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Before I go into any specifics about the album, I have a quick disclaimer: If the only Weezer you will listen to is Pinkerton and The Blue Album, stay far, far away from Raditude. Case in point: Lil’ Wayne contributes a verse on one song. So, if Weezer’s lean toward the mainstream sickens you, steer clear, because they don’t even pretend to be anything less than a pop band on Raditude.

With the disclaimer out of the way, I can now safely say that Raditude isn’t a bad album at all. Granted, it’s nothing like the music Weezer used to make, but that doesn’t necessarily make it worse. If we mark Make Believe as the beginning of Weezer’s transformation, then Raditude is without a doubt the best album of the new era. It is a solid album of simple pop-rock tunes, and nobody’s pop sense is better in tune than Rivers Cuomo.

The album kicks off with the 8th grade relationship anthem, ‘(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To’. Over an infectious guitar hook, Cuomo tells believable stories about middle school sexual tension. Although it’s a bit of an odd topic for a 39-year-old songwriter, Cuomo hits the nail on the head describing middle school awkwardness. The album continues with ‘I’m Your Daddy’, and by the first chorus, it’s clear that Cuomo has no qualms about going balls deep into generic pop music. That would be bad, but Weezer the songs are crafted so well that even though the sound isn’t original, it’s still catchy as hell. Some other favorites on the album: ‘The Girl Got Hot’, featuring Cuomo musing about the newfound attractiveness of a girl who nobody used to look twice at; ‘Tripping Down The Freeway’, a clever tune about a dysfunctional relationship that Cuomo refuses to end; ‘The Prettiest Girl In the Whole Wide World’, a romantic tune with an almost AC/DC-esque intro.

I’ve purposely left off ‘Can’t Stop Partying’, because it isn’t really a Weezer song. It seems like they took lyrics from Jamie Foxx and Akon and told Cuomo to sing them. This song would be better off on one of R. Kelly’s albums, complete with Lil’ Wayne guest verse. Don’t get me wrong, Lil’ Wayne’s verse is as deft and clever as always, but it just doesn’t fit in with Weezer. It doesn’t sound like something Cuomo would, or should, write.

Other than an odd obsession with middle school and the aforementioned unfitting song, the album is generally a good effort from a great pop band. Once again, it’s not Pinkerton, but we’ve known for awhile that Pinkerton is never coming back. If you can accept Weezer’s new sound, it’s obvious that this album is leaps and bounds better than the last two. I hope that, no matter which path they take, Weezer doesn’t stop making catchy songs. In that regard, Raditude doesn’t disappoint.

Check out their myspace or website for more information about the band.

Weezer – The Girl Got Hot
Weezer – Tripping Down The Freeway
Weezer – The Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World

The Temper Trap, a 4-person band from Australia, first caught my ear when their single, ‘Sweet Disposition’, was featured in the movie 500 Days Of Summer. I loved the movie, and the song was used perfectly to convey just the right mixture of emotions. Of course, that one song led to months of anticipation for more Temper Trap music. Now they have released their debut album, Conditions, and the album is full of the charming melodies that made ‘Sweet Disposition’ such a great song.

Conditions kicks off with synths and handclaps in ‘Love Lost’. Once singer Dougy Mandagi’s vocals jumps in, my foot starts to tap. By the time the guitar and drums blast into action, I’m already convinced that my months of waiting were not in vain. The song maintains its energy throughout it’s three and a half minutes, and I can’t think of a better way to open an album.

The album continues along this vain, employing blips, claps, beeps, yelps, and pops to compliment the regular instrumentation. Mandagi alternates between an airy falsetto (’Sweet Disposition’, ‘Fools’) and a belting, pure chest voice (’Down River’, ‘Science Of Fear’). The instrumentation varies in each song, so the album never gets repetitive and keeps you on your toes. However, not all of the songs are as immediately lovable as ‘Love Lost’ or ‘Sweet Disposition’. Some of them take a few listens for them to grow on you, and even then, they may not be the most memorable. The majority of the songs, though, are quick to charm and slow to get out of your head.

Conditions is a solid first effort from a talented young band. As the band matures, I’m confident they will sort out what works and what doesn’t for them. The Temper Trap has endless potential, and I look forward to seeing what comes out of it. For now, I’ll just keep waiting for the DVD release of 500 Days Of Summer so I can re-watch the ‘Sweet Disposition’ scene.

