Eels / Daisies of the Galaxy / Dreamworks E. has unveiled his latest pop opus -- and while he's not necessarily any happier, at least his music serves to show that he has survived and is moving forward. Daisies of the Galaxy effortlessly alternates between playfully whimsical pop and jarringly melancholic moments of reflection and remembrance, frequently on an song-by-song basis...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Third Eye Foundation / Little Lost Soul / Merge With Little Lost Soul, The Third Eye Foundation's Matt Elliott has truly created athing of beauty. It tempers the frenetic energy of traditional drum'n'bass with theunsatiable brooding and sickly yearning of other Bristol outfits, like Portishead and Massive Attack. Such divergent energy results in music that is unsettling indeed -- I'd go so far as to call it spooky...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Luke Vibert / BJ Cole / Stop the Panic / Astralwerks Vibert's an eclectic electronic artist and remixer with a sense of humor and a taste for the unexpected. Cole's a world-renowned pedal-steel guitarist whose hunger for new sounds knows no bounds. Together, they've recorded one of the year's most entertaining albums -- a synthesis of Hawaiian music, jetsetting lounge-pop and drum'n'bass...more» FEATURED ON THE BOOMBOX!
		Emperor Penguin / Mysterious Pony / My Pal God Mysterious Pony cuts loose immediately with the infectious "E.D.G.A.R.", which teams persistent percussion, a throbbing bass rhythm and a bouncy keyboard melody. From there, it's on to mellower, funkier climes; check out the chewy, gooey synthesizer squelch action on "Makin' It," not to mention the flute-fill samples on the ultra-suave "Chill or Be Chilled"...more»
		Various Artists / Magnetic Curses / Thick After just one listen, it becomes apparent that even though Magnetic Curses serves to document the Chicago "sound," there really is no single sound, style or genre that encompasses all the bands on this compilation. This demonstration of the full scope of Chicago's sonic diversity is ultimately what makes Magnetic Curses so important...more»
		Morphine / The Night / Rykodisc When Mark Sandman, the singer/bassist for Morphine, passed away last summer, I was shocked. After hearing this album, recorded shortly before his death, I am crushed. In the best work by the Boston trio, Sandman takes us on a tour of all the things he has left behin...more»
		Various Artists / Moshi Moshi: Pop International Style / March If you've been choking on the recent glut of so-called "international pop," you might be inclined to avoid this two-disc, multi-country, 40-song compilation like the plague. You'd be cheating yourself, though. While you'll find no shortage of twee melodies, listlessly-strummed guitars, seventies pop flourishes, breathy girl / effeminate boy vocals and summery images, you'll also find a number of bands determined to defy the stereotypes of modern pop...more»
		Patrice Desbiens / Les Moyens du Bord / Ambiances Magnetiques Desbiens' verbal ruminations are in French, and since I'm not a native speaker my ears rely entirely on Desbiens’ vocal inflections. These uttered words are like another type of music as they are chanted, shouted and smoothly rolled from Desbiens' lips with cunning clarity...more»
		The Reports / Run Into the Night / Satellite Transmissions In each of the nine fast songs on Run Into The Night, the Reports pound out strong, emotional rock filled with hooks galore and choruses generally planted in regular events, like "coming home to my girlfriend" or feeling good about oneself in a "turtleneck sweater"...more»
		The Timbre Project / Free Souvenirs / Ice Cream Headache I knew the during the first listen that the Timbre Project's Free Souvenirs would not cause me any aural injury. Free Souvenirs' deft melodic workmanship was able to pass my rigid domestic purification administration (or "housework" in common parlance) test...more»