Wide open spaces and The Western States Motel. There’s something similar about the two that’s both invigorating and relaxing. Maybe it’s the fetching acoustic-pop with songwriting in the vein of Grandaddy. The rural-centric content may not be quite as offbeat, but it’s still off the beaten path. Mind-etching tracks like “the new e blues” and “southwest planes” will keep you gliding smoothly through the entire album - a pleasant ride you’ll want to take again. [www.thewesternstatesmotel.com]

Time and again Ted Leo has proven himself to be a veritable hero of the counter-culture (if it can still be called that) movement of the present. A progressive and literate ethos plugged into a manic melody maker still jacked up on The Jam (and more than a touch of The Style Council, too) sends Leo and his Pharmacists into Living With the Living, the group’s most sundry alluring release yet. Single “Sons of Cain” is vintage Pharmacists, but Ted takes his Kinks proclivity to task on “Army Bound” (a fitting sister song to “Yes Sir, No Sir” with an guitar line lifted from “Victoria”), pop-punk heavily-seeded with hooks (“Who Do You Love?”, “The World Stops Turning”). “A Bottle of Buckie” is one of the songwriter’s more introspective moments, folky and host to what my untrained ears want to pinpoint as an Irish flute. Some tracks feel out of place—the reggae-inflected “The Unwanted Things” shatters the pace set throughout the first half of the record, while “Bomb. Repeat. Bomb” is Leo’s most politically inflammatory work ever, eschewing his melodic grandeur in favor of machine-gun drums and guitars, shouting and poetic commentary on the United States’ current military occupations and our country’s reactions. While some of Living With the Living isn’t the group’s most appealing work (its second half feels almost like another band), its best moments are brighter than most anything they’ve done before. Mr. Leo truly has a gift that eludes all but the most renowned songwriters, and it’s a shame he’s not yet in the same public consciousness that embraced The Boss and Bob Dylan in the States, or Paul Weller, Ray Davies and Shane MacGowan in the UK. Don’t miss out on it. [www.tedleo.com]

The most immediate quality on Aqueduct’s Or Give Me Death is lead singer David Terry’s voice. Smug, self-satisfied, he’s brimming with a cocky confidence that aims for charming and falls really, really short. Embarrassingly short. Like a football filled with concrete. I attribute this to two things; first, that his voice is actually really nasal. It’s geeky and it’s big, like one of those kids who’s always being told to talk softer, and it feels out of place next to the quiet bedroom pop that accompanies it. Secondly, his lyrics are awful. Stupid, anti-witty one-liners any self respecting confident front man would have crumpled up instantly. So, he’s the un-self conscious frat boy who says terrible things and doesn’t realize it, who finds himself a record deal because if he were somebody else, his music might be enjoyable. Because, if you can get beyond him, you’ll realize that some of these songs are really good; the arrangements are surprisingly complex, and the fills are satisfying. Maybe someday soon Aqueduct will get wise and sew David’s mouth shut like the guy in Pan’s Labyrinth. At that point, the band might have a record worth talking about. But until then we're stuck with lines like "It's not living a lie if you're not living at all." What the hell is that? [www.aqueductisgoodmusic.com]

Precious Fathers are Canadians from Canada, where people actually play their instruments and criticize their government. Canadians are notoriously talented, if you don't count the Schmenge Brothers. Most leading "American" artists are from north of the 54-40. For example: Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen and Dan Akyroyd are all Canadians and can play instruments and even sing and dance if they were on Saturday Night Live. Precious Fathers, from Vancouver, don't do anything but play instruments on this entirely instrumental album. Wonderfully named ditties such as "Snowshoes," "Get All The Ribbons And Bring Them Back Here," and "Red Norvo" are three of the standouts. I wonder if John Lindstrom, Tim Loewen, Jaret Penner and Brad Quinn ever entered the Yukon King Snowshoe Race? Don't know, but they do have sample cuts available on their website as well as a 27 minute CBC concert. So, enjoy, roll up the rug, and shake your Saskatchewan booty! [www.preciousfathers.com ]

If you want the punk and you want it hard, MxPx’s Let’s Rock doesn’t exactly deliver as advertised. It’s a compilation of 12 tracks recorded over a six-year period, and it’s a little heavy on the power ballads. Some of them are better than others (the closing track “Last Train” is pretty well put together,) but it’s like these guys recorded the album watching reruns of Dawson’s Creek. When they don’t come off so depressed, like on the rocker “Make Up Your Mind,” things are a lot more interesting. But on the whole, this album is probably a little too bratty for real rock fans. [www.mxpx.com]

