Wilco • Sky Blue Sky

B+

Okay, now answer truthfully, what’s the last Wilco studio album that you could call a fun album? Still searching, yeah, you have to go pretty far back cuz old Jeff Tweedy ain’t spit out anything consistently upbeat since Summerteeth (kinda) until now.

Maybe still under the influence of their kickass live disc Kickin’ Television, Sky Blue Sky is a 70s-rock style jammer. Skipping their normal spaced-out noise interludes, this disc is a tight amalgam of country-ish ballads and rockers with Tweedy’s always interesting lyrics.

Standout tracks include “Either Way,” “Hate It Here(Without You),” “Impossible Germany,” and “What Light,” but the album is very tight and flows together evenly. This for Wilco is easy listening, but is still heads and tails above most of the other tripe out there.

Panda Bear • Person Pitch

A+

"Try to remember always, just to have a good time." The center refrain of the opener of Panda Bear's 2007 opus perfectly encapsulates what the album is all about. Have a good time.

Person Pitch comes off as some sort of bastard child of Brian Wilson, Aphex Twin, and Beck, and consists primarily of samples and the multi-layered vocals of Noah Lennox, save for some percussion and jangly guitar strums here and there.

It's electronic psychedelia at its finest, not a bad moment among the album's short 45 minute run, and bursting at the edges with creativity. Thusly, I can't award this gem anything short of a perfect score.

Modest Mouse • We Were Dead Before The Ship Sank

A

The Mouse-keteers had never been confused with a happy-go-lucky type of band, just see the album title listed above or lead singer Isaac Brock’s usual on stage antics such as cutting himself with beer bottle glass. However, on their previous album Good News, songs like “We All Float On” gave a glimmer of, if not hopefulness, at least a “we’re all in this together so lets make the best of this fucked-up place approach”. This attitude is brought to the party on We Were Dead and with always-strong songwriting, this might be their tightest album yet!

"Dashboard," no matter how many times you listen, and "Light It Up" are two of the Mouse’s most catchy singles to date, and there are a couple numbers nipping at their heels the more I listen. On many songs the Mouse sounds much more poppy, maybe the influence of their latest addition, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Thankfully anytime anybody wants to convict them for selling out, they open up with a screamer like "Steam Engenius" or "Spitting Venom." Catch that nautical theme throughout, great production quality and attention to detail- just pass me my mouse ears, or an oar!

John Mellencamp • Freedom's Road

B+

After taking his music on an experimental detour throughout most the 90s, John Mellencamp returns to his Americana roots with Freedom's Road—his most cohesive and thematically textured album since Human Wheels.

"Someday," "Ghost Towns Along The Highway," and "Freedom's Road" pine for hope and optimism, while the superb "Rural Route" and "Jim Crowe"—a duet with Joan Baez—explore the harsh realities that still haunt the American landscape. And "Rodeo Clown," a hidden track that closes the album, paints a not-so-rosey picture of George Bush and company.

Not everything works. "The Americans," an ironic assessment of America's self-assumed identity, plays like cheesy patriotism, and "Our Country," though redeemed within the context of this album, still reeks of Chevrolet's corporate stamp. Nevertheless, Freedom's Road is an accomplished record that can stand proudly next to his celebrated classics.