Aug 1

Animal Collective - prospect hummer EP (2005) (zzzzzzzzzz)
Silver Jews - the tanglewood numbers (2005) (nope, no cigar)
James William Hindle - town feeling (2005)* (quiet, introspective folk numbers - very nice)
Jaqueline - idiots (2005) (slow-burning, sludgy post-hardcore - had its moments)
Orange Juice - glasgow school (2005)* (awesome, everything I love about the Wedding Present and more)
Silver Screen - the greatest story never told (2005)* (smooth, dreampop-lite with sugary vocals)
Maia Sharp - fine upstanding citizen (2005) (very polished pop - too polished)
Television - marquee moon* (old fave)

Aug 2

Mr. Bungle - california (obviously Mike is skilled but this isn't worth more than a few listens)
Linda Draper - one two three four (2005) (quiet moody anti-folk, with elven vocals)
Mobius Band - 2 EP* (not as strong as newer stuff but these early EP's are what made me get into the band)
Venerea - one louder (2005)* (solid, melodic punkcore a la Bad Religion or Descendents)
Cocteau Twins - head over heels* (very pretty dream-pop, duh, now I know where The Sundays got their motivation from)
Bark Psychosis - hex*
Airiel - s/t EP (2005) (competent, but not essential, shoegaze)

Aug 3

Little King - virus divine (alt-rock sounding musically like late-period Sunny Day Real Estate with slightly grungey vocals)
A-Sides - hello hello (2005)* (great, 60's influenced pop - not unlike the E6 crowd but more dynamic)
Acid House Kings - sing along with the acid house kings (2005)* (Belle and Sebastian pop, strong songs on their own though - nice Swedish pop)
Mr. Bungle - disco volante (more odd stuff, i'd consider myself 'not a fan')
All Combinations - ghost (2005)* (combining the best of post-rock, sadcore and even emo)
Fifty Foot Hose - cauldron (wacko psychedelic noise from the 60's)
Another Dreamer - the world outside (2005) (very mellow indie-pop - download it from his site)
Jamie Barnes - honey from the ribcage (2005)* (excellent indie-folk with tons of banjo, reminds me of Sufjan a lot or Great Lake Swimmers)
Cats and Jammers - propose toast (2005) (power-pop rock, few great tunes but ultimately unfulfilling)
Long Fin Killie - houdini (sometimes moving, always eclectic post-punk-rockishness)
Prefab Sprout - steve mcqueen (a little too much hair for me)

Aug 4

Pale Fountains - from across the kitchen table (jangly post-punk)
The Moirai - bury yourself (2005)* (awesome new project from 3/4 of the great Penfold)
Sausage - riddles are abound tonight* (old fave - the best Primus album that never was, sort of)

Aug 5

The Telescopes - s/t* (fairly solid album of shoegaze/dream-pop - much like Ride - had a few bum tracks)
Hammock - stranded under endless sky EP (2005)* (just as great as their LP)
Stereolab - emperor ketchup tomato (never was a fan, though a few groovin' songs on here)
Aberdeen City - sixty lives EP (2005)* (excellent!)

Aug 6

The Stereotypes - leftovers EP (2005)* (great poppy garage stuff, if not a bit derivative - think VU and the Stones)
Love - s/t* (old fave, not as strong and eclectic/moody as Forever Changes but still awesome)
Clem Snide - end of love (2005)* (tons of Neil Jung-isms, very warm affecting album - starting to like these guys a lot)
John Doe - forever hasn't changed yet (2005) (not a very strong release for the ex-X-member)
Dropkick Murphys - the warrior's code (2005) (pretty much what you'd expect from DK Murphs, couple great pub anthems - but a bit samey after a while)
Guitar Gangsters - let 'em have it (2005)* (snotty, but catchy garagepunk)

Aug 7

Kamikaze Trio - danger money (2005) (indie rawk n roll from Oz)
Stone Roses - s/t (still don't see anything 5-star-like about this one, couple of really great tunes but the rest is merely soft)
Magnet - the tourniquet (2005)* (very pleasant indie-electronica)
The Mathletes - jest and earnest (2CD) (2005) (a bit too much indie pop at once - some really great tongue-in-cheek casio pop tunes though)
Soundclub - s/t EP (see feature)

Aug 8

Ambry - holding on to the blindfolds we hide behind (2005) (formulaic pop-punk emo)
Mike Allen - cirrhotic (some really awesome mellow NIN-ish parts here but the non-effected vocals ruined several of the songs)
Model A - transmission kit* (dark, brooding dreampop - noisier than most bands of this ilk)
Chrome - half machine lip moves - alien soundtracks (experimental but melodic noise, jarring vocals though)
Mob - we all repeat the past (2005)* (awesome, see feature)
The Softies - winter pagaent* (excellent mellow indie pop)

