Frequent Spins (2013.3)

Iron & Wine - Ghost on Ghost
Sam Beam will probably never make the album I've been anticipating for all these years, but that's my problem, not his. He just keeps making consistently good music, even if much of it feels a little unsatisfying to me.

Jim James - Regions of Light and Sound of God
Speaking of unsatisfying, it's probably unrealistic to expect an artist to ever recreate the emotions you felt when you first discovered him/her/them. That is, when they're one of those bands who make you want to seek out everything they've ever recorded, as My Morning Jacket was for me about a decade ago.

Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle - Perils from the Sea
A surprising collaboration between Sun Kil Moon's Kozelek and The Album Leaf's LaValle yields very pleasing results. As a bigger fan of the former, this one adds a certain freshness to Kozelek's otherwise fairly predictable formula. I would describe it as Postal Service for the slightly older crowd, although I might be a little off base in saying that.

Local Natives - Hummingbird
This is actually one I've been listening to on and off for a while. There's been a little controversy going on in my mind regarding whether or not I like it, probably because it reminds me of a lot of music I love but falls short of evoking that emotion. Still, it's worth a few listens if for no other reason than it was produced by The National's Aaron Dessner and has drawn comparisons to Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes.

The Men - New Moon
A much mellower affair than their previous albums, New Moon might risk putting off fans of their noise rock sound, but to me this one shows a Replacements-esque versatility. Nothing here is as charmingly sloppy as that band's trademark sound, of course, but what is? Come to think of it, Silkworm is probably a better reference point.

Mogwai - Les Revenants
This album's penultimate song, "What Are They Doing in Heaven," reminds me a bit of Mojave 3 and makes me wonder why this band doesn't add vocals to more of their songs.

Shout Out Louds - Optica
For some strange reason, I like discussing the demographics of the bands I listen to. Because of this, it was a little surprising when, a few years ago, I realized Sweden is my fourth favorite country for music (behind the U.S., Canada and England). In addition to the SOLs, there's Jens Lekman, The Tallest Man on Earth, First Aid Kit...OK, maybe that's it. So, perhaps I should bump Sweden to #5 in favor of Scotland. Teenage Fanclub might be all the reason I need for that. Anyway, this one's probably not borderline top ten material like the SOLs last, but when they're on this melodic indie pop band is seriously on. And they are for at least half this album.

Various Artists - The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver

Sometimes tribute albums work better when they're paying homage to artists who aren't among your favorites. After all, why would you want to hear lesser versions of songs you love. I'm overly generalizing here, of course, and this isn't intended to be a knock on Denver. It's just that perhaps it took a bunch of other artists to make me realize how good of a songwriter he really was. Take your pick regarding what this album's highlights are, because they're are plenty. My personal favorite is J. Mascis and Sharon Van Etten teaming up on "Prisoners."

Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison - Cheater's Game
A friend of mine was the product manager for Kelly Willis's What I Deserve in 1999. That album may have bridged a gap for me. I was fully ensconced in the more rocking side of the upstart alt-country genre at the time, but had yet to fully embrace its country side. Not coincidentally, Willis is one of only a few artists I've successfully turned my dad onto. This one is her first full-on duet album with her husband, Bruce Robison, and it succeeds much more than previous collaborations between the two. It's not quite Emmylou and Gram, but it's certainly better than the former's recent duet with Rodney Crowell.

Frequent Spins (2013.2)

Anders & Kendall - Wild Chorus
Unless you're a newbie here, you know I've been a fan of Anders Parker for years, and a friend of his as well. To a somewhat lesser extent, I also admire the work of Kendall Meade, with her band Mascott and the harmonious backing vocals her voice has added to some of Anders' songs. I wasn't initially as enamored with this one as expected, but it's grown on me, especially it's high moments like album opener "We're On Fire, Babe," "Play It," and my personal favorite "Sleepwalking," the latter of which is reminiscent of some older duets these two have teamed up for, except this time Kendall takes the lead. 

Cloud Cult - Love
I am unabashedly a huge fan of Craig Minowa's songs and the emotional themes they often capture. For the most part, he seems to be done mourning the death of his son through his music, but there's still an undercurrent of that heartbreak even as the content is more about the celebration of life and, most importantly and perhaps obviously, love.

Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse
It's a little disconcerting to realize I've listened to so many albums by so many different bands over the years that my impressions sometimes run together. I was pretty sure I didn't like this band until I listened to the album and the lead singer's Scottish accent didn't ring a bell at all. So, maybe I had them confused with White Rabbits, a band whom I honestly couldn't tell you why it is I'm not a fan. Anyway, it's probably the Scottish thing, but I'm reminded of Malcolm Middleton here, except without any songs as profanely awesome as "Fuck It, I Love You."

