Review: CAKE- Showroom of Compassion

Buying this album at work was an odd experience. I'd come in just for it as Cake are one of my favorite bands. I'd been anticipating this album since last fall and when I saw them on New Year's Eve, it made me long for the album even more. At least two coworkers said "really, Cake are still around"? Yeah, they're still around and they really haven't changed a damn thing either. They're responsible for my favorite New Year's Eve ever and are a band that I've always enjoyed since I was young and saw the video for "Sheep Go To Heaven" on MTV. Though it's been seven years since their last proper album, they haven't missed a beat even if we missed them.

You know what a Cake song is right off the bat. John McCrea half sings/half talks, there's bitchin' guitar, and there's trumpets. The album has all this and like every album they've had, it has an awesome leading single in "Sick of You". "Sick of You" is classic Cake through and through complete with a chorus that's going to be fun for everyone to sing when they play your nearest music hall. And did I mention sing a long choruses and trumpets? Because "Long Time" will easily do the trick complete with its trip-hop beat done McCrea style.

"Federal Funding" is the album's first cut and is in a lo-fi demeanor, it would be the perfect Pavement song if you wouldn't be able to tell McCrea's voice, which is one of the most unforgettable in Alt Rock. "Mustache Man" should be the second single off this album as its pretty recognizable for the band and sounds very, very similar to first single "Sick of You". And there lies the problem with Cake's music sometimes.

Truthfully, they're not breaking any new ground here despite the claims that there would be "acoustic piano" and "reverb". Going to a lo-fi sound hasn't changed much with these guys, it still sounds like the same band who made "Comfort Eagle" or "Fashion Nugget". The album also builds a similar structure between a manic opener, first single in the middle, a vocal-less track (Teenage Pregnancy is one of the best songs they've put to tape), and two songs to close the album that should've been rearranged. But if it ain't broke don't fix it right? They've been doing it for 20 years, they shouldn't stop now.

"The Winter" is the second to last track on the LP and is probably the best song on the album. McCrea accompanies his personal (or as personal as he'll ever get) lyrics with piano to another trippy beat with awesome trumpet. Before that, we get "Bound Away", which I first heard on New Year's Eve which is almost as stellar as "The Winter", the horn section on this album sound like they could be mixed in with a Norteno band. It's easily the most smileriffic track on the album and boasts the best qualities and playing of the group itself.

Time will tell where Cake's place in rock history stands. They're as reliable as a rock band as you can find in the 21st century and keep making good albums and releasing good singles. It's hard to find a group who is this consistent. After a seven year wait for an album, it was worth it. No they're not changing the earth with their songs and they haven't broken any new ground, but the beauty of the band is that they don't have to, and that's pretty much why they've been successful and a band I'll always support.

**** out of *****

Review: The Decemberists- The King Is Dead

Why everyone saw "The Hazards of Love" as a dissapointment is beyond me. Yeah, the stoner metal riffs are a bit silly and the narrative was as hard to follow as all hell, but damned if you didn't feel it, and if you've really listened to a Decemberists album, you've felt it. It being that feeling of home, of live, of loss, and of needing to find a dictionary to figure out what Colin Meloy just said. There's no riffs here, they've seemed to be replaced with harmonicas, and while there isn't a elaborate story to be had, Meloy still sings like he just took a turn of the century english class, yes folks, it's back to basics, and the band brings "it".

Before the release, Meloy had been propping this up as a record indebted to the Godfathers of Alt-Rock in R.E.M., surely the vibe is here and it's not just Peter Buck's guitar playing (yes, he's on the album), but it's also the songs of love, being misunderstood, and feelings of being the only one on earth that understands what is going on. Michael Stipe was the king of witty, over your head lyrics, Meloy understands that, tries to one up it, and while he doesn't, he succeeds at doing more than a passable job of it.

"Don't Carry It All" is the first track off the album and lays the groundwork perfectly on what to expect. You get accordians, harmonicas, and arena rock songs done in folksy bravado. It's a weird mixture, but it works. It's heartland music, and I think I hear a celtic influence, maybe it's a lute, I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. "Calamity Song" is a romper, almost as if you're supposed to get your boots on and go stepping, make no mistake, under the right name, this song is probably a nice country hit and sung by a female, it would probably top the charts.

