The Subways - All or Nothing (Warners)
Is there anything more nerve-wracking than making an album in the midst of a long and difficult breakup between band members? Granted, there have been some classics to come from this sort of emotional turmoil, like Rumors (Fleetwood Mac), Foolish (Superchunk) and Look Now Look Again (Rainer Maria), but more often than not, it's a battle that tears a band apart. With All or Nothing, The Subways' second release, the split is the catharsis which drives the music, almost making me forget how much I loved their debut. Album opener "Girls & Boys" packs in all of their Ash-inspired guitar crunch, while tracks like "Move to Newlyn" and "Strawberry Blonde" show a band is growing by leaps and bounds with a new found melodic mastery. Buy the import now or wait until Sept. 9th for the US release. [Buy Here] Download: "Girls & Boys" [mp3]
Health - Health/Disco (Lovepump United)
For the longest time, I thought all remix albums were self-indulgent and artistically lazy, and really, a lot of them still are, but Health is a smart band, one that is adroit enough to make a remix CD unlike any other. At times, it's not even listenable, but that's one of the charms of these guys. Unlike band of today's bands that are reaching backwards to go farther, Health just continues to reach ahead, so far in fact that it's sometimes tough to full wrap your head around what the fuck it is they are doing. But this isn't the sort of music that you should allow to go over your head, because for the most part, the band produces likable post-hardcore. What their music does require is time, and like any good novel, if you're willing to put in that time, then you'll be rewarded. [Buy Here]Download: "Triceratops" (Acid Girls Remix) [mp3]
Bloc Party "Mercury" (Atlantic)
It's up in the air as to whether or not this song will end up on Bloc Party's third album. First off, this video is weird, and the song comes off like a distorted version of "She's Hearing Voices." There's been a lot of smack already talked about this, but since BP is the type of band that likes trying on a few different hats, this should be taken with a grain of salt. By no means the band's best song, it is a solid tune from a band that is almost obsessed with not being categorized. [Buy Here]
¡Forward, Russia! - Life Processes (Cooking Vinyl/Mute)
These guys are at the forefront of the two quasi-scenes in the UK: the glut of amazing music coming out of Leeds and the countrywide resurgence in post-hardcore. Putting scenes aside for a moment, these are quality in their own right, first release a record whose titles were simply numbers, and then leaving the label which they started for the release of this new record, which has quickly become an office favorite and contender for record of the year. "Breaking Standing," "A Prospector Can Dream" and "We Are Grey Matter" are already summer '08 hits. [Buy Here]Download: "Breaking Standing" [mp3]
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