Aug 9

Mazarin - we're already there (2005)* (well worth the wait (4 years!) - noise pop, with dreamy elements - think the Strokes crossed with the Shins)
Jesus and Mary Chain - psychocandy* (classic! still have this bad boy on cassette)
The Most Serene Republic - underwater cinematographer (2005)* (quite warm and eclectic indie - cross between BSS and Postal Service)
Neutral Milk Hotel - live in new zealand 2-4-01* (the last official NMH show, pretty awesome for someone who lost his mind...)
Point Juncture WA - juxtapony EP (2005)* (stellar dreamy indie rock, much like Jim Yoshii Pile-Up and Raising The Fawn)
Portastatic - power supply EP (2005) (ok, nothing really all that different than recent SuperC output)

Aug 10

Starlings, TN - the leaper's fork* (old fave - classic cosmic Americana, lots of banjo, mandolin, some gospel - very powerful and moving)
Starlings, TN - between hell and baton rouge* (see above - only better)

Aug 11

Joy Division - closer (still fairly bored with JD, outside of a few great songs - this album is no exception)
The Sames - you are the sames (2005) (quirky, playful indie rock but um, a bit same-y...)

Aug 12

The Joggers - solid guild* (awesome! see feature)
Cato Salsa Experience - no. 3 (2005) (decent but not great retro garage rock with lots of organ)
Crash Street Kids - little girls* (classic mod power-pop)
Yellow Second - altitude (2005)* (fairly solid power-pop/rock - reminds me of Superdrag)

Aug 13

65daysofstatic - peel sessions* (excellent band, one of the best Peel sessions I've heard in the past couple of years - outstanding!)
Astrobrite - 8 candy EP (dead ringer for MBV's Loveless album - nice but not very strong)
Blood Red - the redwood records EP (competent hardcore punk)
Bugs Eat Books - at sixes and sevens 7"* (quality bouncy indie-pop)
Earthtone9 - omega EP* (solid post hardcore with a couple prog knuckleballs)
Epic45 - england fallen over EP (2005)* (very nice ambient dream-pop)
Friends Of Lizzy - s/t EP (not as rowdy or good as their most recent release)
Hartfield - libra EP (spotty dreamgaze from Nippon)
Harvey Danger - sometimes you have to work on christmas EP (better than you think, even the demos and live track on here prove HD were far more than one-hit wonders)
The Hazey Janes - s/t EP* (jangly mid-tempo power-pop - heavy Byrds influence)
Human Flight Committee - small business solutions (decent proggy post-hardcore, a bit too much of that screaming stuff)
Human Television - all songs written by* (fantastic Weddoes-ish indie-pop)
Will Johnson - s.c.i.v. EP (2005)* (gorgeous, as is everything else Will has touched in the past 5 years)
The Last Hotel - s/t EP
Magnetic Fields - the charm of the highway strip* (old fave)

Aug 14

Mustafa Et Monique - demo* (excellent shoegaze crossed with a bit of 90's indie rawk)
Naht - downt EP* (crashing Japanese emocore band - released in '96 - they've since taken on a more alt-rock sound)
Oxes - s/t EP (2005)* (solid release from the bandits of angular math-rock)
Oxford Collapse - s/t EP* (danceable, quirky mid-90's emo flava)
Prewar Yardsale - peel session* (super lo-fi anti-folk - yet another sign Peel was a great man for giving these BTID faves the time of day, literally)
Red Eyed Legends - mutual insignifigance EP (decent Hammond heavy garagepunk)
Silent Tongue - everyone's scared of being vulnerable EP (bland mid-tempo indie rock)
Sixfifteens - let's not think about it EP* (quirky, punky indie rock)
Robert Skoro - s/t EP (2005) (not very interesting indie-pop singer-songwriter)
Starlight Conspiracy - 4 song demo* (pretty solid for a demo - grab the demo and more from the website)
Starmarket - cologne EP* (splendid little 3-track EP, featured the title track on a TTOTM mix)
Strategy Game - take one EP* (fairly good emo-ish alt-rock - a cut above the rest of this tiresome genre)

Aug 15

Telephone - s/t EP (so-so retro garage-y rock)
Third Wave Project - louis EP (decent female-fronted acoustic-based rock, nice Liz Phair cover included - grab the EP from the website)
The Virgin Trebles - s/t EP* (very nice - 3 songs all done in classic dream-pop/gaze fashion)
Half Man Half Biscuit - back in the d.h.s.s. - the trumpton riots* (quirky C-86-ish post-punk, odd at times)
Celestine - between bedtime and sunrise (2005)* (very nice mellow-ish alt.country-ish indie - solid and noteworthy)
Jason Collett - idols of exile (2005)* (excellent folkish solo effort from full-time Broken Social Scene member)
Turbonegro - apocalypse dudes* (hell yeah, dudes)

