I’ve always liked the Dave Matthews Band, particularly their older material. It’s never been a must-buy, obsessive sort of fan-girl thing though. That changed with their new album: Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. This one made my (very short) list of "listen to all weekend, memorize the lyrics, and play it until I dream about it" albums. Dave Matthews Band hit gold — it rocks, it swings, it soothes, and it shakes things up.

First and foremost: this work is a moving tribute to a dead friend. "GrooGrux King" refers to longtime DMB saxophonist Leroi Moor who died in an ATV accident about the same time the band started recording this CD. There’s an honesty about this album that I love — many of the tracks sound like a bunch of friends, who happen to be star musicians, just improvising and having a great time.

Second: this is a real, complete album…not just one or two single releases and a bunch of filler. I like it best in its entirety — spiritual and profane, joyous and grieving, big and blatant, quiet and profound.

That said: I do still have favorite songs.

Shake Me Like a Monkey: I defy you to sit still for this song. The rhythms just drive you to get up and DANCE!

Lying in the Hands of God: A quieter ballad, I kind of passed this one over the first few times through the album. It’s sneaky, though, and has become a favorite.

Alligator Pie:  A funny, jazzy answer to Dave’s daughter asking him (according to the lyrics), "Daddy, when you gonna put me in a song?" This track just sings of zydeco and New Orleans.

Time Bomb: This song’s power came along gradually, and is very timely for all those men and women who have served in harm’s way.

You and Me: A hymn to family and marriage — "You and me can do anything, baby."

Kristen Blount – Administration Office

Imagine for a moment that you took a few years off from a project, turned your attention to other things, and realized what you were missing while you were gone. The four members of Imperial Teen did just that — working respectively on individual projects before reuniting to reflect on their separation. The result, The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band (a title summing up their individual projects), is a collection of pop tunes that are instrumentally aggressive, yet lyrically reflective. Together they embrace a variety of pop styles, showcasing the talents of the band. The collection is consistently brilliant and I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll immediately find an earworm or two.

As a listener, you get the idea that there’s something autobiographical here. "Shim Sham", "The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band", and the hard-driving "One Two" tell the story of the band getting back together and re-starting the creative process. These lead into "Room with a View," which ought to be the thirtysomething’s national anthem, as the band gives up on pretending to be twenty and confronts the truths of their new situations. “Used to stop at the red light / and now we go to the gym.” There’s plenty of reflection here, as the band’s “family drama” plays out in song; however, the mood stays positive and optimistic, and the song turns into a celebration.

It may be true that you can never go home again, but Imperial Teen’s The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band shows that you can certainly pick up threads of the past and weave them together to recapture the magic. For something that is both great sounding and substantial, don’t miss The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band by Imperial Teen!

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

The Eternal, Sonic Youth’s 16th studio album, marks their departure from Geffen Records, the band’s label for 18 years. The Eternal was recorded with bassist Mark Ibold, formerly of Pavement, with whom the band had previously toured. Also for the first time, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, and Lee Ranaldo share lead vocals — and quite well I might add, especially on the tracks "What We Know" and "Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)."

"Antenna" and "What We Know" are my two favorite tracks on the album. When I first listened to "Antenna" I thought there was some strange jet flying over my apartment. I paused the song, looked out my window and saw nothing. Seconds later I realized that it was just an effect used in the song. "What We Know" is one of the album’s catchiest and more accessible tracks; it has a great chorus using Gordon and Ranaldo’s harmonized vocals.

What I find amazing about this album is that even though Sonic Youth has been recording music for more than 20 years, and certain members are approaching the age of 60, they still can create some of the loudest, most intense, and original music to date. Even more compelling is the fact that every album they have released over the past 10 years has consistently been of exceptional quality.

Sonic Youth broke new ground on 1988’s Daydream Nation, and 27 years later they show that they still have the chops to put most modern rock acts to shame. They will eternally be the kings of alternative music.

Mike Dwyre – East Columbia Branch

I was shelving CDs a few weeks ago when I thought, "Hey, we’re getting a lot of new music. I should check some of these out." I really felt old when I realized at first glance that I had not heard of most of the titles, but I figured I’d just grab a couple CDs and check them out anyway. The first title I tried was A Hundred Million Suns by Snow Patrol.

When I popped it into my CD player at home, I was nicely surprised — I liked it! Not quite the same result I got when playing one or two of the others I had chosen, but that was good enough for me! The music was mellow, reminding me of U2 a little bit. Great vocals with guitars in the background, not too much to muddle the sound. Songs like "Crack the Shutters" and "Take Back the City" have taken hold of me and won’t let go.

I hope to try my experiment again sometime soon!

Michele Happel – Miller Branch

Recently, you may have noticed some great new additions to the expanding music collection at Howard County Library. In particular, I’d like to recommend three CDs by The Killers: Hot Fuss, Sam’s Town and Sawdust. A band in the vanguard of the post-punk revival, The Killers do a great job of taking the 80s New Wave sound in new directions and producing music that is somehow familiar and yet original, distinctive, and fun.

The Killers‘ debut album, Hot Fuss, includes Mr. Brightside, a wonderful collection of jealous neuroses set to music, as well as a number of other standout tracks.

The follow-up, Sam’s Town, is a CD that has been put together in sequence and plays best, even in this MP3 era, when listened to as a whole. After the rip-roaring title track opens Sam’s Town, the CD is framed by a Sgt. Pepper-like intro welcoming listeners to the CD – hoping you “enjoy the show" – and an outro that sends us on our way feeling good about having listened to the whole collection. In between are some great pop-rock songs including For Reasons Unknown, Bones, and the exceptional Read My Mind. Each track on Sam’s Town possesses depth beyond the melody and has something forceful to say, making this CD a collection that can stand repeat listening.

The newest Killers‘ CD in Howard County Library’s collection is Sawdust, a B-sides and rarities collection that fills in some musical gaps and recovers the best stuff from the cutting room floor. There are seventeen tracks here, and although a couple of the covers and remixes fail to soar, the majority of the CD is vintage Killers. Under the Gun and a cover of Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town are standouts.

The Killers‘ Day and Age, is due for release in late fall. There’s plenty of time between now and then to catch up with Hot Fuss, Sam’s Town and Sawdust, so that you’re fully prepared when the new CD is released.

John Jewitt – Savage Branch