The Briefs
Sex Objects
BYO
••••••••9•

Calexico
Conviction Pool EP
Quarterstick Records
•••••••8.5••

Calexico have finally found their stride. I’ve always appreciated what they’ve done, lingering somewhere between a smoky cantina and a smoky indie rock hangout. But on their latest EP, they seem to have found their true voice. Each song is simpler, more pure and sounds less forced while they tell their stories either through spoken word or supple sounds. But most of all it is exactly the kind of siesta to fiesta, dusty, high noon music they excel at. And their Love cover, “Alone Again Or,” is absolutely beautiful.—Josh Davis

Joel R. L. Phelps & The Downer Trio
Customs
Moneyshot
•••••••8.5••

Now based in Vancouver, Joel R. L. Phelps is in typically fine form on his fourth outing. The ex-Silkworm member and bandmates Robert Mercer and William Herzog play punk as if it were folk... or folk as if it were punk. I haven’t decided which and don’t think it really matters. The elegance of folk meets the energy of punk, kinda like Neil Young circa “My My, Hey Hey.” Snap up the limited edition with bonus disc and you’ve got four fine covers, including the Chills’ “Pink Frost” and Joy Division’s “24 Hours.” And props to Thingmakers for their usual ace packaging.—Kathleen C. Fennessey

Argo
Jet Packs for Everyone
Produced by Jon Auer and Argo
•••••••8••

TThe debut album for this Seattle group is best described as blissful indie rock. It is the sort of music that is best used as a salve for those stressful days when you want the world to go away. Tracks like “Sometime Tomorrow” and “Engine” soothe the mind with their soft melodies and upbeat lyrics. If music is your medicine, Argo is a band you don’t want to miss. —Cathy Zegelin

Peter Searcy
Couch Songs
Initial Records
••3•••••••

When you bill yourself as a singer-songwriter, it’s fairly important to be skilled at both. Unfortunately for Peter Searcy, he’s only adept at the former. The songs are quiet, acoustic affairs adorned with only the occasional piano or string arrangement, but are undone by lyrics that meander along the familiar territories of love, loss and yearning, drawing on trite lines about bad hands being dealt, sparks between strangers, the desire to turn back the clock, sad faces in mirrors, etc. Despite Searcy’s best efforts to sound sincere and meaningful, these unimaginative songs lack the sort of emotional depth necessary to draw in the listener. He should not be encouraged. —Brian Graham

The Capsules
Someone for Everyone
Urinine Records
••••••7•••

The Capsules have always reminded me of the morning after, when the world is waking up and the darkness is fading and no matter where you are, the birds begin to sing. The day rises from the night and during this transition, a sense of solitude passes over you. Such is the second full-length album from the Lawrence, Kansas three-piece. It’s as somber as it is reflective, lilting and listing itself through the morning haze riding on the wings of Julie Shield’s angelic alto. It’s no cup of coffee but it is a nice way to wake up.—Shawn Telford

Various Artists
Fourth City Compilation
fourthcity
•••••••8.5••

This full-length release from the globe-spanning fourthcity crew covers all the bases with 18 selections of solid laptop science. The frequencies waver and hum through Zapan’s “Please Love Me” and Absolute Madman’s delicate and melodic “Requiem.” The click and bounce of a few hip-hop infused rhythms segue into Balsa’s erratic and somewhat schizophrenic “st3” (a definite favorite) and Antiscience’s jazzy “Outta This World.” There are even a number of bona fide club tracks. A high-end sound system is really the best way to go with this one. No, it’s the only way.—Kristopher Monroe

The Good Life
Lovers Need Lawyers
Saddle Creek Records
••••••7•••

I find myself enjoying the Good Life’s music as a guilty pleasure. Although far from groundbreaking, Tim Kasher and company create intriguing pop music like a Midwest version of the Rentals. The country-infected “Leaving Omaha” opens the album. Lyrically, Kasher is as neurotically self-conscious as ever, especially on “Entertainer.” The band knows not to stray from the pop formula that makes them so accessible. Think of “Lovers Need Lawyers” as a soundtrack to an introspective, sentimental film not yet created. —Ben Allen

Mestizo
LifeLikeMovie
Galapagos4
••••5•••••

Mestizo is either a robot or a Republican—monotone in delivery, yet urgent in message. His flow is so difficult to keep pace with that substance is ultimately lost in an album that seems like a hella long freestyle. Deeper into the record, he takes a breath and relaxes long enough to allow his lyrics to complement the distinguishing beats laid out by fellow label mates Meaty Ogre and DJ White Lightning, among others. The production is studious and melancholy, driven by jazzy, dreamlike samples. Mestizo has some exploration in his future, but G4 is the respectable type of label willing to work right alongside. —Emily Youssef

Alabama Thunderpussy
Fulton Hill
Relapse Records
•••••••8.5••

Delivering another titanic punch from the fuzz rock stable of now-defunct Man’s Ruin label, AT’s second release on Relapse Records finds them hitting their stride and realizing their potential as a juggernaut of metallic cornpone. Don’t let the long-ass beards and shit-kickers fool you; guitarist Erik Larson honed his chops with DC hardcore band Avail, and the twin guitar blitz is more typical of 1980 Birmingham, England than of Birmingham, AL. New vocalist Johnny Weils packs a thick wallop, heavy on the meat. Orange amp low-end rumble sounds better the higher your volume knob. —Wendy Colton

