Music for the summer of '09 (Part 1)

Okay, so it has been a really long time since I did any music reviews, but I started buying a bunch of albums at the beginning of the summer, so it's time to talk about what I've been listening to in '09:

• From Monuments to Masses - "On Little Known Frequencies": I found out about this band via Jenny Choi, who had this to say:

  I remember how blown away I was by them, and how it opened my eyes to great, intelligent musicianship. They have a new record out now on Dim Mak... and are on tour. You guys have to check it out. The record is the most fully realized production effort they have put out so far. It's very, very good.

  She helpfully included a link to their website, and after streaming a couple of tracks from MySpace (ug, I know), I determined that Jenny was in fact, not lying. I fired up iTunes, and I have been a happy listener ever since.

  To put it quite simply -- these guys are awesome. Normally I don't go for music that lacks lyrics (that is what really engages my brain), but I have been listening to this album for months now and it just keeps getting better and better. Highly recommended.

  Best track: Track 1, "Checksum" (but the whole album is strongly recommended)

• Radiohead - "OK Computer [Limited Edition]": Yes, I know that EMI is just exploiting Radiohead's back catalog, but I don't care. I heard some of Radiohead's B-Sides years ago (I believe at Mike's cousin's house), but I've never been able to track them down. So any opportunity to expand my Radiohead library, I'll take.

  In general, the B-Sides and live tracks presented on disc 2 are good (with the exception of "Palo Alto", I am not into that song). I also really like the included live tracks (which isn't a surprise, since I've been listening to "O.K. Computer" a lot lately -- that album is just so amazing).

  Best track: Track 2, "Pearly"

• The Decemberists - "The Hazards of Love": Just, wow. This album is really amazing. At Lollapalooza, I didn't recognize any of the songs that The Decemberists played, but I liked what I heard. According to Sara, they pretty much just played their new album, in order. Um ok, sold.

  And I have totally not regretted this purchase. This album deviates a bit from from past albums in that I feel it is a bit harder -- more guitar, bass, and drum. In short, it's a rock album. The vocals are a bit different as well, with Colin sharing the duties with two other female members of the band. The whole album is great, there is only one track that I don't link - #15 "The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)".

  Best track: There are so many, if I had to choose, I'd go with Track #8 "The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid", but you should really buy the whole album.

• Streetlight Manifesto - "Somewhere In the Between": A Ska record. I bought a Ska record in 2009. Nevertheless, this album is pretty darn good. It's up tempo, the horns are great throughout, and it has just the right amount of punk mixed in.

  Best track: Track 1, "We Will Fall Together"

That's all I have time for today -- I have a few more albums to talk about, which I should be able to get to by the end of the week.

-Andy.