These last couple of weeks all seem to be weeks spent waiting in anticipation of new albums by some of my favorite groups. It is always exciting to first hear that second or third album by the bands that you fell in love with when their first album came out. It doesn't always work out like you had hoped -- that experience that you have when you first hear that first album by a new band can never be replicated. For some bands, the first time you are hearing them might be their second album, so then when you finally get around to hearing their first album it is sort of like going back in time, experiencing something that already happened. It is your first experience with the album but not your first experience with the band. Two of my favorite albums from 2006 were So This is Goodbye by The Junior Boys and Fur and Gold by Bat for Lashes. They both have new albums out this month. It is the second album for Bat for Lashes and the third for The Junior Boys. That first Bat for Lashes album seemed to come out of nowhere. One day I had never heard of them and the next day they were my favorite band. Bat for Lashes isn't really a them -- it is just a her. Natasha Khan is Bat For Lashes. The new album does not disappoint. I have been listening to the single "Daniel" over and over again for the last couple of months. She is sort of a mix of Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Tori Amos, and Bjork. A nightmare for anyone not fond of the weird dark female singers, but a great new artist to fall in love with for those of us who like the weird ladies.

I seriously don't know where the month went. I thought it was still March. I have so very many new albums to talk about. It may have seemed like there was just nothing for me to talk about since I have not updated this blog in so long, but that is so far from the truth. I was off on a little vacation and then I had some visitors from out of town and then there was Record Store Day craziness! I am now officially back on the blog to tell you about all the amazing and exciting things that I have been listening to. There is always that horrible dry spell of music at the end of the year and the very beginning of the new, but all the new releases that you could ever want were saved up for March, April, and May. I am going to get finished up with March right now and just talk about the 3/24 and 3/31 new releaes. I will save the April stuff for the next couple of blogs. I highly recommend the new Decemberists album. I have been a fan of theirs for a couple years now. I suggest you go back and discover some of their older albums if you have not yet done that. I still need to spend some quality time with the new one. I also usually end up liking their albums more after I see them live. My favorite ladies from Azure Ray both had new albums in the last couple of weeks. Ladyluck by Maria Taylor is for sure good stuff but it has not yet grown on me like that second Maria Taylor solo album did. Lynn Teeter Flower from 2007 remains one of my favorites. I find myself going back to it whenever I feel a bit sad -- it has the perfect combination of pop and sadness. Orenda Fink, the other part of Azure Ray, also has a new album out. The band is called O+S and the new album is fantastic. O+S is Orenda and Cedric Lemoyne who was the bassist in Remy Zero. So far this O+S album is beating out Maria Taylor's as one of my favorites. I love them both and they both have fantastic voices, I have just been listening to the O+S more often.

Sometimes I forget that bands still make videos. Back before I had MTV I was obsessed with videos and watched them whenever I got a chance. It was hard to find videos and you had to watch late night TV or be one of the lucky people with cable. It is now so easy to watch videos, but for some reason I watch them rarely. MTV doesn't really play videos anymore, but they are now so easily accessible on your phone and computer through YouTube. It is almost too easy. Maybe it is not as fun because it is so easy. Every once in a while I remember how easy it is and I easily spend hours catching up and watching videos. The next couple of weeks have some very exciting new releases. These last couple of weeks are also not so bad. New albums by Bonnie Prince Billy and Cursive and White Lies and Wavves and Tim Hecker. I also really like the new Handsome Furs. This blog is extremely short so you can spend some time watching some videos.

Here are some songs from the last couple of weeks of albums

Handsome Furs "I'm Confused" from the new album Face Control OUT NOW...



White Lies "Farewell to the Fairground" from the album To Lose My Life OUT NOW...



Cursive "Dorothy At Forty" from the album Mama I'm Swollen OUT NOW...

I was always a way bigger fan of Depeche Mode than U2. I still remember the day I decided to become a Depeche Mode fan instead of U2. It was sort of like the day I decided to become a Blur fan instead of an Oasis fan. I know many people like both bands. I have many friends who like both U2 and Depeche Mode. But for me, I felt like it had to be one or the other. My brother was the U2 fan in the family, so that was probably the main reason I decided to turn my back on U2. To this day I have never really understood everybody's fascination with U2. I think U2 did end up becoming the more popular of the 2 bands. They both still have huge followings. Both are on a short list of rock bands from the 80's that can still sell out huge arena tours and sell tons of albums. U2's first album Boy came out in 1980. No Line On the Horizon is out this week and is the band's 12th album. Depeche Mode's first album Speak and Spell came out in 1981. Their new album, Sounds of the Universe, is also their 12th album. U2 beat them by about a year with their first album and are now beating them by about a month with their 12th album. Anton Corbijn obviously could not make up his mind like I did-- I think he likes both bands equally. He seems to have done almost every video and photo shoot for both bands. I probably will not even get around to hearing the new U2 album, but I am curious how the fans are receiving it. They are one of those bands who put out an album and the longtime fans just automatically buy it. I am the same way with Depeche Mode. I am seriously counting down the days until the new album comes out -- April 21st. Only 47 days to go! But the new single is ready for you to listen to at least. I actually heard it on KROQ for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I probably heard "People are People" for the first time on KROQ as well, many years ago. I may not be a U2 fan, but I do love the U2 fans almost as much as I love the longtime Depeche Mode fans. I sort of stand with them in solidarity. It is not always easy to stand by a band for 28 years, but they make it worth it. Depeche Mode is one of those bands that I can't imagine my life without. One of those bands that we all have been made fun of for liking but also a band that has given us a whole new set of friends and a sort of musical solidarity with each other.

It is getting to that point in the year where I am having a hard time keeping up with all the music coming out, so you really should not have that hard of a time finding new albums to listen to this month or the next. I keep finding a new favorite album but it is then overshadowed or replaced by some other album that I get obsessed with. The new Lily Allen album came out last week, and I do love it. If you already love her then go get this album. It is very different than her first album but you will love it for all the same reasons that you loved the first album. Her song writing is still that great combination of cute and brilliant and sassy. I can't really imagine liking any other singer that could get away with her lyrics, but she pulls it off. I might be throwing the word love around a bit too much, but I did fall in love with her voice the first time I listened to Alright, Still. I do also associate that album with Los Angeles. It was one of those albums that I listened to a bunch on trips to LA a couple of years ago, so it is now perfect that I am actually living in LA again for this new album. Lily Allen just has one of those catchy and cute voices that makes me smile. It is what all pop music should sound like. Perfect for those of us still obsessed with British music and culture and a nice pop alternative. The new album is called It's Not Me It's You. She has a brilliant way of switching around some popular phrases, as she does with "Thank You Very Much," one of my favorite tracks on the album. I saw her show for the first album in San Francisco and can't wait to see her again down here. She will be playing at the Wiltern on April 2nd. The album is just as catchy as you want it to be. It does what it sets out to do. The album is pure pop entertainment with that signature Lilly Allen feel to it. I do have a habit of loving the artists that most people either love or hate. It is the better artists that I think have this effect on us. You should love her like I do, but I will not hate you if you don't. She is for sure not for everyone.