Canada's own Comeback Kid is back with their latest foray into the hardcore wilderness. After losing original vocalist Scott Wade, the quartet hit the studio with guitarist Andrew Neufield taking over vocal duties and have produced what may be their hardest hitting and best album to date. Broadcasting... is an excellent album for fans of previous CBK albums as well as anyone who's a fan of the hardcore genre. The band shows an increased focus on melody this time around though, as even Neufield's screams seem more drawn from melodic progressions rather than all and out gutteral intensity. While its predecessor, Wake the Dead, played more as a metalcore album, Broadcasting... allows for the band to earn new listeners, even those who might have been turned off by CBK or bands like them in the past. But fear not hardcore purists! There's still plenty of intensity to go around. [www.comeback-kid.com]

Chris Cohen grew up singing as much as he did playing; thank goodness for it. His three-piece band, The Curtains, benefits from the quiet precociousness of his early dabbling; their new album, Calamity is delightfully experimental lo-fi. A less-than-whiny falsetto and a syncopated chorus dress up the playfulness of the songs; the guitar can throttle notes on "Green Water," it can pluck notes like chicken feathers on "Wysteria," and it can also indulge in rockabilly-lite on the instrumental "Brunswick Stew." On some tracks, like "World's Most Dangerous Woman," Cohen can even pass as a small-scale Sufjan Stevens. "Calamity" molds a disastrous series of notes into the melody, and while some people will inevitably ask what Chris is doing, the answer is clear. He's making music; the hell with rules. [curtains.suchfun.net]

Conqueror heads down the path opened up by last year's Silver EP, where Justin Broadrick finds himself searching to make his otherworldy sounds fit into pop sensibilities...and creates interesting results. Gone are the first days of Heartache's near-perfect melancholia (still one of my favorites of all time) and the immense heaviness of the self-titled debut. Which, to this listener, is sort of a departure (especially when you consider how awesome Broadrick's previous band Godflesh was). But to make extremely heavy music palatable is an interesting challenge, and Justin doesn't disappoint. There's a bit less electronics and effects here than in previous releases, which means this album is a bit more minimalistic. Basically, I think that Broadrick is challenging himself here, hence the title of the record. Conqueror is an adventuresome listen, especially the title track, "Old Year," "Transfigure," "Medicine," and "Stanlow." In fact, the closing song will get stuck in your head; you might even wake up humming its melodies out of some kind of heavenly dream. The only drawback I can discern on this album is that a couple of songs get too repetitive and don't have much change, namely "Weightless & Horizontal" and "Mother Earth." They are still great songs, but may get a little boring if you're not in the mood to zone out. But while the debut album was kind of the same way, some songs were more engaging and others just sort of droned on (making the high points that much higher). Conqueror is a pill that goes down quite easily, but its effect will be felt for years to come. It is an especially good headphone listen, since the textures here will soothe your eardrums. Not the heaviest Jesu album (and definitely the most different from the others with its positivity), but another step in the journey towards transcending one's limitations. [www.avalancheinc.co.uk]

Until the World Is Happy, Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun, to me, sounds like the result of young kids who spent the later (though recent) part of adolescence poring over issue after issue of Alternative Press. Small Leaks Sink Ships are part of that new cream of rock that’s informed by Minus the Bear and At the Drive-In; it’s technically proficient, vaguely progressive rock, and is too youthful to be pretentious in the slightest. Dual, yelped vocals, Explosions In the Sky-esque guitars and lots of rhythm changes are omnipresent, and the band’s enthusiasm makes the record worth a few spins. But at the same time, Small Leaks Sink Ships doesn't seem to have much of a grasp on which direction to pursue, throwing too many things into the kettle and coming out not so much a muddle, but dulled-down. It’s likely a case of youth and over-eagerness, but Until the World Is Happy, Wake Up You Sleepyhead could be taken in more easily by dissecting the bands it pulls from and listening to those records instead. [www.nosleeprecs.com]

Richmond/Chapel Hill duo Opening Flower Happy Bird takes a successful stab at fun electro-pop, but it’s not the sleazy, acid-induced hipster kind; it’s also not The Postal Service. Thankfully The Projectionist meets somewhere in the middle, but that’s not to say it’s a middle-of-the-road album. It’s almost like a minimalist version of The Sunlandic Twins, propelled by drum machines, loopy melodies and rhythms that can be danced to—though it’s more suited for a group of friends bouncing around in the park with a boom box as opposed to some nasty club. Very cool. [www.myspace.com]

