Taking the normal rock music ingredients of guitars and drums, ditching verse-chorus-verse style writing, and blending in elements of free jazz improvisation is the easiest explanation of post-rock and TFATD that I can come up with.  This is instrumental music with big nods to Tortoise, Slint, Mogwai, Pink Floyd and King Crimson all over.  Their 2010 EP Part 1, featured one track clocking in less than 19 minutes long that brought to mind Tortoise’s epic jam “Djed”.

This outing sees the boys with a post-punk aesthetic floating around; stripping out all the garbage, focusing on the instruments and crafting shorter songs.  My biggest gripe is that the songs are almost too short and I wish a few were at least twice as long.  Album opener “Flint” will get you moving as it transitions to ‘Part 2’ that explodes around the midway point.  Middle tracks “Landcrab” and “H.R.” keep the record going at a steady pace.  There are a few melodic moments throughout “The Wait”, “Hotel No. 6″, yet for the most part this album keeps you on your toes.  Post-rock is not an easy genre to listen to at times and it can’t be easy to break into but these lads are off to an excellent start.

Aside from the tracks I mentioned above you should also try “10×10″,”Daddies Little Helper” and epic closer “Andy Fox” both featuring some solid saxophone work from Terry Edwards.  You can check out TFATD at their site, listen to their albums and download them.  I have a feeling I’ll spring for a physical copy at some point and you should too.

Interspersed throughout this album are some spots where you can hear the band having a good time and stretching out a bit to have a laugh.  Opening track “Victory Dance” has Jim James singing along to the bass line which sounds comical and he spins other strange stories later on “Outta My System”.  Still the other strange track here is “Holdin’ On to Black Metal” which is an odd tribute about listening to loud music growing up, complete with a children’s choir on the chorus.

All the other tracks on this 10-song outing are pretty standard fare for MMJ.  That long winding southern country rock that explodes on the title track.  Even the slower tunes “Slow Slow Tune” and “Movin’ Away” are good to hear as the band doesn’t exert themselves too much.  You can hear how a little of Evil Urges was still shining through during the recording, yet this album is in closer company to 2005’s Z, but not quite 2003’s It Still Moves.

The tracks that I mentioned above are all worth checking out and so is “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” if you want to get an idea of how this all shapes up.  This is a good outing for a band that has proven to be one of best live acts of the last decade, but I’m still looking for more soaring guitar work on the next one.  Give these tracks a download before you buy.

Explosions are a four piece from Texas and have been together since 1999.  Unlike Mogwai or Tortoise, Explosions seem to stay within the bounds of rock music and craft some amazing tunes.  I will warn you that there is a lot of build up for several of these tracks but the payoff is well worth it.  As of late I find myself listening to more instrumental rock music and I find that it gives me time to focus on the playing instead of vocals.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good vocalist that can draw in an audience and craft a song but often times that takes away from the background and that is where some magic can happen.

You can hear that magic all over this album and each of the six tracks are well thought out plans to take you on a different journey.  Opener “Last Known Surroundings” is a great way to get this record moving and the slow building of “Human Qualities” is perfect.  “Be Comfortable Creature” is more of a cerebral venture into space.  With a run time of 45 minutes that is enough to take you far away and drop you right back where you started.

Since there are so few tracks, you can start with the ones I mentioned or “Postcard from 1952″, “Trembling Hands” and “Let Me Back In” which rounds out the rest of the record.  What I’m trying to say is that you should take chance on this album and maybe look into some of their previous work.  I know I will and I’m glad I went with my gut and bought this, so will you be.

Horse Feathers could be thrown in the same category as Fleet Foxes except they focus more on lush string arrangements and not vocal harmonies.  “Drain You” is a short, punk rock love song that is too catchy to explain.  Justin Ringle has taken that same song, put the riff on violin and turns the song into a lullaby of sorts.  My perception of the song was flipped, and I couldn’t have been happier.

The B-Side to this single is an original tune “Bonnet of Briars” which opens on a light banjo strum while the vocals seem to float over the stringed instruments.  You can hear the band working in unison to lift up the tune and bring about the bridge while you are brought away by the mandolin.  Sometimes a song can be simple instead of feedback laced.

With the rise of groups like Horse Feathers, Iron and Wine, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes it is good to know that some people are making complex melodies that can whisk you away.  This single is available on the Internet somewhere, I’m going to look into these guys some more and see what I find.

Cake has not lost any of their wit since Pressure Chief, and you might say that this album sounds much more cohesive.  There is a relaxed feeling to many of the songs, but you can tell there is a focused point with each message.  The band has been working on this album for quite some time and wanted to make sure the songs came together well before unleashing it to the masses.  If you had seen them at all last year chances are you may have heard a few of these new tracks mixed with some hits.

I give Cake credit for sticking to their guns over the years as they seem to drift in and out of the public eye.  Most people know them for ‘The Distance’ but you can hear several of their other songs in random movies, Apple commercials and television shows.  One of my favorite spots was in an episode of The X-Files with the lyrics to ‘Sheep Go to Heaven’ written on the wall of asylum.

Like all of their previous releases there are songs with a built in sing-along section that you can picture an audience chanting to, while some songs will grow on you over time.  Cake is adept at holding on to the sound that has made them famous, which is a blend of old country, alt-rock, mariachi trumpet and spots of funk.

