Consolers Of The Lonely

Attack and Release	The Odd Couple Following the worldwide, unparalleled critical acclaim for2006's St. Elsewhere and their record breaking hit Crazy ,Gnarls Barkley is set to release their sophomore album thisApril. Titled, The Odd Couple, the album features 13 tracksof new material from Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo G...	Conquista	Get Awkward Get Awkward is the sophomore full-length from Nashville foursome Be Your Own Pet. Making it presented new challenges for Jonas, Jemina, Nathan, and John, and yielded some surprises. The songs remain fast and loud, totally wired and tantalizingly brief. Applying the dubious word "...	Accelerate
April April, the new album from Sun Kil Moon, is Mark Kozelek's first original record since the acclaimed 2003 Sun Kil Moon debut ''Ghosts Of The Great Highway''. 11 songs at almost 74 minutes, ''April'' is a collection of songs recorded between March and August 2007 in San Francisco (...	Live At The Fillmore East	Conquest CD Limited Edition EP Notes: Limited Edition EP EP track listing: "Conquest" (album version) "It's My Fault for Being Famous" (previously unreleased B-side) "Cash Grab Complications on the Matter" (previously unreleased B-side) "Honey We Can't Afford to Look this Cheap" (previously unreleased B-...	Volume One This is the musical debut from M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, paired together by director Martin Hayens to perform the Richard and Linda Thompson tune "When I Get To The Border" for his film "The Go-Getter". Their match sparked the idea for "Volume One". Limited touring this spring.	Narrow Stairs

Simply one of the best albums of 2008 and new directions for the Racs
First of all, forget whatever you thought you knew about The Raconteurs. This album would be hard-pressed to be much more different from "Broken Boy Soldiers," their 2006 debut. From Jack's first searing guitar notes of the title track, which opens the album, through the quirky Dylan-esque "Carolina Drama" that closes it, this album shows that the Racs did not just drive up to the stop light and then continue on after the light changed. They hung a right and buried the gas. What's different from "Broken Boy Soldiers"? The energy level is higher, for one thing. While there is a mix of different paced songs on the album, overall they've taken the energy to a new level. The first album had a "sound" that extended throughout the entire album; this does not. It's also not as polished an album as their first (and that's a good thing, not a bad thing - nor is it a criticism of "Broken Boy Soldiers"). While Brendan's pop-meister sensibilities and skills are evident (their cover of Terry Reid's "Rich Kid Blues" is a good example), they are not as pronounced as on "Broken Boy Soldiers". There are some rough edges to the sound that add to the energy and a dark edginess that lurks in the background ("Top Yourself" is an excellent example). Some of their influences, such as country, are more obvious (Dirk Powell's fiddling is lovely). And Jack III's love of the blues is much more evident. The use of the Memphis Horns on some tracks raised my eyebrows until I heard them; the use is sparing and fits beautifully (I can't begin to count how many rock songs have been ruined by the addition of horns - Jackie Bollweevil and Brendan Boy knew exactly what they were doing here). And some of Jack's slide work will positively make your skin crawl! It's premature for me to add any detailed commentary on the individual songs (I've only given the album three careful [translate: headphones] listens, although it's been playing constantly since I got it), but "Carolina Drama" is definitely my fave so far - it's killer good. Side note: "Five On The Five" has evolved considerably since it was played in concerts on the 2006 tour. What I can say is, even though it's only March, this is easily one of the best albums of 2008, and it's going to be very heavily played at this house for a long time to come. My advice is to buy this album, put it in your car stereo, turn it up all the way, and drive around town with all the windows down (even if it's snowing, and definitely in the rain) - that is what rock `n' roll was intended for, and this is most definitely rock `n' roll of the first order. While this album is very different from "Broken Boy Soldiers", it is absolutely outstanding in every way. This is grand stuff, indeed. So much for the sophomore album jinx. The Racs are back, Pickin' up the slack.