So I’ve been meaning to post some reviews of CDs I’ve recently purchased, but there’s enough of them now that I figured I’d just combine them all into one big post.  I’ll go from worst rating to best.

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid - 3 1/2 stars

Elbow to me always sounded like if Peter Gabriel started an indie rock band, and their latest album continues to reflect that.  While it’s not an astounding album (I still like Leaders of the Free World better), it is still well worth a purchase.  The opening track has the most jarring/fun brass part I think I’ve ever heard in a song.

Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends - 4 stars

Had I written this review a week ago, I would have probably given this album 3 or 3 1/2 stars at best, but the more I listen to this, the more I like it.  The thing that jumps out at me the most is the rhythmic work throughout this whole album.  It is just fascinating.  There are African sounding beats at times, electronica at others, and several steps in between.  If you’re a fan of interesting rhythms, this album is certainly worth a listen.  The highlights of the album for me are “Violet Hill” and “Death and All His Friends.”

This World Fair - This World Fair - 4 stars

This CD may have been the one I personally anticipated more than any other for the last year.  I randomly saw these guys without having ever heard them at Schuba’s in Chicago, and fell in love with them immediately.  They were slated to come out with this self-titled album about a year ago, but due to label difficulties, the album fell through, and was left to toil in obscurity.  The band suffered even more turmoil later, as everyone but the lead singer left the band, and I thought for sure this album was lost forever, which would have been a real shame.  Luckily they decided to self-release this album anyhow, and the world is a little better for it.  While the songwriting may not be life changing, the melodies and hooks in the songs never quit with their poppy-rocky wonderfulness.  If they ever come to your town, check them out and pick up this CD.  It is well worth it.  I also feel very privileged to not only be a fan of this band, but a friend as well.

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight - 5 stars
Saw these guys completely randomly at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, and I cannot express how glad I am that I saw them.  This album is not only hands down my favorite album of this year so far, it might be my favorite of the last two or three years.  It is just that solid.  There is not a bad track on the album, and the poetic emotion in all the lyrics is rivaled by very few out there.  Most reading this I’m assuming have never heard of them (I had not either), but if you are a fan of almost anything, you should buy this album.  I’ve owned it for all of three weeks, and already it’s a desert island disc for me.