1) Brothers - The Black Keys (released May 18, 2010)

2) Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty - Big Boi (released July 6, 2010)

3) /\/\/\Y/\ (Maya) - M.I.A. (released July 13, 2010)

4) The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) - Janelle Monae (released May 18, 2010)

and last but not least!

5) Electric Toys - The Dig (April 27, 2010)

So to make up for my lack of posting in the past few months (I’m now employed, which explains that), here are five short reviews of albums that should keep you engaged til the end of the summer:

1) I like to describe the Black Keys’ aesthetic as down-and-dirty 1960’s blues, which is exactly what it is. Dan Auerbach is on guitar and Patrick Carney on drums, resulting in a very bare bones, garage rock sound. People often draw comparisons between them and the White Stripes but the Keys are far bluesier. Listen and you’ll understand. (Release dates above are download links.) The one downside of this album is its length: I got tired after the sublime “The Only One,” so I suggest listening in two parts, part one starting at the opener and one of my favorites, “Everlasting Light” and ending at “The Only One” and part two at “Too Afraid to Love You” til the end.

Best tracks (in my opinion): “Everlasting Light”, “Next Girl”, “Tighten Up”, “The Only One” and “Never Give You Up” (no that’s not a Rick Astley cover, don’t worry).

2) I’m listening to this right now! Man, after Speakerboxxx/The Love Below I wondered if Andre 3000 and Big Boi could ever top themselves. Big Boi certainly did. This is, without a doubt, a beginning-to-end listen, each song flowing seamlessly into the next. (And by the way, it’s L-U-C-I-O-U-S Left Foot, not ‘Luscious’, the uploaders made a universal typo.) The hooks will snag you by the ears, the beats will make you want to dance in public (I very nearly broke it down in the Q train while listening to “Turns Me On”, no joke). And Big Boi collaborates with a variety of artists ranging from Janelle Monae to Yelawolf to Gucci Mane, ‘nuff said.

Best tracks: “Daddy Fat Sax”, “Turns Me On ft. Sleepy Brown and Joi,” “Shutterbug ft. Cutty”, “Tangerine ft. T.I. and Khujo Goodie” and “Shine Blockas ft. Gucci Mane”.

3) Pitchfork tore this album to pieces (eff P4k man) but I rather like it. It’s a lot more abstract than previous M.I.A LPs which is why a lot of people don’t get it. The woman’s going in a new direction folks! If you’re expecting an album full of Paper Planes and Boyz, you ain’t getting it! I suspect that if you’re a fan of Animal Collective and electronic stuffz you’d appreciate this release. I haven’t really progressed past having “Born Free” on repeat, but I have a feeling that this one will grow on me.

Best tracks: “Born Free”, “Meds and Feds,” “Teqkilla”, “Lovalot”, “Space”

4) I LOVE JANELLE MONAE. SO MUCH. She’s bringing back the old school with a twist: her genre-switching within the album. By mixing so many styles, one would think Monae would put together a choppy record, but to the contrary. She demonstrates her talent for variety and we are left with fantastically catchy songs like “Cold War” or “Locked Inside”.

Best tracks: “Cold War”, “Tightrope ft. Big Boi”, “Faster”, “Locked Inside”, “Dance or Die ft. Saul Williams”

5) You will not have heard of The Dig except from me, I can almost guarantee that. They are a local New York band that is just beginning to make it big: they opened for The Walkmen, White Rabbits, and Portugal. The Man among others. I actually met Emile Mosseri, lead singer/bassist, on the street and sang Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel songs with him for two hours in Washington Square. It’s that old sixties aesthetic that The Dig revives, but with modern instrumental set-ups and clean producing. The lyrics are fresh (listening to “Two Sisters in Love” is a creepy yet strangely wonderful experience) and the riffs are worthy of endless repetition on your iPod. I personally love every single track on this record, but the album starts a bit slow with “Carry Me Home” (a beautiful song, but not an energetic opener), so I suggest starting with the ones I’ve listed below and then delving into the rest.

Best tracks: “Penitentiary”, “Look Inside”, “You’re Already Gone”, “Shadow”, “Sick Sad Morning”

So there you have it. New music for the rest of summer. And as I discover new things, I will take the time to post, just for you. Cheers.

A quickie:

By no means can I claim to be an expert on Erykah Badu. I’d always known about her and her music, but I never really gave her a listen til this album came out.

That said, she’s incredibly soulful and mellow, perfect for chilling, thinking deep thoughts, reflecting, that kind of thing. Her voice is earthy and rich, like purple velvet for the ears.

“Window Seat” is the highlight of this record and her first single, the one whose video prompted a huge controversy. (I posted it a few days ago, definitely watch it.)

It’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but I think most music aficionados will appreciate Badu’s talent.

1999. I was eight years old and just beginning to open my ears to the Beatles, my first, and forevermore my favorite band. How fitting that eleven years later, thousands of bands and albums and songs later, I return to what I started with: the love song.

I have a theory. Most artists write based on what they know best, whether it be drugs or politics or stories from their own lives. But what most people know the best is love. Love and variations on it, lack of it, loss of it, falling into it, falling out of it, loneliness, ambiguity, believing in it, not believing in it.

The Magnetic Fields have the tongue-in-cheek love song mastered. (“A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off”, “The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side”) (Even the album title is tongue-in-cheek.)

They have the sincere love song mastered.  (“Come Back From San Francisco”)

They have the breakup song mastered. (“Epitaph For My Heart”, “I Don’t Want to Get Over You” [<- just posted])

They can playfully dabble in other genres and still come up with lovely love songs. (“Punk Love”, “World Love”, “Love is Like Jazz”)

This is an album that makes you feel better about life whether or not you were feeling bad to begin with. Even the sad songs have a renewing quality about them, like you know the singer knows how you feel, but you both know that better days are going to come.

Do yourself a favor and set aside three hours on your next free day to listen to all 69 love songs on this record. This is a bona-fide classic.

The Gorillaz are back, baby, and still know how to kick some major booty. Plastic Beach, LP number three, is proof that yes, they could, match the genius of sophomore release, Demon Days.

The overall feel of Plastic Beach is a lot different from that of Demon Days. There is still that catchy mix of hip-hop, electronic and rock that is the Gorillaz trademark. However, Plastic Beach is a longer album, and moves back and forth from sounds and genres more quickly. It’s not as dark and is almost funkier, but not quite. (“Stylo” and “Dirty Harry” are comparably funky.) For me, “Stylo” and “Superfast Jellyfish” are the highlights. I’ve already posted both, go back to them and give them a concentrated listen.

I’m not satisfied with this review, but I think the longer I wait for the album to sink in, the more likely Pitchfork is to post a scathing critique of everything the Gorillaz do. I don’t want P4K to get to you first, you see. If you loved Demon Days, if you loved the self-titled debut, hell, even if you’ve only heard “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good, Inc.”, LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN. Be your own judge.

Cheers.