Booka Shade present one of those electronica groups that cross over between two genres. They can be both electronica dance with some of their more upbeat and crazy remixes (that they do live and that you can hear on their myspace page live at Glastonbury festival) or chill. The best thing about their disc MOVEMENTS is that it can be both. If you want to crank it up and get the old fist pumping in the air, you can blast some tracks like IN WHITE ROOMS to get your groove on, Napoleon Dynamite-style. On the other hand, you can just throw the disc in your player and use it as background music while you Autocad all day.

My interest in dance/electronic/club music has waned over the past few years as I don't really keep up with the big "up and coming" names like I used to back in my younger years. Just like any music, there is an "underground" scene that has many great dj's that are putting out stellar remixes and original tracks.

If you are looking for some quality creative music that can keep you going on a slow day, you can do a lot worse than Booka Shade's MOVEMENTS. And if you get the chance, throw in some earplugs and catch them live some time. You will not be disappointed by their energy or the tunes.

Stand out tracks: In White Rooms, The Birds and the Beats/At the Window, Mandarine Girl, Around You (Quiet)

http://www.myspace.com/getbookashade

Even though Tom Chaplin might be a little crazy looking, I feel that he has some of the strongest male vocals in any band making music today. His voice is pure and his pitch, consistent. Plus, he is British (which scores big points in my book as the majority of my favorite bands are from across the pond).

I had VERY high expectations for Keane's new album, PERFECT SYMMETRY, because I think I was one of about 5 people who really enjoyed their 2nd album. I love bands that grow and progress and decide to try new things as they develop (see Radiohead; Sigur Ros). That is exactly what Keane has done over the course of their first two discs and they continue it with their 3rd.

I was laughing when I heard the cd the first time because it is very "throwback" sounding in how they use a lot of synthesizer and programming that reminds you of the whole 80's sound. The thing that makes it progressive is that they blend it smoothly into their established piano rock sound. It is toe tapping good and just infectious from the get-go (A perfect example is the track "Better than This." Just try and not shake your moneymaker).

Additionally, the boys in Keane don't let down their diehard "traditional" fans with some great quality ballads towards the back end of the album. The first half is a dance party and the 2nd half is for you to make out after you got your groove on.

I think that a lot of old fans will come back to Keane with this album and they might just add a few new fans while they are at it. I also have complete confidence that this album won't be a short rotation on my IPOD. It is a keeper.

Stand out tracks are: "Perfect Symmetry" "Black Burning Heart" "You Don't See Me"

http://www.myspace.com/keane

Yeah, that is how Mates of State were introduced this year at Lollapalooza. I thought that was a pretty bold statement at the time but now I might just be buying into the hype. As you may remember, one of the top bands of my first Lollapalooza experience were Mates of State (along with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Booka Shade and the Ting Tings...more on them in just a little bit). I finally got off my behind and downloaded their 2008 album THE RE-ARRANGER and I have to say, it is one of the shortest pieces of rock bliss that I have found in quite some time.

Mates of State are definitely not doing anything new. They are a male/female duo with piano and drums that just happen to be together, in a band and in a relationship. The catch of why they are so good is what they are doing that no one is doing today. The male/female harmonies on RE-ARRANGE US are so...well perfect that you can't help but tap your foot or in my case, jump around the room and attempt to dance like the white boy that I am.

The entire album is solid and just like most recordings today, the weaker songs are towards the end. That doesn't take away much from the album as the songs all blend together into one short lived dance revolution (yep, I went there). Since it clocks in just under 40 minutes, some people were a bit disappointed with the release. However, since this was my first experience with them, it was a great introduction. Long enough to get me hooked but not too long where I get bored or it becomes overkill.

If you like catchy melodies, crisp harmonies and just solid rock/pop, you could do far worse than the Mates of State. My personal standouts on the disc would be: The Re-Arranger, My Only Offer, Blue and Gold Print and You Are Free.

http://www.myspace.com/matesofstate

And also, since I have finally bought some new music recently, look for some more reviews this week of Booka Shade, Sharon Jones and possibly Keane.