The Lone Bellow - The Lone Bellow
I'll admit I initially wrote this one off pretty quickly and I'm not really sure why. Honestly, it may have been that the album cover reminds me of other uninspiring country/rock crossover acts. I won't name names, but I'm certainly glad I gave this band's self-described "Brooklyn country music" a second—or, should I say first?—chance, thanks to a Twitter recommendation from Dan Turkenkopf.

Matt Pond - The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand
On his first album since dropping PA from his moniker, there's not much change in Pond's brand of introspective indie pop, although the outlook seems a little brighter. Whether because of the latter, or in spite of it, this just might be his best, at least since I started listening circa 2004's Emblems.

Phosphorescent - Muchacho
2005's Aw Come Aw Wry was my introduction to Mathew Houck's Will Oldham-esque stylings, but it wasn't until his last album, Here's to Taking it Easy, that the comparison really took hold for me. A less chaotic version of Palace Music's brilliant Viva Last Blues was what that album reminded me of at times, and that energy continues here. Nothing quite as tremendous as "Work Hard/Play Hard," but quite good nonetheless.

Son Volt - Honky Tonk
Nothing earth-shattering here, just Jay Farrar and Co. taking on the Bakersfield sound with mostly positive results, in my opinion. Then again, Farrar could sing an album of show tunes and I'd probably still like it. Come to think of it, that sounds like a fantastic idea.

Frequent Spins (2013.1)

Last year, it took me almost three months to post my first installment of Frequent Spins, about twice as long as usual. This year, perhaps, it's back to normalcy. Well, we'll see.

Eels - Wonderful, Glorious
I was a little underwhelmed by my first listen to E and company's follow-up to my #1 album of 2010. But, it only took a second listen to realize that, although it's no End Times, it's definitely a worthwhile effort. E's outlook has obviously improved in the three years since and, while there are still some introspective moments, it seems he's moved on from acoustic lament to the point where he's ready to rock out a little.

Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
My taste certainly isn't as eclectic as your average Pitchfork writer, but I can still occasionally get some good recommendations there. I may have pieced this impression together from their review, but this one reminds me of a cross between The Velvet Underground and The Kinks, with a little Mick Jagger swagger sprinkled in. "San Francisco" is one of two songs this year that I can't get out of my head...in a good way.

Holopaw - Academy Songs, Vol. 1
Quite possibly the first show that Abe, my brewing partner, and I attended together was Holopaw and the Fruit Bats at Cambridge's TT the Bear's, back in 2003. One of the things I remember most from that show was we hung out most of the night with a girl we met next door at the Middle East. She was from Seattle, passing through town on vacation, and trying to decide between going to TT's or to see the Decemberists at the Middle East upstairs. She came along with us, but in hindsight we should have followed her lead. That's not meant as an insult to Holopaw—whose latest just might be their best, although the reviews are mixed—but rather as an admission that I wasn't a fan of the Decemberists yet and it would have been great to see them play a really small venue before their popularity skyrocketed.

The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law
If you've been reading my Frequent Spins posts for any length of time, you probably realize I'm endorsing most of the albums I'm writing about. But, there are exceptions. It would be a little unfair of me to throw this one into that category, but let's just call it a mixed bag. It initially reeled me in with some really catchy songs, namely "This Ladder is Ours" and a few others, but most of the rest of it just grates on me. A friend compared them to Smashing Pumpkins, a band that is probably the definition of "mixed bag."

Night Beds - Country Sleep
Abe, like Pitchfork, has much more eclectic taste than I do. He's a multi-instrumentalist in a math rock (although he likes to call it physics rock) band, after all. He frequently recommends albums to me that have me scratching my head as to what he was thinking. Night Beds was not one of these. One reviewer refers to this outfit as Bon Kil Foxes. Enough said.

Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob
The term "pop" can take on different meanings in the context of music discussions, ranging from describing a band as Beatlesque (generally a compliment) to calling something akin to top 40 radio (usually an insult). To differentiate, I usually add some sort of adjective when talking about the former (power pop, indie pop) or just use the term pop/rock. In fact, I sometimes just say "poppy," with the understanding I rarely discuss music that would be described as top 40 (is this term even used anymore?) in any meaningful way, so it's probably understood I'm talking about pop/rock. The identical twin sisters duo's latest is infectiously poppy, and I mean that in the top 40 way. But, I also mean it as a major compliment. "Closer" is the other song I have habitually stuck in my head these days.

Yo La Tengo - Fade
I'm not as familiar with YLT's entire catalog as you might think, but this one seems to capture the best of their more accessible side. In that sense, Fade is kind of like Luna was to Galaxie 500.