Here are a few places to start: ‘Long Time’, ‘Mustache Man (Wasted)’, ‘Teenage Pregnancy’, ‘Bound Away’, ‘Federal Funding’ and the single ‘Sick of You’.  I had this preordered months ago, but you should just buy it anyway when it comes out.

If you are looking for expletive riddled songs about sex, drugs and other naughty things, don’t bother picking up this album.  Instead you can hear an album that can be played at parties or deserve a close listen to hear that Cee-Lo doesn’t always take himself seriously but knows how to work a groove.  His voice is what takes you by surprise and his lyrics are smart throughout.  He doesn’t try to stretch himself over notes he can’t hit, he keeps everything smooth and doesn’t complicate a thing.

This album is a lot of fun but also a little sad how it is a struggle to find love in the modern age when some guys just want to prove chivalry isn’t dead.  I’d start with: ‘Satisfied’, ‘Bright Lights Bigger City’, ‘Old Fashioned’, and his cover of Band of Horses’ ‘No One’s Gonne Love You’.  Maybe a strange choice for a cover but you should find him singing Kings of Leon’s ‘Radioactive’; he can make any song his own with his style and wit.  Do not go into this album thinking it is another Gnarls Barkley release; this is a solid effort from an effective voice in popular music.  Granted some of his lines are cliché soul, you can’t help but sing along and feel good about it at the same time.

There is no shortage of heavy bass lines and memorable riffs on this record, whereas OBTN didn’t rock as hard as I anticipated.  Using some leftover songs from the BOTT sessions, Come Around Sunset was born.  We find the narrations to be personal and introspective rather than patting themselves on the back for a job well done.  The boys appear to be paying homage to their home territory and why they love the south.

What I enjoy about this album is how relaxed it sounds.  The boys could have easily thrown together another smash record for fans to gobble up; instead, they took their time and crafted something worth listening too.  Granted there are a few slow points here and there on a whole this album is solid and it might be a good place to convert non-believers.

Start with: ‘Pyro’, ‘Mary’, ‘No Money’, ‘The End’, the single ‘Radioactive’ and the closing track ‘Pickup Truck’.  If I can say one thing: these guys know how to write a solid album closer and ‘Cold Desert’ may be my favorite track from OBTN.  You should pick this up when it comes out if you haven’t found a way to get it already.

With that said, this album seems to be keeping with the same mentality the last few albums have had: retrospection.  These are not the same guys that are singing about sweaters and hooking up with college girls every night; these are guys that want to relive those days, but need to cut loose once in a while.  I was skeptical at first, but after a careful listen I realized that this album sounds a lot better than people are making it out to be.

Since Rivers got married after Make Believe and had a daughter, his life has been great and he wants to share that with everyone.  For all the RWA fans looking for the second coming of Pinkerton, we won’t find it here, but we will find an album of songs that show a band growing with some dignity.

The guest list includes: Michael Cera, the Jackass cast, writing collaborations with Ryan Adams, Desmond Parker, Linda Perry, Mac Davis and others.  They have also moved to independent punk label Epitah and may explain why this doesn’t sound as polished as before.  Either way, it is a fun listen and will grow on you.

Check out: “Ruling Me”, “Unspoken”, “Hang On”, “Smart Girls”, “Time Flies” and the one tune that stands out “Where’s My Sex?”,  Rivers’ daughter uttered that phrase one day when looking for a pair of socks.  Kids say the darndest things.

Those two words are not only the best way to express your feelings in the scenario above, they are also the title to Cee Lo’s newest single off of his forth coming album The Lady Killer.  Finally a pop song that tells it like it really is: I can’t believe you left me, if I had more money you’d stay, I still love you,  I’m happy you’re happy but really I hate you.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, there have been a ton of break up songs–I’ve heard too many of them, but this one lays them all to waste.  The chorus cuts in like a knife and you really can’t help but want to dance a little bit.

The other half that most people can’t get beyond is the use of vulgarity in the title.  Be honest though; you’re just angry that you didn’t think of it first, I know I am.  The best songs, or art for that matter, are the kind that people can really identify with.  Can you really relate to someone singing about owning five jets, 11 houses and a golden toilet?  Can you relate to someone singing about their heart being ripped out and finally being the better person in the end?  Of course you can, which is why this song is amazing.  If you are over 18 and have a YouTube account I suggest checking this song out and really giving it a chance.

Recovery, which followed Relapse and was originally going to be called Relapse II, was released on June 18, 2010. The production of this album took place from 2007 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers. In an interview Eminem explained that the album was more “emotionally driven” than the first Relapse record. There are many mixed feelings about the album. Some say that it was a failed attempt at rapping  with feeling about his recovery from the depression, drugs, and more.  Others say that he has done a great job. One thing is for sure, this album is a whole lot better than Relapse. Even he will admit that! In Relapse, Eminem was definitely trying so hard, while in this one, there is less of a sense of desperation.

This album has a sole focus on the rapper himself. Rather than bringing others into the subjects, he raps about his problems and his life.  In this album there are rants about suicidal depression and paranoid love. There is anger and remorse, and passion and self-loathing. There is a lot of emotion in this album, but many say that even though that this is a comeback from Relapse, they doubt that this 37 year old “new Shady” is any different than the old one.

If you are only looking to sneak a preview of the album, check out the hit single “Not Afraid”. It is probably the best song on the album, according to critics. However, it is not up to the reviewers and the critics to decide if you like the album, so take a few moments to check it out some time!