I had the wonderful opportunity to see Andrew Bird, for free, approximately 2 weeks ago (9/3/08) in Millennium Park and it was everything I had hoped for and more. I had heard many things from some of my friends that I had turned onto Bird about his live shows and how great they were but I still wasn't sure what I should anticipate. The venue itself was worth its weight in gold as I had wanted to see a show at Millennium Park's Pritzker venue ever since it had opened. Due to the fact that I'm a big loser now, I missed the Decemberists show last year and I wasn't about to miss another show that would be amazing. Take Grant Park and then add in the best acoustics of any outdoor venue that you have ever attended, multiply that by about 12, and that is the Pritzker venue at Millennium Park. It blew my mind away, not to mention the fact that I was able to procure two seats at stage center in the seating section since I got there early enough.

Now onto the show. Andrew Bird is definitely an interesting character and that comes across in his stage banter, his music and his lyrics. His lyrics are not mind blowing by any means but they are definitely much more intricate and involving than most of the crap that is being made today so that gives me a definite edge on the competition. You add into the fact that he can play guitar, violin and glockenspiel (sp?) with relative ease and that makes me bow down to the talent.

I have to admit that since I'm a fan of Bird's catalog of music, it is difficult to be unbiased in my enjoyment of the show. However, he played a full 100 minute set without taking any breaks AND included another 15 minute encore bringing the show to a full 2 hours. Not to mention this was FREE...it was one of the better 2 hours of my summer.

He played a wide variety of his catalog, not to mention a few songs from local Chicago artists that have influenced him.

Even though I was unable to enjoy this show with Kyle (he was out on the lawn), I enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps Kyle can give his take on it as well...

http://www.myspace.com/andrewbird

I have been severely neglecting the new music scene as of late. I think I might have OD'd on music after my first Lollapalooza but I have been listening to some new things here and there. One of those things is Crystal Castles.

I was first interested in this duo when Kyle had invited me to a free show of theirs at the Double Door on a weeknight and I completely wussed out and didn't go (because I'm an old man). However, from the videos I have seen on You Tube, I'm not sure if I would survive one of their shows as they seem like they get kind of crazy (my body can't take abuse of mosh pits anymore).

The group's sound is all electronica but it isn't typical "Moby-like" electronica full of samples and snippets of old songs. It is more of the "casio-programmed" sound which gives it this heightened video game soundtrack feel. I love it. It makes me feel like I am listening to a soundtrack an old Nintendo role playing game but with harder tempos and crazier vocals.

Don't get me wrong, Crystal Castles brings a lot to the table. Their songs have VERY catchy hooks and make you want to get up and dance every time you hear them. As a whole, the entire album is not one hit after the other. However, if you are faced with the decision of downloading 3 or 4 of their songs for .99 cents vs. buying the entire album for $7 or $8, the album is a much better investment. There are some definite hidden gems on the full length that grow on you after a few listens (COURTSHIP DATING and MAGIC SPELLS are two that come immediately to mind). Be sure to listen to their "bigger" hits of UNTRUST US and CRIMEWAVE as well.

If you want some new dance tunes, check out Crystal Castles. They are a nice below the radar pick in my mind.

http://www.myspace.com/crystalcastles

Here are the rules of the game:

10 acts per day for 3 days
Only acts that HAVEN'T performed at previous Lollapaloozas between 2005-2008.
You can have band reunions - no matter how unlikely - in your lineup, as long as the members you wish to reunite are still alive!

You can check out my answers below the break, but try coming up with your own lineups before peeking at mine. Post your responses in the comments!

Also, I don't think the irony escapes anyone that a festival presented by AT&T would occur in an iPhone dead zone. Grant Park is truly the place that cell phone reception goes to die.

