Um...album reviews.

When I started this blog, the first rule I made for myself was this: Never EVER become one of those fucking indie kids that posts album reviews on their blog like they're some kind of pro.
Rule Broken.
Oops.
I got a bunch of new music today and can't help but talk about it.

Monsters Of Folk - "Monsters Of Folk"

This lineup should have everyone who's ever bought a Saddle Creek release cumming in their jeans, but the reality is this album is nothing but a waste of space that I'm not willing to give up on my iPod. I should have seen this letdown coming after listening to Outer South. It's nothing but uninteresting americana bullshit. Skip this album and pray that the final Bright Eyes record will redeem Conor Oberst.

Girls - "Album"

When I saw that Pitchfork had given this record a 9.1 and "Best New Music" I assumed that it was another painfully lo-fi Wavves duplicate, but I gave in to all the hype and checked it out anyway. I was wrong...for the most part. The album is fun, upbeat, and exactly what I've been missing in my music library. Don't get me wrong, Girls is the kind of lo-fi near-punk that Pitchfork has been feverishly jerking off over lately, but unlike all the others, the fellas in Girls make it work. That last sentence may be a run-on. Overall, this album feels like a pill and alcohol fueled late night get-together with good friends and no hangover. There are some moments on Album that make the punk-hating side of me cringe, but for the most part I'm hooked.

Mika - "The Boy Who Knew Too Much"

What's more gay, the fact that I [legally acquired] this album, or the fact that I thoroughly enjoy it? The correct answer is probably: both are equally gay. "Touches You" is my new guilty pleasure sing-along. Mika has a great voice and non-stop catchy pop sensibility, it's irresistible. This album could make any jaded asshole tap their toes. It's not a perfect album by far, and I'm not even a fan of the genre, but it's so damn catchy I can't help but be totally out of the closet for it.

Volcano Choir - "Unmap"

Being from Wisconsin, I'm obviously biased toward anything Justin Vernon will ever do. The man wrote "Skinny Love" for christ sakes! Unmap feels a lot more driving than any Bon Iver release, while still delivering the ingredients my pretentious indie enthusiast friends love about classic indie albums such as Sung Tongs. What ingredients am I talking about? Weird chanting and long atmospheric buildups of course. Anyone who knows me will find it obvious that my favorite track is "Cool Knowledge." "And Gather" being a close second. Not an album I'll listen to very often, but if I find myself chilling in a dark room somewhere in the late hours of the evening, I will enjoy revisiting this.

Jay-Z - "The Blueprint 3"

This album sucks. Period. This coming from someone who recently [legally acquired] the Drake mixtape willingly.