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?

Frequent Spins (2012.4)

It's fall—well, technically not until tomorrow, but it sure feels like it—and that means it's officially new release season. Of course, in the music industry, this season comes twice a year, with the first being in the spring. [Imagine if there were two baseball seasons a year. That would be awesome.] What this also means is I've got some serious catching up to do with a lot of new albums that have piqued my interest, but here is what I've been listening to leading up to this point.

Bloc Party - Four
This band produced three really good albums in their first four years, but it's taken another four to get to this one. In the meantime, lead singer Kele Okereke released a pretty lackluster solo record, so I wasn't sure what to expect here. What I got was a harder rocking affair than their previous efforts, and one that does not disappoint, even if it might rank fourth in their discography, in my opinion

Bill Fay - Life is People
Lee Mazzola and I love to engage in various nonsensical music-related discussions—although he's better at it—like bands named after someone other than the lead singer, bands who replaced a significant member and became better in the process, etc. One that recently occurred to me thanks to this album—although I think it's actually a spinoff of one of our previous topics—is cover songs that are better than the original, with the qualification that the original is good too. Worded differently...covers that blow you away by the realization they're better than the already excellent original. Fay's rendition of Wilco's "Jesus, Etc." falls into this category for me.

Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal
I read somewhere this six-piece chamber pop outfit from Iceland are being called the next Arcade Fire. I'm not sure about that, but everywhere I looked, the band kept turning up, so I figured it was a sign I needed to check out this April release, even if I was a bit behind the curve. It turned out to be a good idea.

Passion Pit - Gossamer
I loved their debut, but this is one of those bands I kind of figured would be exposed by extended playing time. You know the type; good in a platoon role, but not a legitimate full-time performer. There's no doubt more time is needed to officially make that assessment, but they've made significant progress towards proving they're no Joe Charboneau.

Stars - The North
This is more of the same from the Canadian outfit who Of Monsters and Men remind me more of than they do Arcade Fire. When I say "more of the same," I basically mean that in the best way possible.

Sun Kil Moon - Among the Leaves
Pre-LC, my commute typically consisted of a nearly 20-minute walk home from the T station in the afternoon (in the morning, there was a bus that fit nicely with my schedule). This allowed me the opportunity for a little quiet time with my music, without it having to compete with the sounds of the train, people talking (and otherwise being annoying) on the train, the conductor yelling over the loudspeaker on the train, etc. Recently, I had a day in which I didn't have to take LC to or from day care. As a result, I was able to spend that 20 minutes with this album, allowing me to further appreciate the lyrics of a couple of its better songs: "Song for Richard Collopy," an ode to Mark Kozelek's late guitar tech; and "Track Number 8," which name-checks troubled singer-songwriters who passed prematurely, including Elliot Smith, Shannon Hoon and Mark Linkous. I kind of miss that 20-minute walk, but I wouldn't have it back for anything.

Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
I've been listening to this one on and off all year, never to the extent that made it legitimately Frequent Spin-worthy, but enough in total to make it finally worthy of the distinction.

Frequent Spins (2012.3)

If you haven't picked up on the hint from the links in these posts yet, you need to download Spotify. Now. It's free. Yeah, there's a pay version too, but if you're content with being able to listen—on your computer—to a pretty significant percentage of the music that's out there, you won't be disappointed.

Arrange - New Memory
It's been a few years since I've read Pitchfork regularly, but I owe my discovery of this ambient electro-pop band to Pitchfork's Spotify app, which makes it easy to instantly listen to what the indie snobs are excited about.

Beach House - Bloom
I wasn't as blown away by this band's first three albums as a lot of folks were, but count me on the bandwagon as of their fourth release, a gorgeous collection of dreamy indie pop.

Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
This indie art-rock band is a little outside of my wheelhouse, but I've known since I first heard 2005's The Getty Address there was potential they could eventually reel me in. This is probably their most accessible record, so I guess that's all it took.

Metric - Synthetica
I think I'd previously lumped this band into the "pretty good, but nothing to write home about" category, which isn't exactly a negative opinion, I realize. Then, a Joey Pants recommendation from last year influenced me to really give a good listen to this one, and it was well worth the effort.

Moonface - With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery
In the last Frequent Spins, I compared bands to baseball players. I didn't do that this time, but instead I'm going to make a different kind of comparison here: Moonface is another side project from Wolf Parade co-leader Spencer Krug. Although he took 2011 off (at least as far as new releases are concerned), the prolific Krug reminds me of William Tasker of The Flagrant Fan, It's About the Money Stupid, MLB Dirt and probably a few other blogs I'm not even aware he writes for. Krug is possibly the hardest working man in indie rock. Tasker is the hardest working baseball blogger I know.