Winners:

Yeasayer had one of my favorite sets of the weekend - a very great performance for a hot summer day, with songs like Sunrise and 2080 offering the perfect soundtrack for the festival. Foals was a group I hadn't heard of until the festival - I had caught a couple of tracks at their recent pre-Lolla Apple store performance and had enjoyed it though. They were a lot of fun - the festival program calling them "angular, funky, math rock." They reminded me a bit of bands like the Lovely Feathers, with stand out songs like "Cassius." Wild Sweet Orange was another band who I knew nothing about and was really impressed by. From Birmingham, this group had a beautiful sound and I plan to pick up there album ASAP. It was one of those situations where I heard music in the distance and though "this sounds great, I'm going to wander over and listen to a couple of songs." These happy discoveries are always my favorite part of festivals. My more awesome then me friends were already there! Flogging Molly was a hell of a lot of fun, and though I was dragging ass near the end of the festival (I drifted off to the lovely sounds of Iron & Wine before them), they were the Irish punk shot in the arm in the home stretch that helped me get through it. Finally Broken Social Scene was a highlight performance a couple of years ago, so much that they got the biggest "Encore" chant I've seen at a Lollapalooza. Unfortunately, they were denied an encore that time around, but they were back to blow away the crowd again this year. With special guests like members of Stars, including the lovely Amy Milan, they rocked just as hard in 2008, and I think that you could say they got their encore in a big way.

Radiohead was the performance I was most looking forward to, with Nine Inch Nails a close second. Their performances didn't let me down, although I walked away not as blown away as I was by last year's Muse or Daft Punk performances. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I was more familiar with Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails so had more expectations (but I wasn't familiar enough to know more than a handful of songs). Also, the crowds seemed crazier and the places to view the show from seemed less prime than previous years, which kind of delivered a somewhat muted experience. The light shows were great for both - Radiohead had some interesting light tubes which changed colors and pulsated. Every year for the past few years, the headlining performance has corresponded with fireworks being shot off near the museum campus or Navy Pier for some other event. It happened during Pearl Jam as well as Ween. This year, it occurred during Radiohead, and was a nice touch accompanying Fake Plastic Trees. (There was also a display after the Saturday night festival had let out.) Nine Inch Nails' light show might have been better though, which had some moving video screens and one of the most interesting effects I've seen in recent memory, in which a screen is lowered in front of the performers, and a void appeared around Trent and followed him around. You'd have to see it to get the full effect, but it was great.

Another big winner of the festival was Barack Obama. The whole weekend was abuzz with rumors of a cameo from the Jr. Senator from Illinois. A visit didn't manifest, but that's not the point - festival goers were talking about him all weekend. They weren't the only ones - bands were name dropping him all weekend too. From Chicago's own Office to foreigners such as Broken Social Scene and Bloc Party (Kele was wearing an Obama t-shirt!) Speaking of which - Obama t-shirts seen at festival - 9 bajillion. McCain t-shirts - Zero. Obama even had an official store on the grounds that sold merch and signed people up to the mailing list. I'm going to bet that McCain doesn't know what Lollapalooza is.

The final big winner of the weekend that I have to point out is the most awesome ASL signer that totally rocked out more than anyone I saw in the crowd. She wasn't just signing, she was loving the music!

All in all, it was a great weekend, and I am still glad that Lollapalooza is in town!

Other enjoyable performances: Bloc Party, Dr. Dog, Wilco, Sofia Talvik, The Blakes, The National, Okkervil River. The Ting Tings, Office, Bang Camaro (not my type of music, but great. Kind of the metal version of my favorite band from last year - We're From Barcelona)

Sorry that I missed:DeVotchKa, CSS, Mates of State, Battles, The Kills, Grizzly Bear, Uffie, Chromeo (There's just not enough time or energy in the day!)

Soundtrack of my weekend:
(Go and download these now for a near Lolla experience)

Rogue Wave - Chicago X12
Yeasayer - Sunrise
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos - Quiet As a Mouse
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
Dr. Dog - The World May Never Know
Foals - Cassius
Bloc Party - Like Eating Glass
Gogol Bordello - Supertheory of Supereverything
Wilco - Jesus, Etc.
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 (Shoreline)
MGMT - Time to Pretend
Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe
Office - Oh My
Wild Sweet Orange - Ten Dead Dogs
The Blakes - Don't Bother Me
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Sultan
Nicole Atkins & The Sea - Maybe Tonight
Iron & Wine - Woman King
Flogging Molly - If I Ever Leave This World Alive
The National - Fake Empire
Nine Inch Nails - Closer

