New Found Glory - Not Without A Fight: Way better than expected.

Movielife - 40 Hour Train: Pop-punk perfection.

Movielife - Has A Gambling Problem: Finding their footing with solid production.

Movielife - This Time Next Year: Almost too poppy. Almost.

Movielife - Its Go Time: A little rough around the edges but you can see the potential.

Mouthpiece - Can't Kill What's Inside: Wish I could have seen them live. Heavy, slow and catchy in perfect compliment.

Mountain Man - Demo: Do you like American Nightmare, Suicide File, et al? Then check these guys out.

The Most Serene Republic - ...And The Ever Expanding Universe: Turn it up or it'll pass you by.

Mos Def - The Ecstatic: Hailed as a return to form, it's more hit-and-miss. So, yes, a return to form.

Modest Mouse - No One's First And You're Next: They just don't do anything for me.

Metallica - Master Of Puppets: I really wanted to hate this, but it's pretty awesome.

Mastodon - Crack The Skye: Easily their most accessible album. For better or worse.

Mastodon - Remission: Another solid album, just not my favorite.

Lucero - Rebels, Rogues and Sworn Brothers: I'm a little burned out on Lucero so this came across as merely adequate. Will try again later.

Lucero - Nobody's Darlings: An unjustifiably disappointing follow-up to Further West.

Lucero - That Much Further West: Easily their richest, fullest and most complete album.

Lucero - Tennessee: Qualifiable nuance escapes another solid album.

The Love Language - The Love Language: Deserving of a few more listens.

Jeffrey Lewis And The Junkyard - Em Are I: For fans of Daniel Johnston or quirky pop/rock.

Sondre Lerche - Faces Down: My new favorite Sondre album.

Leaves - We Are Shadows: ...of Elbow, Coldplay and Doves.

Leatherface - Mush: Very unique. Like a cross between The Replacements and Hot Water Music. I think.

Lanemeyer - If There's A Will, There's Still Nothing: Outstanding emo/pop-punk that'll remind you of earlier Get Up Kids.

Ben Kweller - Changing Horses: A little too slow, a little too country.

Ben Kweller - How Ya Lookin' Southbound: Catchy as ever but not as quirky as Sha Sha.

Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson: '70s folk rock with country influence from a terrific songwriter. Bound to know a few songs.

Knot Feeder - Light Flares: Mostly instrumental music that wasn't entirely boring.

The Knack - Get The Knack: Much more, and better than, My Sharona. Get into it.

Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage: Much, much better than I remember their last album being.

Kansanturvamuslikkikomissio - 666: What an odd, odd album.

Johnson&Jonson - Johnson&Jonson: Hip hop with moments of greatness delivered inconsistently.

Jimmy Eat World - Clarity: So much more than the cheesy pop band I asumed they were.

Japandroids - Post-Nothing: Solid foundation of Sonic Youth-inspired rock. Look forward to more, less repetitive, in the future.

Michael Jackson - Thriller: I still don't get it.

Dashboard Confessional - Alter The Ending: Another merely adequate post-MTV album.

Into It. Over It. - 52 Weeks: Love he commitment, if not all the songs, though enough of them. Dig the early Piebald influence.

Lead singer from Mansions needs more stage presence, less alcohol.

Hope Conspiracy - True Nihilist: Not as brutal as previous releases, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Hollywood - Discography: It's a shame they never found their footing, because the potential was there.

Buddy Holly - Complete Collection: 10 discs of anyone borders on too much. With someone as limited as Holly it's especially true.

Bill Hicks - Dark Poet: If you're a fan this is a must listen. Not because it's funny but because it's not. And epically awkward.

Here We Go Magic - S/T: It put me to sleep. Not sure the music was at fault or if I was just that tired.

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced: It fails to capture the immediacy and epicness of what he could do on stage.

Levon Helm - Electric Dirt: If I didn't know any better, I'd be very quick to make comaprisons to The Band.

