Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Title: Outer South
Release Date: May 5th
Label: Merge Records
Thoughts: Last year when Conor Oberst dropped the whole Bright Eyes name it was a pretty big deal to folks around the internet. A lot was made about it, though it all seemed to make sense. The general perception of Bright Eyes was that is was synonymous with Conor Oberst and vice versa. So why it was a big deal still baffles me, but to follow it up Conor has added a new band name - the Mystic Valley Band - to share all the accolades with. Or in the case of this record, the blame. Basically what we have here is another straight forward Bright Eyes record built on sad, introspective lyrics mixed with a sound that attempts to pull at your heartstrings. It worked for ages, but at this point the sound is getting a bit worn down. He attempts to mix it up with this new band, giving it a bit of more defined Southern sound but it never really takes the music to new heights. Fans of Brights Eyes, and of Oberst, will have no problem finding a song or two to like but this will never replace their favorite Bright Eyes album or even measure up to the stuff he used to do.
Listen: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - "Air Mattress"
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - "Nikorette"

Who: Dirty Projectors
Title: Bitte Orca
Release Date: June 9th
Label: Domino Records
Thoughts: The release of Rise Above established the Dirty Projectors as one of art-rock's gutsiest bands. Rehashing Black Flag's Damaged based entirely on your teenage interpretation of the album seems like a risky move, but somehow Dave Longstreth and his merry band of followers pulled off the move with some interesting vocal harmonies, crazy time signatures, and a willingness to take a legendary hardcore album and turn it into something entirely new. This time around the band decided not to focus on one particular album for inspiration recording entirely original tunes and sounds to create Bitte Orca. The sound is pretty similar to Rise Above, you have Longstreth's wailing voice, lovely females harmonies flowing in the background, and ridiculous rhythms, but where Rise Above was immediately familiar thanks to its history this album is new and takes a bit of adjusting to. This is not to say the album is lesser, it's definitely a better record, it just takes a bit more time to realize the fullness of the sound here. This is your standard grower, repeated listens will only make you love it more and more, until it's about all you listen to.
Listen: Dirty Projectors - "Stillness is the Move"
Dirty Projectors - "No Intention"

Who: Japandroids
Title: Post-Nothing
Release Date: April 28th
Label: Unfamiliar Records
Thoughts: With only two members and a penchant for lo-fi punk the guys of Japandroids are bound to run into some No Age comparisons, but these guys are definitely giving us a slightly different brand of the noise rock genre. On their debut record, Post-Nothing, Japandroid show an ability to mix their vocals and their noise a little bit better then most of the other lo-fi bands out there now. Where most of today's lo-fi bands have pushed the vocals underneath the noise and scuzz sounds, Japandroids mix it in so that you can actually hear what the band's saying. They even take a moment to tone down the yelling vocals for "Crazy/Forever" while keeping the noise going. It's an interesting moment that shows lo-fi isn't just a one trick pony. No these guys are definitely pushing the limits on the genre, but also generate the same kind of adrenaline pumping punk we've come to love.
Listen: Japandroids - "Rockers East Vancouver"
Japandroids - "Heart Sweats"

Who: We Were Promised Jetpacks
Title: These Four Walls
Release Date: June 15th (UK)
Label: Fat Cat Records
Thoughts: It seems like every year there is a new Scotish band that is basically using a similar sound to create another great album. In 2007 we were introduced to The Twilight Sad, last year was Frightened Rabbit, and here we are in 2009 with We Were Promised Jetpacks, a band that is using the same sort of loud, earnest pop songs to worm their way into our hearts. To say their debut record, These Four Walls, is similar to the other two bands is kind of an understatement. While The Twilight Sad often lived in the noisier realm and Frightened Rabbit was a bit quieter, We Were Promised Jetpacks puts their sound directly in between the two. I kind of feel bad flat out comparing them to two bands from the same region but the similarities are too big to ignore. But each one of those bands made excellent albums and We Were Promised Jetpacks certainly continues that tradition.
Listen: We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Roll Up Your Sleeves"
We Were Promised Jetpacks - "Quiet Little Voices"