The Worst:

I was SUPER excited to finally see Rage Against the Machine on their reunion tour. I had always listened to them when I was in High School, pumping myself up for my big X-Country meets and tennis matches (Yeah, I know I was an intimidating athlete). They were probably the 2nd most highly anticipated act at Lolla (behind Radiohead) and rightly so. They were THE band for a large part of the 90's. The sound for their set was not loud enough and Rage needs to be heard at insanely loud levels (they need to go to 11 in other words). The band did perform their first 4 songs with flourish and energy that made them one of the top live acts to see for quite some time. Then it all went to hell. The group had to stop because people were crushing others into the stage (too much moshing and insanity). I don't know why people feel compelled to be violent and stupid at rock concerts. When you have to stop music because people are getting too unruly, I sometimes question people's motives. Anyhow, the group ended up having to stop their set multiple times and threatened to cut it short if people didn't calm down. It made me sad to see something like this any day, let alone in this day and age.

Everything in Between:

The majority of the bands at Lolla were unfamiliar to me. I was able to go and explore a great amount which is always a perk when you are in such a wide variety of genres. Some of my highlights:

Gogol Bordello: http://www.myspace.com/gogolbordello
My compatriot was a huge fan of these guys so I tagged along. It is kind of hard to describe gypsy punk music so I would just refer you to their myspace page for a listen. The group had some of the best energy I have ever seen for a live band...crazy ladies jumping around banging drums, old men playing eletric fiddle, just mayhem from start to finish.

Mates of Statehttp://www.myspace.com/matesofstate

Many people have recommend this married duo to me for quite some time and I was glad I saw them. They write some of the catchiest pop tunes I have heard in quite some time. And they make a pretty big sound for just a duo. You throw in a couple of string players and you make this reviewer quite a happy camper. They lived up to the hype and I will probably be compelled to check out some of their catalog now.

Booka Shade, James Curd (Greenskeepers) and DJ Bald Eagle

I have to admit that I used to be a frequent club goer back in the day and I made my way over to see a few eletronic acts and djs. I picked these 3 as they seemed like the closest mix of what I enjoy. Booka Shade are German producers that make some of the best electronica I have heard in quite some time. They were AWESOME and I was blown away by their set, ESPECIALLY since it was in the middle of the day. James Curd also had the small side grooving. DJ Bald Eagle gets bonus points for having enjoyable guests rapping along with his beats and having the best costume get-up since a Flaming Lips show (a perfect rendition of a Bald Eagle...in 80+ heat...bravo)

Bloc Partyhttp://www.myspace.com/blocparty

I have seen Bloc Party before and I just love the energy and talent in the group. I think i was the only person in the middle of Grant Park dancing and grooving but I have complete faith that those people up in front were just as enthused as I was with their set up tunes. I was ESPECIALLY happy with the fact that they played two of my personal favorites off of their debut (Like Eating Glass and Helicopter). In my mind, they were the perfect one-two punch with Radiohead.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings:http://www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings

One word: WOW. The Dap Kings are the band that has played on Amy Winehouse's BACK IN BLACK album and now I know why. The group is SUPER TIGHT and just blow you away with their skill. I probably had the best location for this band (right up front) and I was glad because I was grooving and dancing around on a high RIGHT before the catastrophe that was Rage. Sharon Jones' voice has so much soul and shear power, it needs to be witnessed live and unproduced to believe. They were easily my favorite Non-Headliner act I saw over the two days at Lollapalooza. From start to finish, it was a joy.

