Sep 2

Scritti Politti - early (sometimes great skewed post-punk, had a few drab moments though - decent for a b-sides and rarities comp)
AM Magic - floats (2005) (ok E6-ish indie-pop with an edge)
The Wallstones - pleasure and pain (2005) (sometimes bouncy 80's XTC-pop, other times really sappy pop-rock)
Hitchhike - night light EP (so-so mopey indie rock, suffered from bad production)

Sep 3

The Distortions - exploding teenage body part (2005)* (pretty good crunchy dream-pop)
P:iano - brigadoon (2005)* (pretty eclectic, sometimes cabaret-like pop - solid other than a few filler songs)
Soe'za - how do you do? (2005) (sort of jazzy rock like Karate with a female singer but unfortunately blah)
Lopside - 37 (ok electronic ambience)

Sep 4

Paul Hogan - frances* (pretty awesome eccentric pop, much like The Robot Ate Me and Sufjan Stevens)
The Northern Hues - s/t EP (kinda flat sounding 80's British rock - akin to Verve but less interesting)
The Newbees - songs from a dilapidated apartment (college rock/pop - male/female vocals - alright but not great)
Arbouretum - long live the well-doer (features members of the Anomoanon and Cass Mccombs - brooding psychedelic folk)
Resplendent - i am free EP (2005)* (see feature - download this on their site)
Resplendent - am i free? EP (2005)* (see feature - download this on their site)
Rumbleseat - is dead (2005)* (final discography release for this fine acoustic Hot Water Music side-project)
Shifter - effects of sounds EP (2005)* (solid Japanese emocore, tight and melodic)
Silence Kit - pionear (2005)* (diverse post-rock much like Pelican - excellent)

Sep 5

Pangs - stalemates & sad pastimes* (snazzy 70's influenced indie rock - think GBV crossed with Spoon - very nice)
The Red Channels - s/t (delay and reverb heavy dream-pop with 80's flava)
Wide Right - sleeping on the couch (2005) (picture Janis Joplin fronting a dirty bar band - oh wait...)
Doveman - the acrobat (2005)* (very fragile, jazzy mopecore - save this for a rainy day)
Jolie Holland - live at stella blue, asheville* (very warm show with wit and charm, decent recording quality)
Hundred Hands - her accent was excellent (2005) (listened almost 3 times but still don't know what to think of this - not what I was expecting)

Sep 6

Transcendence - nothing is cohesive (like early Verve Pipe or Sponge or that band from the mid to late 90's I can't quite put my finger on...)
Escape Velocity - chaos theory (2005)* (see review)
Lomita - stress echo (2005)* (equal parts Wilco, post-punk and ambience - if you can believe that)
Pinebox Serenade - s/t (2005) (rootsy Americana with baritone vocals and tons of mandolin and steel)
Sleep Good - s/t EP (2005) (slacker indie rock - like Silver Jews filtered through Grandaddy but not nearly as great as that might sound)
Small Towns Burn A Little Slower - morality is home entertainment (2005) (that pop-punk emo thing, better than most if it hadn't been for the AWFUL remix at the end of the album)

Sep 8

Uzi and Ari - don't leave in such a hurry (2005)* (borderline emocore - think Appleseed Cast with shoegaze tendencies)
Volebeats - like her (2005)* (a slice of 60's psyche add a touch of Americana - much better than their last album!)
Mark Mulcahy - in pursuit of your happiness (2005)* (former Miracle Legion frontman steps out and creates nice airy pop with lots of clever instrumentation and cameos)
Shimmer - s/t (2005) (pop/rock with hints of soul in the vocals, songwriting suffers though)

