A roundup of some new/recent indie albums:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito Sorry, I can't get past the pointless gospel choir in the lead single and that atrocious cover art. This is the first YYYs release I won't be buying.
Phoenix - Bankrupt! Comes out next week, but the full album is streaming for free and I'm listening to it on iTunes now. Their last two albums are among my all-time favorites. This one is a lot more synth-y than those, and not in a way that I immediately like. They've earned the benefit of the doubt for me though, so I'll be buying it and giving it every chance. It's funny... back in 2006 Phoenix were accused of trying to sound like early Strokes records. Nowadays you could probably say The Strokes are trying to sound like Phoenix. At the very least this new one by Phoenix sounds like the record that Strokes have been trying to make over the last several tries.
The Strokes - Comedown Machine I felt cheated by their last album - heard a couple of promising songs and but the album as a whole was crap. I'm not falling for it again, especially since the lead single this time isn't very good. I wish they had decided after their first two albums to pull an AC/DC and just make the same damn thing every couple of years. I don't think many people would have faulted them for it.
And yes, I know that MBV, the genuine article, finally have a new album of their own. I ignored updating my iPods for the longest time though and I haven't gotten around to checking that one out. I've heard it's good, but then again it could be overrated by people who were starved to hear something, anything from them over the years.