January and February Releases

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, so I guess I will start by just giving a quick roundup of some noteable releases from January and February that I haven't mentioned yet. First, Hawksley Workman is back with his latest, called "Meat". Hawksley is a strange artist and you never know quite what to expect with him. While his last couple albums have been disappointing, this one is better, with great songs like "We'll make time" and "song for sarah jane". While It doesnt duplicate the success he had with my favourite album of his "Lover/Fighter", Meat is a decent pickup.

Next, Is the highly anticipated album from Massive Attack, called "Heligoland". This album has been in the works for years now, and is the first release from the group since 2003. Unfortunately, as tends to happen with highly anticipated and delayed albums, this one is a bit of a disappointment. There are a few good tracks, such as "Splitting the atom" and "girl I love you", but the album just doenst pack the same puch the previous ones did. I don't think they can ever top Mezzanine, one of the best albums ever made.

Other albums out recently are One Life Stand By Hot Chip, Romance Is Boring by Los Campesinos! and The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night by the Besnard Lakes. All of these albums are decent and have something worth checking out. Stay tuned, this year looks to be a great one for music, especially May, which sees new albums from Broken Social Scene, LCD Soundsystem, The New Pornographers, and The National.

-&Him

Transference

After 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, I had high hopes coming in to Spoon's newest album Transference. Luckily, I was not disappointed. Spoon returns with an album that is similar yet at the same time different than previous works. There are still the same killer pop hooks with Brit Daniel's distinctive lyrics and vocals. At the same time, however, the songs seem less in your face and fast paced, with Spoon opting instead for a more experimental slower sound. While this could be a recipe for disaster if not done right, the band pulls it off to create another great album. Highlights for me include: "Who Makes Your Money" (an instant favourite), "Goodnight Laura" (which has the feel of classic Beatles) and "Trouble Comes Running."

-&Him