Sep 9

Day and Age - via moderna (spastic indie rock like Q And Not U or Paper Chase)
Kepler - attic salt (2005)* (seems I've heard most of these songs before....but it's ok)
Weevil - drunk on light (mellow dream/indiepop, nice harmonies - much like DCFC or Pinback)
Kingsbury Manx - the fast rise and fall of the south (2005)* (very solid release - think eclectic indie-pop with a few crunchy moments)
Stay - starting to lose control (2005) (capable Britpop from um, Barcelona - some nice harmonies and a tad bit of shoegaze and power-pop)

Sep 10

Colin Clary - sweater weather or not...these are the songs i got (2005)* (short sweet indie-pop songs bursting with charm and sing-alongs)
Flotation Toy Warning - bluffer's guide to the flight deck (re-issue) (2005)* (moody cinematic pop)
Manuok - s/t (2005)* (experimental bedroom folk with lots of keys and melody)
Weather - calling up my bad side (2005) (like Dave Matthews Band crossed with your favorite alternative rock band on the radio)
Vinegar - rock fetish (2005) (kind of like Harvey Danger - nasally/nerdy vocals and bouncy tunes)
VA - A Houseguest's Wish - Translations of Wire's 'Outdoor Miner'* (much better than one would think, several dreampop renditions plus many other worthy variations on the theme)

Sep 11

A Thousand Times Yes - michigan* (cross between 60's pop and indie rock, male/female vocals and lots of fun)
Screamfeeder - take you apart* (Australian indie rock - reminds me of Troubled Hubble without all the witty playfulness)
The Safes - family jewels* (solid edgy mod pop-punk&roll with lots of hooks and sing-alongs)
Kary - light (the least powerful of the Kary/Wintersleep releases, had its moments though)
Masters and Moderns - s/t (2005)* (dreamy, yet powerful, emocore like Mineral or Penfold - this cd is free on their website with $2.50 shipping)
The Spinto Band - nice and nicely done (2005)* (jaunty indie rock, sometimes reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand)

Sep 12

The Sour Mournings - whirlpool (meandering dude-rock, few nice moments but ultimately disastrous)
Sleepover Disaster - staring at nothing (not nearly as good as the latest release, a little more Britpop than shoegaze here - vocals were a little off)
The Joggers - a cape and a cane (2005) (not sure what these guys were thinking here, flat-sounding indie rock very much unlike their first album)

Sep 13

The Cocker Spaniels - withstand the whatnot (playful tongue-in-cheek indie-rock with some rocking moments, a bit long to keep my attention though)
Mass Shivers - s/t (at times reminding me of Jawbox, other times mid-tempo hardcore)

Sep 14

Moggs - the white belt is not enough (2005)

Sep 16

Orenda Fink - invisible ones (2005) (so-so mellow rock compliments of one half of Azure Ray)
Flavor Crystals - on plastic (2005)* (swell brooding dream-pop)
Giant Haystacks - demo (2005)* (promising post-punk - very Wire-esque)

Sep 17

Graves - to sur with love (2005)* (very mellow and pleasant indie-pop, not unlike previous releases, though a bit stronger in the songwriting vein this time)
Bear Claw - find the sun* (splendid noiserock a la Big Black - some fine punishing moments)
Blivit - unhand the world (2005) (kinda hippyish almost-jam rock, not my thing)
Glimmer Kids - s/t (average noisy Britpop type stuff)

Sep 18

The Gnomes - s/t (mild Velvets influenced rock, had some really nice moments - warrants more listening)
Racetrack - city lights (a mesh of power-pop and indie rock, female vocals - i'm thinking this belongs on Teenacide Records)
Calla - collisions (2005)* (much much better than their debut - the vocals were more relaxed and the music quite inviting - kudos!)
The Zephyrs - bright yellow flowers on a dark double bed (2005)* (excellent mopey sadcore with lots of pedal steel and cello and harmonies - another top-notch release)
Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson - unnoticeable in a tiny town, invisible in the city (2005)* (very special release, brooding indie rock - a little bit post-rock, some emo-ish sounds a la Gloria Record - from Norway)

