sick day reviews

belle & sebastian - The Life Pursuit: Previously wildy inconsistent twee masterminds are back after their recent 2 disc comp of all their jimpster ep's. This album, or at least this leaked version, actually boasts some much needed cohesiveness, while still reveling in harmless pop territory. Hopefully a u.s. tour is planned in support, because they're rather swell live.

cat power - The Greatest: Chan Marshall is usually showered with praise, but I've always found her music to be quite boring. She performed a free show not too long ago at the boulder hatsheel on broadway, and it bored me to tears. It was just her and a piano, or her and a guitar. Good thing I had a bomber and my bike, becuase then I found something else to do. Great if you like mopey chick indie rock. Songs from this album will likely wind up on Grey's Anatomy or some art house flick soundtrack.

milemarker - Ominosity: Fairly average sounding stuff, no longer on the Matador label, from a band that gains most of their street cred from working with Bob Weston.

the kooks - Inside In Inside Out: Holy shit, it's a new franz ferdinand album. Oh no wait, it's the kooks' debut. They share that strikingly similar squawkey brit sound, so if ye likes one, you may like the other.

great lake swimmers - Bodies and Minds: Maybe it's because I was too sick this past week to bother changing the cd in my car, but I've found myself listening to this one over and over lately. It's simple, in the way that the western plains become in the winter, but with lines like, "I have seen you in various stages of undress, I have seen you through various states of madness", it's rather haunting at the same time.