Michael Abernethy - The Homegrown Snob

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Here we are in mid-April.
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It’s beautiful outside, but I’m stuck at my computer thinking about new music.
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That’s just fine with me. It’s been a good year so far.

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April 1 marked the end of the year’s first quartile, so let’s look back at the best releases of 2008 so far.
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I’m a little late getting this to you, so I thought I’d tack on another couple weeks of releases to make up for my absence. Work has been kinda crazy these last couple weeks.
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Tift Merritt - Another Country

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This one will be hard to beat for best of the year.
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No doubt, Tift’s in top form here. Her vocals are great. Her songwriting is great. The more I listen to it, the better it gets. Especially “I Know What I’m Looking For Now,” the title track and “The Tender Branch.”
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Go get it if you haven’t.

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

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Though it’s harder to find the immediate standouts of their last couple albums, this U.K. band’s newest is their most cohesive and satisfying overall.

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That said, it’s best to start with “No Lucifer,” “Lights Out for Darker Skies” and “Waving Flags.”

Liam Finn - I’ll Be Lightning

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I still consider this the quaint album that could.
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Finn’s just starting to find his footing as a songwriter, but he’s well on his way with a proggy-Elliott Smith vibe. He strikes the right balance of sweetness and grit on songs like “Second Chance” and “Remember When.”

R.E.M. - Accelerate

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Woo! R.E.M.’s new album is very good. Very good. Also very angry, but still very good.
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Check “Living Well,” “Supernatural Superserious” and “I’m Gonna DJ.”

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus, Dig!!!

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I was slow to warm on this one (rare for a Nick Cave effort) but this one’s really grown on me.

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It’s his bluesiest in about a decade, and also more uptempo than the band’s been since the 1980s. Cave brings his usual lyrical wit to “We Call Upon the Author,” and the Bad Seeds revel in the weirdness of “Night of the Lotus Eaters” and the doo-doo-doo vocals of “Albert Goes West.”
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If you need a place to start, this might be the place. Start with “Dig Lazarus, Dig!!!”

Moby - Last Night

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Who knew?!
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Who knew Moby was still a viable musician?! The return to his club roots is a relief. His vocals are almost nowhere to be found.
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The thing flows seamlessly, but you can start with the heavier groove of “Alice.”
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And we’re not done yet, folks!
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Still comin’ up:
Elvis Costello - Momofuku (Apr. 22)
Portishead - Third (Apr. 29)

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (Apr. 29)
Madonna - Hard Candy (Apr. 29)
The Roots - Rising Down (Apr. 29)
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (May 13)
Cyndi Lauper - Bring Ya to the Brink (May 27)
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (June 10)
Jakob Dylan - Seeing Things (June 10)
Alanis Morrissette - Flavors of Entanglement (June 10)
Martha Wainwright - I Know You’re Married but I’ve Got Feelings, Too (June 10)

Coldplay - TBA (June 17)
Weezer (June 17)
Ben Folds - TBA (August)
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PHEW!

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