Sep 19

Wow, Owls! - pick your patterns (2005)* (intense melodic hardcore like a revved up Hot Snakes - awesome)
American Heritage - through the age of quarrel and into... (loud, noisy metalcore instrumentals)
Setting Sun - math and magic (2005) (handcuffed slacker indie rock - vocals reminded me of Lou Barlow)
Matt Marka - good-bye gracious (singer-sw'er type stuff with evidence of soul)

Sep 20

The Beatings - if not now, then when EP (2005)* (best release since their homage to GBV (Italiano) - this one is more rowdy and diverse)
The Subjects - s/t EP* (melodic post-punk, like Franz Ferdinand at times)
The Love Experts - cuba street EP (2005) (sometimes jangle-pop, like a cross between Isolation Years and um, Peral Jam (in the vocals))
Condo - 316: duress ave. (2005) (bland indie rock)
The Isles - back to terrific EP (2005)(so-so indie-pop-rock)
Meneguar - i was born at night EP (2005)* (spazzy dance-punk/indie rock - catchy as all hell - think Q And Not U or a less jolly Hot Hot Heat)
Araby - your wate and fate (spotty emocore, some signs of brilliance (the opener) - vocals sound uncannily like Jeremy Enigk)

Sep 21

Television - adventure* (probably coming in second as far as the TV canon goes)
Poor Luther's Bones - next to nowhere (2005) (low-end psyche garage - not as worthwhile as I had hoped)
Abner Trio - distant thunder of the sacred force (2005)* (oddball quirky indie rock not unlike Dismemberment Plan or Sushirobo)
Courtesy Blush - sweet modern fairy tales (by-the-numbers hardcore emo with that screaming/melodic vocalist tandem)
The Barracudas - s/t (2005)* (solid, garage rock return-to-form for these oldheads - great hooks, handclaps and even a few eclectic nods - kudos!)
Circus Devils - five (2005) (one great song amidst a sea of meandering drivel - oh, Bob)
The Weekend - beatbox my heartbeat (2005)* (a little more polished than their last effort but still hooks galore - female-fronted pop-punk/rock)
The Virginia Sisters - last pathetic fool (2005)* (twangy, rootsy power-pop on Not Lame - one of the better recent releases for NL)
Half-Handed Cloud - thy is a word + feet need lamps (2005) (still like this about as much as before - older releases are much more fun)

Sep 22

Bozart - bunge EP* (very capable metallic math-rock)
The Capricorns - go the distance! (flat keys-heavy pop - awful awful female vocals)
Polar - sixteen second communication (VU-inspired rock - think Stoned & Dethroned-era JaMC with a dollop of shoegaze - featured members of The Zephyrs)
Holiday and The Adventure Pop Collective - become (2005) (bland AOR with jammy tendencies - a few decent moments when they bust out the banjo but not much else)
Taylor Hollingsworth - tragic city (2005)* (edgy garage-pop filtered through singer-songwriter swagger - perfect extension to the previous EP)
IfIHadAHiFi - no more music* (excellent no-wavish indie rock - much fun to be had here)

Sep 23

The Life and Times - suburban hymns (2005)* (more dream-pop and less aggressive (and much better) than previous efforts - ex-Shiner)
Maquiladora - a house all on fire (2005)* (above average mopey sadcore with husky Oldhamesque vocals)
New Pornographers - twin cinema (2005) (hm, at first I wasn't into it, then it got a little better when Bejar shows up - not sure about this one yet)

Sep 24

Oranger - new comes and goes (2005) (ok playful indie rock)
Dogs - turn against this land (2005)* (pretty solid rock - think equal parts Interpol and Jimmy Eat World)
Media Burn - virtual love (poorly recorded alt.rock)
Goodbye Blue Monday - help is on the way (2005)* (mildly proggy hardcore like Cave In or Minus The Bear - excellent guitar sounds and driving rhythms - ace!)
Her Space Holiday - the past presents the future (2005) (dull electro-pop with a bit of twee in the vocals - he's seen better days)
The Narrator - such triumph (2005) (blistery indie rawk with a slight resemblance to melodic Drive Like Jehu or more recently Bear Vs. Shark)
Patrik Tanner - soft (decent mellow power-pop, mostly piano-based)