Earth Crisis - To The Death: It's Earth Crisis - loud, noisy, a bit cheesy.

Earth Crisis - To The Death: It's Earth Crisis - loud, noisy, a bit cheesy.

Duke Spirit - Neptune: Wouldn't listen to again. Unless Travis Shettel (Piebald) has a more active role.

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain: Excellent classic rock-infused album. For (older) fans of Kings Of Leon.

Hazen St - Hazen St: A little cheesy in its delivery. Still worthy of a second listen.

Ducky Boys - War Back Home: No doubt that it's The Duck Boys. Brings me back 10 years, to a time more simple.

Hatebreed - For The Lions: Unfamiliarity with the source material makes it easier to enjoy, harder to appreciate.

Handsome Furs - Face Control: I have tried and failed, again, at really like Handsome Furs. Adequate, just not extraordinary.

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest: Sometimes, like this one, an album lives up to the hype.

Grateful Dead - American Beauty: Endlessly catchy '70s pop/rock that defies their stereotype.

Sebastien Grainger - And The Mountains: Solid collection of songs as he tries to find his sound in a post-DFA1979 world.

Dr. Dre - The Chronic: Singles still hold up, but the rest is pretty hit-or-miss. Still a classic album.

Get Up Kids - Eudora: Only necessary for diehard fans and completists.

Get Up Kids - The EPs: Good enough to be appended on their LPs as bonus tracks.

Jerry Garcia - Garcia Plays Dylan: I could do without the 6 minute jams in the middle of each song, but then, I guess, that's Jerry Garcia.

Serge Gainsbourg - Historie de Melody: Not sure where to begin. Avant garde and sleep-inducing, both because it's entirely in French.

Jim Gaffigan - King Baby: Non-stop laughs. One of the best comedy albums I've ever heard.

Doves - Kingdom Of Rust: It's almost as if The Doves can do no wrong.

Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another: Great post-punk and a huge improvement over their debut, but not without faults.

Fugazi - Demo: Poor sound quality makes for a frustrating and unconvincing listen.

Franz Ferdinand -Tonight: Unfortunately catchy and upbeat. Lucid Dreams aside.

Tom Frampton - ...As Marion Delgado: Best songs are when he's being someone else (Bright Eyes imitation and Mountain Goats cover).

Ben Folds - University A Capella: Cool idea, well executied. More compelling when familiar with source material.

Ben Folds - Stems And Seeds: Demos, throwaways and alternate versions of Way To Normal tracks. Only for diehard fans.

Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away: Adequate return to form, but lacking the catchiness and cohesion of Blueberry Boat.

Feederz - Teachers In Space: As much as I think I love The Feederz I also think it's the concept as opposed to the actual music.

Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux: Expectatons in the basement results in a pretty good album.

Fake Problems - It's Great To Be Alive: Experimentation can be a good thing, helping a band to grow. But this is way too different.

Jeremy Enigk - OK Bear: Another disappointment in its attempted grandiosity.

Eminem - Relapse: Adequate comeback album. Far from intensity and lyrical prowess of earlier albums. Alludes to future greatness.

Last Lights - No Past No Present No Future: It's hard not to feel emotion fo the loss of Dominic Mallory. Still, the emotion he captures is song seems more.

Sonic Youth - The Eternal: 20 years and they're still putting out relavent records. Simply amazing.

Most Precious Blood - Merciless: Much, much better than Our Lady. Still no mach for Nothing In Vain.

DOOM - Born Like This: It's easily one of, if not the, weakest albums in his catalog. Boring production, mediocre lyrics.

Most Precious Blood - Our Lady of Annihilation: Not as hungry as debut. Sounds muddy, but if you like NYHC, you'll like this.

Review: Pete Doherty - Grace/Wastelands:

Upon first listen it's another great album by Doherty (this time as a solo artist). Every two years, like clockwork.

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Review: Dead Weather - Horehound:

Upon first listen it was lacking some much-needed energy/enthusiasm at parts. I look forward to what they do next.

