On Protomartyr's fourth LP they struggle to find meaning in life and in musical direction. They seem to get in their own way more often than not, which is a bummer after their last release was so promising. 

Frontman Joe Casey takes center stage on this album. Which isn't necessarily a good thing. Protomartyr are at their best when they are balanced, when Casey Lets his band mates get their points across. The Agent Intellect was heavier, more compact and packed a punch, Relatives wants to fight but is afraid to throw any punches.

It starts off strongly with A Private Understanding but fails to reach those heights again until the closing track Half Sister. You are left with Casey often rambling over a band that just wants to let loose and rock out.

Their songs are traditionally disjointed, with no clear structure musically or lyrically, but they usually find a way to hit home. Relatives struggles to get to the point, they are angry and frustrated but appear to have no outlet with Casey preaching over the top of them.

Don't get me wrong this is still a good album and is worth your time more than 90% of the music out there. It's just a step in the wrong direction after such promising albums preceded it. It will take you a few listens to appreciate it and all of its intricacies but hopefully they will get back to what got them here in the future, angry Detroit rock.

The perfect album doesn't exi-.The War on Drugs new album comes on. It's not actually perfect, but it's close. 

A Deeper Understanding is beautiful from start to finish. Adam Granduciel seems to actually have a deep understanding of songwriting and chord progression than the average singer-songwriter. He may actually be Bruce Springsteen's long lost albeit sad son.

This album is haunting. You won't be able to stop listening to it. This is my 6th blog post of the day that no one will read so I am tired of writing. Anyways, this album is fucking awesome, period. End of blog post.

Hundred Waters? Who is that? An awesome electronic band that will probably blow up to Sylvan Esso heights in the next 6 months when every college girl in America "Discovers" them. 

This album is awesome and I'm not even really into electronic music. Her voice is excellent, makes me feel all warm and comfy inside. The music is equally enthralling.

Wave to anchor is the first song I heard form this album, and is one of my favorite songs of the year. If you are looking for a good album to throw on at a party or be productive at work this is it. It is upbeat and will get the people going. They will probably be like, " who is this they are awesome." Proceed to add it to their Spotify playlist and tell all of their friends about it.

Great album. That's all I have to say about that.

Tyler comes out with his best album to date. After the failure that was Cherry Bomb. He also comes out of the closet?

I'm not a huge fan of rap. There are some exceptions, I love Outcast and enjoy some older stuff like Biggie or Nas. But Tyler has never really been my jam. Always thought Earl the strongest talent from the whole OF crew. But this album is awesome.

You will not find a dull moment on this album. Tyler is at his best rapping about his insecurities and failed attempts at love and belonging.

I'm just going to let his lyrics do the talking for this review.

“Shoutout to the girls that I lead on/For occasional head and always keeping my bed warm/And trying they hardest to keep my head on straight/And keeping me up enough till I had thought I was airborne.”

“Next line will have ‘em like ‘Whoa’: I’ve been kissing white boys since 2004.”

Whoa. 

Tyler is usually immature and vulgar for the fuck of it. He has matured greatly on this album. He seems to have realized past wrong doings and may have actually learned from them. I'm looking forward to what Tyler will do in the Future. This is my surprise album of the year.

LCD Soundsytem, they broke up right? They did, kind of. Did they pull that stunt to sell out MSG? Maybe, but who cares. They are back, so fuck it. 

I have never really been like, "Oh man I want to listen to a whole LCD album straight through." I usually bounce around from song to song, back and forth between albums. I think that is how they are digested best.

I saw them live for the first time this summer at Pitchfork and it completely changed my perception of them. Seeing their massive band piece together so many different sounds so well creates a whole different feeling than what can be achieved listening to an album at home. Some bands suck live, LCD blows your mind live, but kind of lose their luster on my car stereo.

This album has gotten so much press and hype that it kind of ruined it for me. They've been saying this album will be coming out for like two-three years now. Then they released the shitty album artwork and everyone went crazy. I was very disappointed by the artwork. I honestly believe their is a correlation between album artwork and music quality.

This album doesn't suck as much as it's artwork would have you believe, but it definitely doesn't live up to the hype that I've been hearing for the last 3 years. The best songs are Call the Police and American Dream, which I heard month before on SNL. The rest of the album is very boring and flat. The songs slowly build into another slow build and then end in a slow fade, not a lot of high-energy or emotion to be found.

Will these songs be awesome live, probably. Will I ever listen to the whole album straight through, no. I actually got bored with it after about four listens and haven't played it since.

Wolf Parade's first new album for a while delvers everything that you love about them. No surprises here, just straight forward excellent indie rock. 

