Rating: 6.8

Mando Diao is the second Swedish band I’ve reviewed in the past month. It appears as though the twenty-first century is upending the unspoken rule that in order to be European and play rock, you have to be from Britain. In the past year alone, indie bands like Mew or Peter Bjorn and John have demonstrated crossover success in the States and solid chops to boot. Mando Diao’s third full-length album, Ode to Ochrasy shows a talented band exploring facets beyond the 2002 garage-rock revival. Although the diversity on the album is sometimes a liability, these Swedes know what they’re doing and know how to deliver something solid.

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Rating: 8.0

On returning with their second album for Seattle’s Sub Pop Records, Low have found a way to remain truthful to their unique sound while adding a new element to their music in the form of ambience. Many of the songs feature a dreamlike quality with the inclusion of drum machines and loops. Their last record, 2005’s The Great Destroyer saw them embracing a more discordant and surprising rock sound. This one, however, is a welcome return to their trademark lethargic, late night music. It also showcases an experimental side that reminds the listener a little of their Songs for a Dead Pilot EP from 1997.

Breaker mp3

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Rating:  5.5

The truth? This is nothing new. Conor Oberst is a brilliant writer who can’t seem to do wrong with his lyrics. His poetic folk-pop verses wrench your gut like a bad break-up or a book that entertains you every time you read it—never getting old, always simple and beautiful.

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Rating: 6.0

Jay Farrar’s voice has always been a thing of unassuming beauty, a squeaky yet articulate vehicle for earnest tales of death, drugs and dreams. The tracks on his newest Son Volt release, The Search, find Jay hitting his stride again after a few not-so-great albums brimming with hesitant lyrics. With the addition of a keyboardist, Derry Deborja, this effort sustains a more melodic undertone awash with organ and piano. The brief starter track, “Slow Hearse”, thoughtfully introduces the piano and then plunges directly into a hearty tambourine-shaking track, “The Picture”, a la early Wilcoan style. Son Volt adds their own special grassy horns and upbeat drive, appealing them as the more authentic reproduction of the former, and much hailed, Uncle Tupelo.

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