The Strokes - Angles (2011)

There's no doubt in my mind that there will be pissed off Strokes fans after hearing this record. First Impressions of Earth copped a lot of hate just because the band tried to expand their sound. Well, now they've gone and completely changed it. But you know what? It kinda worked.

The real high points of the album come early. Opener 'Machu Picchu' has a nice, cohesive blend of keyboards and guitars, with a catchy bassline to match. 'Under Cover of Darkness', has a great memorable riff here, a great memorable riff there, and a diabolical chorus that just oozes brilliance. It feels like they finally nailed the expansion on their classic sound that they tried so hard to achieve on First Impressions of Earth. 'Two Kinds of Happiness' is notable for its distinctive electronic drums that lead into a surprisingly fast-paced chorus. 'You're So Right', while far batter than the demo version, is still a weak track that sounds out of place, though it does have a nice guitar solo. 'Taken For a Fool' is a bit of a sleeper track that didn't really stand out to me at first, but after re-listening, it feels like it could've been a single for Room On Fire. 'Games' and 'Call Me Back' are the points where the album loses its momentum. 'Life Is So Simple in the Moonlight', the album closer, is a simply wonderful song, not much more to say.

The Strokes have arguably suffered from the 'debut album' syndrome worse than any other band over the past decade. I see this as each album having a single standout track with several nice accompanying tracks skewed across the rest of the album, while Is This It felt more like a collection of stand out tracks. Still, that's not to say The Strokes have only one worthwhile album. I honestly believe they have four.

Cut Copy - Zonoscope (2011)

Zonoscope, Cut Copy's third studio album, is in many retrospects the ideal follow-up to the pop masterpiece that was In Ghost Colours. While retaining their sound, Cut Copy have kept it fresh by using more varied song structures and changing the album flow. Where In Ghost Colours flowed smoothly with short-medium length summer jams, Zonoscope introduces more lengthy tunes with crescendos and big climaxes. The vibe, however, remains the same.

'Need You Now' was a surprising opener to me, mainly due to lead singer Dan Whitford's deeper vocals. This varied pitch combined with heavier synths on songs such as 'Need You Now' and 'Blink and You'll Miss A Revolution' introduces a darker sound to the music, showcasing the band's post-punk influences more distinctively. 'Take Me Over' and 'Pharoahs & Pyramids', the two most IGC-like tracks on the album, maintain the classic Cut Copy feel to add nice variation and contrast. And the song that got people's expectations spinning, the 15-minute album closer 'Sun God', doesn't disappoint. It starts off with a thumping bass and a talking heads-like vibe, before going somewhere else altogether ("epic space disco" seems to be a popular term).

While Zonoscope is missing that little bit of atmospheric magic that In Ghost Colours had, it has its own feeling of vastness that makes it a worthwhile listen. It's definitely more of an homage to post-punk and the darker side of new wave as opposed to the happy pop feel of IGC. Something I feel I should add, it seems to be a grower. I enjoyed it much more on the second listen than on the first.

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Wiki

Lost Sounds - Lost Sounds (2004)

Led by Jay Jay (aka Jay Reatard of the Reatards) and Alicja Trout (Clears, River City Tanlines), Memphis' Lost Sounds are a glorious mess of punk rock artsiness gone awry in all the right places. Their 2004 In the Red effort, simply titled Lost Sounds, is a punk rock dance party guaranteed to merrily demolish every piece of furniture in the room. But this paranoid rampage is a far cry from the faux-sexy bass'n'drum din pumped out by the likes of Death from Above 1979. "Those things they put inside me/ You know they make me nervous," wails Jay through a cacophonous din of twitchy surf guitars and stuttering keyboards. Elsewhere the band declares that the end of the world is, "worth a laugh." And you get the feeling they mean it.

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Small Black - New Chain (2010)

It isn't often that a band wins me over with just one song. Usually I'll need the full album to really get into a group. This was not the case with Small Black, another chillwave/psych-pop group from the Northeast.

"Despicable Dogs", the first track from their fantastic self-titled EP released last year, was one of the best tracks I gave listens to in 2009 (it currently sits as the third-most listened to track in the last twelve months on my Last.fm page) and is still held in regard by myself as one of the best chillwave tracks released so far if not the absolute best.

Their debut LP, "New Chain", is more of the same new wave-style beats and synths, with standouts such as "Search Party" and "Photojournalist". If you're into artists like Washed Out, MillionYoung, and Toro y Moi, you're in for a treat.

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The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight (1980)

The soft boys have a peculiar mix of influences and underwater moonlight exemplifies that wonderfully. They wear their influences on their sleeves(The Beatles, Syd Barret, The Byrds), but on this album they have enough originality to make it their own. Robyn Hithcock's lyrics are best described as arranged stream of conscience...being that he'll take random, off kilter thoughts and put them together to make a cohesive theme(most of the time). The music provides a superb backdrop to this. The band are very tight players(not in the sessionman sense)and stylistically diverse as well. Whether playing hyper rock & roll(i wanna destroy you), jangly pop(the queen of eyes), or loopy krautrock-ish instrumentals(you'll have to go sideways), the band pulls it off with ease. If you're a fan of late 70's-early 80's British music (Wire, Gang of Four, Joy Division, etc.), but get tired of the gloominess and (sometimes) pretentiousness of it. Then this album is your swan song. <--Yes I did just say that. Buy it
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Pylon - Chomp (1983)

I'll admit to it: I only checked this album out because I thought that was one of the most memorable covers I've seen. I knew nothing about the band or the fact that in the 80s, one of the most popular rock bands to ever exist, R.E.M., called Pylon "America's best band". Now, Pylon is known as one of the greatest underground bands of the 80s and at the forefront of the Athens, GA indie/pop movement.

They've been together three different times over 30+ years, from 1978-1983 to 1989-1991 (reformed to tour with R.E.M.) to 2004-now. The well-known venue in Athens, called the 40 Watt Club, got its name from a phrase the band used to describe the room lit by a single 40 watt light bulb.

If you're looking for a good 80s album, you've come to the right place.

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Buy the re-release from 2009
Wikipedia

Electric Six- Fire (2003)

Electric Six are an alternative rock band from Detroit, MI. Their musical style varies on who you talk to. Some call them a Rock n Roll Band. Some call them a Comedy Band. Some of them classify them as Dance Rock. And no album gave off that vibe more than their debut album Fire.

Fire is Electric Six's critical acclaimed best album. Critics have given it rave reviews including Rolling Stone which called the album "The summer's most brilliantly demented party record."So if you like to party or dance or just want to try a band with a different flair. Give this album a listen. It includes my favorite song of all time Synthesizer.

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