• ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - The Century of Self
  Easily their best album since Source Tags and Codes.
• Asobi Seksu - Hush
  Instead of drawing from the My Bloody Valentine chapter of the shoegazing bible, they've flipped the pages to the beginning of the book where the Cocteau Twins' chapter can be found.
• Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
  Equal parts Built To Spill, Modest Mouse, Pavement and Sonic Youth; these are good touchstones for this young band's first album. I'm looking forward to how they'll mature by taking these influences and turning them into something unique.
• Dan Deacon - Bromst
  This fun collage of sounds makes for great background music at work.
• The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
  A grand, sweeping rock opera of epic proportion.
• Marnie Stern - This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
  Wow, can she play guitar. If any of these songs were included in Guitar Hero or Rock Band, your hands would explode trying to out-Fake Plastic Rock her.
• Mastodon - Crack the Skye
  For those unfamiliar with Mastodon, think of a more aggressive version of Yes! or Rush. Crack the Skye catch quite touch Leviathan but it comes close. And if Mastodon's loud 'n' heavy concept albums either frighten you or are beneath you, then Airhead's Joe Mantegna's character's quip about "if it's too loud, you're too old" holds true.
• The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
  Bubblegum pop run through a My Bloody Valentine filter.

• The Cure - 4:13 Dream
  Put Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and Wish in a blender, and then add a dash of Disintegration and that's what 4:13 Dream tastes like to me.
• Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
  I listen to Deerhoof when working. While I typically prefer vocal-less music when concentrating, I love Deerhoof for times when I'm brainstorming or doing some redundant coding - the sort of code that won't burn a lot of brain cells. Offend Maggie is probably about as accessible as Deerhoof gets.
• Deerhunter - Microcastle
  Deerhunter's previous album, Cryptograms, received so much critical praise, it should've been a masterpiece. The Pitchfork review made it out to be the greatest thing ever recorded. Which re-enforces my belief in Pitchfork's reviews; they're seemingly written by recent BA graduates trying to write up a storm to justify their degrees, so take them with a grain of salt. It suffices to say, I didn't "get" Cryptograms; I found it good, but hardly a masterpiece. Microcastle, though, is truly an excellent album.
• Her Space Holiday - XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival
  I liked Her Space Holiday's three previous somber synth albums, but this one is totally different. Gone are the laptops and keyboards, which have been replaced by traditional instruments in an almost campfire sing-a-long style. And it works! "Sleepy Tigers" even ended up in a recent Sun-Rype commercial.

Next month, I'll post my annual list of favourite albums from the past year.

Bloc Party - Intimacy
Rave-inspired, this time around, it would seem.

Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight
Classic Mercury Rev lushness, with the added touch of IDM elements.

Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling
This album will do a number on your body; it will send shivers up and down your spine, and melt your face.

TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Brilliant and versatile; a successful merger of all the best from Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes and Return to Cookie Mountain,

Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us...
It sounds like Broken Social Scene. I think that's all that needs to be said.

Spiritualized - Songs in A & E
Trade in the blue microdot for Valium. This a laid-back album about telling the Grim Reaper to shove his scythe up his ass sideways, accompanied by the sounds of a Baptist church revival somewhere in Louisiana in the background.

The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
This is a great album to listen to while coding, thinking, or thinking about coding.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
I've never been disappointed by the Hold Steady's previous albums and the trend continues. Stay Positive is chock full of the sordid tales from Craig Finn that we've come to know and love.

No Age - Nouns
If Jack White was weened on Sonic Youth instead of the blues, the White Stripes would be No Age.

The Verve - A Storm in Heaven
In anticipation of their new album, titled Forth, coming out next month, I've gone back to the Verve's beginnings.