New Music Review

It is rare that I'll download a full album from a given artist off of iTunes. It just doesn't make sense to do so - the full body of work is rarely worth it, and I usually end up just picking off the tracks that appeal to my tastes.

However, in the past month I've downloaded four full albums from four different artists. Here's a quick review of each:

• U2, No Line on the Horizon - A fantastic work by my generation's version of the Stones. Their sound has matured, and the only real dog on this entire album is the track that was released as their single, Get On Your Boots (a pretty crappy song)
• Tragically Hip, We Are the Same - I absolutely love this band, and have seen them at three incredible live shows throughout their career (best one was in the front row, by myself, at the Minnesota Zoo). Wildly popular in Canada, how they never made it in the States is beyond me.
• Silversun Pickups, Swoon - The Pickups are a good band, but their previous work was spotty. I'd been waiting for this new release for a couple of weeks since my Sirius satellite radio stations had been playing a single ahead of the main release that sounded very good. When the album finally hit iTunes, I started selecting which songs I would download and could not find one to exclude. Keep an eye on this band - they're going to be big.
• Kathleen Edwards, Asking for Flowers - I've covered her already here http://http://www.yellowdogpatrol.com/2009/03/i-really-enjoy-finding-new-artists-and.html.

While not everybody's cup of tea, these are four very worthwhile albums.

Keep on rockin' in the free world, my brothers and sisters.