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    A Static Lullaby, whose sound teeters between melodic-hardcore and screamo, has undergone some heavy changes since their sophomore album, Faso Latido. Though the last album was released on Columbia Records, the attempt to shift their sound was not well received and came off as trite and dull. Lullaby’s self-titled album returns to a sound laden with powerful, driving guitar lines, low bass lines and thunderous drums underneath the acerbic screams of frontman Joe Brown. Beside getting away from the cliched direction they were headed, Lullaby also has a new lineup, with only Brown and guitarist Dan Arnold remaining of the starting quintet.

    The forthcoming CD is certainly worth a listen if you’ve ever enjoyed the screaming end of post-hardcore. Lullaby showcases a fine effort of singing (and screaming) out lyrics that are catchy without feeling stale, though there are several points during the album that get repetitive. It’s not so bad, as long as you’re in the mood for some punk-rock angst and enjoy the idea of someone shouting at you to make his point.

    For fans of Underoath, Thrice and early Deftones.

Exit Clov

Respond Respond

    It’s nothing new for indie-rock bands to try fusing their punk roots with some other genre and throwing their idea of witty lyrics atop catchy melodies and the same four power chords. However, Exit Clov does a respectable job of blending girly vocals and violins with contemporary guitars and a jazzy bassist who brings plenty of life to this album.

For fans of The Get Up Kids, Lemuria and Franz Ferdinand (if a girl were singing).

Mute Math

Mute Math

    This band makes some of the finest alternative-experimental music to surface this year. Many bands have tried to follow in Coldplay’s wake and add their own spin; most of those emulators have been lackluster. Mute Math captures their own sound that will remind listeners of that ambient vibe, though they carry a different rhythm to their tracks. It’s a great album to play in the car, during work or most anywhere else at all. Many of the tracks feature a strong beat that defines the natural tones and dulcet lyrics and while it does get a bit repetitive, the sound is nice. There are also some splashes of post-hardcore sounds, laden with catchy lyrics and the sort of guitar riffs that any fan will happily air-guitar along to.

    This is Mute Math’s sophomore release, and much like the Reset EP before it, this is among the few albums that can be played from start to finish, with a very transitional feel throughout that a simple fan and musical theoretician alike can appreciate. Ordering the album through the band’s website (www.mutemath.com) scores the buyer a special packaging that has both the featured album and a bonus CD featuring six live tracks.

    For fans of Coldplay, The Mars Volta and The Mercury Program.

Wovenhand

Mosaic

    Wovenhand is an eccentric band to say the least, the sort of musicians who happily drop a quarter-sheet of Black Pyramid acid (or perhaps a half pound of closed-cap cubensis mushrooms), lock themselves in a studio laden with obscure instruments and stay sheltered for days, letting the hallucinogenic experiences ejaculate onto the mixing board. After this process is complete, an album is mastered and pressed and with Mosaic, the group has done a great job creating music that feels atavistic, brooding and postmodern. They seem to be channeling the lost soul of Jim Morrison, and while it helps to already be in the mood for (see also: frying balls) such tribal and eclectic sounds, Wovenhand proves with this album that they can build the atmosphere needed for anyone seeking to delve into such an introspective state of mind.

    For fans of The Doors, Smoke City and Portishead.

Robin Thicke

The Evolution of Robin Thicke

    Who the fuck is this guy? He’s the son of Alan Thicke (yeah, Growing Pains’ Dr. Jason Seaver!) and Gloria Loring, the people who composed the themes for Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. It’s easy to see how any child of theirs would have a trite sense of taste for both lyrical and rhythmic content; every song here sounds the same. I had been hoping for something intriguing ?” even gritty ?” in his song “Cocaine,” but Thicke is able to take even this topic and make a cookie-cutter R&B tune out if it.

    For fans of Kanye West, Ruben and any other shitty R&B artist you can think of.