Two of the album's highlights come in the middle of the album, with most of us having heard the songs several times over before the whole thing was released. "Rox In The Box" is the formula of the album done to perfection. Dueling male and female voices on the chorus are prime to show what the band has done well since their inception. This song has a damn accordian solo for fuck sake, but it never sounds as pretentious as it should, in fact, the song would probably suck without it.

First single "Down By The Water" is the album's other great highlight. If the band ever wrote something remotely close to a single, this is it. It's not as much a single as it is something that would be at home on Springsteen's "Nebraska" or "The River", though I'm guessing that's the point with many bands these days as many of them seem to become indebted to the arena spectacle of The Boss or The Fake Dylan Springsteen. Either way, it's fine and easy to get behind, much like The Boss himself.

Unlike most of the output from the band, there really aren't many wasted moments, "The King Is Dead" is a 10 song, 40 minute collection of songs that the band has always been capable of writing. That being said, there's no wasted time in the albums second half. Even "This Is Why We Fight", the album's longest cut at just over five minutes feels like it belongs and would weaken the album without its inclusion, it's also probably the closest the band gets to a "rocker" on the album which isn't saying much at all. Meanwhile "Dear Avery", the following track and album closer, is a somber piece of music and exactly the type of beautifully written tune that The Decemberists can always turn to. They're quite good at it when they want to be, this track is no exception.

It would be unfair to call "The King Is Dead" the first great album of 2011. It's not a great album, but it's still a very worthy album to stand alongside everything they've done. The next 11 months will tell if it'll stand, but for now, you won't find a better album to engage cold nights and early spring weather. Most bands go back to their basics and fall flat, The Decemberists went back and proved they're still capable and show why they're always relevant within the Alt-Rock world. They're a gateway to those of us who were young when R.E.M. were the kings. Now there isn't a king. Is the king really dead? Not really, but neither are The Decemberists ability to craft excellent music.

**** out of *****

The Ten Best Albums of 2010

This is the biggest problem I've faced in years. This list, this year, when I could've easily put down 15, I put it down to 10 for the sake of the reader. 2010 will probably be looked back at as one of the best music years ever. Every band, group, singer, rapper, seemed to step their game up, narrowing the list and even placing these albums was a difficult task. To you, there may be some glaring omissions, bear in mind I wanted to do 15, and even 20, but that's just too damn much. Not since 2002, have we had so many "instant classic" albums appear, but if you're following closely, you'll see that we were blessed, and next year should be just as good. Now, the top 10.

10. Grinderman- Grinderman 2
Never has a guy on the wrong side of 50 gotten so much better and kicked so much ass, so much to the point where he fronts two bands who are equally putting out great material. Nick Cave is one of the best songwriters period, so when he announced he was releasing another album under Grinderman with his core Bad Seeders, I was skeptical, but it paid off. Cave and the boys bring rock and roll back to where it was fun and like most men in the world, he just wants to rock out and get laid. While most bands are treading water to keep their edge and stay heavy, Nick Cave keeps his cool and ups the ante on his already brilliant career, and if that cover doesn't yell "bad ass", the music will.

9. Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest
Bradford Cox is a machine, like Nick Cave above, the guy fronts two bands, both put out amazing music. Brad and Deerhunter follow up 2008's best album (by a mile, it's a classic!) with something equally as brilliant. Deerhunter take it back to the heyday of art-rock in the 70's where experimentation is king. The only difference is that there's more melody and song written into these songs, and rather than it falling flat, it works on many levels. Deerhunter aren't just making albums for the hell of it, consider they seem to put one piece of material out a year if not more, but it all deserves to be heard and it's all very good. As with any Deerhunter album (or EP), there's no wasted moments, every song is as important as the last, it has an epic ending, and it's all heartbreaking. In a few years, Deerhunter are going to be the hipster default answer to the cool kid question of "who's the best band out there?", and they've deserved it more so than any artist on this list.

8. The Black Keys- Brothers
In the past three years, there's been one coveted rock and roll band that us indie kids adored who finally hit mainstream. In 2008, it was My Morning Jacket, last year it was Kings of Leon, now it's The Black Keys. Unlike the other two, The Keys put out a stellar album rode the success as best as possible without losing fans or their mojo. "Brothers" is a smart piece of blues rock filled with a nice vocal range of Dan Auerbach and catchy songs that keep coming one after another. They're everywhere now, but for good reason. While most will tell you they perfer Jack and Meg, I'll take the Akron duo any day, they're expansive, they can change, and you'd never know they were successful. From Danger Mouse produced songs to stripped down tunes, they can do it all, and do it well. If 2010 was any indication, these guys are going to be huge and handle it better than what most of us are used to, but it's all well deserved for two guys who have been doing it all for a decade.