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Review: David Cross - It's Not Funny:

Upon first listen it was pretty funny. Some jokes, or parts of jokes, fall a bit flat, but I laughed pretty hard at some of them. A lot of politically-related jokes aimed at the expense of the Bush administration.

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Review: Converge - Petitioning The Empty Sky:

Upon first listen the illustration this provides for the evolutionary leap to Jane Doe makes this a must-hear, if not a must-listen-daily.

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Review: Jello Biafra And The Melvins - Never Breathe What You Can't See:

Upon first listen it's only good because Jello Biafra's voice is unmistakable.

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Review: Bad Religion - Against The Grain:

Upon first listen listed this would be my favorite album if I were 16 again.

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Review: Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Pop Nonsense:

Upon first listen it is nonsense.

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Review: Discovery - LP:

Upon first listen I just hope the over-the-top electronic experimentation stays in this side project and doesn't bleed too much into their respective main bands.

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Review: Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca:

Upon first listen I really dislike this album after the first tracks. Then slowly, track by track, it reversed course and I found that it easily on the of the most frustratingly, insidiously catchy albums I've listened to in a very, very long time.

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Review: Dinosaur Jr - Farm:

Upon first listen it was perfectly acceptable. And had I been a longtime Dinosaur Jr fan, I'd likely have enjoyed it more, but as it stands it's just OK.

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Review: Great Friend Of Mine - Desperate Songs:

Upon first listen it's hardcore that falls in more a avant-garde realm somewhere between Verse and Fucked Up.

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Review: Depeche Mode - Sounds Of The Universe:

Upon first listen I love the songs. Dislike the album.

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Review: The Decemberists - Hazards of Love:

Upon first listen it's almost as if their finally living up to the pretentiousness they've been pedalling for the past few years. Almost.

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Review: Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door:

Upon first listen the more I listen, the more I really, really like Death Cab.

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Review: Death Before Dishonor - Friends Family Forever:

Upon first listen it's pretty generic Hatebreed-inspired hardcore. Not that that's a bad thing.

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Review: Death - ...For The Whole World To See:

Upon first listen it's proto-punk from Detroit. In 1974. Must listen.

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Review: Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul:

Upon first listen it has to be heard as explanation escapes it. Well, at least my ability to explain it.

Danger Mouse's wiki

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It's out there

Review: Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains:

Upon first listen it's a sometimes genius, sometimes-frustrating blend of psychedelic rock, post-rock and shoegaze. The potential is obviously there, just sometimes mis-focused.

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Review: Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen:

Upon first listen it's been a long a time since I've listened to Cursive (since The Ugly Organ came out). This album, while hit-or-miss reminds me I should listen to them again and more frequently.

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Review: Cream - Disraeli Gears:

Upon first listen it's obviously a classic blues-rock album, but it's not really something I'll listen to on a regular basis.

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Review: Cotton Jones - Paranoid Cocoon:

Upon first listen if you had told me this was released in 1968 I'd have believed you.

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Review: Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane and Sugarcane:

Upon first listen it's the most straight-forward folk record I've ever heard from Elvis Costello.

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Review: Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come/This Is Our Music/Ornette!/Dancing In Your Head/Virgin Beauty/Sound Grammar:

Upon first listen I think I'm pretty burnt out on jazz so it takes something truely special for me to take notice. This was not something of that level, but when my wife overhead it did say "Who are you listening to? Dizzy?" So that's a good sign to revisit at a later date.

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Review: Coldplay - Left Right Left Right Left:

Upon first listen this album just infurariates me as I was unable to catch either of Coldplay shows in Atlanta this year. Both due to work. Time for a new job.

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Review: Clipse - Lord Willin':

Upon first listen it's an insidious and unforgettable album. Production is top notch, vocal delivery (almost) flawless. A few too many skits (more than one is too many), but these usually fall at the end of tracks, making skipping them a bit harder.