Go west young man! Or, more accurately, go northwest. While the ghost of Elliott Smith is roused yet again for another posthumous release, I would encourage you to detach your morbid suckers and apply them to another promising (and living) musician. Also a son of Portland, Fernando Viciconte has a few albums under his belt, and the experience shows in Enter to Exit. Darkly enchanting and alternately fun, it’s a slice of that divinatory songwriting you just can’t let go of. [www.fernandoviciconte.com]

Through four albums, Aerogramme’s sound has slowly matured from overcrowded indie-prog to heartfelt and complex soundscapes. For a band that lists Slayer as an influence on their Myspace page, with My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go, they’ve moved steps away from heavy riffs in favor of a more sonic atmosphere. Shifting layers of dizzying guitars, swirling strings, and spacey keyboards flow effortlessly from loud to symphonic and lie somewhere between South, Sigur Ros, and Coldplay, although Aerogramme might be even more moody. Craig B’s fragile voice can be a tad irritating at times (“A Life Worth Living”), but musically it’s an enjoyable record for aficionados of everything from rock to electronic. [www.aerogramme.co.uk]

The Broken West's debut album, I Can't Go On, I'll Go On, is a sign of artists being trapped by culture. The opening of "Baby on My Arm" is pulled from Coldplay's "Yellow" (the whole track has a creeping ambiance that eventually engulfs the guitar) and "Hale Sunset" is filled with dub. The first half, including the bland "So It Goes" and the catchier "On The Bubble," is full of throwaway power-pop "hits" stuck in a tambourine-heavy past (grainy production values on "Down in the Valley" further age the track). Tracks like "Shiftee" and "Big City" show nice range and color; like the Beckett play they've ripped their title from, maybe they'll find a way to survive mediocrity. [www.myspace.com]

Nearly two-and-a-half years after the release of their critically-and-commercially acclaimed breakthrough, Arcade Fire has returned with another powerful collection of masterfully orchestrated pop songs. Recorded mostly in a church the band purchased in Montreal, Neon Bible (the title comes from John Kennedy Toole’s lesser-known novel) is full of emotion, redemption, and a sense of desperation. Themes of escape and conflict are littered all over the record. From the paranoia and fear expressed in "Keep the Car Running," to a struggle with the mind in the closer, "My Body Is a Cage," there is an overwhelming feeling of impending doom. The circumstance even turns violent between lovers in "Ocean of Noise," but as in any tragic tale, there is hope for a resolution and a knowledge that nothing lasts forever. Obviously, there are also religious overtones and references in just about every song. At times, faith is questioned, as in the title track when Win Butler sings "Not much chance for survival if the Neon Bible is true." In "The Well and the Lighthouse," Butler finds resurrection living in a lighthouse after he pleads, "I'm serving time all for a crime I didn't commit/You want the truth? You know I'd do it all again/Left for dead, heaven is only in my head." Reverence isn’t just expressed through words. The ending of "No Cars Go" suggests ascension, and the expiration of "My Body Is a Cage" echoes a spiritual release. While the band’s playing is tremendous, Butler truly steals the show on this record, yielding its haunting and isolated atmosphere. He fits an inordinate amount of words into a verse like a novelist, and the listener can sense he's on the brink of chaos at every moment. He edges ever closer to Springsteen during "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations," when he reveals, "Been eating in the ghetto on a 100 dollar plate." On "(Antichrist Television Blues)," which may or may not contain 9/11 references, he pleads, "You know I'm a God-fearing man" and "Lord, would you send me a sign, "cause I just gotta know if I'm wastin" my time!" "Intervention" showcases the band at its most straightforward, and features a huge organ backdrop that leaves the listener imagining snow falling through the church's stained-glass windows as you stand inside on cold concrete. It's during this track that Butler comes closest to covering the themes of immortality from 2004's Funeral, as he sings "Working for the Church while your family dies." The massive success of Arcade Fire has come to the surprise of just about everyone, including the band. They were forced to re-route most of their upcoming North American tour due to demand and the band even recently appeared on Saturday Night Live. The truth is, no one performing music today sounds like them, and few can communicate the beauty of pain. While they might be getting set to undergo a popularity explosion, they haven’t lost touch with themselves. [www.arcadefire.com]

Vocalist/guitarist Benjamin Adam Harper, bassist Nathan Hansen, drummer Sam Smith, and guitarist Rafael Cevallos made this poppy and melodic recording. The title tune, "Understanding 23," "Dear Miss Anderson," and "In My Room" (not the Brian Wilson song of the same name) never lose the band's dreamy charm. Their very moniker tells the story. Comfies is defined as: "comfortable clothes worn in the comfort of one's own home." This too short EP is a perfect fit. Do they have a chair to go with it? [www.livewirerecordings.net]

