A few albums on our radar...

For the inaugural article for Illinois Hi-Fi (congratulations?), I figured it would be a good time to write about a few albums that have been on our radar. These albums are by no means perfect or even "the next big thing," but they are definitely worth some time.

1. Benjy Ferree - Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee Bobby Dee

Anchored by the song "Big Business" (one of my most-played songs so far this year, Ferree's album follows the life of child actor Bobby Driscoll (he was in Disney movies in the 1940s and 50s). While the lyrics are rife with references to Driscoll's life, the music is a colorful, garage rock affair with some of the weirdest harmonies I have heard in a while. They are goody and funny yet accomplished.

At times the album veers a little too close to The White Stripes' brand of rock (Ferree is a dead ringer for Jack White), but there is still enough of a story arc and inventiveness to hold over for about 50 minutes.

2. Roxy Epoxy & The Rebound - Bandaids on Bullet Holes

Roxy Epoxy (formerly of the band Expoxies) sounds like a modern-day Joan Jett. Her music is part punk, part new wave and part just straight-up rock. She has an attitude that comes off strongly while she sings and plays.

Her new album is a perfect female counterpart to any of the pop-punk albums that will be shoved down the throat of radio listeners this year (the list is, and will be, endless). I'm not saying I'm above that, but Roxy Epoxy & The Rebound is miles ahead of that drudge. She comes off as very natural, even though the production is slick. It works.


3. Ben Kweller - Changing Horses

When I was 14, I heard "Falling" on AOL Radio. I loved it, and was shocked a few weeks later to find it at Target. I still love that first record, and the two albums that followed it are good as well.

I have done some growing up though. As I have gotten older and heard more Kweller, I realized that he is one of the stupidest lyricists I have ever heard. The words on Changing Horses are okay, but this time around I'm not as focused on the lyrics as much as I'm focused on the music.

Kweller took a country road this time around. There are almost no electric guitars on this record, and while he doesn't have the twang in his voice, the instruments sure do. It's pretty much Kweller doing his thing while being backed by a different band. I like it, but there are no tracks that stand out as much as "Falling." I guess I'll never feel like I'm 14 again.

4. Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project

Knowing that Spearin is a member of Broken Social Scene is not enough to prepare a listener for this record. It doesn't follow conventional song form in the least, and even after sitting on it for a while, I don't know how I feel about it.

The album is essentially a series of stories told by people from Spearin's neighborhood. The music is reactionary, often trying to find a melody in the inflection of their voices. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it fails badly. A great idea executed well for half the time, while the other half suffers from indulgence. Sometimes normal people don't make good melodies with their voices.

5. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid

I love this record, and dare I say, it is better than anything he has done with The Black Keys.

...Okay, maybe that is going a little too far (I'm still thinking about it...), but Keep It Hid is still a great great album. The music benefits from being fleshed out by a full band (instead of just guitar and drums), and Auerbach escapes from the blues format he is normally tied to. I really hopes he makes more albums like this in the future, and that is wasn't just a break from his normal duties. Do them both, please.