Best Albums Of June 2007

1. The White Stripes - Icky Thump | buy it at insound!

   After taking a break from the White Stripes to record with The Raconteurs, Jack White has gotten back with Meg to record a very strong record with renewed passion. The title track deals with immigration at a rightly time. The second track, “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)” is a classic classic rock tune. “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn” showcases the diversity of the album. The rest of the album is full of great classic rock and blues tunes.



2. Rocky Votolato - The Brag & Cuss | buy it at insound!

   Keeping the personal touch that Votolato created with his previous release, he has added a full band sound to this album. The musicians on this album have played with Sufjan Stevens, Cat Power, Hank Williams Jr., Pedro The Lion, and Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter. The end result is an album that has an album that is full of songs about scappers and fighters, but somehow leaves an optimistic and hopeful feeling.



3. Blitzen Trapper – Wild Mountain Nation | buy it at insound!

   It’s an eclectic album full of high energy indie rock, intelligent lyrics, peaks and valleys of dynamics, catchy melodies, and sugar sweet guitar licks. You can hear the influence of Pavement, but with a little bit more of a rural sound.



4. Hallelujah The Hills – Collective Psychosis Begone | buy it at insound!

   This album has some mellow moments and some appealing upbeat melodies. The instrumentation and sonic quality of the disc is wonderful. At times, there are musical echoes of Beulah, sometimes the influence of The Decemberists can be heard. The lyrics are original. Overall, this is a very strong album.



5. Mooney Suzuki – Have Mercy | buy it at insound and receive 2 FREE MP3s!

   This album is kitchy, but it keeps drawing in the guy who grew up listening 70’s and 80’s classic rock in me. And then there was the song “Good Ol’ Alcohol.”



6. Amandine – Solace In Sore Hand | buy it at insound!

   This album sounds a lot like Sufjan Stevens. The banjo, sparse arrangements, and the voice are very reminiscent of the state-chronicling musician. At times, the album can sound big, but always retains a relaxed, mellow setting.



7. A Band Of Bees – Octopus | buy it at insound!

   There’s a very diverse and full sound to the album. There are lots of 60’s pop influence in this album. It sounds like the kind of album should be released on vinyl – not because it would sound better on vinyl, but it would fit the mood of the album.



8. Porter Wagoner – Wagonmaster

   This album is a revived original album by a country great. The story behind the album is that Johnny Cash wrote the song “Wagonmaster” for Wagoner. After Cash passed away, Marty Stuart made this album with Wagoner first based on the song Cash wrote. It turned out to be a great country album complete with Wagoner telling stories about songs and the lifetime as country musician.



9. Two Gallants – The Scenery Of Farewell EP | buy it at insound!

   A damn good album by this band. This time it’s acoustic. It still has the powerful dynamics and convictive tone for which this band is known.

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