To learn more about the band, visit their website or their myspace.

The Temper Trap – Love Lost
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
The Temper Trap – Science Of Fear

Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Andrew Mayer Cohen grew up around Detroit’s soul and jazz music. Now that he has his own band, Mayer Hawthorne and The County, the influence such music had on him is apparent. His debut album, A Strange Arrangement, is full of funky, soulful tunes. When he played his first two songs for Peanut Butter Wolf, the head of the Stones Throw label, Wolf thought they were remixes of late-1960’s songs. That’s how good Mayer Hawthorne is.

The album opens with an acapella prelude, setting the tone for the rest of the cd. The first full song is ‘A Strange Arrangement’, a swaying piano ballad featuring Cohen’s airy falsetto. As the lover story develops, soft drums come in to balance out the piano and backing vocals. Nothing about the song is unpredictable or original, but it is executed perfectly. It’s like when you see an Olympic diver pull out a perfect dive; nothing about it is unexpected, but the execution is so flawless that you’re still left in awe.

The next track, ‘Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out’, sounds like it’s being played from a record player. Through somewhat muffled drumbeats and a 1960’s radio voice, Mayer Hawthorne unfolds a soulful breakup tune. It also has an awesome, odd video.

‘Maybe So Maybe No’, the first single of the album, follows. While it’s pretty much more of the same type of song, it doesn’t seem to drag at all. It’s more upbeat than either of the previous two, adding horns on top of the piano and drums. The next song, “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin”, is my personal favorite of the entire album. With a driving piano undertone and a cheerful horn hook, it catches you immediately and doesn’t let you go until the dance is over.

If I continue going song-by-song, it’ll get very redundant very quickly, so I’ll stop with that now. Suffice to say that although all the songs are extremely similar to one another, each has its own unique soul that it expresses shamelessly through its own two or three minutes. Every song on this album tells its own story with pure soulful bliss. I’ve never been a huge fan of soul or jazz music, so it surprises me how much I love this album. This will definitely be on my year-end list of favorite albums.

If you want to learn more about Mayer Hawthorne, check out his myspace.

Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out
Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No
Mayer Hawthorne – Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’

Every once in awhile, I’ll hear an album full of songs so surprisingly fresh yet familiar, the whole thing will feel like deja vú. Good Night, States has managed to produce an EP of such caliber, crafting six tunes with simple, familiar melodies that nonetheless manage to catch me off guard. The songs seem straightforward enough, but when acoustic guitar riffs are complimented by synthesizer blips, this small change transforms the nature of the entire song. If you took Elliott Smith’s music and replaced the drums with electronic blips and drum machines, I imagine it would end up sounding something like Good Night, States.

The tempo of the EP varies, producing both bouncy, poppy tunes and slower, more thoughtful tracks. Regardless of the musical speed, the lyrical content of the album is rather dismal, featuring lines such as “hate will protect you” and “son, you’re growing closer to the end.” It seems ironic, then, that this album always leaves me smiling.

The first two tracks, ‘Arsonist’s Blues’ and ‘Good Times, So Wearily Desired!’, are two of the more musically upbeat on the EP. Both feature acoustic strumming heavily supported by the band’s drum machine and 30-year old synthesizers. the blips seems straight out of a Mario game, adding an unusual and catchy dimension to otherwise straightforward, acoustic pop songs.

The next two are of the opposite nature, leaning toward a slower, more brooding feel. ‘River In The Dry’ sounds like an Arcade Fire demo with organs layered over the guitar. ‘Moonlight’ is the most downbeat of the entire EP, with a synthesizer whining the chord progression as a guitar picks out the melody. Both songs cry out for something more, and the band’s selection of synthesizer sounds perfectly portrays this yearning.

The next track, ‘All On Your Own’ is the most immediately catchy of the EP. It’s also the poppiest, featuring a toe-tapping riff and backround ooh’s. Here, the band really shows their versatility, switching straight from a Ryan Adams-esque lament to a carefree, happy tune. The final track of the EP is also the longest. As fits the closing song of such an eclectic EP, it blazes a bit of a middle road between the poppy and the brooding aspects of the previous songs. The wavering vocals fit perfectly with the airy musical feel, and end the album perfectly, leaving you both satisfied and curious for more.

