Lotta cats recently been asking for recommendations, and being the civil servant that I am, I put together a quick rundown of some recent highlights for your listening pleasure...

Julian Lynch - Terra. Rich, mellow, medium-fi blend of strummy indie rock, atmospherics, and jazz goodness, with an Elliott Smith-esque quiet intimacy. The only thing out there that sounds like it is his excellent Mare from last year's top 10.

Wild Beasts - Smother. I have said enough about these guys that I decided not to review the album, but suffice it to say, I love it intensely. Not quite the tour de force performance of Two Dancers, but they are just as enrapturing and sexy with the new, stripped-down, electronic-heavy sound.

Future Islands - In Evening Air. So, I realized recently that I have a propensity towards unusual voices. Case in point, my two albums of the year so far - Destroyer and Wild Beasts - are fronted by two guys that would legitimately creep most people out. After that probably comes James Blake, who sounds like a heartbroken robot, and Radiohead, who, well, you know. No doubt that's the first thing you'll notice about FI, and you'll probably know right away whether you're hooked or a hater. I think he sounds like a sensitive wizard-villain exiled from the land of his glam rock warrior-people. Beyond that, though, a decent survey of the last 5 years in indie rock. I am the Tin Man!!

Diego Garcia - Laura. Argentina-via-NYC guitarist/singer-songwriter (I mean that in the literal, not the pejorative, sense - but that's another post for another day) with a golden voice and a flair for the cinematic.

Thao & Mirah - s/t. Brings out the best of both of these indie singer-songwriters (there it is again). Nice eclectic range of styles.

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. No explanation needed. Probably overrated at the moment, but certainly in line with Hello Nasty. I'm down.

Bibio - Mind Bokeh. How to describe Bibio? Downtempo dance music or upbeat driving music? Hell if I know. He's a beat maker at base, but never, ever do you feel like you're listening to a tired instrumental track. He's got a killer 70s/00s electro/funk/hip-hop dynamic going on and makes me feel like I never want to live anywhere but the heart of the city. Check out Ambivalence Avenue, too (maybe even first).

V/A - Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque. 'World Music' is just about the slipperiest music term out there, often invoked simply to signify 'the other,' without any attention to - or usually respect for - the particular cultural lineage. (I totally majored in Anthropology). But I can't help but call throw the world music label at this mix for its huge range of regional styles all cobbled together into a seamless, super fun dance party.

Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4Eva. A worthy heir to the Southernplayalisticcaddilacmusic throne of our favorite spaced out, storytelling ATLiens.

See the side bar for everything else, including some older material...

Never even heard of these guys, and I'm an instant fan. Courtesy of my man JN...

Cute. Equal parts humility and moment-owning.

My first exposure to the Kills was at Coachella '04 or maybe '05. They were the first band I saw all day, and it was like walking into the party and immediately having someone throw a splash of tequila down my throat.

Since then, I have always thought they were on the cusp of making a great album. Always wanted it. They are a ferocious live band and couldn't be cooler, but truth is, it just wasn't quite there in the studio.

Well, I think they finally made the leap. The songwriting on Blood Pressures is stronger and the sound fuller (see 'Future Starts Slow' and 'Damned If She Do'), but without sacrificing any of that sneering, visceral energy. The difference-maker, though, is a few well-timed curveballs to tie all the rockers together ('Wild Charms,' 'The Last Goodbye,' 'Pots and Pans').

Then there's this, probably my favorite thing the Kills have ever done.

Whoops. This one snuck up on me. Well, anyway, I gave you my spiel last year. Show some love, people.

Here is Pitchfork's rundown of all the special releases and in-store performances, plus other helpful links.

I'm hoping to grab the Wild Beasts' "Albatross" 7", the James Blake vinyl release, and the Trash Talk / Wavves split 7"!

I don't mean that as a bad thing. It's just that they have weirdly similar career trajectories, and I feel almost exactly the same about both bands.

2000, Coldplay releases Parachutes; it flies under the radar but in retrospect is a killer album. 2001, The Strokes release Is This It?; it does well but really gains stature stature over time. Both albums are front to back gems and highly re-listenable.

Again one year apart, both release good but not great sophomore albums under the weight of Next Big Thing hype. Is This It? is a better album than Parachutes, but I prefer A Rush of Blood to the Head to Room on Fire, so I say they come out a wash. At this point, both bands are pretty well overrated. They date movie stars.

Smothered with unrealistic expectations, they each drop unlistenable duds the third time around (again, The Strokes one year after Coldplay). Popular opinion turns drastically against them. The Coldplay backlash is more vitriolic (probably because expectations were loftier. That, and they're soft.), but both bands are now, generally speaking, Not Who We Thought They Were. They disappear for a while.

Here's where I get to my point. They probably stayed away long enough that nobody really cared anymore either way. Everybody sold their stock and no longer has a stake in the outcome. This mellowing gives them freedom from expectations again, and they both bang out competent, professional, polished, and generally decent albums. And we probably have enough lingering love that they still benefit from what we liked about them in the first place. I liked Viva La Vida okay, because, I don't know, I had no reason not to like it. And I'm enjoying Angles this week because I just don't need a whole lot from The Strokes right now. A couple good hooks, that unfazeable croon, and a nice pace, and y'know what, I'm good.

The lesson, as always, expectations are everything.

As you know, I think very highly of Wild Beasts. Or as JV likes to call them, Vampire Opera. So you could guess that I went epileptic when I saw this:



And now, this:

Wild Beasts - Albatross by 1FTP

JV said she thought it was going to be totally different. Sounds like she's on to something. I say Bring. That. Sh!%.

I would bet a pantless day at work that this thing is going to make like Godzilla.

2 months and counting...