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Review: Clem Snide x2

Clem Snide - End Of Love: Upon first listen if you had told me this was a Neil Young album, I'd be hard pressed to dispute it.

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Clem Snide - Hungry Bird: Upon first listen it's a little slower than End of Love and I regret listening to them back-to-back.

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Review: Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted:

Upon first listen I'm not ashamed to admit that this was a really, really good pop album.

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Review: Neko Case - Middle Cyclone:

Upon first listen it's easily a contender for album of the year, sounding like the album we all hoped Jenny Lewis would release.

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Review: Bowerbirds - Upper Air:

Upon first listen it's one of the better albums of the year. So full of emotion.

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Review: Boredoms - Super Roots 10:

Upon first listen I just wish it was longer than two original tracks and a bunch of remixes. The remixes aren't bad, but when they follow the original, most of them become grating and distracting.

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Review: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware:

Upon first listen it's probably my favorite album of his, which isn't saying that much.

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Review: Chuck Berry - His Complete '50s Chess Recordings:

Upon first listen I've never listened to much Chuck Berry aside from Johnny B Goode and Maybellene, so the opportunity to hear so much from his catalog was an exciting prospect. And I was not disappointed. This is the beginning of Rock and Roll and your hair stands up listening to it. I skipped most of the duplicates and live tracks and can't wait to mix it down into a single disc for easier listening.

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Review: Andrew WK - We Want Fun Demos:

Upon first listen it's interesting to hear the progression of (or lack thereof) these tracks. It also makes me want to revisit The Wolf.

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Review: Black Flag - Discography

Black Flag - Nervous Breakdown/Panic Demo/Jealous Again/Police Story/Damanged Demos/Spray Paint/Decline Of Western Civilization/TV Party/Everything Went Black: Upon first listen it's obvious that the intensity and catchiness of these songs were present at a very early age in Black Flag history. What's not clear is the multitude of versions of the songs and how they fit into the history (at least to me) which makes getting into the band a daunting task. Still, I push forward.

Black Flag - My War/Family Man/Slip It In/Loose Nut/In My Head: Upon first listen it's almost like listening to a completely different band. Slower and heavier it's no wonder everyone only ever talks about Damaged.

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Review: The Mars Volta - Octahedron:

Upon first listen it's certainly a quieter album - with a much larger emphasis on the lyrics - than their previous efforts. Just when you're expecting it to get big, loud and crazy it just sort of fizzles. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - just disorienting the first time through.

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Review: Jello Biafra - Discography:

Upon first listen he makes a lot of really good points, but does so with such grandstanding it's sometimes difficult to take seriously - much like Michael Moore or Keith Olbermann. Once you get beyond that, his points are valid, mostly well thought-out (if sometimes a tad embellished) and disturbing. He also repeats a lot of the same bits as if those listening to the spoken word album had not heard his previous efforts. While probably not as disorienting when the albums are spread over a few years, but when listening back-to-back it's frustrating as you don't know when to fast forward or when to hear it through. Still, it's worthing listening to, though I wish there was a condensed version (say 5 discs) that represents all of his points of view without duplication.

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Review: Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows:

Upon first listen there is some really good tracks here, just not enough to recommend the album.

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Hiatus

Busy week at work. Listening to Jello Biafra's spoken world albums. Will review in batches in one shot instead of individually.

Review: Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown:

Upon first listen it's obvious they're trying too hard.

Upon further consideration I just can't get past the copious amounts of autotune.

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Review: Beirut - March of the Zapotec/Holland:

Upon first listen I was anxious for new music from Zach Condon, but both of these EPs fail to live up to my expectations (the electronic Holland half in particular).

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Review: Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid:

Upon first listen it shows that the blues are alive and well. Probably forever, too.

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Review: And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - The Century of Self:

Upon first listen the first half was amazing, but it really failed to deliver on the back end.

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Review: Arthur Alexander - The Ultimate:

Upon first listen it's pretty straight forward soul/R&B from the '60s. But with the influence it had on The Beatles (Lennon in particular) and every other big rock act of the time, it is required listening for all music fans.

