bad News
7. An Interlude For Wolves
8. The Teddy Bear Gospel Choir
9. Oliver Tambourine
10. If This Ship Goes Down I'm Taking You With Me
11. A Song For The Distance
12. Maybe I Could
13. The Last Night At The Astoria

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

I'm not entirely sure how The Tallest Man On Earth has escaped my attention for so long now. Even more absurd is the fact that I had his old album downloaded for some time, and never listened to it. Regardless of how long I ignored him, I recently got my hands on his new album The Wild Hunt. I can't say enough good about this album, so all that I will say is that there is a reason that TTMOE is known as the Swedish Bob Dylan. The songs are brilliant. Simply brilliant.

Tracklisting:
1. The Wild Hunt
2. Burden Of Tomorrow
3. Troubles Will Be Gone
4. You're Going Back
5. The Drying of the Lawns
6. King of Spain
7. Love Is All
8. Thousand Ways
9. A Lion's Heart
10. Kids on the Run

Jason Collett - Rat a Tat Tat

There is a list that exists (in my head, at the very least) of our generation's best and brightest songwriters, and one of the best and brightest (and most underrated) is Jason Collett. He embodies the same spirit of pre-religious zealot Bob Dylan, and at times also sounds indistinguishable from his contemporary Josh Ritter. There isn't much that I can say about Jason Collett other than that he is honest and fun and has the ability to write a song that will stay in your head for weeks.

Tracklisting:
1. Rave On Sad Song
2. Lake Superior
3. Love Is A Dirty Word
4. Bitch City
5. High Summer
6. Cold Blue Halo
7. Love Is a Chain
8. Long May You Love
9. The Slowest Dance
10. Winnipeg Winds
11. Vanderpool Vanderpool

Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago

Shearwater has been a buzz band for a couple of years now (though they have been around for a decade now), and I can honestly say that I did not understand any of the hype that surrounded them.

[Tangent]
Two things:
1. When I speak about "hype" and "buzz", I am not referring to accolades that are bestowed by Alternative Press or Rolling Stone Magazines, MTV, or 100.5 KEE FM. I am talking about Pitchfork, in addition to any number of personal blogs that I frequent.
2. I have noticed that the bands that I often go out of my way to avoid, end up blowing me away and becoming some of my favorite and most treasured artists. I recognize and acknowledge this and I am actively working on rectifying the problem.

On their newest album, The Golden Archipelago, Shearwater has created an album full of swelling indie rock anthems, at times as quiet and tender as Antony and The Johnsons (whom I think Shearwater's vocalist Jonathan Meiburg sounds similar to). Not to be underestimated, these Austin, Texas natives have been around the block many times, either as Shearwater or with Okkervil River. They certainly know what they are doing.

Tracklisting:
1. Meridian
2. Black Eyes
3. Landscape At Speed
4. Hidden Lakes
5. Corridors
6. God Made Me
7. Runners Of The Sun
8. Castaways
9. An Insular Life
10. Uniforms
11. Missing Islands

Northern Portrait - Criminal Art Lovers

I think that as recently as 6 months ago, I would have written Northern Portrait off as boring. I probably wouldn't have given them more than a 2 track listen and then would have promptly deleted their album. It is because of my newfound love of The Smiths that I am able to appreciate Norther Portrait, as they sound a great deal alike. I can say nothing else about this album other than it is a fantastic pop album that gets better with each listen.

Tracklisting:
1. The Münchhausen in Me
2. When Goodness Falls
3. Crazy
4. The Operation Worked But The Patient Died
5. Criminal Art Lovers
6. LIfe Returns To Normal
7. Murder Weapon
8. What Happens Next?
9. That's When My Headaches Begin
10. New Favourite Moment