Rating: 7.5/10
It's serious posting about some iconic music bands. Stereolab keep back good stuff around, we're talking about unique and spicy music records here. Chemical Chords comes with professional sound in certain way. Peaceful female vocals are dancing forward to both retro and minimalist melodies.

All songs are nearly in same rhythm, that doesn't lack difference, though. Because vocals here are ready to fly in English or French. This is intelligent pop formula and wonderful indie music. www.stereolab.co.uk

Highlights: Neon Beanbag, Chemical Chords, Fractal Dream Of A Thing, Daisy Click Clack, The Ecstatic Static

Stereolab - Three Women

I love watching good movies. I've just seen The Breakfast Club again, it is about a story of couple of common teenages during their disciplinary punishment in same school. Drama sounds like something put people off. I like drama genre, because life is a complete drama, sometimes its funny, silly and maybe shocking.

Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)

I watched Persona fourth times so far, in the year 1966 written by Ingmar Bergman. Its genre is psychological drama movie and this movie is one of my all time favourite ones. I still could not  understand the thing about that Nurse, she's so weird. What a strange movie character!

The last and the best one is an Ingmar Bergman classic again. The Seventh Seal (1957) gets my fourth watch. Scott Walker wrote a song about this film, showing his admiration to this movie. The lyrics tell the same story like in the movie. It is about a knight is confused about existence of God and he's playing chest with Master Death.

Scott Walker - The Seventh Seal

Rating:4/10
Amy Winehouse seems to entertain herself being a celebrity crow singer. Singing 'Ay yay yay- yay yay yay' , covering ska-punk favorites from Toots & The Maytals to The Specials, Andy & Joe to Sam Cooke. Only good cover is Cupid originally by Cooke. The result is la-la-la with Amy on old-fashioned boring ska music. These four cover give an opinion about her future career. She makes a Gloria Gaynor-like disco record or something more cheerful than Back to Black (2006), who knows?
Highlights: Cupid (Sam Cooke)

Amy Winehouse - Hey Little Rich Girl

Rating: 10/10
I'm unclean, a libertine And every time you vent your spleen, I seem to lose the power of speech, Your slipping slowly from my reach. You grow me like an evergreen, You never see the lonely me at all

These powerful verses from Placebo's the most darkness record Whithout You i'm Nothing. With its original release date November 3, 1998, Brian Molko deserves an ambitious mention from critics, because lyrics are hard to catch here, at the same time they're bold and ready to rock. "Whitout You I'm Nothing" never ages, call this as goth, alternative, britpop or neoglam, and do not forget that this is hard to categorize. I love listening the whole record together after ten years. Can you find any record sounds like this? Comparable things don't provide something worthy in art. Come on man, this is rare, and alternative rock classic.

Highlights: Pure Morning, Whitout You I'm Nothing, Every You Every Me, The Crawl

Placebo - Whitout You I'm Nothing

Placebo Records on MM blog:
Placebo - Covers
Placebo - Meds
Placebo - Placebo

1. Mercury Rev - Snowflake in a Hot World
This my current favorite record! read record review.

2. Young Rival - Master of None (Beach House cover)

3. Death Cab For Cutie - Cath
Narrow Stairs does not offer many radio-friendly indie rock songs, believe me it's a powerful record in anyway.

4. Calexico - Two Silver Trees

5. The Rifles - I Could Never Lie Video

6. Kylie Minogue – The One

7. Maths Class - Now This Will Take Two Hands

8. The Girls - Transfer Station

9. Missy Elliott - Best Best

10. The Saturdays - If This Is Love VideoThe stupid girl song of the year! I couldn't stand it one minute!

Rating: 8.5/10
Beware all commercial shit, you may find some great records there in the year. Like grabby Third by Portishead, or relaxing waterworks by Tindersticks' The Hungry Saw and all other records which are made by great musicians. There is nothing wrong with this avant-garde concept record, oh dudes i always love concept albums. Snowflake midnight seems to fall down from space to earth, lyrics are so eternal here, every song sounds delicious and something that you've never tasted before. Intsrumental sections from time to time perfectly matches with latter vocals, pianos and experimental ambience. The band particularly go beyond to dreamy places like paradise on song "Dream of a Young Girl as a Flower". The best Mercury Rev record since Boces and Deserter's Songs. An untasted beauty!