The Best:

The whole reason why I went to the festival was for the ability to see Radiohead perform live again. I will never forget my first experience seeing them live in 2001 in Grant Park (one of the best shows I ever saw, bar none) so I had high expectations for this time around. They did not disappoint. Thom Yorke and company were in rare form and they covered most of their catalog, as far back as my personal favorite album, THE BENDS. There was a massive amount of focus on their latest, IN RAINBOWS, and rightly so as it one of the better albums to come out in the past few years. I had heard about the stage lights and the creative aspects of what was in store for the show and they were all insanely perfect for the setting (unfortunately I forgot my camera once again so no pictures to back up my thoughts). The most perfect moment of the entire day (and in my mind, the festival) was when the band was performing Fake Plastic Trees, from THE BENDS, and there were fireworks from some other event going by Adler Planetarium (perhaps it was for Lolla, I don't know). It was indescribable...the fireworks reflecting off the building and the perfect build up of Thom Yorke's falsetto over a serene field of worshippers....It was the epitome of what is best in music now and forever. And it is what keeps me coming back for more (check out the link below for their full setlist and those of other artists from Lollapalooza).

http://www.lollapalooza.com/2008_files/takeover/setlists.asp?dayx=1

All in all, I was very happy with the performances. I saw Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, part of Dizzee Rascall and !!! and Animal Collective.

Fleet Foxes were the first band of the day for me when I got to the fest at approximately 2:45. They started off their set with a very mellow, acapella tune that made the entire festival hush to a silence. It was a crazy, surreal moment to have a festival that quiet for a performer. That just went on to show you how good these guys are and how they bring folks along for a musical journey with their rich harmonies and melodies. I was quite impressed. The only flaw I found was that their set was not very organized and they had long pauses between songs which kind of annoyed my short attention span.

Next was Dizzee Rascal. He was the only rapper of the day and he is British. Oh yeah and he has GREAT abs..like washboard abs. This guy must do about 300 situps a day. He also liked to call the audience MotherF----- a LOT. I lost track after we got done with the first song and we had already hit 20 (I'm that big of a nerd that I was counting). Yeah, but he does have the #1 hit song in the UK right now. Congrats to him for that.

NOTE: The Fleet Foxes lead singer is a Vegan who enjoys Vegan Ice Cream. As I got done with Dizzee, Nate and I went looking for some food and came across a Vegan Ice Cream booth. The employees went on to shout with glee, "Hey look everybody the FLEET FOXES like VEGAN ICE CREAM!" Yeah, that was a big shocker.

Vampire Weekend were the reason why I went to the festival. They were AMAZING. Super tight 45 minute set of straight pop/rock songs. My favorite song was a B-side I had never heard but it had a nice little trippy "apple" drum machine beat to it. It made me bounce with glee. Yep, I was full of glee.

!!! were crazy and very charasmatic but not my cup of tea. The lead singer was very...interesting. He liked to shake it. But every song kind of sounded exactly the same to me so I stayed for about 15 minutes and then went to check out flatstock posters.

The headliners of the night, Animal Collective, is what my buddy Nate the Greek came to see. He loves their sound of experimental samples and loops. It is definitely an acquired taste...kind of like asparagus or beer...something you typically don't like the first 20 times you listen to it. I have to say their live show was AMAZING. They had synchronized lights and just TONS of energy. I was not really a fan but I have to say that I am now. No words can really describe their show. The people behind me were high on something other than life and they kept oooooing and ahhhhing because the spectacle was just crazy. I couldn't imagine seeing them on anything...it would probably be sensory overload. The bass was so loud that my body vibrated with the music. Someone said to us when we were leaving that it was a "spiritual experience that made you question your own existence." I wouldn't go that far but it was definitely some nice icing on the cake of a great day.

So Kyle has posted his favorite songs of 2008 so far and he dropped me a line earlier last week asking for my take on the music that has been released so far this year. I haven't listened to as much new stuff as I know Kyle has (because he is bigger, faster and stronger than me) but I can give you my take on what I HAVE heard.

Even though I'm slightly biased (as they are my 2nd favorite band) and my wife always asks me how I can listen to a band that sings in a language that I don't understand, the best release of 2008 has been hands down Sigur Ros' MED SUD I EYRUM VID SPILUM ENDALAUST. Kyle picked a song off of it as one of his favorites of 2008 (GOBBLEDIGOOK...a song with absolutely no time signature which makes it an adventure to hear) and from start to finish it is one of their finest works. It is almost unfair for a band to be so much further above the bar than the rest of music currently. Radiohead gets all of the credit but Sigur Ros really has done a lot more trailblazing recently. I can not recommend this album enough.

