(Music) August In Review

Seven music reviews in one month! I do believe that is a record. It's not that I was with a lack of things to do, or that school wasn't starting back up. There was just a lot of music released in August that I felt was worth reviewing. There were also a few albums that just didn't make the cut (Pharell, The Roots), primarily because I wasn't too into them. But that's okay. I got through a lot in August, and I feel rather accomplished!

The month began rather slowly, so I spent my time at the movie theater, catching up on a bunch of movies. Once Cursive released their newest album, though, the month took off! It was followed, rather poorly, by both Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera who released rather mediocre albums. One reader was pretty upset that I gave both ladies 2 out of 5 Stars. He apparently thought that Christina deserved more, simply because she has more talent. My response to this is that Paris Hilton's album is like Snakes on a Plane. It has novelty value in that it is something so awful that it can be enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to give "Paris" a 1 out of 5 Stars, but it just didn't happen. Anyways, I digress.

A little trip by the Asthmatic Kitty website led to my discovery of My Brightest Diamond, and my now-apparent infatuation with Shara Worden. If you still haven't heard "Bring Me the Workhorse" yet, go check it out now! This album is fantastic! Two less-fantastic albums were Hellogoodbye's debut and ex-Sixpence None the Richer front-woman Leigh Nash's "Blue on Blue." Sure, they weren't Paris or Christina bad, but they weren't exactly Worden-quality either. One of the most pleasant surprises of the month was definitely Headlight's debut album "Kill Them With Kindness" which I received as a free gift from Under the Radar Magazine for renewing my subscription! This one is another "must-listen!!"

It was a great month! September looks as if it will be rather slow for me. There are a few major-label releases coming out, but besides Justin Timberlake and John Mayer, I don't anticipate reviewing anything. Look out for my full review on The Mars Volta's new album, which drops on September 12th, and be sure to check out the consequent raping it gets from the TMV fanboys on Amazon.com who will be upset that it doesn't get 5 stars from me (which isn't set in stone yet). It'll be a slow month. Take the time to catch up on all the great music from August!

August Rankings:

1. My Brightest Diamond: "Bring Me the Workhorse"
2. Cursive: "Happy Hollow"
3. Headlights: "Kill Them With Kindness"
4. Hellogoodbye: "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!"
5. Leigh Nash: "Blue on Blue"
6. Christina Aguilera: "Back to Basics"
7. Paris Hilton: "Paris"

3.29 out of 5 Stars