The following things are lovely:
 
Cloud Eleven - Terrestrial Ballet. For some reason, I found CE to be merely  
okay before this. But I loaded this entire thing into my iPod and my goodness  
this is fantastic stuff. Each time one of these songs came up I scrambled to 
see  what it was; it was always Cloud Eleven. A lot of their best songs are 
here; not  only "Serendipic Wheel", "Tuesday Letter", or "Ain't That Enough" 
(which many of  us know) but the sublimely brilliant "Apricot Ash", "December 
You" and many,  many more. Plus there are 23 tracks with liner notes! TOTALLY a 
must-buy for  fans of modern psychedelic pop.
 
Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself. Probably the best  (and most 
accurate) of the new groups aping XTC, but I'll be damned if this  doesn't 
sound like a "lost" record released between "English Settlement" and  "Mummer". 
Completely brilliant with incessantly catchy choruses. It's out in the  US on 
Tuesday; definitely give it a listen! My personal favorites: "Godhopping",  
"Modern Woman", "I Love You 'Cause I Have To"
 
Jimmy Eat World - Futures. For the crowd who likes big, crisp, clean  
power-pop (Jeff?), here's a good one. "Futures" is sonically a synethesis of the  
straight-ahead rock of Jimmy Eat World's last album "Bleed American" and the  
dreamier territory on "Clarity", mixed with a degree of bombastic studio sheen  
not yet seen on a Jimmy Eat World album (and that's saying something!) Bonus  
"very limited" version includes a second disc with the complete album in demo  
version; interesting for fans since their finished product is always so shiny. 
 Seriously, the ballads here are TRUE power ballads (think Snow Patrol's 
"Run")  and the rockers sound like Bon Jovi with a higher IQ. Heresy to say, I 
know, but  it's sort of true. Favorites: "Work", "Pain", Just Tonight...", "Kill".
 
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets. Liked the last one?  You'll 
love this one too. Brighter, catchier, even a little angrier. One of the  most 
shamefully overlooked modern songwriters. His sound is pitched somewhere  
between Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg, but louder and more rocking than  both.
 
Primal Scream - Dirty Hits. Good summation of their career; does a good job  
grabbing good tracks from bad albums (it has every good song from "Give Out 
But  Don't Give Up") and misses only a little (the sublime "Star"). Truly one of 
the  best rock/dance crossover groups of the '90s.
 
--Jason
http://www.livejournal.com/users/danabnrml9/