Here's what's been in my rotation lately:

"Yours Truly, Angry Mob" by Kaiser Chiefs -- More swaggering pop from these guys. Their first effort "Employment" was a bit catchier, but this one has some gems on it. The first single, "Ruby" has been getting some airplay around here and is a good transition from one album to the next. "Highroyds" is another synth wonder that the band does well. "Heat Dies Down," "Angry Mob" and "My Kind Of Guy" are the band's "I'm-really-tough-and-could-kick-your-ass-but-that-doesn't-mean-I-can't-write-a-really-dancy-song-about-it" tunes. Worth a listen.

"Yours To Keep" by Albert Hammond Jr. -- This is one I've been meaning to pick up for a while. If you don't know, Hammond is the guitar player for The Strokes. But don't expect that kind of music on this one. He goes with a much more breezy pop feel. He can still bring a great guitar sound, but it's just in a different vein. Sean Lennon and Strokes singer Julian Casablancas help out.

"Favorite Worst Nightmare" by Arctic Monkeys -- This is the answer to the question "How do the Arctic Monkeys follow-up on last year's 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'" File this one under "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The band stays with its foot-stomping, frenetic Brit-rock. Singer Alex Turner's quick, rhyming turns of phrase are evident on "Balaclava" and "Teddy Picker." They seem to be trying some different sounds with "Do Me A Favour," but they don't stray too much.

"Writer's Block" by Peter, Bjorn and John -- This one came out last year, but I just hadn't heard about them since recently. I love the album though. Think euro-folk. It's got strumming guitars with great beats. "Young Folks" has a perfect back-and-forth vocal while "Objects Of My Affection" soars. "Amsterdam" may be the most "European" sounding song (they're from Sweden though, I think). "Paris 2004" may be the best song written with such an involving what was for breakfast. A great album. This one would have made my top picks for last year.

Enjoying some recent pickups.

"Sounds of Silver" by LCD Soundsystem. It's a bit more techno than the self-titled first release which had a more rock feel to it. "Silver" is great. Tracks like "get innocuous!" and "Somone Great" are melodic gems. "North American Scum" is my favorite. It's got a great beat and features the subversive lyrics I enjoy from James Murphy.

"Everything Starts Where It Ends" by Lovedrug. I don't know how many folks have heard of this band. They include hints of a lot of bands I like: Radiohead, U2, Rush, Death Cab and Coldplay. The thing is ... as soon as you think you hear something familiar, the song changes. This album rocks a bit more than their first album "Pretend You're Alive."

"We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank" by Modest Mouse. This is one I had been excited about for a while. I liked "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" and wanted to hear what guitarist Johnny Marr could add to the group. His influence is evident on the album. His sometimes jangly, always perfect playing weaves in and out of the background. As long as you aren't put off by the shouting of singer Isaac Brock, it's a great album.


I've also been enjoying "Carnavas" by Silversun Pickups. That ones been out for a while, but I just got around to it.