Frequent Spins (2012.5)

This is probably going to be the final Frequent Spins of the year. I've still got a bunch of albums I hope to spend more time with as this month progresses, and then I can start my annual ritual of ranking them in order.

Meanwhile, here's a bunch of albums I've listened to fairly regularly since the last installment:

Band of Horses - Mirage Rock
Frankly, I have to admit this one's kind of disappointing, especially considering it will surely end their brief run of two consecutive albums in my top ten.

Dinosaur Jr. - I Bet on Sky
In my opinion, the third installment in this band's resurrection of its original lineup—which began almost 20 years after the original Mascis/Barlow flap—is better than the second, which was better than the first.

Patterson Hood - Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance
I used to give my fair share of thought to the question of who is my second favorite musician to Neil Young. Names that have been part of that discussion at different times include Jay Farrar, Steve Earle, Joe Pernice and Spencer Krug. I think it's time to consider Patterson Hood a candidate for that distinction.

James Iha - Look to the Sky
I've been saying I'm the world's biggest Pernice Brothers fan for years. That might be a bit of an exaggeration. What's not is that I'm possibly the biggest fan in existence of James Iha's 1997 solo debut, Let it Come Down. 15 years later, the former Smashing Pumpkins' rhythm guitarist's follow-up is nowhere near as good as that one, but it has its moments.

Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't
Simply more witty, melodic indie pop from this Swedish singer/songwriter, just with a little more cynicism this time around.

Mumford & Sons - Babel
I've been an album late jumping on the bandwagon of a lot of next-big-thing indie acts, and this band is no exception. That might at least partly explain why I don't understand all the lukewarm reviews of this one.

A.C. Newman - Shut Down the Streets
What I said earlier this year about Andrew Bird basically applies to everything A.C. Newman does as well.

Tame Impala - Lonerism
Despite the inauthenticity of the band's moniker—my first car was a '77 Impala, and it could not be tamed—they rock.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill
OK now, this is the Crazy Horse return to glory I was expecting. Well, not exactly expecting, but it's certainly along the lines of what I was hoping for. "Walk Like a Giant" fits right in as the successor to a long line of Neil Young epics. It's no "Cortez the Killer" or "Cowgirl in the Sand," but then again, what is?