Albums I purchased in November 2008:

• A. C. Newman – The Slow Wonder – Sounds just like a New Pornographers album.
• AFI – Sing the Sorrow – Their newer album convinced me to get over the bad taste their live show left in my mouth a few years ago. It was a good call.
• Against Me! – ’’The Acoustic E.P." – They always seem more "them" unplugged.
• Bayside – Shudder
• Bloc Party – Intimacy – Whoa, Nelly. Somebody wanted to experiment a lot here. Still good, though.
• Fightstar – One Day Son This Will Be Yours
• Guided by Voices – Earthquake Glue – I finally picked up this heralded album. It’s obvious why it gets so much hype.
• Jeff Hanson – Madam Owl – A lot like his other releases (i.e., solid singer/songwriter stuff).
• Opeth – Watershed and Ghost Reveries – Opeth likes to jump genres, and I like Watershed better than Reveries (so far).
• Plain White T’s – Big Bad World – Another album of great punk-pop (although they seem to lean more on the pop this time).
• Portugal. The Man – Censored Colors – I’ve come down a little off of my Portugal high, but I think this is their better album.
• Sharks Keep Moving – Sharks Keep Moving – I like the idea of this band, but I listening to it bugs me. Bust.
• Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns – Nice. Very nice.
• Static Lullaby, A – Rattlesnake! – More abrasive than before, but better songwriting.
• Toadies – No Deliverance – They’re back! I need more time here to let the expectations settle.
• Unearth – The March – Face. Officially. Melted.
• Welcome Kings – Daddy’s Hands – Sometimes I can handle the weirdness, and others I can’t. I think I need a lot more listens on this one.

< October 2008 – December 2008 >

This article was edited after publication by the author on 11 Feb 2010. View changes.