7. Owen Pallett- Heartland
The first curveball on the list. Mr. Pallett is probably more known as a unofficial member of Arcade Fire, but "Heartland" should keep his stock rising. He's managed to put out a better album than the band he works with the most and did it all while managing to help them with the best parts. With a Christopher Cross-like voice over violin and synth loops, Pallett brings a concept (not sure what the hell it is exactly) thatcan keep you guessing while still being enjoyable. The songs are infectious and some of them even fun, and while he may seem to be a one trick pony here, it's a trick that doesn't tire by the end of the listen, it's an album worth obsessing over, not just for the concept, but for the music in general. Pallett may come off as a poor man's Sufjan Stevens, but he's put out a better record for a guy who was on SNL recently backing shitty renditions of a band he's made better music outside of.

6. Vampire Weekend- Contra
VW did it the right way. They gained much hype, delivered on the hype with a good debut, tour the fuck out of it, make an even better, more ambitious album, sell more copies, and become one of the biggest bands around. That formula shouldn't work, and considering they're a band you'll love or hate, they could silence any haters with "Contra". Boasting catchy tubes like "Cousins", "White Sky", "Holliday" and others, Vamp Weekend have upped a game they had no interest in playing and became bigger because they deliver. A surprise you say? Sure, but The Police and Paul Simon were always big and those are the two biggest names Vampire Weekend owes as much as anything. They're proof that indie counter culture can be fun without being ironic, we don't have to be too serious, and we can be ourselves, leave everyone else behind and still make it. It's not blue collar, but with Vampire Weekend's success, they've done it the old fashioned way if you haven't noticed, they just wanted to have a good time and play music, something dearly missing in today's realm of Pitchfork's stranglehold on the culture some of us love so dearly.

5. LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
What was supposed to be a swan song, actually isn't, but we're still left with one of the best albums of the year by everyone's favorite hipster DJ James Murphy. Murphy probably has a better record collection thanall of us combined, and he's let us know. But "This Is Happening" is more personal, it has more feeling and the grooves are as good as they've been. From the opening bars and soft spoken beginning of "Dance Yrself Clean" to the epic ending of "Home", James Murphy is a genius with wordplay and song structure, call him the David Byrne of the new era, James Murphy is indebted to all the music he enjoys and each LCD album is a tribute of that. Electronica, punk, funk, disco, rock and roll, balladry, it's a storied three album career that thankfully isn't over yet. Swan song or not, it's a hell of an album either way for an artist who is on his way to becomming one of the most respected talents of American music with a three album arc that many can't even touch.

4. Spoon- Transference
Spoon are the San Antonio Spurs of rock and roll and Pitchfork culture. Their best work was done between 1999 and 2007, many people forget about both of them and they fly under the radar, they're aging, they've never been as respected as they should, and look at that, they're both from South Texas. And like the Spurs, 2010 has been a reawakening. "Transference" isn't their best album, but it's probably their most complete, it's the sound of a band who just wants to rock out. There's no horns, the production is limited, and some songs just cut out before the seem to get interesting, but damn if these guys don't know how to write some of the best break up music ever. Brit Daniel screams over "Written in Reverse" while a piano gets trashed, "Trouble Comes Running" is a stomper" and "Got Nuffin'" rocks an amazing solo. So what's the problem here? Older than most of their counterparts, Spoon are playing songs here like they haven't lost a step, in fact, it's more of a call to arms to their younger festival bands to step their game up and try to dethrown them, as far as I'm concerend, Spoon are still kings of the Coachella/Bonnaroo generation, "Transference" just solidifies it.