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Review: Alert - Demo:

Upon first listen it's pretty decent hardcore with poor recording/production. I'll be interested to see what they do in a real studio.

All you need to know

Review: Akron Family - Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free:

Upon first listen it starts off really strong, but by track five or six it lost me.

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Review: 1990s - Kicks:

Upon first listen I am thoroughly confused why I was so excited for this album. I really enjoyed Cookies (though it's been a while since I've last listened) and this was just terrible.

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Review: 7 Seconds - Walk Together, Rock Together:

Upon first listen it's obvious they were influenced by Minor Threat and that is never a bad thing.

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Review: Zumpano x2

Look What The Rookie Did: Upon first listen it's quirky pop, mixing The Shins with Polaris.

Goin' Through Changes: Upon first listen it's definetely a change that's not quite as good their debut. More pop oriented, less quirky.

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Review: Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers:

Upon first listen I understand and mostly support the amount of hype for these guys.

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Review: White Stripes with Steven McDonald - Redd Blood Cells:

Upon first listen this is Steven McDonald (of Redd Kross) adding bass lines to the White Stripes breakthrough White Blood Cells. It was not necessary.

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Review: Various - The Wire ...and all the pieces that matter:

Upon first listen I could have just listened to the dialog from the best television drama of all time (there, I said it). Some of the mustic was great, but it crosses so many genres it doesn't feel as cohesive as the show.

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Review: Various - Twelve Stepper Records Presents...Remember Your Roots:

Upon first listen this is another album I acquired for two previously unreleased Against Me! songs. They were unreleased for a reason. There was some redemption as a few bands (Burning Bridges and 48 Thrills) stood out and will be getting further listens.

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Review: Various - Level Plane Records Presents...80 Records And We're Not Broke (Yet):

Upon first listen I acquired this just for the previously unreleased City of Caterpillar track (Driving Spain Up A Wall) which was a bit of a disappointment. The first disc has some really, really great music on it so it's easy to see why they're not broke yet. The second disc, on the other hand...

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Review: Swingin' Utters x2

Swingin' Utters - More Scared: The House Of Faith Years: Upon first listen it's more reminiscent of The Replacements than the snotty Windspitting Punk that I remember from my youth.

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Swingin' Utters - Swingin' Utters: Upon first listen it's more melodic and pop than punk. I guess that's what happens when you get older.

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Review: Marnie Stern - This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That:

Upon first listen it started off as a really cool guitar-driven, Go Team-esque assault of the senses. It quickly, however, devolves into a frustrating, grating experience. The promise is there, but the execution was flawed.

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Review: Bob Dylan - Together Through Life:

Upon first listen it's obvious how much fun Dylan had in the studio on this album. And while not quite up the same par as the last few albums, there are more than enough high-quality tracks here to keep fans happy.

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Review: Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx:

Upon first listen I was sadly disappointed, but I'm not sure if it's legitimate disappointment or unrealistic expectations (best album from a Wu-Tang member).

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Review: Ra Ra Riot - Ra Ra Riot EP:

Upon first listen I am absolutely loving this band. These songs are absolute winners even in their early form.

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Review: Q-Tip - The Renaissance:

Upon first listen I love the vocal delivery and the minimal, yet effective, production. I didn't like the album, though, and think I need to look into some of his earlier releases.

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Review: Polar Bear Club - The Redder, The Better:

Upon first listen I'm glad I listened to the LP first. Had I listened in the opposite order I may not have even tried the LP.

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Review: Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Live At Fillmore West 1966-1969:

Upon first listen there are some amazing tracks on here. But there are also a couple that drag on too long. Still, it's a nice document of the band in a live setting.

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Review: Morrissey - Years Of Refusal:

Upon first listen I've never been much of a Moz fan (nor of The Smiths) and this lounge-singer effort has done little to make me want to investigate further.