In short, I love this album. Good Night, States take something so familiar and add something so small that it becomes something entirely different. As vague and ambiguous as that sounds, it’s exactly what happens. Listen for yourself, and if you like it, please support the band and buy the album.

You can learn more about Good Night, States at their website or their myspace.

Good Night, States – Arsonist\'s Blues
Good Night, States – River In The Dry
Good Night, States – All On Your Own

In The Ever is Hawaii-born Mason Jennings’ first attempt with Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. Like Johnson, Jennings is first and foremost a lyricist, backing his verses with simple musical support. Jennings’ usual acoustic-driven songwriting is fully active on this album, ranging from slow, thoughtful ballads to quirky raffi-esque tunes.

The album starts well enough with ‘Never Knew Your Name’. Bouncy piano chords and snare-heavy jazz drumbeats carry this lighthearted love song as Jennings proclaims “I’ve been loving you forever, but I never knew your name.” ‘Something About Your Love’ continues with the theme of (you guessed it) love. This time, it’s a little slower, and the piano is replaced with an acoustic guitar. It’s definitely a song that requires a certain mood to enjoy, so you may not like it on the first, second, or even tenth listen.

The next track, ‘I Love You And Buddha Too’ is one of the most enjoyable but least poignant songs on the album. It’s message about the many ways to find God is solid enough, but instead of the usual poetic, pensive lyrics, it sounds like something straight off a children’s disc. I’m sure this is annoying to fans of Jennings’ lyricism, but to me, it felt like a welcome digression from the brooding nature of the rest of the cd.

Besides that one anomaly, the rest of the songs on the album are all what you would expect from Jennings. A few of my favorites are ‘Fighter Girl’ (the first single), ‘Your New Man’, and ‘Soldier Boy’. Mr problem with acoustic songwriters like Jack Johnson and Mason Jennings is that I get bored of them really quickly. Jennings at least changes his instrumentation and tempo constantly, so for the most part his songs sound fresh at first listen. After a few spins, however, the songs all seem to seep together into an unintelligible mush of minor chords and snare drums.

Generally, I like the album. Most of the tracks aren’t extremely memorable, but I really enjoy the few that are. You can learn more about Jennings (and his upcoming cd, Blood of Man) at his website or his myspace.

Mason Jennings – Never Knew Your Name
Mason Jennings – I Love You And Buddha Too
Mason Jennings – Fighter Girl

Santa Barbara quartet Rebelution are the newest face of reggae. Sporting a sound straight from the beaches of Southern California (and, of course, Jamaica), the band tore into the mainstream in 2007 with their debut, Courage To Grow. The album garnered huge success, and is still one of the top-10 reggae albums on iTunes. Now the reggae-rockers are back with Bright Side Of Life. They don’t stray too much from what worked on the first album, busting out minimalist, uplifting reggae tunes from start to finish.

The album kicks off with the title track, ‘Bright Side of Life’. It sets the tone for the rest of the album with off-beat rhythm guitars and encouraging lyrics like “look on the bright side of life.” ‘More Than Ever’ has a more active lead guitar, branching into a semi-rock riff at times. ‘Outta Control’ features some funky keyboard action alongside driving guitar harmony. The song displays the band’s hip-hop influences as lead singer Eric Rachmany raps through the verses. ‘From The Window’ is the most rock-influenced track on the album, with a distorted guitar riff backing the chorus.

As the album goes on, each song brings its own personality, but they are all essentially tied together. All of the songs have the same rhythm guitar sound and drums with only small variations in the lead guitar and keyboards. Usually this would be a major downfall in an album, but reggae is a genre that thrives on redundancy. It’s not meant to be original and thought-provoking. Reggae is relaxed and informal. It makes you feel good with hypnotic, predictable rhythms and an uplifting lyrical message.

Rebelution do this perfectly; they don’t try to disguise the simplicity of reggae or complicate their music. If you’re having a tough day, Rebelution will mellow you out. If you’re having a barbecue, it’ll provide the perfect atmosphere. Ditto with a day at the beach. It’s not music for concentrating on anything specific. Rather, it broadens and blurs your focus until your worries melt into the off-beats. Rebelution have crafted an album so simple that it’s hypnotic. Just don’t listen to it when you’re trying to study.