3.Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Here's a guy who knows all about backlash. For all the shit Kanye's been through since the release of "Graduation", he had no choice to knock it out of the park, and he did that and then some. "Fantasy" is a classic, it's not about having a good time, most of the time it's just boastful and sometimes just downright depressing, but Kanye know's what he's done, he also knows how to combat it all. Introducing a "art-rap" album full of a guy who is piss and vinegar and remains the best while his aging counterparts in Jay-Z and Eminem continue to put out music that's not worthy of their classic material. Yeezy brings it, whether it's a Bon Iver sample, a King Crimson sample, showing up his guests on the album or just being himself, he's done the only thing that he could possibly do for most of the world to forgive him. He put out something ambitious, took the heat, reaped the benefits and now can laugh knowing that he's done something most artist could have never recovered from. Hell, how can an album with two of hip hop's best songs ever written (Power and Runaway respectively) not be a classic? Yeezy can take it to the bank, you can love him, you can hate him, but admire and respect the man for being in a tail spin to being on top of the music world.

2.Titus Andronicus- The Monitor
Here's your second curveball. An album nobody heard by a band who has made the ballsiest album and most fun rock albums in recent memory. Titus Andronicus have the mindset and smarts of a band who's been around for years, yet they're only two albums in and with this one being based off the Civil War (loosely I may add), The Monitor is an album full of Clash like punk, Springsteen Jersey rock, and Pavement slacker smarts. Boasting some of the smartest, most honest songs written in years, The Monitor breaks into your mind and doesn't leave, big grand hooks, stomping beats, and amazing musician work all around, The Monitor is an instant classic by a band who will soon be on all of our radar's. There are some bands that may sound like them, but nobody is as balls out, fun, fearless, and as brilliant as these kids from Jersey.

1. The National- High Violet
There's no question, it's a sure thing here. The National have become a band we can all appreciate, and even if they've become more user friendly, it's not taking away from anything they've done. Nobody is writing lyrics as poignant and realistic of modern life as Matt Berninger is. No band is using alt-rock crunch with arena filling noise as well as they do, in fact nobody is making beautiful music like this. The National are a lost-art, they have great depth, teriffic story telling, and can go from 0 to 60 in a second. They nearly had a number one album for fuck sake, not that it means anything. After "Alligator" and "Boxer", it was impossible to create something half as good, yet they defy odds, and make an album that's just as good if not even better. More expanxive and easy to relate to without losing a damn thing in the proscess, can it be done? It sure can, "High Violet" is an answer to the question of where do we go if we're already at the top, the answer is to keep going. No doubt it my mind they can top this. There's a reason they're as respected as they are in the music world, and it's because they can do damn near anything and make it sound beautiful and rich without being pretentious.

There you have it. If there's anything I missed, please comment below. 2011 is looking good so far with new releases from The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, Cake, U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, R.E.M., Jack White, The Strokes, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Arctic Monkeys, Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Atlas Sound, Drive-By Truckers, Fleet Foxes, Foo Fighters, and more.


Thanks for reading, see you all next year!

Review: Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West is a straight up polarizing figure. He's classic in his approach, and is the only true hip hop artist who at this point is making his mistakes and shout outs and is human because of it. He feels things and shows it in his music, that's something hip hop lacks is the definition of being human. Like him or not, the guy is talented and has topped Hova as the king, if Graduation didn't do that, "Fantasy" does. To call it the best "hip hop" album in years doesn't do it justice, after all is said and done, it'll be thought of as one of the best albums of all time. Hip hop hasn't seen a powerful force of an album like this since Jay-Z dropped "The Blueprint", and that was nearly a decade ago.

So what makes the album so great? It's a huge question that offers many answers. Kanye has stepped up his flow big time, delivering angry and raw verses that showcase why we fell in love with him in the first place. The production on the album is of the best in years too thanks to 'Ye and a super team of producers including RZA and the latest superstar and "total package" Lex Luger. The album's only flaw, the overkill of guest spots on this album.

Unfortunately, the album's two weakest tracks feature guest spots up the ass and are back to back. "All of the Lights" gets off to a horrid start with Rhianna crooning, she has a poor voice to begin with and weakens the track which also feautres Fergie and Elton John, it's a suckfest of a song followed by a more ridiculous song in "Monster". "Monster" is a hit or miss affair for most listeners. It's a pissing contest between Mr. West, Jay-Z, Rick Ross who probably deserved more than his small bit and the queen of all that is unholy and annoying, Nicki Minaj. Miss Minaj has marked 2010 with numerous appearances, each more scating than the last, none more hopeless and unlistenable than her verse on "Monster" switching back vocal styles ranging from a challanged kid to a budget M.I.A.. It's safe to say without both these songs, this album is perfect.

