Someone's gonna be having a parent-teacher conferenceEat Skull - Sick to Death (Siltbreeze; 2008): Punk house band from Last Year at Marienbad; stole Times New Viking's bike, will not return. A-
Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak (Def Jam; 2008): I drunkenly advocated for a song about RoboCop at a Taboo party a few months back, and all I have to say is: "Who's obnoxious now, jerks?" B+
Pavement - Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed. (Matador; 1997, r: 2008): Better than the Beatles if you're a contrarian, and if you like Pavement, you're probably a contrarian. A+
Boston - Boston (Epic; 1976): That this album keeps going at all after "More Than a Feeling" and "Piece of Mind" is a testament to its Christ-like genius. A+
Lines - Memory Span (Acute; 2008): Aggregation of singles, EPs, and other errata from fantastic, obscure English post-punk band; basically the same "Sex Pistols to weird Jamaican dubs" story as everyone else, but it may be the greatest story often told. A-
The Replacements - Don't Tell a Soul (Sire; 1987): You be me, and I'll be Paul Westerberg. A-
Fleet Foxes - S/T (Sub Pop; 196...er...2008): I stopped smoking weed a couple years back, but when I did, I was playing James Bond: Agent Under Fire, not listening to - what's the catchall phrase nowadays? - bromantic jammy music. B
Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me (Audika; 2008): Arthur Russell now rivals Tupac for most posthumous releases; amazing countrified pop music, little disco, he slipped the cello in where he could. A
School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms (Ghostly International; 2008): Pleasant is a good start. B
