I'm With You by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Released:  August 30, 2011
Rating:  74.29

Two major league rock 'n' pop acts in a row.  I must be slipping, but heck, I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers!  The critics' knock on this album was that it sounded too much like the Red Hot Chili Peppers!  Isn't that like knocking chocolate cake for tasting like chocolate cake?

Although coming up just shy of the 2011 Top 10, this is still a great album, especially for a band that's been around for 28 years and is performing without guitarist John Frusciante for the first time in over a decade.  Of course, the heart and soul of the Peppers are vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, respectively, both of whom are just shy of 50 years old.

I can recommend the entire album; there is no filler; so let's keep it simple:  Here's a link to the official video for The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie.

Black & White America by Lenny Kravitz

Released:  August 29, 2011
Rating:  67.50

I seem to be way off from a lot of the reviewers,  who gave this album a meta-score of 77.  AMG gave it a 90!  On the other hand, Rolling Stone gave it a 70.  In any event, it is a great album (with a few points,in my opinion, but I have no intention of dwelling on those.)

What I love about Lenny Kravitz is that he wears his influences on his sleeve.  I hear a lot of my favorites, including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Wild Cherry, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, '60s and '70s R&B, '70s funk, '80s hair metal, '90s alt rock and modern R&B. You can hear about three-fourths of those in Come On Get It (please forgive the NBA plug).  The Other quarter can be heard in Liquid Jesus.

(The song titles are hyper links to full length versions of the songs courtesy of YouTube.com)

Still Living by Ganglians

Released:  August 23, 2011
Rating:  71.67

Okay, their a hometown (Sacramento) band that's getting national attention, so I jumped on their bandwagon.  Turned out to be a pretty cool ride.  All jangly guitars, Beach Boy harmonies and lo-fi production (with traces of Pink Floyd riffs hidden throughout.)

The foursome has been together since about 2007 and released their first full length in 2009.  This, their second release, is my introduction to the band.  There are several excellent cuts.  Give a listen to Bradley (the official video), or my favorite, That's What I Want.  I couldn't find a studio copy of it, but what I did find was an awesome, live, acoustic version.  There's about a minute and a half of interview, followed by the song at 1:28.

(The song names are hyperlinks to the songs in full length on youtube.)

Obscurities by Stephin Merritt

Released:  August 23, 2011
Rating:  68.00

First, the "i" in Stephin is not a typo.  However, it is indicative of the eccentricities of the artist.

This album is a sort of B-sides collection from the 4 bands he's formed (The Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, Buffalo Rome and the 6ths) along with several solo releases.

Stephin Merritt is someone you either get, or you don't.  He can't be categorized.  He's big into pop and electronica, but he also writes opera and musicals.  His bands range from very experimental to fairly basic pop.  His voice is described as an un-trained baritone (you can hear that) and he's been an editor for two different magazines.

Give him a try and see if he catches your imagination.  If not, you're not alone, if so, it's a fascinating experience.

For the moment, at least, you can stream the whole album at Merge Records
I suggest trying The Sun And The Sea And The Sky (a 2011 solo release), Yet Another Girl (a 1995 release from The 6ths), or Plant White Roses (2011 from the Gothic Archies.)

Shangri - La by YACHT

Released:  July 5, 2011

Rating:  76.00

This album was actually released in Europe in January, and digitally in June.  I first heard it streaming in January and have been waiting to pick it up ever since.  (I was too cheap to pick up the import.)

 

It's leapt into the top 10, in a 5 way tie for the 10th spot.

 

This is electronic music. Not just beats.I hear a strong influence from The Cars in the music.  The lyrics are decidedly darker.  The second song on the album is Dystopia (my favorite song on the album)  A post apocalyptic chant (with lyrics not appropriate for young ears.)  The opener is the flip side in every way, aptly named Utopia.  My second favorite song is I Walked Alone.

 

This is a great album from the Portland Oregon duo lead by Jonah Bechtolt.  Bechtolt is a classic workaholic and I'm not going to repeat his resume hear.  If you're curious, you can click the link here to AMG to read about him.  It's worth a few minutes...

 

This wraps up July.  It turned out to be a much better moonth than I expected.  August has a few real stellar moments, so keep coming back.