"Dark Fantasy" and "Gorgeous" open the album in style and serve as what to expect. Hot beats with West spitting about him being unsure but not apologizing, he's made mistakes, we all have, he also talks a large amount of shit, but he's one of the few artists that has a body of work and talent that can back it up. Both songs serve as a great start to the album's first centerpiece of "Power".

To call "Power" is great song is too little praise. It's quite possibly the best hip hop song ever written and the best song this year by far, it's not even close. What makes it such a striking song is the delivery and focus that West puts into it. Surely he's not backing down and he lets us know. Ranging from subject from SNL to his hiatus to becoming hip hop's enemy of the state, West is letting us know it's not cramping his style, in fact, every damn thing he's been through since releasing 808's has probably strengthen someone who already was the cream of the crop. The song also has a beefy beat and a King Crimson sample. There's no shortage of emotion and heart into this song. It's West's finest hour as an emcee, and this guy wrote "Amazing", "Diamonds", and "Stronger".

The other centerpiece of the album is "Runaway", it's the king bee of a bottom heavy album. With it's modest piano and introspective lyrics, it's a nine minute titan of a song that ranks up there with the best songs he's written. Songs like "Power", "Runaway" and the Aphex Twin sapled "Blame Game" show Kanye isn't just an ordinary rapper, he's a musician, he's an artist and a very important one of this generation. We can only hope moving into a new decade where he dominated the last one, Kanye West will continue to lay cans of whomp ass to anyone who comes near him.

This isn't an ordinary hip hop album, it's probably the first of its kind which can be called a "Art Rap" album. This is a work of art, this is a masterpiece as much as "Fear of a Black Planet" is, as much as "The Marshall Mathers LP" is, as much as "The Blueprint" is, hell as much as "Kid A" is. If we're comparing here, let's say "The Blueprint" is hip hop's "Is This It", both are albums marked by their work ethic and sound of the best the 70's had to offer. So that would make "Fantasy" hip hop's "Kid A". Like "Kid A", this album shows that a savior of a genre could tear down all he was and come back with an even better version of himself. Both albums pushed just how far you could take music into being popular. You don't have to write songs, you can still make albums that you can listen to from start to finish, you can still create works of art that polarize and are thought provoking. There's a reason every critic is getting behind it. It hasn't just restored faith in hip hop, but music in general. We finally have an artist with as much popularity and smarts as West who isn't being lazy and is pushing the lmits and is creating something we never could've expected, and boy does it sound good.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Sufjan Stevens- The Age of Adz

In 2005, I grew weary of radio rock. Very few bands were speaking to me and I'd had a shitty time in life. I was in a strict school and had the world's worst best friend. But I remember it as the year I finally came into my own. I evolved from music and I think it had something to do with me finally hitting puberty. Going through all the best of '05 lists, two records kept showing up. One was My Morning Jacket's "Z", an album I consider to be the best pure rock and roll record since Seattle's heyday. The other was "Illinoise" by Sufjan Stevens. "Illinois" continues to show up in lists of best albums of the past decade, and rightfully so. I wasn't one to go gaga over it, but it was different from anything I heard and I always felt compelled to revisit it and see what I missed. Flash forward five years later and Stevens has finally released a proper follow up to it, and it's not even about a state.

Part of the reason I always admired Sufjan Stevens was because he used everything in his music and made it work somehow. It was never mindblowing to me, but I could never help but think whatever he was doing was pretty damned original compared to other music my peers were listening too. Now more than ever, Sufjan is using the electronics. "The Age of Adz" sounds like Trent Reznor and Owen Pallett got together, thought of all the weird ideas possible, put some surreal lyrics and came out with an album. Though Stevens has a better voice than the two, you can't help but think some of these ideas weren't borrrowed.

The album isn't for the faint of heart either, it has a million different things going on at once, sort of like the mashups my brother had been making lately, but that's the genius of the album. So much at one time only makes you want to explore this album again and again, it's a trap, but it's worth it. "Too Much" and "Age of Adz" build up like epics only to have that same quality feel that you got from the earlier albums. Filled with electronic beats and a sometimes whiny voice, the strings make things pop out more than usual, making it for a rush and a head scratching listen. But the beats are so strong, you're almost wondering why Sufjan Stevens hasn't produced a hip hop album or why Kanye West and some of the shitty rappers like Kid Cudi who think samples of a indie song are the gateway of making a good song, haven't gone to this well. It's brilliant, and I forsee a lot of that happening in the near futre if this album is as popular as I hope it will be.