Aug 16

Colder - heat (2005) (very bleak wavish type stuff)
Slow Dazzle - the view from the floor (2005) (an unusually bland release from Misra)
20 Minute Loop - decline of the day (so-so mid-tempo sometimes-bleepy indie rock)
Frank Zappa - strictly commercial (well this succeeds in being odd and musical-ish, but not much more)

Aug 17

Bluebottle Kiss - come across* (spectacular album, brewing indie rock with great guitarwork and solid songwriting - sounds a bit like the Afghan Whigs - they call Oz home)
The Charade - the best is yet to come (2005)* (pretty good twee/indie-pop)
Big Star - in space (2005) (hm, rather lifeless effort - few decent-to-great songs, but that is all, big disappointment though I'm not surprised)
Tiger Trap - s/t (so-so, mid-fi indie-pop - early Rose Melberg project)
Victory Twin - shadow of an american life EP (2005) (ok pop-rock, few hooks to latch onto but not much else)

Aug 18

Final Fantasy - has a good home (2005)* (fairly good Hidden Cameras side-project - excellent violin/cello work - reminded me a smidge of M Ward)
Kid Icarus - the metal west (2005) (decent mid-fi folkish indie rock, much better than previous releases)
Van Morrison - veedon fleece* (awesome, a super chillout album)
Karl Larsson - pale as milk (2005) (mostly forgettable side-project for the singer of Last Days Of April)
The Jam - sound affects* (old fave)

Aug 19

At The Spine - the first day of spring (2005) (little better than previous releases - garagey indie rock but nothing all that special)
City On Film - in formal introduction (2005)* (mellow-ish acoustic-based indie - reminds me a little of Matt Pond PA - helmed by Braidster, Bob Nanna)
Copeland - in motion (2005)* (very solid dream-pop/rock-lite)

Aug 20

Point Juncture, WA - juxtapony EP* (see review)
A Million Billion - filthy schoolgirls EP (2005)* (pleasant, lo-key indie-folk with subtle electronic touches)
Sigur Ros - takk (2005)* (splendid)
Crosstide - life as a spectator (2005)* (these guys have mellowed down a whole lot over the years - used to be pop-punkish emo, now dreamier rock)
Delorean - the metropolitan death (2005) (8 techno-ish renditions remixes of the title track, pretty much a worthless endeavor)
dEUS - pocket revolution (2005) (so-so dancey rock type stuff)
Van Morrison - tupelo honey* (this album just barely gets my nod, not as strong as his folkier or r&b stomp/garage efforts)
Brian Eno - another world (2005) (pretty generic effort, most comes off as second-rate New Age music - if you can imagine anything worse than first-rate)
Belle and Sebastian - tigermilk* (old fave, awesome)

Aug 21

Kite Operations - dandelion day (2005)* (see review)
Extra Blue Kind - the tide and the undertow (2005) (couple of really great songs on here but lots of filler, think Spoon and
Husky Rescue - country falls (2005) (so-so groove-heavy trip-hoppy type stuff - plods about too much without really going anywhere)
The Imprints - tales of the aftermath (2005) (mild-mannered pop/rock - very safe, often bland)

Aug 22

Piney Gir - peekahokahoo (2005) (lass covering a wide variety of styles and featuring a couple of ho-hum covers - nice try but crap)
Jeremy - find the way to be happy (2005) (same ol same ol from Jeremy, calling upon the Byrds and power-pop heroes of past but this one is a good bit more wanky and bluesy)
A Million Billion - today we love you (2005) (much different than the EP - bunch of programmed beats and glitchness)
The Knitters - the modern sounds of (2005)* (yee-haw! a surprisingly energetic return to form - welcome back!)
Lanky - odd hour work week (2005) (so-so singer/songwriter - like Josh Rouse)

Aug 23

Matt Costa - s/t EP* (very nice folk-ish Nick Drake worship)
Die Die Die - s/t EP (2005)* (pretty bitchin' punk n roll with shouty vocals)
Hoover's G-String - elephant parts (dull alt-rock)
Chris Tsefalas - i'm all right? (decent singer/sw pop, couple of really catchy tunes on here)
Mattias Alkberg BD - jag skall bli en battre van (2005)* (moving Swedish fuzz-pop)
Tom McRae - all maps welcome (2005)* (smooth, mellow folk-pop not unlike Josh Rouse or Jack Johnson but far more moving)
Scout Niblett - kidnapped by neptune (2005) (some ok moments but for the most part this is fairly uneven)

