BILLY BRAGG - Mr. Love & Justice

In the six years since Billy Bragg's last album of new material, fans have been tided over with retrospective repackagings including a greatest hits/B-side set, two boxed volumes, and remasters-plus-bonus tracks of his discography. With the Blokes back in tow (and another titular nod to Colin MacInnes), Bragg's politics are mostly personal here; many songs address problems of love and faith that could be just as easily directed at one's country or culture as to one's partner. However polite the production might get, there's an honesty that's always plainly sung, outward-looking and rarely overreaching.

TOKYO POLICE CLUB - Elephant Shell

Although Rolling Stone wishes that "all guitar bands were smart enough to rock out this fast", to these ears the Newmarket foursome's first full-length foray best tackles its slower material, tracks like "The Harrowing Adventures Of..." and "Listen To The Math". The former spaciously stretches out in range as well as tempo with glockenspiel, acoustic guitar, stomps and claps set against cello and low baritone backups, while the latter puts mellotron washes over cymbal splashes and snare snaps before the requisite rock-out.

CONSTANTINES - Kensington Heights

Gracefully grizzled, these Nassau St. knights return, touring with Castlemusic, whose backup cameo streak continues on "New King". Doug MacGregor's soul snare's still there on leadoff single "Hard Feelings", as on the 7/8 but elegantly three-chord "Brother Run Them Down." Will Kidman's keys give levity in the fluctuations of "Trans Canada" and "Credit River"'s phased swoops, the latter one of Bry Webb's most parable-like lyrics yet, while Steve Lambke sings lead once here, the Leslie-filtered "Shower Of Stones". Dallas Wehrle's ever-eagle-eyed art is strengthened by their A&C alliance, as the fold-out flyer attests.   

M83 - Saturdays=Youth

As two of the 'teenaged' subjects of Saturdays=Youth's booklet photo shoot get introduced in "Kim & Jessie", M83 remodel John Hughes anthem mainstays like Simple Minds and The Psychedelic Furs in sleekly sincere, high-end fashion, while Morgan Kibby's vocals on "Skin Of The Night" and "Up!" stay '80s for full-blown respective Cocteau Twins and Kate Bush nods. Few Loveless-loving groups give those cooing keyboards a try, so it's notable that Anthony Gonzalez puts them in his palette, popping them up in JAMC-simple I-IV form on "Graveyard Girl", and the floor-tom pound of "Highway Of Endless Dreams". 

BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - My Bloody Underground

It's easy to only ogle A. Newcombe's uglified track titles without paying much more mind ("Who F*cking Pissed In My Well?"), but the songs speak for themselves, often in contradictory tongues (ie. the artiste-ic austerity of solo piano piece "We Are The N*ggers Of The World", [apocryphally?] written at 9 years old). The ostrich guitar pecks on "Infinite Wisdom Teeth" and jawharp 'n' Marrakesh drums in, uh, the one about the well are swell, but the BJM's best served dipped into their baked bread and butter with some downer breakbeats and gauzy swirl, as on amorphous heaver "Who Cares Why?".

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR - S/T

"Free Will"'s languor settles you in softly, its slow pulse, sizzling cymbal pads and massed Antonys letting you off easy before the clavinet, horns and disco-string strut of "Hercules Theme" throw you to the dancefloor, that drum kit and bass style giving away the DFA's participation in this project, however gladly subjugated they may be to head Herc Andy Butler. "You Belong" bounds with sounds uncannily jacked from Kevin Saunderson's early-'90s crossover playbook, and the inversions of "True False/Fake Real" couldn't be more apposite--they know you know they know it's both, bashfully full-bore. 

NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

The success of last year's amusingly self-aware Grinderman project seems to have caused Cave and his Bad Seeds to leave their collars loose and sleeves unbuttoned, as most of Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! hams it up and lets its hair down (or at least keeps it product- [and piano-] free). Dirty Three multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis sets his violin aside for most of these songs, often offering up loop textures two layers back, providing some satisfyingly clanging underpinnings bubbling under beneath the brimstone jokes and cabaret rock.

THE BLACK KEYS - Attack & Release

Full disclosure: it was only after being floored by what a college radio host announced after airing it as their last record's first number, Magic Potion's "Just Got To Be", that this writer paid this pair any mind. No such immediate attention-grabbers here, but the more diffuse feel focuses attention on the details Danger Mouse adds. Things first get overtly hip-hoppy on "Psychotic Girl" and, like "Strange Times" before it and the following "Lies", it's that spooky-ooky digi-dust at the changes that lets you know who's at the console.

PETER MOREN - The Last Tycoon

The first ingredient in PB&J is also the first to go it alone, bearing more heart-on-sleeve foibles much like fellow broken-English charmers Jens Lekman and Herman Dune. A dirty volume knob makes the casio crackle at the end of "Reel Too Real", fittingly about finding one's footing, and "Le Petit Coeur" suitably swells with sweeping strings, but it's mainly later on The Last Tycoon when Moren hits his solo stride, in such details as the slide guitar that meets up with his voice for the main melody of "My Match", or the rudimentary fingerpicking, one-note piano and kneeslaps on "This Is What I Came For".

WYE OAK - If Children

The way in which singers Jenn Wasner (guitar) and Andy Stack (drums and keyboards) constantly switch lead and harmony roles, as well as how their vocals blend, make it pretty much impossible not to be reminded of such still-active melancholic mainstays as Ida and Low. Like both of these well-loved groups, Wye Oak equally impress with downcast brooders as feedback-flecked rockouts, although the latter style finds them at their most infectious, especially on "Warning" and album highlight "Orchard Fair", sure to make many playlists.

