They Might Be Giants – Join Us

After nearly 30 years of performing and recording, They Might Be Giants have become bonafide alt/indie-rock legends. After a few years of making children’s records, TMBG are back with an album of material for adults. You pretty much know what to expect with They Might Be Giants – catchy, funny, quirky songs that are invariably worth a spin. Join Us is no exception. One of the great things about these guys has always been their ability to get whacky without being alienating. Consider this a triumphant return for one of the great outside-the-margins bands of the past decades.

A.A. Bondy – Believers

This is a beautiful, mellow album of folky tunes with a melancholy heart. Bondy’s guitar playing is the perfect ingredient for each song – lyrical and smart, but never flashy or distracting. Darkness permeates the tunes here, which are bolstered by a beguiling simplicity. Fine work from a great songwriter.

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien

This is a very cool indie-rock release from a group starting to create serious buzz. Cymbals Eat Guitars sound right at home on Barsuk Records, the home of early Death Cab for Cutie records, which share some similar elements with Lenses Alien. The mood swings from down tempo to rocking, but always with a hint of the confessional brimming through emotional vocals. The record jangles, but also swirls upwards into crashing builds before plummeting down to mellower ground. Cymbals Eat Guitars maneuver deftly through their songs' various movements, keeping listeners engaged from front to back.

Oathbreaker – Maelstrom

Oathbreaker is a crushing hardcore band out of Belgium, coming through with female-fronted hardcore that borrows a little from the metal realm. These guys hit several marks on the heavy music spectrum, from D-beat to doom, all with utter fluidity. And of course, hearing female vocals this brutal is always a treat. Another fine release from Deathwish Inc., who are on a big time roll in 2011.

Wolves Like Us – Late Love

This is the record of the week for us. Hands down. Tough, emotional, catchy, raw – this is everything a record should be. Norway’s Wolves Like Us have captures something special on Late Love, an album  that feels as honest as it does intense. We’ll always have time for a band that rocks hard without sacrificing sincerity, and these guys absolutely nail it.

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