Best Albums of February 2009

1. Clem Snide – Hungry Bird | CD MP3
   Download “Me No” (mp3)
   This album was originally recorded in 2006. As the story goes, the band broke up after writing and recording it. But Eef Barzelay, after releasing two solo albums, has re-formed the band and finally allowed this hidden gem to be unleashed. Barzelay’s voice has a tonal quality reminiscent of John Darnielle but the music is full of lush and beautiful arrangements. The songs are fairly candid, but with a hint of convolution. Thank God the album was finally released from the shelf!



2. M. Ward – Hold Time | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Never Had Nobody Like You” (mp3)
   After five solo albums and his She & Him project with Zooey Deschanel, M. Ward has issued Hold Time. Ward has the extraordinary ability to build and improve his sound with each release while keeping the retro quality and recognizability of his folk-rock intact. Hold Time is another successful step in the progression of M. Ward’s career.



3. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – The Pains of Being Pure At Heart | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Come Saturday” (mp3)
   Download “Everything with You” (mp3)
   This band puts together fuzzed out pieces of pop music. These are mostly three-minute guitar driven songs with catchy melodies and an upbeat uproar. It is an impressive debut.



4. Heartless Bastards – The Mountain | CD MP3
   Download “The Mountain” (mp3)
   On this album, Erika Wennerstrom finds herself leading a new group of musicians. The original three-piece band broke up after two albums and nearly four years of touring. Relocating to Austin, TX, and working with producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead), Wennerstrom is now back with her first batch of songs since 2006’s All This Time. The Mountain keeps the same bombastic blues rock sound as the band’s past releases, but carries more density.



5. Andy Wagner – Those Who Forgive [EP] | FREE download of entire album from Rock Proper
   Download “Sending My Love” (mp3)
   For his third, Andy Wagner is given the Rock Proper treatment. The album is available as a free download from new music distribution website. Those Who Forgive is an alt country album recorded at Jay Bennett’s Pieholden Suite Sound studio. So, yes, it has a sound similar to the better days of Wilco, but most like Jay Farrar.

6. Caw! Caw! – Wait Outside [EP] | CD MP3
   Download “Organisms” (mp3)
   Caw! Caw! has been together for six years. In that time, the band’s sound has apparently changed genres – punk, luscious, ambient, and experimental. Once they were able to record their debut EP, Wait Outside, all the genres they have explored meshed into an eclectic and wonderful indie rock sound.



7. First Aid Kit – Drunken Trees [EP] | CD
   Download “You’re Not Coming Home Tonight” (mp3)
   First Aid Kit is a duo of sisters from outside of Stockholm. As teenagers, they self-recorded this EP of acoustic artistry. The seven tracks have accomplished folk accompaniments, but it is the harmonies of the Söderberg sisters that solidify these songs.



8. Black Lips – 200 Million Thousand | CD MP3
   Download “Short Fuse” (mp3)
   For their fifth studio album, the Black Lips’ sound is a continuation of the loose, garage rock they have become known for. This raucous, retro-sound band lays out their influences. It’s obvious to hear The Troggs, Velvet Underground, and The Stooges, but this bedraggled album is another fine example of what the band calls “flower punk.”



9. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “The Prowl” (mp3)
   This is the first solo album from the guitar playing half of The Black Keys. This album has a fleshed out sound with more layers and genre-bouncing than The Black Keys are known for. There is the expected blues-rock feel to some tracks, but the album opens with an intimate acoustic track and then ventures into psychedelic and classic rock stylings. This album is not as assertive as The Black Keys’ releases, but it’s more diverse.



10. Fake Problems – It’s Great to Be Alive | CD Vinyl MP3
    This four-piece band has released an eclectic album. These songs are quick punk-influenced indie rock. But the band’s sound is across the board with horns, distorted guitars, and gravelly vocals. If you can imagine a mixture of Green Day, Two Gallants, Gogol Bordello, and Modest Mouse then you’re beginning to get close to the sound this band creates.

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Comments

[Nate Bowler]

What did you think of M. Ward's work with Zooey Deschanel? Not crazy about it myself, but there are some nice tracks.

Dan Auerbach--Go Akron.

nwb

[The Wheel's Still In Spin]

I liked the She & Him album, but wasn't blown away by it. The were a couple of great songs, but just as many that were duds. You can read a short, quick review here: http://www.thewheelsstillinspin.com/2008/03/new-releases--2.html

Auerbach did well for Akron and the Heartless Bastards used to be from Cincinnasti, so there was decent Ohio representation on this month's list.