Music Under Fire

Get your notepad out, this week has some quick hitters that are destined to spice up your music player. Led by The Academy Is and their newest piece, Fast Times at Barrington High, the pop punk boys from Chicago have been gaining speed from album to album.

Perhaps the most flexible of the artists releasing this week, is none other than the Swedish soulful indie groove of Lykke Li. Her song "Little Bit" is so darn catchy.

For fans of an acoustic or stripped-down vibe, The Walkmen, The Honorary Title and Ra Ra Riot fit the bill. With that charming and sometimes maniacal touch, The Walkmen's You and Me meshes well to the palate of Vampire Weekend and even 70's flower rockers.

Delivering some off-collar intrique this week is none other than Sterolab. Their album Chemical Chords comes with the same precision that has made them a mainstay in the experimental ambient scene.

31Knots - Worried Well (Official) (MySpace)
Anarbor - The Natural Way EP (Official) (MySpace)
Brimstone Howl - We Came in Peace (Official) (MySpace)
Caesars - Strawberry Weed (Official) (MySpace)
David Byrne - Big Love OST (Official) (MySpace)
Death Vessel - Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us (Official) (MySpace)
Fiery Furnaces - Remember (Official) (MySpace)
Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today (MySpace)
GZA - Pro Tools (Official) (MySpace)
Hotel Lights - Firecracker People (Official) (MySpace)
Human Highway - Moody Motorcycle (Official) (MySpace)
Jaguar Love - Take Me To The Sea (Official) (MySpace)
Jeff Hanson - Madam Owl (Official) (MySpace)
Jennifer O'Connor - Here With Me (Official) (MySpace)
Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect? (Official) (MySpace)
Julianna Hatfield - How To Walk Away (Official) (MySpace)
Karina - First Love (Official) (MySpace)
Lindstrom - Where You Go I go Too (Official) (MySpace)
Loudon Wainwright III - Recovery (Official) (MySpace)
Lykke Li - Youth Novels (Official) (MySpace)
MakeUpBreakUp - We Prefer Not To... EP (Official) (MySpace)
Moondoggies - Don't Be A Stranger (Official) (MySpace)
Music Tapes - Music Tapes for Clouds & Tornadoes (Official) (MySpace)
Perhapst - Perhapst (Official) (MySpace)
Pram - The Moving Frontier (Official) (MySpace)
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (Official) (MySpace)
Royal We - The Royal We (Official) (MySpace)
Salme Dahlstrom - The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade (Official) (MySpace)
sBach - sBach (Official) (MySpace)
Shwayze - Shwayze (Official) (MySpace)
Staind - The Illusion of Progress (Official) (MySpace)
Starling Electric - Clouded Staircase (Official) (MySpace)
Stereolab - Chemical Chords (Official) (MySpace)
Straight Line - Stitch When Skies Wash Ashore (Official) (MySpace)
System and Station - A Nation of Actors (Official) (MySpace)
The Academy Is ... - Fast Times at Barrington High (Official) (MySpace)
The Dandy Warhols - Earth to the Dandy Warhols (Official) (MySpace)
The Honorary Title - Scream and Light Up the Sky (Official) (MySpace)
The Ritz - The Night of Day (Official) (MySpace)
The Stills - Oceans Will Rise (Official) (MySpace)
The Walkmen - You And Me (Official) (MySpace)
Todd Snider - Peace Queer (Official) (MySpace)
The Uglysuit - The Uglysuit (Official) (MySpace)
Uh Huh Her - Common Reaction (Official) (MySpace)
Verve - Forth (Official) (MySpace)
Xavier Rudd - Dark Shades of Blue (Official) (MySpace)