It's a double dose of the Doobies and the usual Rhino treatment everyone gets eventually. Since The Doobies, or at least some of them, moved to Lake and Sonoma Counties from their native San Jose, those counties have never been the same. They ride their hogs around Clear Lake or hang out at their manager, Bruce Cohn's winery. John McFee has been their secret weapon ever since Jeff "Skunk" Baxter became a "missile consultant" for the Bush administration. McFee is a multi-instrumentalist and a quadruple threat to every purveyor of the three chord technique. A great interview, he is also a former member of Clover with Huey Lewis (Clover was Elvis Costello's band on his first Columbia LP). Not a bad pedigree. He also makes the Doobies sing in the absence of their "missile consulting" former compatriot. Nevertheless, "Skunk" remains a true guitar hero. Saw him two nights in a row with the very early Steely Dan. Yes, Fagen left his now welded shades on. Another Dan alumnus, Michael McDonald, is all over this compilation. You either like him, or, you don't. Side one has most of the hits--"Takin' It To The Streets," "Listen To The Music," "Black Water," "China Grove." You know them and likely still love them. Their Sesame Street turn on Edward Lear's "Winken, Blinken & Nod" is a good find. Even Oscar The Grouch could groove to that one. The Doobies showed lots of class a couple of years ago when they played a benefit concert for one of their drummers, Michael Hossack, who was in a wheelchair at the time. Their other drummer, Keith Knudsen, Madison, Wisconsin's gift to Lee Michaels, is positively the skinniest dude still alive in rock 'n' roll. Heck, I like them. Even if they did lift those cowboy clothes from the Charlatans. Who didn't? Sleep well tonight America. "Skunk" Baxter is consulting your missiles. [www.rhino.com]

Formed in Nashville, Tennessee, Forget Cassettes is Beth Cameron and Doni Schroeder. They’re cool--tense, brooding, unsettling at times. They’re not your typical band. They’re not going to give you boring old tunes, of some chord progressions, some choruses, a bridge, that sort of thing. They make atmospheric music with odd tempo changes, discordant at time, quiet sometimes, powerfully loud at others. The tunes can be fast, or slow (sometimes they’ll be both on the same song). Take “Venison,” for example, a six plus minute song that starts with ethereal chimes before cranking into an Evanescence-type beat, before slowing down again with quiet chord progressions and lyrics before speeding up again with whelps and screams. Odd, the song is, but arresting. “Queiro, Quieres” begins with heavy guitar and drum work and ends with the same. In the middle, all sorts of sonic stuff happens. Most songs on the album are long and most aren’t going to be played on your standard radio station simply because they’re so different and uncategorical. They’re not Jessica Simpson, in other words. They’re strong, though, with lots of interesting things to say for those willing to give them a listen. [www.forgetcassettes.com]

Violence Is Golden is a full length debut from England's Scanners. The most noticeable element of the band is singer Sarah, who conjures the vocals of PJ Harvey (without the good lyrics) by way of 90's alt-pop with just a dash of 21st century pop-punk thrown in. Arrangements vary, and some are more successful than others; but that's pretty average I guess. The songs sound more like a collection of singles than an album. That's the thing though, the band doesn't really resonate in today's oversaturated music culture. It's not quite modern rock radio but there's very few risks taken here. Overall, it's a decent listen and may welcome repeat listens. It's just that it's very, very average. I guess that's better than being mediocre. [www.scannersmusic.com]

Aaahhhh, relief. That's what this album does to the listener. It's the soundtrack to a breezy summer day with puffy yet translucent clouds in the sky, or slowly fading into sleep on an extremely comfortable night near a calm ocean; all things airy and ethereal. Instruments blend together rather than stick out individually and the band creates movements that blur the line between ambient and instrumental music. Blurriness is the overreaching vibe here, but that's good. It creates an atmosphere of tranquility and is quite lifelike in its play with memory and emotion. For the most part, it is instrumental; but even that definition is blurred with a few vocals thrown into the mix, both male and female. Guitars and keyboards cascade gently against one another but are ultimately absorbed into the background of delicate sounds. Other instruments are present and there is rhythm to be had, but that's not the focus. Actually, there's not really a focus at all. This is relaxing music of the highest level. [www.hammockmusic.com]

What is this? Spiritualized doing Supertramp? No, it is only And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead getting further from their roots and closer to the payoff. The only thing left that resembles the original band are those double-time drum rolls that can make the most harmless sing-along sound like stampeding cattle. And there are some arena-sized hooks here that even the bitterest of long-times fans won’t be able to resist. [www.trailofdead.com]