I caught on to this band a little late in the game. I remember when this was released (I believe it was 05-06) rock critics were hailing them as the second coming of the Sex Pistols. These were probably the same critics who called Oasis the second coming of the Beatles. I will admit that the ditties are kind of catchy, but they’re only doing what The Libertines did in the late 90s/early 00s and not quite as good. The crunchy bass-lines and clangy guitars are enticing. As are the frenzied beats and the sometimes-snarling-sometimes-crooning vocals. But overall, this comes of as only mildly original. Do yourself a favor and go check out The Libertines.

This book is the movie SLC Punk should have been. Young suburban punk chooses poverty for rebellion’s sake and gives it up for higher education. The characters even debate the merits of SLC Punk in the book.

Unlike SLC Punk, “This Feels Like a Riot Looks” comes from someone who really understands the scene. Kilian Balach, the author, obviously lived and breathed the south Florida punk scene during the summer in question.

Unfortunately, the book is poorly edited. The story is clearly autobiographical, but written in third person for some odd reason. It reads like it’s both about a 19-year-old with limited education and by a 19-year-old with limited education. The stream of conciousness ranting and flagrant typos are so distracting, it took me months to actually get through the thing.

After nearly giving up a dozen times, I finished it and I was glad. Glad beacuse the book touches on topics I can personally relate to: a vividly accurate portrait of the music scene, frienship and betrayal and, of course, the pressing questions of which life path to take at a very confusing point in a young man’s life.

This Feels Like a Riot Looks makes no sweeping conclusions. Both sides of the coin are presented equally. Living the bohemian life as a starving artist among junkies and drunks is both a point of pride for the lead character and something he resents. Living the straight life is also given fair treatment. He views leaving the scene for college “up north” as an escape and an enticing intellectual challenge. At the same time, the main characters regard people their age who chose to play by society’s rules and walk the well-worn path with dripping disdain.

I will say this was worth consuming, but I cannot recommend it. My friend found this in a used book store in San Francisco and passed it along to me because he thought I’d appreciate the subject matter. I truly did and I feel like I owe the author an e-mail. I have a hunch this book has not been widely read outside of his social network and I want to thank him for taking the time to write it all down. I get the feeling that this was his first book and he poured his soul into every page, bad editing or not.

Oh Yeezie! When I first heard Kanye was putting out an album “sung” entirely in auto-tune and titled “808s and Heartbreak,” you couldn’t imagine my excitement. The hits were above average, but the rest of the album really hit the ground. For some reason, Kanye’s narcissism sounds much better in standard hip-hop verse. Take out the samples and raps, and Kanye just sounds like a fool with an ego problem. Who can’t even sing. But I’ll still pop on. Such a disappointment for such a great concept.

I tried not to like these guys. A bunch of preppy Columbia kids (who are actually younger than I am… scary) played a gig right by their hometown (which is my adopted town): Montclair. They played for 40 minutes despite charging $30 a ticket. It was this entire album plus a Steve Nicks cover. Bleck! But I can’t deny the power of this record. From beginning to end, the songwriting is spectacular, the beats are creative, original, ever-changing and always danceable and the instrumentation switches up to keep you guessing. This band will have staying power.

These guys changed the game by re-inventing dance punk (disco punk?). They lay down bass-y grooves and bouncy beats without sacrificing snarling vocals and overdriven, clangy guitars. “Echoes” has only a few gems on it, but the gems more than make up for the filler. The title track and “Out of the Races and onto the tracks” have racked up more hits on my iTunes than anything with good reason.

Wolf Parade is a weird band in a good way. They also seem to score mass appeal, which makes me hesitant to like them. My contrarian views aside, these guys sound like what music is supposed to sound like in the future. can’t remember song titles, but definitely think it’s worth a listen, particularly if you dig Arcade Fire.

Past the hype, this album is actually kind of mediocre. I can’t hate any album that reminds me of a good summer. “Kids” will always make it onto any 2009 soundtrack, but a lot of the album is kinda flat.

These English pop rockers bring charm and originality to the Fall Out Boy genre with Bloc Party-ish dance beats and sappy, yet clever, teen angst. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” is a perfect example of what these blokes do: make emo fun with nostalgic references to an era that probably predates their birth. The heartbreak, while borderline cheesey, is as palpable as any good love song and gosh this music is fun.

Newsom rants like a crazy bag lady in a haunting, childlike voice accompanied by a harp. Her goofy pronounciation might be jarring if it weren’t for the spectacular songwriting. “Peach, Plum, Pear” and “The Book of Right On” are quirky, yet emotional, masterpieces.

Kings of Leon have foregone their alt/indie-country roots for something more reminiscent of U2. Some might say this is a bad thing and I cannot disagree. But the radio hits are still as lovely as anything they’ve put out. The edge is gone, but they’re still making beautiful pop music.