VA - New Orleans Funk: The Original Sound Of Funk, Vol. 2

What better way to welcome warmer weather than with more Crescent City soul? Another top-notch overview from Soul Jazz as per usual, and as was the case with Vol. 1, this edition of New Orleans Funk features a smattering of familiar tracks and artists (Cyril and Art Neville, The Meters, Allan Toussaint, Lee Dorsey) along with enough lesser-knowns to keep aficionados content. In particular, Eddie Bo's given lots of room to shine, with three tracks here (on top of those just made available on Vampisoul's new In The Pocket With... overview). The perfect mix to heat up any patio parties you may be planning!

SUN KIL MOON - April

As a 74-minute album proper appended with an additional near-half-hour of alternate takes, Mark Kozelek's giving his many admirers more than enough to sink their teeth into five years after his last album of originals. No big surprises here, although certain details do stick out among the expected strong-sadsack stories, such as the oldtimey British folk sound of banjo ballad "Heron Blue", the single-note buzzsaw solo that takes up nearly sixty seconds of the peak of electric stomper "Tonight The Sky", Will Oldham's sympathetic backup singing throughout, and the Spanish guitar runs that end it all on "Blue Orchid".

GNARLS BARKLEY - The Odd Couple

Something about the more-modern-than-mod organ and a-go-go loops on leadoff cut "Charity Case" may smack more of Smashmouth than DM & Cee-Lo intended, but Green's given room to redeem them on the following "Who's Gonna Save My Soul". Once they drop the beach-blanket feel for a spell, though, the pair get their hooks in with the synth-string stabs and spazzy drum-machine cycles of "Open Book", a high only equalled by the 13 beats straightening into 12 and back again on lush, flute-sampling "She Knows", as well as the dampened bass runs of The Old Couple's closer, "A Little Better".

LOS CAMPESINOS! - Hold On Now, Youngster...

By now well familiar to our readers, those kids from Cardiff team up with Dave Newfeld once again to re-record a handful of tracks from both their introductory Arts & Crafts EP and their self-released 2006 demo debut (confusingly also entitled Hold On Now, Youngster) along with new material, this time on Newf's home turf with sessions at Stars and Suns. The group's gawky bravado and journal-entry candour do their best to embarrass the old, making the moments that bear the hallmarks of their broken A&C elders all the odder, taking form in their lead-guitar figures, bouncy tempos, and co-ed vocal tradeoffs.

SLIM TWIG - Derelict Dialect

Although we've had Slim's 2007 EPs Whiite Fantaseee and Dissonant Folk here in the shop since December, this earlier one, recorded with Dale Morningstar in '06, is news to us, so we're not quite sure if this was ever self-released in limited number, or just a matter of waiting for the right time (and label). With more and more local showgoers catching word of and getting wooed by the man live in both solo band and duo form as Tropics (even doing double-duty with both projects recently at CMW), Paper Bag were wise to sign Twig and his personal, wordplay-wise, goofy/aloof brand of dark dandy mantras.

THEE SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA BAND - 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons

As soon as the first twelve tracks of untitled feedback zip past, putting the band's evasive and mutinous side on literal display while the numbers jump ship every few seconds, Mt. Zion lay into the listener with zeal, the battle lines drawn between them and all "ye twits across thy internet" (hey, that smarts!). Granted, at one LP side per 10-minute-plus tune, these dirgy screeds demand pre-mp3-era commitment, culminating halfway with the second section of the title track, a 9/8 vamp that gathers momentum in a most righteous Ex-like manner. Comes with a "hymn book" so fans can join Efrim & co. in the gospel.

DESTROYER - Trouble In Dreams

It's not hard to imagine Dan Bejar all dolled up (and powdered down) as the Goblin King of the Labyrinth himself on many of these numbers, as goofy, accessible in a knowingly '80s way and, well, dreamy as they mostly are, all the better to lull you into the shot before snapping you out of it with one of any number of snarky, silly mouthfuls, the weight of which is appropriately dependent on how much you buy into the myth of it all (my favourite scene's "My Favourite Year", with phased drums and synth strings framing things fine). Bejar really wants us to believe--oh, please do believe! 

SHE & HIM - Volume One

Comparisons are bound to be made between these two and other girl-guy pairings of the past while, especially Dean & Britta and Isobel Campbell with Mark Lanegan. She & Him, though, is more of a lead-and-accompaniment deal, with Zooey Deschanel writing the tunes and singing upfront (mostly backing herself on vocals) with a sad simplicity evoking a twangier El Perro Del Mar, while M. Ward has a hand in the arrangements but doesn't actually sing all that often (which makes his occasional croon even more striking, as on the first of three well-placed covers, "You've Really Got A Hold On Me").

THE DODOS - Visiter

This SF duo's impressively full sound fills out the spectrum handily with a fiercesome drum style that cracks through the highs yet thuds in the room-mic'ed distance, and double-tracked, casually catchy vocals that are quick to make your acquaintance, blending with bluesy acoustic playing that drills its way in uninvited, making The Dodos a raised-profile 'newcomer' (they've been at it under this name since '06) ranking up there with fellow pell-mell melodic popsters The Ruby Suns. Visiter's purportedly an attempt to better reconcile recordings with their live show; find out at the El Mo on April 9th.

RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR - S/T

With even more belting and bashing here than hinted at on Low's last two records for Sub Pop, Mark Kozelek is a perfect choice for producing this Alan Sparhawk-led project, dialing in similar tones to those put to use in the harder moments of Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. The scattershot snares in 9/8 waltz "Take Your Time" provide some mild math, while the Crazy Horse sneer of "Destroyer" is slow and soulful. After the studio play of Drums And Guns, and as vital as Low remain, here Sparhawk stays raw and off the floor.