I have also enjoyed a number of my old favorites releasing stuff this year. Nada Surf put out a solid album with some very quality songs (I really like SEE THESE BONES). REM has one of their best albums since UP with ACCELERATE (If you like their harder stuff a la MONSTER or OUT OF TIME, this would be right up your alley). I agree with Kyle that DEATH CAB FOR CUTIES new stuff is good (I WILL POSSESS YOUR HEART is easily one of their catchier songs).

You can add all of the featured discs that I have reviewed on MusicBath to this list (ADELE, COLDPLAY, COUNTING CROWS, FLEET FOXES). Some disappointments (at least for me) this year were Jason Mraz and Weezer. They had some good songs on them (PORK AND BEANS is endlessly hooky..if that makes any sense) but as a whole, they were disappointments to me.

The one cd this year that I need someone to explain to me is SHE & HIM. This cd consistently keeps getting positive reviews from the indie community and critics alike but I just can't seem to find what they hearing. If someone can let me know, I would appreciate it.

Thanks for reading and here is to hoping that the rest of the year continues to put some great tunes.

It is a good thing I'm not a headline writer because I would probably be fired after day one...or maybe not hired in the first place. Eh, I write for the joy of it anyhow.

So I experience my first real summer show this past Friday at the uber ritzy Ravinia Festival. Even though I never feel like I fit in there (my first encounter consisted of my sister, brother in law and I going and eating our PB&J's and drinking coke while everyone else around us drank $100 bottles of wine) I have always respected what the festival represents. Plus the acoustics in the pavillion are second to none, which is rare for an outdoor venue. I was able to experience one of the best shows of 2007 there last year (Nickel Creek and Fiona Apple) and this year was no different with Leslie Feist's performance.

Feist has received all sorts of critical success following her second release THE REMINDER in 2007 and it was well-deserved. I had also heard a lot from other people and radio station DJ's that she put on a great concert. They were right.

I have to say that the opening act of Juana Molina was slightly underwhelming. I am not sure if was just lack of stage presence or the fact that not a single soul seemed to want to pay any attention to her. That will probably be the case a lot of the time at Ravinia as it seems that a lot of people are there more for the atmosphere vs. the actual artist in residence.

Feist did not disappoint though. She came out in a white cowboy hat and a coat with tassels galore (that almost paints the picture that tassels are a great fashion statement but I have to admit that it is probably harder to pull off than most would think). Her stage presence was quite charasmatic and I was gripped by her from song one. Her band consisted of multiple instrumentalists that obviously were talented. Each played multiple instruments throughout the show (from bells to trumpet to piano and guitar). Additionally, she had a crew of two women with an overhead projector that created interesting shadows and designs behind the stage during the concert. It kind of reminded me of what is sometimes done at prog-rock/ambient type of shows with digital images/videos that blend with the development and ebb and flow of the music. Some might have considered the shadow idea slightly pretentious. But I think it was done too innocently to be called that.

Feist played pretty much every tune off of THE REMINDER (minus my personal favorite of PAST IN PRESENT but you can't have it all) and through some of her first album favorites from LET IT DIE. It was a very long set of tunes (almost exactly 2 hours) that went by very quickly, which is a sign of a tightly done set.

Leslie Feist is definitely an entertainer and a great songwriter and both were displayed exuberantly on Friday night.

There has been a recent uptick in the motown sound since the broad appeal of Amy Winehouse has brought it back to the forefront in music. Due to this fact, there have been more and more artists being signed that have a distinctive sound that can trace its root back to the "heyday" of motown. The most recent artist that I can think of that is getting a lot of buzz is Duffy. Another British import that I think has an edge on Duffy is Adele.

Adele's LP debut 19 was available to me for free on a streaming site a few weeks ago and I listened to it daily for about a week. I had initially written her off as I had read a few reviews stating that she is basically just a rehash of the "Winehouse sound" and she really didn't have the stand out pipes or production to warrant checking out. However, after a few listens, I found a lot more soul in her voice than I had expected. She doesn't have the raspiness to her voice that Winehouse has but she presents a warmer sound that wraps itself around you on her slow songs (DAYDREAMER, FIRST LOVE) and is not drowned out on her more uptempo songs (BEST FOR LAST).

