Put it on the books, Animal Collective's ninth full length is ready for consumption, and prepared to make the beginning of your musical year great! With their usual chaotic, vocal eccentricities and meditative, musical complications "Merriweather Post Pavilion" seems to have come to an agreement between the two polar angles that Animal Collective have explored. At times their vocals entangle with one another into infinity, and at other moments there is a peaceful drone to enjoy. Avey Tare and Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear) find this happy medium and give fans a new perspective on what their collaboration can sound like.

This classic mini-LP reissued in its original form with the original artwork by Numero Group. Excellent electronic pop with samba & bossa nova grooves that anticipated bands like STEREOLAB & BROADCAST. RECOMMENDED.

snotty as hell pop punk & cynical dark humor to radiate your vulnerable little fanny.

Finally, Merge have released Arcade Fire's debut, which was pretty much only available from them on their 2003 tour. Merge has kindly re-issued it in remastered form. Although sounding a bit different from their FUNERAL album, these songs sound fully confident and realised, keep a nice balance between psychedlic experimentation and pop pleasure. A pleasure.

Who the F are the Artic Monkeys? On their 6th LP they force us to ask again. Early in the game the Sheffield lads were snotty Rock 'N Roll savants then they took a turn into heavier desert sounds that felt like a revitalization for guitar music. On AM they incorporated ideas from R&B & Rap, & now they've taken a hard left turn into loungy weirdness. This is the first record Alex Turner's written on the piano, & it often feels like he's searching for new melodies throughout. While the lyrics can certainly feel self indulgent, the beauty of these new tracks is Turner's leaning on some the influences of some other strange & staggering lyricists, with a feel that ranges from Bowie, to Cohen, to Waits, & then back again.

"Suck it & See" is the 2011 album from ARCTIC MONKEYS & in spite of the cocky album title, we're wondering if these guys are softening (or just maturing) a little bit. 'Softening' shouldn't be viewed as a negative term here, many of the songs remind us of THE SMITHS, especially Alex Turner's Morrissey-esque crooning & there's a little STROKES & WALKMEN sounds in there too. We expect that this album will sound better with a few more listens too. Vinyl version comes on 180g vinyl & contains download.

Young bucks from Sheffield drop their third album, and enlisted Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age) to help with production. Breaking from their mold the Monkeys' tune is a bit more unencumbered by form and function. Perhaps under Homme's tutelage the band has branched into more abstract territories making for a raunchy, thunderous sound. "Humbug" has a couple storm clouds hanging over its head, but in our opinion, this fact will cause for some cross-over into new fanbases. Look out Dead Weather, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Libertines fans here comes the next layer of the Arctic Monkeys. On Domino Records.

Five churning blasts of post-apocalyptic fury from the group of human-robot hybrids known as ARMATRON. MAN IS THE BASTARD meets THE RESIDENTS?!?! A darker variation of the LOCUST?!? Well,something like that. On GSL records.