Learn more about the band at their myspace or their website.

Rebelution – Bright Side Of Life
Rebelution – More Than Ever
Rebelution – Outta Control

Every time Modest Mouse releases new music, I always wonder whether this will be their sell-out moment. Will they decide that poppy radio hits a la ‘Float On’ are more desirable than drawn out musical journeys (’Truckers Atlas’, anyone?). That worry is always floating around the back of my mind, that they’ll go the way of so many other bands and opt for stadium-ready anthems and a mainstream fan base. However, my worries have thus far been unnecessary. Brock & Co. continue to make original, interesting songs while keeping their own musical identity intact.

Their newest EP, No One’s First & You’re Next, is comprised of eight unreleased tracks and B-sides from the previous two albums. All of the songs are different in their own way, but all of them sound exactly like you’d expect Modest Mouse to sound. You’d think that this might get tiring after a while, but for some reason, Brock and crew seem to be the only band who can sound so much like themselves in every song without me getting tired of them. The songs are self-referential to the point where they’re recognizable, but they fall short of redundancy. Listening through the EP is like having deja vu. It sounds so familiar, and it’s extremely accessible, but at the same time, it’s entirely original and new.

Even though all the tracks are fresh, there is a reason they didn’t make the cut on either of the last two albums. They’re all solid songs, but I can’t see any of them replacing any of the tracks on Good News For People Who Love Bad News or We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. If you’ve never really listened to Modest Mouse before, don’t start here. If, however, you already know and love them, these eight tracks are a great addition to an already outstanding catalog.

Check out their website and their myspace for more good stuff.

Modest Mouse – Guilty Cocker Spaniels
Modest Mouse – History Sticks To Your Feet
Modest Mouse – Perpetual Motion Machine

Super Mash Bros’ mashup swag is back in action with their sophomore release, All About The Scrillions. While the genre box of their first album was filled in on iTunes as “Awesome”, this time around it’s “Still Awesome”. Those two words really sum up the entire album: Super Mash Bros have managed to bust out another disc with some jaw-droppingly kickass combinations.

At first, I was a bit worried about whether the duo would be able to live up to their ingenious first album. Critics of the new album told me that they were trying to do too much with this one and they ended up all over the shop. At first listen, it seemed they were right. However, the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. While the first album comprised mostly of songs that were immediately appealing, this one takes a little more getting used to. Of course, this album still has moments of immediate brilliance, such as Pitbull’s ‘Go Girl’ over Muse’s ‘Starlight’. The majority of it, though, is most enjoyable when you know what’s going to happen.

As with all mashup albums, some work and some don’t. The two I tend to steer clear from on this album are Lil Jon’s ‘Get Low’ over Sum 41’s ‘Fat Lip’ and Lil Wayne’s ‘A Milli’ over Zombie Nation’s ‘Kernkraft 4000′. Other than those two, the album as a whole is solid. Part of me wants to tell you what some of the best combinations are, but I’ve already ruined one by telling you, so I’ll let you find the rest. For now, just believe me when I say that there are more awesome ones. Also, listen to this album LOUD. It’s meant to be party music, and blasting it just gets you so much more of the energy than using your tinny computer speakers.

Just like last time, you can download the whole album for free at lazerwolf.com. Also, check out their myspace.

These three tracks are tracks 4, 5, and 6 on the album, and because the whole album was originally one continuous mix, they are meant to be played one after another in the order they’re posted here. Enjoy.

Super Mash Bros – NPH FTW
Super Mash Bros – @ LaurenConrad Get Us On The Hills!
Super Mash Bros – Adler Girl Pt. II (I Can Change!)

What happens when you put together members from two successful indie rock bands? Well, if those two happen to be Vampire Weekend’s producer Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot’s lead singer Wes Miles, you naturally end up with a debut disc filled with…electronic drumbeats and auto-tune? Wow, ok. Anyone who is looking for nothing more than a subtle variation on the Vampire Weekend/Ra Ra Riot sound should stay far, far away from Discovery’s LP. The two musicians dive deep into auto-tuned, syncopated electro/RnB/pop and come up with a handful of gems.

The album opens with a veritable one-two punch, ‘Orange Shirt’ followed by ‘Osaka Loop Line’. Both are radio-ready summer jams, complete with glistening RnB beats. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear R. Kelly or Akon start singing over them. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, and both songs are probably going to be on repeat in my car for the rest of the summer.

