the multi-review post

I got bombarded this week with a ton of new releases, most of which deserve some sort of review. I thought I'd give them a quick scan over on the Coolness.

Cobra Starship, "While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets" (Decaydance)
Q: Do we really need a full-length of shitty synthrock with a song that is a tribute to the affair of Notorious BIG and Lil' Kim?
A: No. This album sucks. Don't buy it; if you think about buying it because so and so said it was cool, remind yourself of the time when so and so said that Limp Bizkit was the greatest band of all time.

The Decemberists, "The Crane Wife" (Capitol)
Colin Meloy & co. get the major label treatment and walk away with their "Vauxhall and I."

Birdmonster, "No Midnight" (Self-Released)
This is what idiots would label "Post-punk." I say it's awesome.

A Static Lullaby, "A Static Lullaby" (Fearless)
Way better than their last album, but not as good as their debut. Meh.

Bright Eyes, "Floor Noise" (Saddle Creek)
What's another year without a second album from Connor Oberst? Recommended for Bright Eyes super fans only. If you're a marginal fan, you won't find anything special in this recording. FYI, I still think that "Digital Ash" is superior to the other one.

Spitalfield, "Better Than Knowing Where You Are" (Victory)
Spitalfield's Victory debut "Remember Right Now" was a catchy record, but pure remedial pop-punk. 2004's "Stop Doing Bad Things" and "Better Than Knowing Where You Are" has the band evolving (or devolving) back to the great, angsty rock that their "Cloak & Dagger Club EP" represented.

Converge, "No Heroes" (Epitaph)
I haven't heard this yet and it's been on my desk for a week. It's Converge so I'm sure it's pretty good.

Mighty Mike Lenaburg, "Eccentric Soul" (The Numero Group)
Fantastic compilation of British R&B from the sixties. Probably the best release I got this week.