I love debating the viability of international artists in the world marketplace, particularly in America. While some argue that the industry prevents international artists from our radio and markets, others see the internet started to erode that influence, allowing deserving musicians to crest those Atlantic waves and breach our shores. This year, Sophie Hunger could very well be one of the first Swiss artists to do so. I recently had the opportunity to sit in on her live show in Paris (review) and confirm her talent.

Monday's Ghost, released already in Switzerland and France, is the sophomore release from…

Mama, I'm Swollen was 'released' a bit over a week ago and has proven to be the most difficult album to wrestle with. Previous albums held solid themes (the chef-d'oeuvre example being Domestica), though gradually this has dissipated with a discography resembling Picasso than anything. The newest Cursive album is dark, reflective of both the depth of the lyrics as well as the bleak album art of a red, bloody sun over a dark ocean… (continued below)

Taken from Méandre, my music blog. For more reviews, music recommendations, click here:
http://meanderingmindset.blogspot.com

Top EPs/Mixtapes:

8: 10 Deep x DJ Benzi "The New Deal"
7: The Hood Internet - The Mixtape Volume Three
6: Metermaids - Nightlife in Illinoise
5: Late of the Pier - The Bears are Coming EP
4: Past Lives - Strange Symmetry EP
3: Rhymefest & Mark Ronson Presents: Man in the Mirror
2: AmpLive Rainydayz Remixes
1: Mumford & Sons - Chess Club/Self Titled EP

Top 10 (Full Length) Albums of 2008:

10: Sigur Rós - Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

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Brighter than an Icelandic winter, Með departed the group from the more atmospheric driftings…

Should you have only been exposed to Noah and the Whale's single, 5 Years Time, through the Saturn Outlook commercial or a few cursory listens, it may be too catchy to be taken seriously. The Twickenham, London four piece (including Laura Marling at times) has been stirring up excitement for well over a year when they first formed in 2006. Early demos and small festivals led to Radio 1 mentions before bursting through with their major debut, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down (CherryTree Records, 2008).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfZzoPxa_7Q

Simple, wistful and playful folk rock full of pop tendencies with…

From the university and parties of 2007's Graduation, Kanye reigns in a distinct dark departure leaving heart and love in the spotlight. West will alienate many listeners much in the way Beck did with Sea Change in 2002 with this album, especially those seeking follow-ups to the Good Life and Stronger. But even those-in time-will warm up to his most challenging, downcast effort to date.

The centerpiece resides in the isolation and loneliness expressed throughout the album. From the beginning, Say You Will gives the impression he's hooked up in the hospital as a Ping-Pong-esque sounds bounce left…

The wait was definitely longer than expected, but Johnny Foreigner's debut album Waited Up 'Til It Was Light (Best Before Records/Nettwerk, 2008) hit digital stores in the United States today. How's the 'wait' to 'well worth it' ratio? Shortly: !!! The trio's debut goes head to head against Los Campesinos! for debut of the year, in my opinion. However, unlike Los Campesinos! Johnny Foreigner hasn't been getting as much buzz over here. The Birmingham, U.K. group has been the soundtrack for night drives while waiting for the Dunkin' Donuts coffee to kick in. Having Johnny Foreigner accompanying you through…

Opening the sleeve of Agony & Irony (Epic Records, 2008), you pull out a rather simple, but elaborate disc with the retro font logo of Epic Records. Alkaline Trio's first release with this label isn't the pinnacle, nor the penultimate in their catalog, but is the strongest effort since From Here To Infirmary (Vagrant Records, 2001). It's as polished as Good Mourning (Vagrant, 2003) and Crimson (Vagrant, 2005), however their creative needles of songwriting rediscovered their grooves in this recording.

It's easy to disregard the album, as the previous ones quickly faded from favor, since the similarities endure: clever…

The Faint's self-constructed, self-produced, and self-designed Fasciinatiion (blank.wav, 2008) is that long-desired Tetris piece that fits snug between Blank Wave Arcade (Saddle Creek, 1999) and Danse Macabre (Saddle Creek, 2001). The Omaha five-piece returns after a four-year album drought with an album more cohesive than the last, Wet From Birth (Saddle Creek, 2004).

Fasciinatiion telecasts the electro-rock group's transmissions through an essentially electronic and unreservedly unrestrained synthed sound. This album's subject takes a more cultural standpoint vis-à-vis society's absurdist fascination with the temporary tabloids, televised living, consciousness, and reality vs perception. While intellectually entrenched, the electro-punk dance origins are…

Los Campesinos! with Jeffrey Lewis & The Jitters
The Empty Bottle in Chicago, Illinois
May 28th, 2008
John Brunner : SmugMug

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It's always a pleasant surprise when an opening act does something fresh. Jeffrey Lewis did that last night before the Los Campesinos! show. The lower east side of NY group recited a poem devoted to ramen and noodles, declaring their dream to open a noodle joint to avoid "artistic famine" before jumping into a history lesson/cover song marathon detailing punk music between 1950-1975, called <i>the History of the Development of Punk on the Lower East Side</i>. Oh,…

Dr. Manhattan heralds from Wauconda (déjà vu?-yep, see previous post on their record release show), or as most say "Northern Illinois." They've proved hard to describe in conversation: pop punk, but more punk and dance punk with a dash of rock. Think heavy hitting dance drums coupled with a supporting punk/dance bass (a lil' funky on Pepper), mixed with post-punk guitar work with a keyboard thrown in to support rhythmically. Yet holding a certain circus element.

Now that I've wandered aimlessly down the arrondissements of mixed genres, let's delve deeper. If someone just picked the CD up, they'd find…