Saint Etienne - Words and Music by Saint Etienne
This album seems like an exercise in nostalgia for the band, and much of it hits close to home with me as well. But, there's one line that makes me smile every time I hear it: "I knew he loved me because he made me a tape."

The Walkmen - Heaven
My good friend Sara characterized this one as much more positive than their previous efforts, and while it's not exactly feel-good music, that description is certainly accurate.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Americana
Neil and the Horse's venture into folk standards territory is a hit-or-miss affair, with plenty of material falling in between. Hits: "Oh Susannah," "Jesus' Chariot," "God Save the Queen." Misses: "Clementine," "Get a Job," "Wayfarin' Stranger."

Frequent Spins (2012.2)

The All-Time Teams series is taking an unintended hiatus for a few weeks. I was doing well at piecing these together during my very limited free time, but I've kind of hit a wall of late.

So, I'm going to try to do a few shorter posts in the meantime and hope I can return to this series in a couple more weeks. That said, it seems like an appropriate time for the second Frequent Spins post of the year...with a twist.

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden
This band is old school. Not Cole Hamels old school. More like Mariano Rivera old school. In other words, they don't need to say they're old school. They just are.

Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
Jurado's latest, while far from his best, reminds me of Jeremy Hellickson, unspectacular peripherally, but surprisingly effective. (I was going to say Mark Buehrle, but decided it isn't quite that good.)

Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy
I'm going to compare Nada Surf to Michael Young, in that both are not particularly well-liked by the critics—which, in baseball terms, means sabermetrics—but I still can't help but think they're good at what they do.

The Shins - Port of Morrow
The Shins are Josh Hamilton. That's not to say this album is as great as Hamilton's year so far, but the band has the potential to be one of the best and have certainly shown flashes of that ability. But, then you realize it's been 11 years since their first album and this year's effort is just their fourth overall. Hamilton, despite how great his career has been at times, is 31 years old and is going to have to keep producing at a high level to have a shot at the Hall of Fame.

Todd Snider - Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables
A while back I was working on an all-underrated team. The idea was it would include the best veteran player at each position who has never made an all-star team, won a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger, or finished in the top ten in MVP or Cy Young voting. Snider is Carlos Ruiz, a workmanlike player who epitomizes underrated based on the aforementioned criteria.

Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Spiritualized is a band that's been around for a while (20+ years) and one I've known about for most of that time, but have never really given them their due until now. The analogy is far from perfect—actually all of these analogies are far from perfect—but they're kind of like Ben Zobrist, a player I've consistently refused to believe is as good as the advanced metrics say. Of course, Zobrist's 2012 to date might be a clue I was right in the first place, but if his slow start turns out to be just that, consider me a believer.

Frequent Spins (2012.1)

I'm way overdue for the first Frequent Spins entry of the year, but to be honest, I'm simply off to a slow start with my 2012 listening. In fact, this whole process is in jeopardy of getting phased out due to time considerations. But, I'm not giving up quite yet.

A couple weeks ago, I finally completed the playlist for the 2011 compilation and burned KJ her copy of the CDs. I recently finished designing (if you want to call it that) and editing the packaging, but I already missed a perfect opportunity to give it to a few of the folks on my usual distribution list.

There are even a few regulars I never sent my 2010 compilation to, mainly because I didn't mail a single copy. If I didn't see you in 2011, you simply didn't get it. I still feel bad about that, perhaps bad enough that I'll mail those folks both 2010 and 2011 at the same time. But, at this point, I can't make any promises.

Then there's the question of whether or not I should continue to make a CD at all. I realize it's sort of an outdated format at this stage of the music technology game, but just as I clung to the mixed tape longer than most, there's still something nostalgic to me about the whole process of creating and distributing the CD. This, of course, is despite the fact my distribution process is, admittedly, somewhat lacking.

So, I'll probably create a Spotify playlist as well, but not until after I've handed out a few physical CDs.

What I have found the time to do is write in the blog during my commute. Between the morning and afternoon, I have about an hour and a half of riding busses and trains. The Blogger mobile app is nothing special—frankly, I could just as easily use my phone's notes app and then copy and paste—and typing with just my right thumb while I hold on with my left—because seats on the train are rarely available, and when they are I usually pass on the prospect of being crammed between two people, because they're about the same size as seats in Fenway—is no walk in the park, but for some inexplicable reason it's made the process easier for me.

Anyway, moving on to the subject of what I've been listening to. Three months into the new year and there finally are more than a handful of albums worth mentioning. That statement is not intended to be a reflection of the music that's been released this year, but rather my currently slack listening habits.

Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
Andrew Bird has quietly become one of the most consistent forces—if you can possibly call someone who uses whistling as a musical instrument a force—in indie music.

Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
I'm not sure if she'll ever wow me again as she did with her debut, Failer, but this is more pretty solid stuff from the hottest chick in alt-country, in my opinion.

Fanfarlo - Rooms Filled With Light
I used to read Pitchfork quite regularly, but I haven't in a couple years. Frankly, it's just way too snobbish for me. But, recently I started checking out apps you can use to enhance your Spotify experience. Pitchfork was one of them, so I quickly found myself reading about how this album is "boring indie" and "...the sonic equivalent of deciding to major in Economics," and the band "...simply have good intentions and risk aversion." I suppose that probably describes a lot of the independent music I listen to. I don't care. I like it.

Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker and Yim Yames - New Multitudes
I'm sure you already know about my personal connection here and how much I like this album. So, I'll say that I like the Jay Farrar tunes best, followed by those co-written—along with Woody Guthrie, of course—by Anders Parker. The Will Johnson and Yim Yames songs are good as well, but it's pretty clear to me Farrar and Parker are better suited for this project.

Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes
I had a hard time imagining how a Craig Finn solo album would be different from a Hold Steady release, but there clearly is a difference. And it's not just that Finn writes more from a first-person perspective here than he usually does.

First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
Comparisons to Fleet Foxes are not unwarranted, but I believe this female outfit's country aspirations are expressed in the lyrics "I’ll be your Emmylou and I’ll be your June, if you’ll be my Gram and my Johnny too."

Shearwater - Animal Joy
This album just might be this band's best to date. Emusic is constantly sending me emails asking me to rate the albums I've purchased from them. However, there isn't a wide range of ratings options (I love it, I like it, It's ok, etc.). A lot of times love is too strong, but like doesn't quite capture my feelings either. I loved this one, and I can't say I'd rate any of their prior albums as such. So, I take back what I just said. This is Shearwater's best record.

Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
My best friend in college—my co-conspirator in the drinking series—was a huge Springsteen fan. I wasn't. In fact, it wasn't until I became a huge alt-country fan, and was turned on to the understated brilliance of Nebraska, that I began to really appreciate him. I did, however, always get a kick out of the way Stein—as I like to call him—would change the lyrics of Bruce's songs to make them fit with what he was doing at the time. My personal favorite was when he'd croon "Earl Torgeson's singing for the lonely." If you don't get that reference, you either don't read this blog much, don't know Springsteen very well, or both.

Frequent Spins (2011.6)

This will be the long overdue final installment of Frequent Spins for 2011. In fact, it will be a bit of a catchup post, after which I'll move on to attempting to rank the best albums of the year, as usual.

Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
The man formerly known as the hardest working singer-songwriter in alt-country (whatever that is) produces an album that hearkens back to his ultimate solo effort, Heartbreaker, and this one might be almost as good as that masterpiece.

Richard Buckner - Our Blood
Buckner churns out another solid, if unspectacular, collection of hauntingly poetic Americana.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical
They'll probably never again capture the magic of their debut release, but this album is a bit of a return to prominence after their disappointing sophomore effort.

Crooked Fingers - Breaks in the Armor
Returns to form have been a common theme in my Frequent Spins posts this year, and the latest from Crooked Fingers lands firmly in that category. After the significant drop-off that was Forfeit/Fortune, Breaks in the Armor makes me, once again, optimistic that former Archers of Loaf leader Eric Bachmann hasn't lost it.

The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time
If you're a reader of this blog, then you probably kind of saw this one coming.

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
I haven't been blogging much lately, and that trend probably won't change in the near future. But, I have been thinking more and more about good music that would appeal to young children. Among this album's highlights is "Raconte-Moi Une Histoire" (English translation: "Tell Me a Story"), a brightly optimistic song that fully captures the essence of the innocence of youth.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic
Quite possibly the former Pavement front-man's best solo release to date.

Mates of State - Mountaintops
I don't know about everyone, but I have a tendency to forever associate certain songs with events—in my life and otherwise—that were occurring at the time I was listening to them. In my mind, "Mistakes" will forever remind me of Joe Paterno.

Tom Waits - Bad As Me
I've never been a huge Waits fan. Of course, that's not to say I'm anti-Waits either. But, it's just that I've never really loved anything he's done before, or maybe I just haven't tried hard enough. This effort doesn't necessarily make me a convert, but it has me wondering if I've been missing out.

