Lead singer of the Walkmen, Hamilton Leithauser, has a weird name and an even weirder voice---a peculiar slightly atonal blend of Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond and maybe Shane MacGowan of the Pogues. Over the course of a few albums, the Walkmen have learned to create music, sonic textures and occasionally songs befitting Leithauser's unusual vocals. But not all the time, sometimes Leithauser just sounds inebriated and out of tune. And, some songs start out promising and either devolve into drunken yelping or just fail to build into fully realized "songs." You & Me definitely suffers from being a little long. Note that Beach Boys-style minimal percussion on "Canadian Girl."
Of Montreal's new album Skeletal Lamping will be released in early October. It's weird, f'sho. Anyone familiar with Of Montreal should likely be prepared for that. My first impression, about half of the album reminds me why I find much of the Fiery Furnaces so infuriating--a restless quality combined with deliberate weirdness. But a handful of songs hit their mark. In his confident defiance of conventional song structure, Of Montreal's brainchild Kevin Barnes reminds me of David Bowie, except that Barnes really can sing when he wants to. But while despite Barnes' obvious talent and confidence, I'm not sure he's pulled off his Ziggy Stardust or Hunky Dory yet. Maybe a 100% consistent, song-oriented album is too safe, too expected for Kevin Barnes. Until then, I remain uncertain as to whether I really like listening to Of Montreal albums. 
The Elms
William and Alva Vanderbilt's Marble House
The Japanese Tea Garden in back of the Marble House
Backyard of the Marble House
Cornelius Vanderbilt II's The Breakers
Behind the Breakers
This Picture isn't doing justice to the Breaker's backyard, which lead to hedge that border cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean
Rosecliff -- Used in many movies including The Great Gatsby and 28 Dresses.
I was buying tickets for the Ra Ra Riot show on October 10 at the Middle East ($12 bucks), when I found out that the Morning Benders would be opening. I only know of a handful of MB tunes, but they are doozies.
The Next Vice President??? Qualification: Looks good in pant-suit.
I strongly urge the Obama Campaign to incorporate "Yes We Can Can," the Pointer Sister's late-70's disco-r&b-soul classic into the campaign soundtrack. It is a lot better than that lame-o country tune played after Obama's near-perfect acceptance speech last night. And I'm not a huge fan of classical-flamenco guitar jams, but "Ixtapa" demonstrates how re-goddamn-diculous Rodrigo y Gabriela are as guitarists. Kudos to them for showing a modicum of restraint at times, giving their songs and guitars a chance to breathe, rather than burying the listener in technique and furious guitar playing (i.e. Omar Rodriguez Lopez of Mars Volta).
Bloc Party, when did you cease to rock out? I remember the initial Bloc
This band is growing all over me. And they just might blow big time. Appreciate them while they are small. "A Manner to Act" is my second-favorite song off the self-titled debut EP. Their new album The Rhumb Line just came out last week and it's pretty good.
(Bonus Stata Center Pic: Not advised to stand beneath any of these overhangs
With Stereolab, it's always about catching fleeting moments of some of the most loveliest mix of keyboard, drums, horns, bass and guitar. Occasionally, lead singer Lætitia Sadier steps on these lovely melodies by not taking a breather and the album is a little long at 16 songs. But its strongest tunes on Chemical Chords rank as some of the best that Stereolab has ever made. I didn't include "Daisy Click Clack" but it's pop that only Stereolab (ok, maybe Yo La Tengo) can make. Creative departments at Madison Avenue advertising firms need to start mining Stereolab's treasure trove (to be exact, 9 albums and 7 compilations) of fleeting moments of alterna-indie-pop bliss. 
"Inland Empire" didn't sound like what I expected with its gun shot drum beat. For those expecting some sort of "Young Folks"-like tune, this isn't it. There's no whistling or any vocals at all.
Dr. Dog recently got dissed by Ian Cohen of Pitchfork :
Berry picking in New Hampshire
the fruits of our labors
Suzanne somewhere in Massachusetts, very close to the New Hampshire border.
that hot dog is bigger than it looks, almost half the size of Suzanne's arm
Suzanne at Boston Speeds in 1907.
Boston Speeds Famous Hot Dog Wagon, located in the Roxbury area of Boston might make the best hotdogs in America, or at least it has been said. It was most definitely the biggest hot dog I've ever eaten--1/2 lb. all beef hot dog, specially made for Boston Speeds.
tell this goat not to jump
the Stata Center
this is how the Stata Center looks like right now from afar
this is what the Stata Center is supposed to look like when finished
Studio's Yearbook 2 has been one of my favorite albums of the year. The concept is sort of interesting for a follow-up to their excellent Yearbook as they chose to remix or remake songs by a fairly diverse and somewhat obscure group of artists ranging from Kylie Minogue to the Rubies to the Shout Out Louds. The amazing thing is Studio ends up making it all sound cohesive on Yearbook 2.
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