Frequent Spins (2010.1)

This year I thought I'd try something new with Frequent Spins. Since this is really about recommending new music and hoping that you'll take the time to check out some of my suggestions for yourselves, I've decided that I'm going to provide links to where you can preview each of the albums I'm highlighting. Lala will most likely be my fall-back source, but since that site only allows you to listen to each song once before making some kind of purchase, I'll be favoring links to places that don't have such restrictions.

Either way, I may be writing a little less and just letting you focus on the music. With that in mind, I'll be trying to direct you to the best current alternative for checking out the new releases that I'm enjoying most.

Eels - End Times
I thought that Two Gallants' self-titled release in 2007 was the ultimate breakup album, until Mark Oliver Everett's latest—which apparently draws on his own recent experience—came along. It's also proof that I can still enjoy this type of music despite being happy with my own love life.

Laura Veirs - July Flame
I guess I would call this the least frequently spun of this group, but it's been well-received by critics and fans alike. So, although it hasn't grabbed me as hard as the others on this list, it's definitely worth spending a little time to decide for yourself.

Midlake - The Courage of Others
Although I really like it, I would have to consider this album a bit of a disappointment. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but that's what happens when a band makes an almost perfect record, as The Trials of Van Occupanther was to me. Still, I will say that The Courage of Others seems to be growing on me with each subsequent listen, so I may eventually change my tune.




Spoon - Transference
Whether you like this album or not may depend on which version of Spoon you're a fan of: the stripped down outfit that produced their earlier work, or the bigger, slightly more polished sound of their last two records, Gimme Fiction and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. To me, Transference seems like a bit of a return to those earlier days, and an impressive one at that.

Vampire Weekend - Contra
Sometimes I just have a feeling that a band is going to be a "one shot deal" in terms of my interest in them. When it comes to Vampire Weekend, that's what I thought, but it appears I was wrong, as this one is even better—perhaps significantly so—than their debut.