The next song, ‘Can You Discover?’, is a remake of Ra Ra Riot’s ‘Can You Tell’. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this particular track. Along with the rest of the world, I love ‘Can You Tell’, so Discovery’s reworking seems almost like a step backward from the orchestral pop bliss of the original. However, after a couple listens it grew on me, and the less I compared it to the original track, the more I liked it. It’s not trying to improve upon Ra Ra Riot’s version, it’s just looking at it a different way.

‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’ brings in Angel Dreadoorian from the Dirty Projectors to sing the hook, which sounds like every other RnB radio hit. Other than Angel’s persistent pleas of “I wanna be your boyfriend”, it’s not a great song; with tinny beats and an overuse of auto-tune, its perceived glittery goodness is only skin deep.

‘So Insane’ is another gem, with a tempo-changing pop chorus catapulting it into the elite group with ‘Orange Shirt’ and ‘Osaka Loop Line’. Unlike ‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’, the auto-tuning actually makes the song better.

While the first half of the album is mostly awesome, the second half is mostly filler. ‘Swing Tree’ is cute, but forgettable. The cover of Jackson 5’s ‘I Want You Back’ was bearable the first few times, and I might have actually liked it the first time, but after a multiple listens, it gets so bad it’s offensive. ‘It’s Not My Faut (It’s My Fault)’ and ‘Slang Tang’ aren’t bad, but like ‘Swing Tree’, they’re easily forgotten.

The only real standout song in the second half of the album is ‘Carby’, where Ezra Koening of Vampire Weekend is brought in to sing. It sounds like Vampire Weekend went to a studio to record a new song, but they forgot all their instruments, and all the studio had was a synthesizer. Even with auto-tune, Koening’s voice sounds distinct and recognizable, and the song moves along happily as a Vampire Weekend spinoff.

Generally, I like what Batmanglij and Miles have done with Discovery. They tried something new with odd electronic pop, and they pulled off some great songs while for the most part avoiding terrible ones. You may love it. You may hate it. Regardless, it’s a worthwhile listen.

If you want to hear what they have to say and learn more about the band, check out their myspace.

Discovery – Can You Discover?
Discovery – So Insane
Discovery – Carby

Grrr… is the third studio album from Harvard-grad pop group Bishop Allen. Unlike their grandiose last album, The Broken String, the band simplifies their sound on this disc. The straightforward, cute instrumentation provides a perfect background for Justin Rice’s straightforward, cute vocals.

The album opens with ‘Dimmer’, a quirky, childish tune. Rice’s wavery voice on this track starts out a bit annoying, but as he gets to the chorus, the warbling makes way for a more pleasing melody. Thankfully, this is really the only time throughout the album where Rice’s voice is in the least bit aversive. In tracks such as ‘The Lion & The Teacup’ and ‘Cue The Elephants’ Rice actually uses his voice so successfully that what he is saying becomes irrelevant. Which might be a good thing, considering fun but pointless lines like “The morning belonged to the grapefruit.”

Musically, nothing too complex shows up on this album, which makes the album all the more charming. It’s nothing too overblown; rather, it revels in its own simplicity. The simple guitars, simple keyboards, and simple drums all mesh together wonderfully to create an album full of pop gems.

While none of it is boringly familiar, the band also manages to stay away from being abrasively odd. His voice never quites get as warbly as, say, Alec Ounsworth (from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). At the same time, he never sounds intentionally poppy enough for us to confuse him with someone like Ben Gibbard. The closest parallel I can come up with is Fishboy, who has the same odd-but-familiar poppiness.

The one problem I have with this album is that it’s quite mood-dependent. As I listened to it more and more, I began to realize that, depending on what mood I’m in, I either love it to pieces or I can’t wait for it to be over. I guess you could say that with all indiepop though. Other than that, this is an outstanding album that I would highly recommend to anyone.

Check out their myspace and their website for more information. While you’re at it, check out this video of them playing ‘Butterfly Nets’ (from The Broken String) in a bathroom.

Bishop Allen – Don\'t Hide Away
Bishop Allen – The Lion & The Tea Cup
Bishop Allen – The Ancient Commonsense Of Things