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Review: Make Do and Mend - Bodies of Water:

Upon first listen it fails to live up to the promise of their debut. Not bad, but rather mediocre with potential.

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Review: Major Organ and the Adding Machine - Major Organ and the Adding Machine:

Upon first listen this giant-sized band of Elephant 6 members (including Jeff Mangum) makes a scizophrenically psychedelic mish-mash of music and concepts. As expected, the tracks are hit-or-miss in quality.

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Review: Kathy McCarty - Dead Dog's Eyeball (Songs of Daniel Johnston):

Upon first listen it lacks the desperation and immediacy that Johnston portrays. There are a couple of good tracks, however (Like A Monkey In A Zoo and Oh No!).

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Review: Love - Forever Changes:

Upon first listen it's mostly forgettable pop/rock from the '60s. Or so I thought, because it's been named the sixth best album of all time by NME (among others). Obviously I've missed something.

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Review: Lifter Puller - Soft Rock:

Upon first listen there's no mistaking Craig Finn for anyone. While grating at times, there's certainly an album's worth of songs represented on these two discs - especially for fans of The Hold Steady.

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Review: Leaves - B-Side Collection:

Upon first listen this is a really solid set of songs - almost enough to make a really good album.

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Review: The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!:

Upon first listen it's easily their best album - but that's not saying too much.

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Review: The Lawrence Arms - Cocktails and Dreams:

Upon first listen it's a frustrating compilation album in which the band can't decide if it wants to be this cool, melodic rock band or a snotty pop-punk one - and neither wins out.

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Review: The Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever Told:

Upon first listen it's certainly not the greatest story ever told.

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Review: The Lawrence Arms - Apathy and Exhaustion:

Upon first listen this seems to be their "grown up" album - a little less snotty, a little more melodic. It's no surprise, then, that this is my favorite of their albums thus far.

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Review: The Lawrence Arms - Ghost Stories:

Upon first listen it seems to have a harder edge to it this time around - a welcome addition.

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Review: The Lawrence Arms - A Guided Tour of Chicago:

Upon first listen it's more smoke-induced street punk that I'm sure is a blast in a live setting but never really transfers to CD.

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Review: Jaydiohead:

Upon first listen this may be my favorite Jay-Z mashup. The production is minimal, but beneficial to the original tracks. My only complain is Fall In Step which has the volume a little too loud on the 15 Step sample, drowning out the vocals.

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Review: Gza - Liquid Swords:

Upon first listen it's another excellent hip-hop album from a Wu-Tang alum, even if it does run a track or two long.

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Review: Ghostface Killah and MF Doom:

Upon first listen I was very excited at the prospects of this collaboration, but very disappointed in its execution. Mediocre at best is the only way to describe this collection of what I can assume is demos.

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Review: Ghostface Killah - Hidden Darts:

Upon first listen it's, like most collections, is a hit-or-miss affair. Mainly misses.

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Review: Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele:

Upon first listen I found it difficult to listen to with the introduction of skits as well as some very distracting production work.

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Review: Ghostface Killah - Ironman:

Upon first listen the movie quotes are a little overdone, but other than that, this is how hip-hop should sound.

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Review: Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning:

Upon first listen I'm still not sure if I like him or not. It certainly doesn't appear to be terribly special, but it's also not poor. I'll be confused.

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Review: For Squirrels:

Baypath Rd: Upon first listen the easiest comparison to make (and thus the laziest) is to the Pixies.

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Example: Upon first listen this actually precedes Baypath Rd and is a bit poppier, but easily less refined.

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Review: Future of the Left - Curses:

Upon first listen it was so gratingly repetitive I turned it off after the third track and have yet to revisit.

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Review: Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant:

Upon first listen it's certainly not as fleshed out as their LP, but it's hard to not like it.

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Review: Fire Deuce - Children Of The Deuce:

Upon first listen this faux-metal outing from Travis Stever is more of a stop-gap before finding his truer, more refined sound in Davenport Cabinet.

