Sarahindie

Let’s be honest with each other, as friends. I have been doing a really terrible job of covering current albums. While the reasons are both many and none, I have had the fire lit under me. I realized that there is less than a month until Lollapalooza and I have lots of bands on my “to see” list whose current albums I either haven’t yet heard or haven’t talked to you about. I am on a quest to fix that. Below, the first four.

Spoon – Transference: It is, as has been said, as flawless as every other Spoon album. But I’m listening with one ear toward the festival and this might not translate well. It’s kind of jammy, and if, like most bands, the live version is even jammier, people might head for the bar. Hipsters aren’t down for that noise.

MUTEMATH – Armistice: Oh man, you guys! I meant to pick this album up when it came out forever ago and I’m kinda kicking myself. This album is ferocious. It’s the same sort of easy listening scenepop that they always made, and this should pretty much replace The Format in everyone’s hearts, but there’s all this complexity, like horns in random places and weird haunting songs. And every single song has the undercurrent of their drummer’s unbelievable energy and mastery. I’m in awe. They just got upgraded to must see.

The National – High Violet: This is alt-countrier than I expected, but not in a bad way! I expect tons of girls in knee length skirts and bandanas at this set, just swaying. It’ll be a cool mellow set, the perfect thing for the evening when the sun starts to set. (Bonus: they play right before Sunday headliners Arcade Fire!)

Foxy Shazam – Foxy Shazam: Confession time: Part of the reason I haven’t been Johnny on the spot currently is that I am having job stresses and, when that happens, what I need to light a fire under my ass and keep me kicking life in the posterior is this album. If this doesn’t make you want to tear your shirt off or start swinging around a pole, snarling, then you might be deceased. This band is silly enough to just be a novelty act (one of the members is named only Daisy. He is a dude), but that throws you off kilter and then the rock hits you broadside. Plus, it’s music about being awesome and taking names and I have thought more than once about getting a tattoo of the best lyric on the album. (“Life is a bitch, but she’s totally doable.”) Also, if this band is ever in your neck of the woods, GO SEE THEM. Even if you never got around to listening to their music. Trust me. Just … trust me.