The songs have a similar formula, and that's not saying they sound the same, but Stevens has found many ways to combine hip hop beats with strings and surreal images to the point where he made a well versed 11 song, 74 minute album. No these songs won't be played in clubs, and it's going to be an awesome task performing these live, but that's the point. Sufjan Stevens was always doing things and making music that you weren't hearing anywhere else, and in a age where nothing is original and everyone sounds like everyone else, Sufjan isn't breaking that mold, but he's making us believe he is.

Epic is the only word to describe this album. Perhaps there's nothing more epic than a 25 minute song to close your album. No, it's not seven minutes, then 15 minutes of silence before coming back, this bad boy goes all the way through. What easily could've been five songs for an EP, is a whole damn track. The funny thing is, it's not boring for one damn minute. Each part of the song has a reason to exist, and it brings together everything he's been doing great for his whole career. Art rock, baroque pop, electronica, you name it, every phase is covered in at least one portion of this 25 minute titan named "Impossible Soul". But that's the sign of a good musician, you can make an epic this long and not have it lag, it fact it's pretty damn interesting and if you have the time, it's worth several listens.

I always thought guys who listened to Sufjan Stevens were college dorks or people who were generally smarter than me. It's not entirely true, because there really is something for everyone. It's not something to listen to once, it's not you either get it or you don't. You owe it to yourself to let it sink it and have it overtake you at least once. Sufjan Stevens is one of the greatest American songwriters of the past two decades, and you owe it to him and everyone to give this album your time. He's doing something only a few people are actually doing, the trick is, he's probably the best at doing it.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: Belle & Sebastian- Belle & Sebastian Write About Love

A few weekends ago I tuned into myspace.com to watch live coverage of Matador at 21 from Vegas. A bunch of my favorite bands were playing, the likes of Sonic Youth, Spoon, The New Pornographers and two of the headlining sets were from the reunited likes of Pavement and Guided by Voices. The third headliner was Belle & Sebastian. Suffice to say, the were the best out of the three. Where Pavement was going through the reunion train on their last stop, they looked like they hated each other...still. Guided by Voices was a fun mess, complete with Uncle Bob's antics, drinking, and sloppy playing, you know what to expect at a GBV show, and don't expect a tight sounding group. Belle and Sebastian though have fallen into a catagory of "where have I been?".

I was skeptical about Belle and Sebastian, I'm not a girl, nor am I in love, but damn, if they weren't so adorable and great sounding live. I decided to bite the bullet, purchasing the album at work, where I'm already known for being weird and going home and listening to it, and well...I sort of like it...a lot!

"Write About Love" has it's pop sensibilities down to a point. There's ace drumming all around, great string arrangements, awesome use of synths, great song writing, and most of all, beautiful singing. Who said pop music was dead? "I Didn't See it Coming" is a nice slice of it all, featuring the fabulous pipes of Sarah Martin. In fact, Martin's vocal delivery is so good on this album, it's easy to forget Isobel Campbell was in this group, much less put out a good album this year. "Come On Sister" is a synthpop extravaganza with Stuart Murdoch taking the lead here. Murdoch isn't pretentious, in fact, much of this album revolves around ordinary life. There's no quizzical or weird imagery, and the way these songs are sung, it could almost be as if these things could happen to you. It's as relatable as pop music gets.

The album also has guest spots, and unlike many albums where this type of ordeal would take away from it and mask the band's flaws, they work extremely well. Norah Jones guests on "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" and while it sounds like a song that could've been on her vastly underrated "The Fall" which was released last year, you'd be foolish to say she doesn't have a voice that doesn't match what B & S are trying to accomplish, and if your local Adult Alternative station finds this song, you and your parents will be sick of how good it is.