Highlights: Snowflake in a Hot World, Butterflys Wing, Dream of a Young Girl as a Flower, A Squirrel and I

Mercury Rev - Snowflake in a Hot World
www.mercuryrev.com

Rating:8/10
I'm not actually interested pub music on such extremly hot days. Harps and Angels is Randy Newman's first studio album of all new material in nearly a decade.

Guardian summarizes the whole record with a full five star rating:
It's nine years since Randy Newman's last album of new songs but, it seems, it's something like a miracle he's produced this one at all. He begins with a bluesy account of a near-death experience, a knee-trembling, heart-pounding episode that leaves him, for the purposes of the song at least, face down on the pavement unexpectedly facing his maker. The sound of harps and angels comes from God's backing singers as the judgment is delivered: 'You ain't been a good man, you ain't been a bad man...' Newman's tone is blacker than ever, both in pitch and comedy; the voice here aspires to the condition of Ray Charles with his evangelical piano.

I agree that he's a genius, however this is just nice cabaret record for someone who really loves Randy Newman. It's hard to compare him with others and that's all.

Randy Newman - Laugh And Be Happy

Soon to be hits
Eminem - Shots Fired Lyrics
Maroon 5 - If I Never See Your Face Again Lyrics
Lil' Wayne - A Millie Lyrics
Robin Thicke - Sidestep Lyrics
Paramore - Misery Business Lyrics
Jordin Sparks - No Air Lyrics

Rating: 6/10
The album is the second half of The Stage Names, a planned double album. Song by song review: I was really excited on first two Okkervil River songs, following song "Singer Songwriter" destroyed my dreams and made this record similar with any American indie rock run. I'm weak in front of emotional songs, "Starry Stairs" promises, combining depressed voice and orchestral pop sound! However, i can't stop thinking of The Killers comparison, these two bands are almost same. There is also Bright Eyes which stays more succesful than Okkervil in my opinion. The singer groans without letup, and that makes all lo-fi thing irresistible. Ironic and booster song "Pop Lie" makes their music a bit endurable, mixing varied instruments. The last three songs are acceptable. The closing ballad is almost one of best songs in this year, reminding folk master Leonard Cohen.

Something is uncompleted here, The Stand-Ins generally offers ordinary music for ordinary people. A guy from the movie High Fidelity (2000), where he was listening to Belle & Sebastian extremely, was bone-lazy. If he could read my review, he would love this record.

Highlights: Starry Stairs, Pop Lie, "Stand Ins, Three", Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed On The Roof Of The Chelsea Hotel, 1979

Okkervil River - Pop Lie

Rating: 5.5/10
Eleventh studio records by Matthew Sweet is first record since Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (2006), coming up thirteen new songs via label Shout! Factory. The most boring side of rock music is plenty of follower records. Think of some Neil Young records, they're not completely perfect. Artists such as R.E.M., Nick Lowe, Neil Young release many records, only few of them good. (i run away if i see such artists with more than ten records:) Matthew Sweet does some nice works with his sweet and soft voice, also his guitars surround the voice. I loved the middle of Sunshine Lies despite weak beginning. Pleasure Is Mine coppies the whole Todd Rundgren catalog of recordings, then with Daisychain it changes to any ordinary R.E.M., Big Star and Bob Mould songs. Then, what makes Sunshine Lies so special, if it recalls many names in one record.

Sunshine Lies unfortunately disappears in front of those big rock artists. Jangle pop guitarist
seems to entertain himself by releasing another goody Matthew Sweet record. No enormous mention. By the way it's a great artwork.