Wilco - The Whole Love
Ranking Wilco's albums from best to worst has always been difficult for me, but here goes:

1. Being There
2. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3. Summerteeth
4. The Whole Love
5. A.M.
6. Wilco (The Album)
7. Sky Blue Sky
8. A Ghost is Born

So, that would make The Whole Love Wilco's best album since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I know I've got more to be thankful for this year than ever.

Frequent Spins (2011.5)

Last year, I celebrated my discovery of Lala and then, a few months later, I lamented the end of the service. Well, it took over a year, but finally there's a legitimate substitute.

Spotify, launched in Sweden in 2008, became available to U.S. customers—without requiring an invitation—in the past few months.

Spotify requires a software installation, whereas Lala was web-based, and it doesn't make finding quality new releases as easy as Lala did, but it has one major advantage. Where Lala only allowed users one free listen to each song, Spotify allows unlimited previews.

So, if you're already a Spotify user, or you're interested in checking it out, the links to each of these albums would be a good place to start, as far as I'm concerned.

Beirut - The Rip Tide
An eclectic indie band that uses horns as an integral part of their sound? Seems like a Neutral Milk Hotel comparison is in order. But, those characteristics are where the comparisons end. This album is melodic orchestral indie pop at its best.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Add these versatile indie-folksters to the long list of artists whose first albums didn't hook me, but whose second completely reeled me in.

Centro-Matic - Candidate Waltz
As prolific a songwriter as Centro-Matic front-man Will Johnson has been over the years, it's kind of surprising this is the first album by his main band in five years. It's a short set—only 33 minutes total—but its brevity ensures it does not wear out its welcome, and despite the gap between releases, this one was well worth the wait.

Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
At $8.24 on eMusic, this is one of the more expensive albums I've purchased in a while. Because the price represents almost half my monthly subscription, and considering I wasn't blown away by my first few listens, I almost passed on this one. I'm glad I changed my mind.

Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
Welch's appearance on The Decemberists' The King is Dead earlier this year was a bit of an appetizer for the release of her first album since 2003. Her return is a welcome one, although this record falls far short of my favorite material of hers.

Frequent Spins (2011.4)

Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
I had almost given up on Steve Earle, an artist who appeared in my yearly top ten in four of the first five years I produced such lists, but has failed to even grace my more expansive lists since. Well, the critics might not be completely in agreement with me on this one, but in my opinion, his latest is his best album since 2000's Transcendental Blues.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you how much this album reminds me of the folkier side of Yes. In fact, I'm going to suggest that Yes is, in fact, a folk-prog band rather than a prog-rock band. Seriously, think about this as you listen again to "And You and I," "Starship Trooper" and "I've Seen All Good People," and tell me I'm crazy. The best example of this comparison is the title track to this album of wonderous stories. It's absolutely my favorite song of the year so far. Of course, Fleet Foxes show up closer to the folk end of the folk-prog spectrum than Yes did, so to complete the "name three artists they remind you of" game, I'll add Simon & Garfunkel and My Morning Jacket. Speaking of whom...

My Morning Jacket - Circuital
...I was turned onto My Morning Jacket, circa 2002, when I read in the Metacritic user forums a description that they were like a cross between Neil Young and the Flaming Lips. I'm not really sure if that comparison holds true, but I was an instant fan after making myself a mix of mp3s that I downloaded from their web site. 2001's At Dawn and 1999's The Tennessee Fire were my first purchases, and they were great, but there was a drop-off after that, which happened to coincide with their signing to a major label. I'm not saying that's always a problem, nor am I saying they were no longer any good after that. But, what I am saying is this just may be their best album since their big breakthrough.

Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
I'm sure I've said several times before that this band will probably never make an album quite as good as the one that drew me in initially, Black Sheep Boy. This one, in my opinion, comes the closest of all their subsequent efforts, although it's still very far away.

Neil Young & The International Harvesters - A Treasure
Back in the mid-'80s, Neil Young released Old Ways, a pretty unremarkable—and that's being generous—country album. This live recording from the same time period captures the true energy that Neil was capable of putting into country music, something that was seriously lacking on that studio effort.

Frequent Spins (2011.3)

Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys!
"Station Approach," the opening track of Elbow's 2005 release, Leaders of the Free World, was an absolute eagle in my book, but the rest of the album never lived up to the expectations created by that first song. Still, based on just one song, I've been waiting for this band to reach that potential, and finally they have. While there are no eagles here, there are a few birdies, and that's enough to capture my attention.