You get a pretty good bang for your buck with Adele as 19, as a whole, is not a bad album. There are some weaker songs on it but for the most part, 9 of the 12 songs are worthy of IPOD space. I would recommend checking her out and you may be pleasantly surprised as well.

Stand outs: Tired, Cold Shoulder, Hometown Glory, Bob Dylan cover of Make You Feel My Love

http://www.myspace.com/adelelondon

As my library of music is still dictated by how much money I have in my pockets and the approval of the wife, my new music collection sporadically grows. Lucky for me, I was able to procure a giftcard to Itunes and download some quality tunes this weekend. I plan on reviewing my other album later on this week (but I will not review the one individual song I picked up...Sam and Dave's HOLD UP, I'M COMING! I don't know how any living being could NOT enjoy that song).

The LP that I did purchase was the Fleet Foxes self-titled debut. Fleet Foxes are a relatively new band on the scene from Seattle, WA. I can say that they have received lots of positive buzz from the likes of multiple indie magazines (but I didn't find this out until AFTER I got the album). I heard one of their songs on college radio last week and it was the perfect summer song (WHITE WINTER HYMNAL, the first single off of the LP).

Fleet Foxes have the best harmonies that I have heard in a band since GUSTER. They are multi-layered and consistently in tune. You never realize how much you appreciate a good harmony until it is so rarely done in modern music. The music is a nice folky/indie/alternative hybrid that is not overpowering but it also will not lull you to sleep.

Initially when I listened to the disc I made immediate comparisons to The Shins. This is probably due to the fact that 1) Fleet Foxes are on the same label (Sub-Pop) and 2) The LP was produced by the same producer that has done The Shins work. However, after 3 or 4 times through the disc, it became clear to me that the Foxes bring something different to the table. I am not going to make some crazy statement and compare their harmonies to Brian Wilson's but you really can hear traces of him in their style. You can definitely tell he is a strong influence in their sound.

That is where yesterday meets today. You pull all of the things you like from the music in the past and fuse those into what you are wanting to do today. That is what the Fleet Foxes sound like to me. A nice hybrid of a few of my favorite things in one nice tidy package. You really can't ask for much more for a great summer recording. I'm sure I will be listening to it much longer than that.

Stand outs: Quiet Houses, The Protector, Blue Ridge Mountains

http://www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes

So I joined the millions this past week that purchased Chris Martin and Co's new album VIVA LA VIDA and after a few listens, I am pleasantly surprised with Coldplay's step forward.

Something that I picked up right away on the disc was the absence of Martin's famous falsetto voice. In its place, is a much lower range and an edgier feel to the majority of the tunes (especially songs like YES! and VIOLET HILL). It is reminiscent of TIL KINGDOM COME off of X&Y, which I felt was one of the strongest tunes on the album (and also not written for Coldplay or so MTV told me at the time).

Another prominent sound throughout the album was the influence of their new producer, Brian Eno. Eno is known for "sonic landscapes" on U2 albums (he was a big mastermind of their signature sound on JOSHUA TREE). Because of Eno's touch, I felt like this album was kind of a Coldplay/U2 hybrid as it had a lot of the positives that both bands bring to the table. It also makes sense as one of Coldplay's biggest influences is U2.

VIVA LA VIDA isn't really as listener friendly as previous Coldplay releases, which is a good thing. It is a sign that they are doing something different and aren't adhering to the "one plus one = overkill on the radio" formula. They are trying new things regarding tempos, strings (definitely evident in the disc's title track) and it is nice to see Will Champion not go crazy on the crash symbal on every song.

It is difficult to objectly rate this disc as I have been a fan of Coldplay since I saw the YELLOW video early one morning after class in college but it is palpable that they are the "heirs apparent" to U2. They produce solid rock/pop tunes and VIVA LA VIDA doesn't disappoint. For fans and newbies alike, Coldplay still are a quality place to invest your $9.99.