Highlights: Feel Free, Sunshine Eyes, Pleasure Is Mine

Matthew Sweet - Flying

Rating: 5/10
The Little Ones' first impression has clear similarities with Death Cab For Cutie and Mercury Rev , because of the lazy vocals. Debut record Morning Tide brings some good pop songs at times such as Tangerine Visions but boring mournings. It continuously eats your ears, the voice on back and front singing "oh ah oh ah oh ah" on "Gregory's Chant", this is irritating and hard to have fun with these voices.

"Everybody's Up To Something" intelligently gives opinion about some common things in life, it musically lets yourself go and say fuck this life and all these artificialities. The other song by The Little Ones, "Waltz" calls many songs of George Harrison. and near closing "Like A Spoke On A Wheel" hypnotizes you.

Sound of both Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson lives here on Morning Tide, but referances do not interest me much. Because this is avarage indie pop music despite some good tracks like most indie rock records. I still prefer listening to any records by Animal Collective, The Sleepy Jackson, Fleet Foxes and Allen Clapp instead of Morning Tide.

Highlights: Tangerine Visions, Everybody's Up To Something, Like A Spoke On A Wheel

The Little Ones - Boracay

Rating:7/10
New The Cure thing on its way before these single releases. The next record will be the band's first album of new music since 2004's self-titled The Cure. This lyrically follows self-titled The Cure record- songs like "End of the World", "Lost" were one of the most complex The Cure songs. Sleep When I'm Dead is both musically and lyrically gothic, dark and waiting for some cure to waken up again. Original!

The Cure - Sleep When I'm Dead

1. Martha Wainwright - You Cheated Me
Have you ever been cheated by someone? If the answer is yes, you should check out Martha's new album (not Stewart one, because that woman always tries to advertise some equipment from Martha Stewart collection and that makes me angry.)
Martha Wainwright - I know You're Married

2. The Cure – Sleep When I’m Dead
Despite my dislike, new Cure song got the second place of the weekly singles list.

3. The Vines - He’s A Rocker
Melodia review.

4. Beck - Gamma Ray
Beck Modern Guilt Review

5. Echo & The Bunnymen - Think I Need It Too
Watch the live perform of the new Bunnymen single .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1daoFIbmok0

6. CSS - Left Behind
CSS - Donkey Review

7. Primal Scream – Can’t Go Back

8. Annie – Songs Remind Me Of You
Another italo disco-like song, back to 80s?

9. The Verve - Love Is Noise
Video of the Verve's newest single Love Is Noise:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=38035520

10. Madonna – Give It 2 Me
Both my reviews and Madonna suck!

Flashback Video
Tim Booth and The Bad angel - Dance of the Bad Angel Live Performance
An underrated gem from James' lead singer and talented musician Angelo Badalamenti, it's one of the most depressing pop song i've ever listened.

Rating:4.5/10
CSS continues to extend their records. Second album Donkey , which was produced by band member Adriano Cintra and mixed by Mark "Spike" (M.I.A., Massive Attack, and Bjork), cuts down listener in first half of the LP. They seem to be tired of being a band despite their name "tired of being sexy" (which means of CSS in Portuguese). Opening song "Jager Yoga" borrows heavily from Ladytron indie electronic sound. Crunching disco rhythms like the night club song "Let's Reggae All Night" also can disturb any person having knowledge about disco music. And while highligths of the record hard to pick here because of boring indie rock-disco combo, "Give Up" is another Ladytron-ish new recurrent CSS track. "Beautiful Song" proves that Donkey has very similar tunes with 604 which is one of the best Ladytron record.

This band tries to figure dance rock music behind Avril Lavigne-like vocals (Left Behind), and Donkey barely sounds good and cool. Some powerful songs like Move and I Fly can't save from harm whole record alone.