J Mascis - Several Shades of Why
I was living in New Hampshire when the Dinosaur Jr. front-man's first solo album, Martin + Me, was released. I was shopping in my favorite record store, Portsmouth's Rock Bottom Records, and asked the clerk what she thought of it. Her response was that it was basically Mascis's "Unplugged" record, and while he was definitely not capable of melodic folk, she really liked the album. 15 years and three solo releases later, Several Shades of Why is a much more melodic effort than anything he's released before. Somewhat surprisingly, that turns out to be a good thing.

R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
There was a time when it seemed every band had an expiration date. That is, a point where the momentum of their early, defining material wears off and they try—repeatedly and unsuccessfully—to reinvent themselves. That point came for R.E.M. almost 20 years ago. Then, in 2008, they went back to basics with Accelerate, and it worked. Three years later, they continue that no-nonsense approach with Collapse Into Now, proving there's really a very simple formula for artists looking to extend their shelf lives.

The Strokes - Angles
The Strokes are a band that seems to be in jeopardy of becoming the Joe Charboneau of indie rock. Maybe there's a better baseball analogy than that one, but Charboneau always comes to mind when thinking of someone who burst on the scene showing so much promise, only to fade to oblivion shortly thereafter. Of course, that's not entirely the case here, despite the fact it's been ten years since their debut, Is This It, and they're just releasing their third subsequent album, with none of them anywhere near as good as their first. At times, I've thought this is their second best album, but reality is it's about as good as the prior two. That is, much better than any of Charboneau's post-rookie seasons, just not as great as the one that got everybody excited.

Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
This one came recommended by a couple different reputable sources. Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers called it his favorite album of this year so far, and Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis selected Vile as his opening act for some early 2011 tour dates. Pitchfork's review plays the "name three artists" game, referring to Vile as "...channeling  the energies of John Fahey or Tom Petty or even Bob Seger," which is quite an interesting perspective. While I've definitely been enjoying this album, it's not instantly catchy, in my opinion. So, you may have to be a little patient to try and decide if this will be one that falls into the "rewards repeated listens" category.

Lucinda Williams - Blessed
I'd almost given up on the artist who I've always considered the queen of alt-country, but with this year's release of her best album in a decade, it's occurred to me that she's much better when she waits at least three years between album releases. While her last few efforts were a little too focused on the bluesy side of her persona, Blessed marks a bit of a return to her rocking side, a la Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, an album that was famously six years in the making. Not that this record comes anywhere near the brilliance of Car Wheels, but it's a pleasant return to the style that turned me on to Lucinda in the first place.

Frequent Spins (2011.2)

The Baseball Project - Volume 2: High and Inside
Of course, I've already written a couple posts breaking down the lyrics of two of this album's major highlights, "Buckner's Bolero" and "Fair Weather Fans," but there's much more where those songs came from. "1976" celebrates the year that Mark "The Bird" Fidrych's on-field antics captivated the baseball world. "Here Lies Carl Mays" tells the story of baseball's most tragic moment from the perspective of a man who would be forever considered a villain. "Twilight of My Career" actually sheds a bit of a sympathetic light on Roger Clemens. In fact, so many of these songs prove that heartbreak and tragedy not only provide the subject matter for better songs, but they also make for better baseball tales.

Bright Eyes - The People's Key
If Conor Oberst was trying to shed his pretentious image with the release of the more straightforwardly rocking Outer South (credited to Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band), this one's not helping his cause much. Interspersed throughout the album are the philosophical ramblings of Denny Brewer of Refried Ice Cream on subjects such as mankind's responsibility for the future, the Sumerian Tablets' depiction of lizard-like beings who invaded the Garden of Eden, and the naming of the pomegranate. Meanwhile, Oberst's lyrics ponder questions such as "...if it's true what we're made of, why do I hide from the rain?" In the end, the intersection of the messages is the theme of love and mercy towards your fellow man. Despite the overly philosophical nature of the album, or perhaps—in part—because of it, Bright Eyes' latest is one of my favorites of the year so far.

Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots
It's quite possible that I'll never grow tired of these guys. Go-Go Boots shows off a little more Muscle Shoals influence—not surprising, considering co-leader Patterson Hood's father David was the bassist of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section—than prior efforts, which have always been decidedly southern rock oriented. My personal highlight is a song that I described to KJ as being the equivalent of listening to an 8-minute Dateline episode, "The Fireplace Poker."