The other guest spot is from Academy Award nominated actress Carey Mulligan. Mulligan made my pants tighter and heart flutter in last year's amazing film "An Education", and I think I'm more in love with her now that she sings back up on the title track. "Write About Love" is a cooky, upbeat, sometimes funny and brutally honest song. Realistic images are seen listening to the lyrics, the song is so infections and groovy that you can't help but smile. This song followed by "I'm Not Living In the Real World" are a strong one-two punch smack dab in the middle of the album, equally balancing the top and bottom halves of the album.

"Real World" is everything happy about this album. Living the day by day life can be hard sometimes, and doesn't the band know this, but this song makes it downright liveable. If I ever get dumped, I could play this song and not have a care in the world until the Cowboys lose again. It really is the last "upbeat" track on this album, but the album is so strong as a whole you won't even care.

The Flaming Lips' "Soft Bulletin" was an album I bought in high school because I heard it was one of the only albums that could rival "Kid A" as the best album of the past decade. What "The Soft Bulletin" did to me was restore my faith in pop music. Steven Drozd and Wayne Coyne crafted an album that took Pet Sounds senses and crafted up for the next century. While "Write About Love" isn't an album like that, it should restore your faith in good pop music. While many pop musicians are looking to do something different, most of the time it flat out sucks and it turns out badly, look at Xtina's latest turd.

Belle & Sebastian, I'm here, I'm a new convert, your style of effective and believable pop music is something I thought I could never enjoy, but congratulations, you've won me over and I don't feel guilty one bit. If I had a band like you in my life, I probably would've been a less cynical person growing up. But it's okay, I've found you guys now and I'm staying for a while, won't you?

**** 1/2 out of *****

Review: John Legend and The Roots- Wake Up!

Collaborations are supposed to be like this. This is fun, hopeful and at times, downright bad ass! "Wake Up!" sounds like a group of guys playing their favorite soul tunes and just jamming, and that's how it should sound. Is it gimmicky? Is it a little late? To both, maybe, but there's no denying that there's a strong sense of sincerity to these old songs, and who better to bring it than hip-hop's most iconoclatic group and the best R&B singer who's so good and vital to the industry that even your mom has heard of him?

That's not to say "Wake Up!" doesn't misstep. It suffers from length problems and some of these songs are questionable choices. "Humanity" is a near laughable track with a reggae backbeat that doesn't do the album favors, but when everything is clicking, you'd be hardpressed to find a better soul album. As expected, the music is top notch. In fact, you could go as far as to say this is the best The Roots have sounded as a band. Maybe it's the fact they play near every night on the talk show circuit, but the insturmentation is teriffic. In particular, Captain Kirk's awesome guitar and ?uestlove's always on pace drumming.

"Hard Times" and "Compared to What" are the first two cuts on the album and immediately suck you in with their vintage vibe and Legend's sense of urgency singing on both tracks. He's believing in the wrong and want's to do something about it damn it! Lord, does it sound all powerful too. "Compared to What" is a favorite forthe best song of the year, the song gets everything right that made the original such a vital soul tune in its day.

The lead single "Wake Up Everybody" doesn't live up to the high standard held up by the first two songs. It's not even Melanie Fiona who ruins it, but a verse by Common which at best, sounds out of place for a would-be legend who has been swinging and missing as of late. "Our Generation" makes up for it as it displays the sense of urgency and passion displayed on the first two tracks of the album, with its beat and production as retro as it should sound.

"Hang on in There" has the Curtis Mayfield vibe going on with its strings and dark view of the urban world which is on display this whole damn album. "Wholy Holy" doesn't exactly fit the mold for a would be gospel tune in the midst of an album whose views lie on taking on those who have bastardized faith, but I may be looking too much into it, and it doesn't help that the song is the slowest in a thick of jams.

John Legend starts of "I Can't Write Left Handed" talking about Bill Withers' last days before launching into a 10+ minute jam session full of amazing solos and guitar work done by the underrated Captain Kirk Douglass. He makes it shine with Hendrix like explosions, solidifying his spot has the best soul guitarist since the purple one.

Even though "Shine" may be a weak way to end this album, there's no denying that despite playing other people's songs, it showcases the talents of all these gentleman, who are the best at what they do, whether you've been watching or not. It's not a vital album by any means and both parties have done better, but in the hip-hop world, it's entirely refreshing and amazing to see artists talking about issues that matter, no matter how old the songs may be. In the world of "Not Afraid" or "Fine Your Love", I will take this any day of the week.

*** 1/2 out of *****