I really despise November and December release dates…nothing new should come out during these months to give people like myself a break. But, I am loving the Playing Favorites album and that is my top recommendation for the week.

• Aloha “Light Works” (Polyvinyl) – An end of year surprise EP from this eclectic indie rock band.
• Daft Punk “Alive” (Virgin) – Live album from dance rock’s supreme duo.
• The Playing Favorites “I Remember When I Was Pretty” (Suburban Home) – An amazing record for fans of melodic pop/punk/rock. Four singer/songwriters get together to write a diverse, fully satisfying record.
• Woelv “Tout Seui Dans la Forêt en Plein Jour, Avez-Vous Peur?” (K) – A fascinating record that I listened to for the first time last night. Recalls Mirah and Bjork.

My one top recommendation for the week is the Statehood debut.

• Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy “Ask Forgiveness” (Drag City) – Cover EP from indie troubadour with one original song. The covers run the gamut from Björk to Danzig to R. Kelly.
• British Sea Power “Krankenhaus?” (RTW) – New EP from British band.
• Haram “Drescher” (Lovitt) – Second album from DC punk/post-hardcore behemoths.
• Joe Lally “Nothing Is Underrated” (Dischord) – Second solo album from Fugazi bassist.
• Six Organs Of Admittance “Shelter From The Ash” (Drag City)- Ben Chasny returns with the 9th (?) SOOA album.
• Sleep Station “The Pride of Chester James” (Eyeball) – This band has always been underrated.
• Statehood “Lies & Rhetoric” (Self-Released) – Ex-members of The Dismemberment Plan, The Vehicle Birth and Motorcycle Wars release their debut. I featured the band here earlier in the year. Review upcoming.

Small numbers this week. Check out The Valley Arena and Wire releases.

• Auburn Lull “Begin Civil Twilight” (Darla) – Intriguing ambient/shoegazing soundscapes from this Michigan band.
• Automatic 7 “At Funeral Speed” (Mental) – I need to get this. I remembered reading something about this band getting back together. This is their first album since 2000. Great Social D-influenced punk rock. Previous albums on BYO and Vagrant.
• House & Parish “One, One-Thousand” (Arena Rock Recording Co.) – Debut from superstar band (ex-members of The Promise Ring, Texas Is The Reason and The Gloria Record) that I profiled here.
• Japancakes “Loveless” (Darla) – Japancakes’ song-for-song cover of My Bloody Valentine’s classic album, Loveless. Can not wait to hear this.
• Streetlight Manifesto “Somewhere In The Between” (Victory) – Ska!
• The Valley Arena “Sesso Vino” (Anodyne) – Impressive Dischord-influenced stuff. Like a more modern, less experimental Fugazi perhaps. Traces of Engine Down and At The Drive-In as well.
• Wire “Read & Burn 03″ (Pink Flag) – First new material from this legendary art-punk band since 2003.

Envy and Mouse Fire head the list of new releases this week.

• The Brother Kite “Moonlight Race” (Claire) – New odds-n-ends EP from great shoegazing pop band.
• By the End of Tonight/Tera Melos “Complex Full Of Phantoms” (Temporary Residence) – Split from two like-minded frantic and spastic bands.
• Envy “Abyssal” (Sonzai) – New EP from Japanese Post-Rock/Hardcore band. Amazing.
• Grizzly Bear “Friend” (Warp) – EP of new, reworked, and re-recorded material (including covers and collaborations). An interesting/eclectic collection from this critically acclaimed (not on SAL) group.
• Minipop “A New Hope” (Take Root) – Surprisingly good female fronted indie/pop band that reminds me of The Cardigans at times.
• Mouse Fire “Wooden Teeth” (Lujo) – Cool new band on the great Lujo Records. Very Minus The Bear-esque.
• Sigur Ros “Hvarf/Heim” (XL) – Unreleased/acoustic 2-disc set from Icelandic group.
• Jim Ward “Quiet” (Civil Defense League) – Solo debut from Sparta frontman and former At The Drive-In guitarist.
• Zookeeper “Becoming All Things” (Belle City Pop) – New project from Chris Simpson of Mineral/The Gloria Record. I loved the first EP. I am relatively disappointed in this album so far…but I think it will grow on me.

A very slim week in terms of notable releases. Nicole Atkins is on Letterman tonight! Watch it! That is all.

• Nicole Atkins “Neptune City” (Columbia) – I loved Miss Atkins’ Bleeding Diamonds EP which I reviewed here. Going ahead and giving this a top recommendation even though I am still left waiting on this one to show up in my mailbox.
• Capital “Homefront” (Revelation) – Emotional hardcore…fans of Dag Nasty or Avail need to get on this.
• Saves The Day “Under The Boards” (Vagrant) – Maturity is a bitch. Under The Boards is fairly dark and certainly takes a few listens. However, it is yet another strong outing for a band I had left for dead a few years ago.
• The Wonder Years “Get Stoked On It” (No Sleep) – Fans of Set Your Goals/Daggermouth should dig these guys.

Some good stuff this week but only one top recommendation as I have not been able to listen to about half this list yet.