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Review: The English Panther - The English Panther:

Upon first listen this comes across as a collection of Demos from Coheed-guitarist Travis Stever. Acoustic and certainly interesting, just lacking in direction.

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Review: Elbow - B-Side Collection:

Upon first listen this marathon of a collection, at 55 tracks, needs some pairing down. Perhaps breaking it into three different collections - true B-sides, remixes, demos/acoustic - would make it a little easier to digest.

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Review: Department of Eagles - In Ear Park:

Upon first listen some albums require a more active listen. This being one of them, I did not give it the proper attention.

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Review: Crass - Penis Envy:

Upon first listen this is an absolute classic punk rock album and I can't believe it's taken me so long to listen to it.

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Review: The Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady:

Upon first listen it's refreshing, though a little daunting, knowing that pop-punk has barely changed in thirty years.

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Review: Buffalo Springfield - Again:

Upon first listen I'm not sure I'd be all that interested if Neil Young weren't involved. There's certainly some good songs here (Mr. Soul), but not enough of them.

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Review: Mick Boogie and Terry Urban - Viva La Hova:

Upon first listen I'm almost always disappointed in these mashups - despite the cool concepts they usually provide.

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Review: Bon Iver - Blood Bank:

Upon first listen I had one foot on the bandwagon, but it had taken many listens to get there. This EP does nothing to get that second foot on there as well, almost causing the first foot to fall off.

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Review: Andrew Bird - Noble Beast:

Upon first listen it's just not as cohesive as his past few releases and seems a bit more sparse. It's still good, but not Andrew Bird good.

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Review: Big Star - Radio City:

Upon first listen I just wasn't that interested in what they had to offer.

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Review: Doug Benson - Professional Humoredian:

Upon first listen one of his final jokes on the CD is about people who "lol" at their own jokes. It's ironic because that's exactly what he does for the entire CD - mostly before the punchline is given. There's a couple of really good lines here and there, but most of it is arrogant and childish.

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Review: The Band - The Complete Last Waltz:

Upon first listen I'd like to thank Croz.fm for this excellent four-disc set. I was never a big fan of The Band, but this has made me see the light.

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Review: Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light:

Upon first listen I seem to remember really liking his last album, so I was a bit disappointed when I didn't like this one.

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Review: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion:

Upon first listen I've never been a big fan of the Collective, but with such nauseatingly universal praise for this disc, I tried to approach it with a more open mind. It's certainly very avant garde, more so than their previous releases, but parts of it are far too grating - especially the middle of Brother Sport. I'll need to revisit it soon to figure out why I'm the only one that doesn't seem to get it.

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Review: Neil Young - Sugar Mountain: Live At Canterbury House 1968:

Upon first listen it's not as good as Massey Hall, but it's another nice addition to Young's collection.

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Review: Woven Hand - Ten Stones:

Upon first listen I always really like listening to Woven Hand, but never revisit between albums.

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Review: Why? - Alopecia:

Upon first listen it's........interesting.

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Review: Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane:

Upon first listen I'm surprised at how much I didn't like this. I've been doing a much better job at screening artists to ensure some level of enjoyability, but this one flew a little under that radar.

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Review: Sun Kil Moon - April:

Upon first listen it's a perfect rainy day album.

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Review: Spiritualized - Songs In A & E:

Upon first listen I never was able to get into Spiritualized during my infatuation with post-rock. Their name came up all over the place, but it never struck a chord with me. Well, I'm paying attention now.

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Review: Red Eyed Legends - Wake Up, Legend:

Upon first listen it's garage rock that fails to translate to disc.

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Review: Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line:

Upon first listen I'm just inundated with really great music from last year. Will it ever cease?

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Review: Polar Bear Club - Sometime Things Just Disappear:

Upon first listen I'm not even sure how to describe this excellent punk-inspired, but entirely-unique album.