Sep 25

Tongues - ugly (reminds me a bit of BMRC, got that British dirty rock sound)
Screeching Weasel - anthem for a new tomorrow* (excellent classic pop-punk album from these genre stalwarts)
Grandaddy - excerpts from the diary of todd zilla EP (2005)* (standard fare Grandaddy, which is ok by me - though it had a few unexpected freakout sessions)
Pinetop Seven - bringing home the last great strike* (graceful and eclectic Americana, think Calexico with more bells and whistles (literally) - great band)
Jandek - the living end (my first experience with this reclusive mysterioso - dirty blues-noise with creepy/cranky vocals - acquired taste for sure)
The Airfields - city-state EP (dreampop, though not very moving - let's call this a demo - grab the album from their site)
Adam McIntyre - nothing means anything (2005) (sometimes power-pop, sometimes psyche-lite, other times wanky guitar dude - all the time yuck)
Eyeball Skeleton - #1 (2005) (as funny as it is pointless - two pre-teen boys and a dad who love horror-core and the Misfits)
Bosio - this is why we can't have nice things EP (quick solid, emocore offering)

Sep. 26

Low Frequency In Stereo - travelling ants who got eaten by moskus* (sometimes straight up post-punk/indie rawk - other times touching upon Chicago post-rock jazz)
Sex Clark Five - antedium* (lost classic (it seems) from '92 - very much in like Let's Active with more than a nod to XTC)
Color Wall - the view from above* (almost a dead ringer for Teenage Fanclub 'Thirteen-era' - great harmonies and even a few knuckleballs)
Mercurine - waiting for another fall (decent but not great female-led new-wavish pop with a few dark moments - could be on Projekt or 4AD)
Nick Jaina - snakes and umbrellas (not as heartfelt as his most recent release - his vocals have come a long way since this release)
Reptoids - park a tiger EP (crunchy, almost dancy indie with androgynous vocals)
Pinebender - things are about to get weird* (slow, brooding indie rock with bursts of noise, not unlike Polvo, Chavez or Built To Spill)
Shark Pants - porno snakehead EP* (quick, raunchy garage-punk tunes - zippy and effective)

Sep 27

Tandy - the bloodroot transcriptions (not their best effort but a few excellent songs in the batch - rootsy Americana/pop)
The Pelicans - dangerous love EP (2005) (like a jangly Weezer or even They Might Be Giant at times)
Five Six Six Five - america's idle (smooth, jazzy ambience with sporadic vocals - think Sea and Cake on a trip-hop tip)

Sep 28

Jay Farrar - sebastopol* (probably my least favorite Farrar album, yet I can still recommend it...)
Doopy - game set match (pop/rock with really nasally vocals - not bad)
Henkensiefken - a familiar assortment of demons & dreams* (like a more dynamic Cat Power or more recently, Bellafae)
Five Dollar Day - black bears (2005)* (fantastic, eclectic bedroom-fi folk pop with subtle electronic enhancements - think Cloud Cult or Robot Ate Me)
Bleeder Resistor - sixteen EP (2005) (shouty melodic hardcore)

Sep. 29

The Boroughs - ostrich EP (2005) (ok rock n roll swagger with a few solid hooks)
Adios - situations EP (2005) (melodic hardcore, sounds like recent Deep Elm material)
Shore Leave - s/t (2005) (early Promise Ring on crack)
The Speakers - the happy birthday album* (quaint, down-home folk with perky instrumentation and guest appearances from Jolie Holland - very nice)
New Middle Class - s/t (polished politically incorrect anti-folk)

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