Highlights: Beautiful Song, Move, I Fly
CSS - Left Behind

Rating: 6.5/10
As garage rock and indie rock band from The States, The Walkmen still pushes their vocals and music so loud on this one. The record was titled as You & Me, it says that there is something romantic but heavy Tom Waits and some Randy Newman influences (especially vocals of Hamilton Leithauser). The best thing about You & Me is that it's totally different than other same and same indie rock bands. But, in the same time, Oh god!, this is too heavy for many music listeners, it's slow and too heavy. Still, debut "Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone" remains as their best and the most ambitious record. "We've Been Had" from that record is a must-have, unique track, and on "You & Me" there is a song named "In the New Year" which recalls "We've Been Had" a bit. Nearly closing "I Lost You" hypnotizes you such as the best thing this band did.

It's a record which stays between A Hundred Miles Off (2006) and Bows + Arrows (2004). If you like other albums with The Walkmen, this goes well together with them.

Highlights: In the New Year, The Blue Route, I Lost You

The Walkmen - In the New Year

Other albums by The Walkmen
The Walkmen - Pussy Cats

Rating: 5.5/10
I love Beck, because he doesn't make his music in always the same direction, he love using different musical thoughts in the same time, in same record. Plus, Beck hasn't got any garbage record. However first four songs are good, and i couldn't remember the others song despite my sixth spin. This sounds a bit old-fashioned and ordinary, repetitive. Some Lo-Fi, electronic, rock and dance beats in this and then this is another Beck record, no surprise and no letdown.

Beck - Modern Guilt

Highlights: Modern Guilt, Chemtrails, Walls

other Beck records:
Beck - The Information
Beck - Stray Blues
Beck - Guero

Rating: 7/10
Melodia cools down you, the fourth album of The Vines, australian rock band. Especially lowing and rising on many songs make this record to sound cool. Melodi doesn't seem overdosed or assertive, it's exactly a nice rock record. Love sweet the melodies:

Manger: brings smooth guitar pop music.

Hey: not a pixies cover, amazing vocal works well on the song.

Braindead: this song rocks hard, strong guitar, strong lyrics.

A Girl I Knew: the song tell what i expect from a record. there must me down and happy moments. this is the record will make listeners pleased. of couse there may be some extraordinary moments as well.

Scream: it's almost rock music or grunge i had to say?. Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (Geri Halliwell record), oh shitty i am.

She Is Gone: closes the album up, an oasis like slow guitar pop but it works!

The Vines - She Is Gone

other albums by The Vines:
The Vines - Highly Evolved
The Vines - Vision Valley
The Vines - Winning Days

Rating: 10/10
I always thought that Thom Yorke should collaborate with some shoegaze gods to make strong his druggy style. Then i think my dreams become true! This druggy voice merges with Kevin Shields' matchless layered musical thoughts.

The result is simply mind-blowing, every version of Edun, Shields, Yorke and Ambient Super Fuzz Drone edits move rhythmically to music in space. This is not close to any Radiohead or My Bloody Valentine songs, totally original!

I was just joking. Edun is the music is MBV's "Instrumental B" reversed as Thom's vocals, with effect of noise over it (thanks for the info Kevin). It is not an official release. Neither Radiohead nor My Bloody Valentine has announced this as a collaboration. so, my score goes:
Rating: 4/10

Thom Yorke - Edun

Chart news
Lindsay Lohan - Wherever You Go Lyrics
Snoop Dogg - Diamonds On My Neck Lyrics
Sean Kingston - Singing My Song Lyrics
Jon McLaughlin - So Close Lyrics
Young Buck - Terminate On Sight Lyrics
Yung Berg - Fishbowl Lyrics

Rating:6/10
Self-titled Brett Anderson record took my attention last year, it was something between Suede and Brett Anderson. He now releases a new record which is titled Wilderness. I can say i'm very patient when it comes to write about my favorite artists.