Not a whole lot needs to be said here. This album is awesome from start to finish. No weak points or songs that you will eventually skip over every listen. It's not revolutionary by any means, it's just solid.

I remember hearing Apologies to the Queen Mary in high school and being blown away. Cry Cry Cry doesn't quite have that effect but it will be on repeat for me for the next month or so. Wolf Parade have such a  unique sound and it was sorely missed. Glad they put this out and hoping to catch them play it live in the near future.

The National change things up a bit for their 7th album. Don't worry it's still sad, just in a new way. Matt gives us an inside look at  the struggles of marriage and how to endure life's painful moments. 

First let me say that The National is one of my all time favorite bands, so I am a little biased. This is not their best album to date. But it is a refreshing take on their usual formula of sad songs to listen to on rainy days.

You can hear this difference on the first single they released, The System only Dreams in Total Darkness. The usually restrained Dessner bros go hard and even lay down a sick solo. There is a feeling of chaos and disorder that is not usually found on National albums.

Matt's lyrics and singing style are also different here. He is more open and vulnerable than ever before. His wife Carin helped him write on this album, as she has done in the past. It feels like that collaboration has reached a peak here. “I only take up a little of the collapsing space/I better cut this off, don’t want to fuck it up,” Matt sings on Walk it back.

The mid album track Turtleneck is nothing like we've ever heard form the National. At first I didn't like it, but it has grown on me with time. Matt basically screams the whole time over some of the hardest sounding music they have ever written. Not what you expect, but it somehow works on this album.

The National have delivered another solid album to a catalogue that is hard to beat. They somehow manage to keep things interesting after all of these years. Hopefully they can keep it up for a couple more, for some reason I know they will.

With Life After Youth, Land of Talk have delivered one of the most easy listening and pleasant albums of the year. A soundtrack to a never ending summer.

I had never listened to Land of Talk before this album. I only found them because I follow Saddle Creek records on Facebook (Saddle Creek has one of the most underrated band lineups in indie music). Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.

The album is heartfelt and sincere with every ensuing track. Elizabeth Powell's voice bursts out of the gates on opening track "Yes You Were," and never looks back. Their is a sense of purpose and emotion behind every word and the music follows that example.

"I don't want to waste it this time, I don't want to waste it my life," Powell sings on "This Time." And you can tell she truly means it. Life after youth sounds like a band that is making the most of their time together, living in the moment and not being held back by their fleeting youth.

Best Tracks:

"Yes You Were", "Loving", and "Heartscore"

On their self titled debut Cigarettes After Sex offer a take on modern love songs with a dark dream pop backdrop.

Cigarettes After Sex, that name alone might turn you off and make you avoid this album. I know I had some apprehension when first hearing about them. The album and its themes are a clear reflection of the title. Littered with love ballads about sexual encounters and modern love letters via sexy snapchats. “You open your dress and show me your tits on the swing set at the playground,” sings lead singer Greg Gonzalez on track "Sunsetz."

The lyrics are cheesy and annoying at times. But that is almost unavoidable when singing about modern dating and romance. Everything is cliche and grossly shallow nowadays. Gonzalez's voice and the bands great musical skills are enough to mask these cheesy moments. Gonzalez is so nonchalant with his delivery that he paints a strangely believable and dreamy scene.

Over all this is a solid album for rainy days and lonely sleepless nights, if you are into that sort of thing.

Alex G has one of the most unique sounds in indie rock. It's Elliot Smith meets the Beastie Boys. On Rocket he elevates these sounds to new heights. 

Alex explained his new album to Stereogum like this,“The reason you enjoy music is because of its unlimited potential, the inability to really understand it.” It seems like many artists today feel the need to explain their every move via whatever social media channel or media outlet they are communicating through. That's why Alex G is so refreshing, he lets his music do all of the talking and leaves it up to the listener to find meaning.

Rocket is his most ambitious work to date. The album jumps from style to style and doesn't appear to have a linear flow. At the halfway point the track "Brick" sounds like an Ill communication era Beastie Boys B-side. But it is oddly enjoyable and seems to fit the album perfectly.

The album has an inescapable feeling of paranoia and anxiety. Illustrated with accounts of past failures and loves gone awry. “Are you guilty?/ Are you waiting to be found?/ Do you think that you’d be happier with no one else around?” he sings on the final track "Guilty." Alex G stays true to himself and his feelings throughout the album, never fully explaining his meaning yet providing the listener with an intimate emotional connection.

Best Tracks:

“Powerful Man”, “Bobby”, and “Sportstar”