The International House of Bacon

* R.E.M. - Accelerate: Short answer - imperfect, but probably the best R.E.M. album they’ve put out since New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Longer answer - “Houston” and “Until the Day is Done” are both downers on a more energetic, exciting album, and keep it from being a real true classic. They don’t fit in the lineup, they lack the subtlety we’re used to, and if the songs weren’t so short, it’d be easier to fast forward through them. Those downsides, however, really don’t hurt the total package that much: the first four songs (especially my current favorite, “Man-Sized Wreath”) are among the best that they’ve lined up on an album back-to-back-to-back-to-back since the IRS days, and I still catch myself singing songs like “Horse to Water” when I’m not playing the CD. I liked Around the Sun a lot, Up remains a favorite album, and Reveal is ultimately only crappy by R.E.M.’s standards, but this is quite the album. Definitely worth your time.

* She and Him - “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here”: Singling this song out doesn’t really do justice to the entire album, which is actually very enjoyable and is similar in tone and effort to Jenny Lewis’s solo album, but I haven’t quite loved a song the way I love this one in a little while. It’s perky, fun, a little goofy, but has great harmonies and gets right to the point. You can’t ask for much more from a single. The best part, for those who don’t know, is that She and Him is the project of indie rocker M. Ward and movie star Zooey Deschanel. If you’ve seen Elf, you know she can sing, but that she can write really great songs is a plus as well.

* What Made Milwaukee Famous - “Sultan”: Lost in the rise of Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, the Shins, etc, is good, happy power pop. I don’t know a thing about What Made Milwaukee Famous except that this song is the type of power pop that I feel has been missing the last few years.

* Death Cab for Cutie - “I Will Posess Your Heart”: Dumb title, stupid lyrics, pretentious intro. Why can’t I stop singing it in my head, then?

* Hot Chip - “Ready for the Floor”: I apparently missed the Hot Chip train the first time it rolled through town, and the first listen of this song did nothing for me, but I’ll be damned if this song isn’t strangely addictive. Goofy indie electronica-esque music FTW!