• Adams, Ryan And The Cardinals “Follow The Lights” EP (Lost Highway) – Includes an Alice In Chains cover…yup.
• Anchors For Arms “Listen.React.” (Lobster)
• Castanets “In The Vines” (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Crime In Stereo “Crime In Stereo Is Dead” (Bridge 9) – Heard a lot of good stuff about this release…I am listening to it for the first time as I type this.
• The Forms “The Forms” (Threespheres) – Long awaited second album. Continues along the same path as the first which is definitely a good thing in my book.
• Jesu “Lifelines” (Hydra Head) – Awesome collection of past recordings from the metal/shoegaze behemoth.
• Karate “595″ (Southern) – Live document from this very underrated indie rock band. RIP.
• The Kindness Kind “A Novel” (Self-Released) – Impressive debut from this female-fronted indie rock band from Seattle.
• Lazarus “Hawk Medicine” (Temporary Residence)
• Phosphorescent “Pride” (Dead Oceans)
• Saturday Looks Good To Me “Fill Up The Room” (K)

Not a ton of releases this week but there is a lot of compelling stuff. Top recommendations are in bold.

• Efterklang “Parades” (Leaf) – This Denmark band has always been on my radar but Parades is easily their finest effort. Kinda like a post-rock Stereolab.
• Ghastly City Sleep “Ghastly City Sleep” (Robotic Empire) – Really awesome change of pace band for Robotic Empire. GCS play dreamy, shoegazing post-rock with male/female vocals. Outstanding stuff.
• Jimmy Eat World “Chase This Light” (Interscope) – A few clunkers here and there and perhaps a little too polished but really, it is yet another solid JEW album. I still love this band.
• Maritime “Heresy And The Hotel Choir” (Flameshovel) - Hard to believe this is already Maritime’s third album. This one has hit me much quicker than the first two. And the band is about to go on tour with Jimmy Eat World which should be great exposure for them.
• Moros Eros “Jealous Me Was Killed By Curiosity” (Victory) – Have not received this yet but the band’s debut last year was solid and promising.
• The Octopus Project “Hello Avalanche” (Peek-A-Boo) – Eclectic (mainly) instrumental trio continues to pave their own unique path.
• Soulsavers “It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land” (Red Ink) – Kind of underwhelmed by this so far. I figured I would love this with Mark Lanegan (QOTSA, Screaming Trees) featured on vocals.
• Steel Train “Trampoline” (Drive-Thru) – All I have heard about this band in the past is that they were a jam band. That coupled with them being on Drive-Thru were two very big strikes to overcome. However, Trampoline is solid and very similar in style to Limbeck and Kings Of Leon.
• Thrice “The Alchemy Index: Vols I & II” (Vagrant) – Just got this in the mail yesterday…have not listened yet.

(Labels/bands/PR peeps get in touch about having your release posted in this new weekly feature. Obviously to make these lists I have to at least appreciate what the band/artist is doing.)

Ton of solid albums coming out today…SAL’s top recommendations are in bold.

• Band Of Horses “Cease To Begin” (Sub Pop)
• Beirut “Flying Cup Club” (Ba Da Bing!)
• Celebration “The Modern Tribe” (4AD)
• Enon “Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds” (Touch & Go)
• First To Leave “Forging A Future” (Wednesday Records) – Finally a proper release. Already reviewed here!
• Graves “Seldom Slumber” (Hush)
• Jens Lekman “Night Falls Over Kortedala” (Secretly Canadian)
• Cass McCombs “Dropping The Wit” (Domino)
• Scout Niblett “This Fool Can Die Now” (Too Pure)
• Robert Pollard “Coast To Coast Carpet Of Love” / “Standard Gargoyle Decisions” (Merge)
• Polysics “Polysics Or Die!!!!” (Myspace)
• Prints “Prints” (Temporary Residence) – I wrote about the band way back in July here.
• Ravens & Chimes “Reichenbach Falls” (Better Looking)
• Sleeping People “Growing” (Temporary Residence)
• Sunset Rubdown “Random Sprit Lover” (Jagjaguwar)
• A Wilhelm Scream “Career Suicide” (Nitro)

(Labels/bands/PR peeps get in touch about having your release posted in this new weekly feature. Obviously to make these lists I have to at least appreciate what the band/artist is doing.)

SAL’s recommendations are in bold.

• American Steel “Destroy Their Future” (Fat Wreck Chords) – Punk band reunites for their first album since 2001. Just got the white vinyl in the mail last week!
• Division Day “Beartrap Island” (Eenie Meenie) – A proper re-release of a fantastic album I reviewed earlier in the year. With two extra tracks!
  
• Japancakes “Giving Machines” (Darla)
• Frightened Rabbit “Sing The Greys” (Fat Cat)
• Mobius Band “Heaven” (Misra)
• The Most Serene Republic “Population” (Arts & Crafts)
• Nico Vega “No Child Left Behind EP” (Myspace) – Yup, Myspace Records…I know, I know. But, I have been listening to this EP non-stop.
• Rosetta “Wake/Lift” (Translation Loss)
• The Sadies “New Season” (Yep Roc)

(Labels/bands/PR peeps get in touch about having your release posted in this new weekly feature. Obviously to make these lists I have to at least appreciate what you are doing.)

Here is my laundry list of notable albums coming out today. My top recommendations are in bold.

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The Cave Singers “Invitation Songs” (Matador)

Foo Fighters “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace” (RCA)

Future Of The Left “Curses” (Too Pure)

José González “In Our Nature” (Mute)

PJ Harvey “White Chalk” (Island)

Iron & Wine “The Shepherd’s Dog” (Sub Pop)

Meneguar “Strangers In Our House” (Troubleman Unlimited)

Múm “ Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy” (Fat Cat)

Sea Wolf “Leaves In The River” (Dangerbird)

Stars “In Our Bedroom After The War” (Arts & Crafts)

Two Gallants “Two Gallants” (Saddle Creek)

The Weakerthans “Reunion Tour” (Anti)

Young Livers “The New Drop Era” (No Idea)