The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts
The Go! Team's schtick is that they're kind of an indie cheerleading squad. I pretty quickly dismissed their 2004 debut, Thunder, Lightning, Strike, as "not my thing" and didn't pay an ounce of attention to the band until one of that album's songs, "The Power Is On," appeared on the NFL Play 60 commercial featuring the Atlanta Falcons riding a school bus. So, I was definitely curious to check out their latest, and I wasn't disappointed.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing
This band is one of my favorite discoveries of the last few years. In fact, they're probably at the top of the list, at least partially due to the fact that I discovered them all on my own. Don't misunderstand me, now. I like a good recommendation from a friend as much as the next guy, but there's something very satisfying about being your own influence. I'm not really sure why, to be honest. It's not like I did extensive research regarding my own personal likes and dislikes and developed an algorithm for determining what music is perfectly suited for my eardrums. In fact, I probably just got lucky. Anyway, it's nice to get into a band before they even have a recording contract and then see them a few years later show up in Curtis Granderson's iTunes Library. Well, sort of.

The Streets - Computers and Blues
Ever since A Grand Don't Come for Free, The Streets seem to have an alternating album thing going for them. That is, every other album is very good, but followed up by an effort with a few bright spots that has failed to come close to being as good as its predecessor. Computers and Blues falls into the latter category. Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed listening to it, particularly "We Can Never Be Friends" and "OMG," the latter of which tells the story of a Facebook-induced relationship misunderstanding that ultimately has a happy ending. It's just that, it's not the swan song I'd hoped it would be. Did I mention this is supposed to be Mike Skinner's final album as The Streets?

Yuck - Yuck
When I wrote the first Frequent Spins of 2011, I decided that I would play the "name three bands they remind you of" game with each entry throughout the year. But, as you can see from the albums written up in this installment, I've already broken that trend. Still, when I heard the first song the first time I listened to this album, I was thinking Dinosaur Jr. The remaining songs don't really live up to that expectation, but if you like your Weezer with a generous portion of Elliott Smith and a dash of Pavement, you might actually enjoy this record.

Frequent Spins (2011.1)

Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues
The former Allman Brothers lead singer's first solo effort in 14 years caught me by surprise, despite the fact that there's no real groundbreaking material here. It's just that, I didn't expect he was going to hop on the Robert Plant bandwagon of classic rock artists making comebacks in their 60s. Actually, Plant was just short of his 60th birthday when he teamed up with Alison Krauss on Raising Sand in 2007, but you get my point. Allman's latest is a little truer to the style he's known for than Plant's recent output. Regardless, this is a very pleasing no nonsense blues-rock album that reminds me that, not only did Allman influence the Drive-By Truckers, he probably also had a little positive effect on the sounds of The Black Keys.

The Decemberists - The King is Dead
After their forays into prog-rock that began with The Crane Wife, and continued in full force on The Hazards of Love, The Decemberists tone things down considerably on the rootsier The King is Dead. Three of the band's five members dipped their toes into the Americana genre last year, with Black Prairie's Feast of the Hunters' Moon, so this turn should come as little surprise to anyone. The King is Dead is nowhere near as dark as that effort, however, and Colin Meloy's decidedly non-countryish voice actually makes the album sound fresher than most in this genre. And then there's Gillian Welch, who, according to a Paste magazine review, "...(plays) Nicolette Larson to Meloy's Neil Young" on seven tracks. A better choice for accompaniment the Decemberists could not have made.

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
I've read comparisons between Sam Beam's latest and Sufjan Stevens's effort from last year, but this album isn't quite as experimental as the latter. Still, it's a significant departure from his lo-fi beginnings, i.e. 2002's The Creek Drank the Cradle. To me, it's also the first time that Iron & Wine has fully lived up to the lofty expectations I had for him following the release of the aforementioned debut almost a decade ago. Somewhat contrary to the "experimental" moniker, there have also been numerous comparisons to a '70s pop-rock sound. I'm not sure if it's what said reviewers had in mind, but I hear Traffic at certain points, and I'm definitely not complaining.

Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde
I haven't really heard the description psychedelic power pop used all that often—I guess you could use it in reference to a band like MGMT—but that's what I'm calling this band of Chicago kids who have not yet reached legal drinking age. On Dye it Blonde, they churn out a pretty impressive array of Beatles-meet-T. Rex hooks, which are tempered slightly by vocals that remind me of a more upbeat version of the Skygreen Leopards. If that description confuses you—and I can't say that I blame you—all you have to do is click the little play button below for one-minute previews of each of the album's songs.

Abigail Washburn - City of Refuge
Béla Fleck is Abigail Washburn's husband, so I guess that makes her the second-best banjo player in the family, although she certainly holds her own in that regard. Clawhammer banjo is what Washburn is primarily known for, but it's her vocals that also stand out on this album, with the warmth of her voice sometimes reminding me of Rosanne Cash. That's a quality that might sound like it would be out of place on songs that mine the territory of neo-Appalachian folk, but that's not the case on City of Refuge. Add a few Andrew Bird-esque moody string arrangements, and you've got an extremely pleasing listen. But, don't take my word for it...