Aug 24

Mogwai - government commissions (peel sessions) (2005)* (yeah, Mogwai is still beautiful)
Okay - high road (2005)* (bedroom folk with nasally vocals)
Okay - low road (2005)* (though meant to be disparate albums, these both do not stray too far from one another - thankfully so)
Part Chimp - i am come (2005)* (loud, sludgy noiserock a la Sonic Youth - pretty smashing)
Sharp Things - foxes and hounds (2005) (uninspiring chamber pop)
The Robot Ate Me - they ate themselves (not nearly as good as this year's release, songwriting just isn't as strong and the album overstays its welcome)
Primus - sailing the seas of cheese* (old favorite)

Aug 25

Charming Snakes - ammunition (2005)* (kicking, screaming, flailing, garage-punk mayhem - a few danceable moments and the occasional 'jam' - awesome)
Suzy Callahan - happier than everybody else (2005) (cross between Dido and Liz Phair, edgy enough to be somewhat interesting but patchy)
The Fame - get on the beat EP (2005)* (pretty swell 70's influenced power-pop)
Death Cab For Cutie - plans (2005)* (at first I was like 'eh' but after 3 listens I was like 'yay')
Cult Of Sue Todd - nothing noteworthy happened today EP (2005)* (raunchy, psyche-bluegrass...or anti-folk)
Emiliana Torrini - the fisherman's woman (2005)* (warm, cozy folk with an apt title)

Aug 27

John Vanderslice - pixel revolt (2005)* (pleasant enough and definitely much better than the painfully boring Cellar Door album)
VA - Cwistmas Twee* (out of season but well worth a few spins, see ya again around x-mas time)
VA - For Whom The Casio Tolls (sometimes nice casio-pop comp, many duds though - indiepop/twee strong)
VA - Bro Zone (mostly arty electronic dabbling, other than Thanksgiving and a few others - worthless)
VA - Until The Shaking Stops (so-so Jawbox tribute, great song selection, some hits, some misses)
VA - San Diego Is Burning (a so-so comp of SD bands, lot of this sounded samey - heavy with gravelly math rock and post-hardcore type stuff)
Honeyhander - wooly mannerisms EP (2005)

Aug 28

VA - Nao Wave - Brazilian Post Punk (some great moments but mostly duds, i guess a nice chronicling of that scene - that's all)
VA - Pickin' On Modest Mouse* (this is incredible stuff and a great f'in idea! - bluegrass renditions of Modest Mouse tunes)
Textbook - the great salt creek (2005) (think Promise Ring crossed with Buffalo Tom)
Supergrass - road to rouen (2005)* (not what I expected from Supergrass - a mature AND moving work)
Minus Story - no rest for ghosts (2005)* (little bit different and not as good than the EP earlier in the year, but solid nonetheless)
Mew - frengers* (awesome! like Jeremy Enigk fronting DCFC, what a pleasant surprise, how I missed it in 2003 is beyond me)
New Grenada - parting shots (2005)* (schizo garage-pop from Detroit's favorite schizo garage-pop band - fun and bouncy and a little rough around the edges - dig.)
The Pale Pacific - urgency (2005) (unfortunately about as good as their reviewed EP, few nice moments of airy dream-pop)

Aug 29

Duplex! - ablum (2005) (endearing children's album (mostly) - weird at best)
Dimbulb - trip hammers (psychedelic sludgy rock)
The Mainliners - bring home the sweetlife (2005)* (Stones-influenced rock n roll, one of the better Get Hip records in the past few years)
The Gun Shys - s/t EP (2005) (retro-garage rock, think Franz Ferdinand doped up on Cheap Trick riffs)
This Is A Process Of Still Life - s/t* (Dirty Three-ish post-rock, moving and powerful)

Aug 30

Scott Laurent - the truth is no lies (reminds me of Bryan Adams with more twang, not bad)
Novillero - aim right for the holes in their lives (2005)* (pretty swell retro-psyche lite, definitely a huge Kinks and Beatles vibe)
One Umbrella - solve EP (2005) (odd, sc-fi noise - nothing to really grab onto here)
Charles Douglas - statecraft (not as good as earlier releases, mid-fi indie s/sw - some great tunes but lacking in the lyrics dept. - Joey Santiago makes an appearance)

Aug 31

Retisonic - return to me (very Jawbox-esque or Jets To Brazil, had some great moments)
Taylor Hollingsworth - shoot me, shoot me heaven EP (2005)* (raunchy, garage-pop - great vocals and an interesting variety of sounds)
Hybrid Kid - s/t EP (2005) (mid-tempo alt.rock - decent but lacking the oomph the songs deserved)
Sonic Orange - s/t EP (staid pop/rock with some really crummy lyrics - music wasn't much better)
Cakes Of Light - s/t EP* (slightly twisted anti-folk, odd song topics - reminded me a bit of the Moldy Peaches)
The Brokedown - the dutchman's gold EP (2005)* (great mix of indie and Americana)

Back To Playlists