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Review: Paint It Black - New Lexicon:

Upon first listen there seems to exist a disconnect between the vocals and the music. Live, I'm sure this is one killer set of songs.

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Review: New Radiant Storm King - Drinking In The Moonlight:

Upon first listen it's another solid album, aside from the sometimes distracting production.

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Review: Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads:

Upon first listen let's just call them a guilty pleasure.

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Review: My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges:

Upon first listen it's perfectly fine arena rock - and I'm sure it's awesome live - but it's also a little schizophrenic. I mean, Highly Suspicious is a long-lost Talking Heads track and has no business on the album.

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Review: The Mountain Goats - Satanic Messiah:

Upon first listen I was expecting something a little heavier, with a bit more crunch. Instead, I got some more awesome songs from Mr. Darnielle.

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Review: Ida Maria - Fortress 'round My Heart:

Upon first listen I love the quirky songwriting and odd-timed deliveries, but much like the Dresden Dolls, she takes it a bit too far at times.

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Review: Keane - Perfect Symmetry:

Upon first listen it's perfectly boring.

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Review: The (International) Noise Conspiracy - The Cross Of My Calling:

Upon first listen it would be negligent to say that fans of Ted Leo would enjoy this and vice versa.

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Review: Guns 'n' Roses - Chinese Democracy:

Upon first listen the expectations for this album were so varied, it's no wonder the reviews were as well. I rather enjoyed it - sure it gets a little too grandiose at times, but it's still a pretty good rock album. Of course, I was never a big GnR fan, so that probably helps.

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Review: The Gaslight Anthem - Senor and the Queen:

Upon first listen I'm not surprised these tracks didn't make their latest album. Not that they're bad, just not as good as some of the other work.

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Review: Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight:

Upon first listen I was sure, 30 seconds in, that I was going to love this album. While I did like it quite a bit, it didn't live up to those premature expectations.

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Review: The Fireman - Electric Arrangements:

Upon first listen I think I'd like this a lot more (though I did like it quite a bit) if McCartney weren't attached. Some truly wonderful, inspiring tracks and a few clunkers.

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Review: Fear Before - Fear Before:

Upon first listen it comes across as cheesy and not genuine. Can we please induce a moratorium on screaming and singing softly within the same song for a while?

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Review: The Fall of Troy - Phantom on the Horizon:

Upon first listen you've likely already made up your mind on these guys. I certainly have and can do without them.

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Review: Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Volume 8: Tell Tale Signs:

Upon first listen it's amazing that Dylan has such quality stuff never released. I look forward to his Bootleg Series releases more than I do his new albums.

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Review: Dillinger Four - Civil War:

Upon first listen it's pretty good pop-punk. I was expecting better based on reviews, but was not turned off by it either.

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Review: Deerhunter - Microcastle:

Upon first listen it's the best Sonic Youth album they've yet to release.

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Review: Dear And The Headlights - Drunk Like Bible Times:

Upon first listen they sound just like a dozen indie-rock bands (not that that's inherently a bad thing), but for whatever reason I found Ian Metzger's voice to be distracting.

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Review: Davenport Cabinet - Nostalgia In Stereo:

Upon first listen I've gathered one of two conclusions from this: 1) Claudio isn't as much of a megalomaniac as I assumed he was and Travis is the driving force behind the sound of Coheed and Cambria or 2) Travis is an excellent student and has learned greatly from Claudio as many of the tracks here could easily be the basis for a Coheed track.

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Review: Common - Universal Mind Control:

Upon first listen I'm going to give up on Common for a while. His promise and potential have been unfulfilled for far too long.

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Review: Coldplay - Prospekt's March:

Upon first listen there's certainly some throwaway stuff here (Glass of Water), but some songs should have ended up on Viva La Vida (Life In Technicolor II should have opened the album).

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Review: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago:

Upon first listen if this album wasn't buried under a pile of adulation bigger that Bono's ego, I'd have already dismissed it. It's not, however, so I'll have to go back and see what all the fuss is aboug.

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