Enablers
End Note
Neurot Records
•••••••8••

Against music by turns visceral and subtle—it sounds like it was written by a band who spent their formative years devouring Joy Division and “Pornography”-era Cure—the Enablers fashion raw, twisting lyrics that somehow manage to make a song about Barry Bonds’ home run record sound poetic. But in the end this is still a spoken word album, and thus will likely only be enjoyed by fans of the genre. Luckily, I am. —Brian Graham

Pistol for a Paycheck
Persona non Grata
burning buildings records
••••••••9•

Okay, let’s see, there’s emo, emo-core, hardcore, screamo, punk rock, post punk, new wave, oh, and then there’s just fucking rawk. I’d say that “Persona non Grata” by Tacoma act Pistol for a Paycheck fits into that last category. Most of this album is laden with tasteful power chord riffs and anthem choruses. Imagine the best garage band you’ve heard and that’s the soothing, warm feeling you get from this band: insidious, clever lyrics; powerful vocals; nice keyboard and acoustic guitar refrains and a pounding rhythm section. Good stuff, I tell ya. —Brian Kidd

Tweaker
2 a.m. Wakeup Call
Waxplotation Records
••••••7.5•••

This album has no identity and oddly that isn’t a bad thing. With artists such as Will Oldham, Robert Smith, Mellowdrone and Johnny Marr, it covers a pretty wide spectrum; and while each song has a different sound, they all settle into the album as a whole rather nicely. It can go from droning and acoustic to heavy and explosive in one song; it can flirt with the industrial and balance the electronica in one chorus; and it can spin blissful harmony, minimalist sounds and an eerie, haunted sadness into one line. And that is just the beginning. —Josh Davis

Bobby Bare Jr.’s Young Criminal Starvation League
Bloodshot Records
•••••7.5••••

On his newest album, Bare maintains his country roots; starting the album by plaintively asking “Brother, can I borrow your girlfriend tonight?” set to a soft, lap-steel guitar. Then, with each successive song he piles on more horns, backing singers and loads of doo-wop harmony. “From the end of your leash” makes me yearn for a long night of drinking on Memphis’s Beale St.—Nathan Walker

Bobby Bare Jr. plays Neumo's on July 9

RJ Valeo
September
Type Records
•••••••8••

The undercover feeling of RJ Valeo’s “September,” the debut for Type Records, is like rolling around in a wide open field of electronic velour. It is fine ambient music with beats. It is smooth moves with peculiar drag and dodge, that otherwise take the hyperspeedway into the sparkle of citylights. There is a fixed peak to where these guides take him, a sort of sound grid that contains his snow globe-like composition. Offering just a tail-end amount of funk, “September” revels like the afterglow of a lethargic day in direct sunlight. —TJ Norris

Various Artists
Coffee and Cigarettes
Milan
•••••••8.5••

There are directors you can count on to compile a good soundtrack, like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Aki Kaurismäki. Jim Jarmusch earned his stripes from the start. Who can forget "I Put a Spell on You" in “Stranger Than Paradise?” It makes the movie! “Coffee and Cigarettes” is an omnibus-sort of film made over the course of several years. It features a few musicians, i.e. RZA and the White Stripes, and some are even on the soundtrack, such as Tom Waits and Iggy Pop. This is just a great compilation of great music—the movie isn't bad either.—KCF

the Thermals
Fuckin A
Sub Pop
•••••6.5••••

Remember your first car? Remember how it felt to careen around at breakneck speeds, pushing it as far as you could take? “Fuckin A” reminds me of that feeling. Innocent fun without worry of the future, overdriven guitars, vocals that are begging you to take off with them, and the whole album clocks in less than 30 minutes. Though my first car was fun, I’m thankful for what I drive now. Same with the Thermals, though fun, I’m positive that I won’t be driving the album for very long.—NW

Sam Bisbee
High
Terrible Records
••••••7.5•••

When you listen to this album you imagine fifteen-year-old girls singing along in their bedrooms, jumping on the bed in socked feet with purple metallic nail-polished fingers, holding the hairbrush microphone steady to the lips. Tracks like "You are Here" have the pleasingly repetitive choruses and vibes that make people impulsively try to sing along without knowing the words. "Alright" is the sort of song that ends up on romantic comedy movie soundtracks. This is fun music with that necessary balance of tune and lyric that makes each of the tracks an enjoyable listening experience.—Cathy Zeglin

Mr. Pleasant
MP3
Blackhouse Records
••••••7.5•••

A CD arrived in my mailbox, unceremoniously labeled "MP3." But this was not a bunch of compressed audio files. This was in fact the third solo effort from Mr. Pleasant, AKA Friends for Heroes‚ wunderkind Josh Ottum. The next day, as I stepped out into the sunshine to wait for the bus, I popped the disc into my CD player. The grass was green, the sky was blue, and weird and wonderful sounds came out of my headphones. Thanks, Mr. Pleasant. Maybe you should change your name to Mr. Awesome, Heart-Warming Melodies. —Joel Hartse