Neutral Milk Hotel -- On Avery Island

  Kinda grungy folk, new weird American, first full length album.  Neutral Milk Hotel took what Sebadoh started to new heights.  This band is so good that popular indie groups are afraid to name drop them in interviews, as an influence, because their fans would discover how terribly unoriginal they really are.  There isn't anything I don't love about this record, it's loud but smooth with a barrage of interesting instruments embedded in the wax that call for your full attention until it's over ... plus these guys were part of the original Elephant 6 collective so you not only have Mangum's magnetism, but Apples In Stereo's front man Robert Schneider playing along, doing the horn arrangements, which fill the gaps of their wicked sound.  This is a great band to get into, well if you're not already, but watch out, you'll start your own group, steal their thing, call it your own and never mention them again ......

CCR -- Green River

  A group synonymous, in my mind, with roundin' up some good ol' boys, getting your drink on and starting some shenanigans!  And who doesn't want to get in at least a little bit of trouble when you've got some Creedence blaring on your stereo speakers!

  Because of their major popularity these guys got roped in the whole classic rock scene, but I think they've got more in common with garage rock bands than their classic contemporaries.  I love the fact that these blues drenched California boys fake a believable Louisiana shtick and make it work for years, album after album.  CCR is the epitome of American music, and if you ever get lost you can just go on home to Green River ...

Little Anthony and The Imperials -- The Hits Of ...

  Classic Doo-Wop group Little Anthony and The Imperials are a way to cherry pie happy for me to handle, I search for the dark desperate Doo-Wop that longs for love.  Needless to say this record isn't bad, for two reasons Travelling Stranger and Cha Cha Henry.  Travelling Stranger is a typical swingin' Doo Wop tune, lots of vocals and a great beat, while Cha Cha Henry sounds more like a soulful Rock 'n' Roll number, like Little Eva's Locomotion, you get my drift!  Bargain basement label Pickwick (see Isley Bros Soul Shout! for more label info) bought what they could to make this hits collection, I guess they couldn't afford Shimmy Shimmy, Ko-Ko Bop.

Sufjan Stevens -- Michigan

  The first of the 50 States project starting at the beginning with his home state of Michigan.  I'm guessing he has given up on this feat since he only released two albums with this theme, but I do love the idea.  The sound of the record is a pastiche of Donovan, the softer side of Bowie, some Neutral Milk Hotel horn stylings, a Christian choir and Charlie Brown's piano player -- I think that just about does it!  The album reads like a tour of his home State and personal life, part promotion, part mystical journey.  This isn't the kind of record you slap on during your killer house party, but if your chillin' out, feeling peaceful, Sufjan is the way to go.  The album will definitely be a New Weird America (a pseudo-genre still in the works) classic.  Stevens is clearly a firm believer in the DIY aesthetic, by playing most instruments himself,  even going as far as producing his own record and co-founding his own label Asthmatic Kitty, with his step-father.  This dude is a real artist he better get the credit he deserves, what the hell, let's all go to Michigan and relax to some Sufjan Stevens!!!!

Tyrannosaurus Rex -- Beard of Stars

  The last Tyrannosaurus Rex record before Bolan became the better known T. Rex.  Beard Of Stars, to me, sounds like a Lord Of The Rings obsessed, minstrel wanna-be, electric busker.  I don't get it, the music, the lyrics, which Bolan was never the best at, but the whimsical fantasy flake fest took the cake ... why the hell does this record get somewhat good reviews?  Thank god Electric Warrior was just around the corner because this record should have been called beard of sh*t!

Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs

  Immensely popular Arcade Fire hasn't missed the mark with any of their releases, and to me their third full length effort is their best.  It was a great moment in indie rock history that these guys won the Grammy for album of the year, and countless other awards, but the Grammy, however cheesy the award is, is still a big deal, like winning an Oscar.  Now is it the best indie rock record ever released, hardly, but it solidifies the scene, like London Calling should have done for punk (why didn't that win), and Sgt. Pepper did for the hippies.

  I love this record, the damn thing opens like a shotgun blast, the first side is mostly a slew of mega hits and ends with the heavily intense Rococo.  I don't know what it is but their dark mix of electro folk shogaze just reminds of the city of Montreal, especially in the winter, I know that the city itself influenced them since they live there, but word is the record is about their suburb experiences in Houston, I suspect that the lyrics have are Huston, but the sound is Montreal.

  I can't say that the words move me too too much, some tunes seem to have good insight, especially when he sings about wanting a daughter, showing her beauty ... yadda yadda ... that statement is against the grain for the generation he is speaking to, from what I know of the hipster 30 somethings, they mostly don't want kids, they just want to live for themselves, and see the world as a bad place for children, not a place of beauty for children!  But otherwise the whiny spoilt art school dropout "businessman drink my blood" kinda thing is a big turn off for me!  Otherwise who cares, the album is great!  And marks a scene that's been around for over 20 years into the history books!  So thanks guys from this pretentious prick!

My Bloody Valentine -- Loveless

  Noise noise noise, such beautiful noise!  Loveless kick started the 90's and put the stamp on the shoegazer sound.  This album took years to make, producer problems, band problems, money problems, etc ... but they finally got it done, dubbing, over dubbing, layer after layer of noise making a mammoth wall of sound, with who knows how many elements buried in the music.  Many of the new indie rock bands today only wish they could mimic the smooth lush power of this record, but they only remain Loveless ....