This time, Brett Anderson is inspired by John Cale and Nico like neoclassic music, the first track has been almost better than any romantic Suede songs. I loved the cello, piano and his broken voice. The Empress which is the second song, reminds me a lot of thing about gay people, singing "didn't i try to love her/didn't i paint pictures of her/didn't i try to change". Third song Clowns reminds Wild Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy), brooding like mother turtles, and it honestly bothers you repeating such/a/lonely/sound many times. The modern folk song "Blessed" highlights and refreshes the darkness a bit, there is still shadowy tracks all along the album. Notably, on Funeral Mantra he's again points out his Scott Walker sympathy, that isn't a new thing. Back To You is soulful duet that previously performed by Anderson on his tours. Besides, Brett Anderson should be listening to David Sylvian a lot.

Brett Anderson is obsessed with loneliness, this didn't changed for years. And he should put some powerful, hooky, shifting songs to his records. This is romantic but you won't be pleased after hearing romantic everywhere. Everything is the same in Wilderness, debut was better.

MM picks: A Different Place, Blessed, Back To You

Brett Anderson - A Different Place

other albums:
Brett Anderson

Rating: 5/10
The sixties so populer at this moment. All Rock, pop, r&b, hip-hop artists recover the sixties again. Duffy, a talented singer, released her critially acclaimed first record Rockferry by Polydor.
Bernard Butler and Jimmy Hogarth helped her here, you already taste some Suede aura on this record.

When i first listen to Warwick Avenue on some music video channel, i said this mostly borrows its choruses from "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". You think it's not a bad thing at all. I actually am very worried about it, what will the thema of 2000s? We just can't say that singers loved bringing back sixties' memories on 2000s. In fashion, they also bring same old catalogue again becuse of lack of creativeness. If she can provide a record sounds more original, that time with her trembling voice she will one of the most popular female singers season like Amy Winehouse.

Without doubt, Sleeping Stone steals melodies from Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick's amazing Walk on By. Rockferry sounds like a bar singer's first album with a lot of sixties music. despite my fifty-fifty rating, this is recommended to nostalgia lovers.

Highlights: Warwick Avenue, Sleeping Stone, Hanging On Too Long

Duffy - Warwick Avenue

Bergen ( a.k.a. Woman of Pains) is one the most successful singers of turkish arabesque music ground. His pathetic life story, his cruel husband who throws nitric acid to her face when she's performing her songs, then she becomes a blind singer covering her one eye with her hairs. Her blind eye wasn't a handicap to go on her career, she continued to sing her songs in more painful sound. After that, another tragic and sad event follows that she dies because of his same brutal husband by several gun fire at the age of 28... All of these tragically added to Bergen's music the most gloomy sound. I think she's one of the most impressive voice that i've ever heard. That's why she has been called by "Woman of Pains" from now on.

Bergen - Elinde Fotorafin
Bergen - Benim Icin Uzulme

You may also like:
Queen of Voice
Nico
Karen Carpenter
Edith Piaf
Billie Holiday
Janis Joplin
Selena

Pete Doherty and his babyshambles perform 19 lovely live versions of hits, fan favorites and other songs. Carry On Up The Morning, Delivery and F**k Forever are ready to blow you away, i loved that electric guitar so much, and the live tracks suitable for summer . This is powerful, solid and fresh british arena-rock band!

mp3: Babyshambles - F**k Forever

Tracklist:
1. Carry On Up The Morning
2. Delivery
3. Beg, Steal Or Borrow
4. Baddies Boogie
5. Unstookie Titled
6. Side Of The Road/Build Me Up Buttercup
7. UnBiloTitled
8. The Blinding (Explicit)
9. You Talk
10. Sedative
11. Crumb Begging Baghead
12. Lost Art Of Murder/The Good Old Days
13. There She Goes
14. Albion
15. Pipedown
16. Killamangiro
17. Back From The Dead
18. I Wish
19. F**k Forever (Explicit)