This is it. Panic’s new album…and I’m not going to beat around the bush…it’s dismal and disappointing. And…I wasn’t expecting very much at all. I had heard that they were changing directions with their music, which would be a good thing, considering their first album was basically a copy of Fall Out Boy, but with even stupider lyrics and even worse vocals.

You see, on the face of it, Pretty. Odd. is an exciting new album for them to really show what type of band they are and the direction they are going in. In fact, I have no doubt that some people will like it. There are girls out there that will draw immense pleasure from this. But if you actually listen to it, you don’t hear originality at all. What you hear, is just stolen melodies from old films and stage plays. I just learned today from Wikipedia that the band began by covering Blink-182 songs. This was no surprise, since they are still copying others. You might argue that it’s just “influence” but one go-through of this album and you’d be convinced. Actually, to be honest, they haven’t changed AT ALL. They have the same style, same tempo, and same tacky song titles. Perhaps they say it best themselves in “We’re So Starving”. “You don’t have to worry ’cause we’re the same band.”

“Nine In The Afternoon” was their single released months ago to build hype for this album. Obviously they consider this their best song, and do you know what? Radio stations haven’t been playing it. Rightly so.

“She Has The World” and “Do You Know What I’m Seeing” both begin with extremely familiar melodies.

Nothing about this album is exciting. Their lyrics feel disgustingly elementary. How can they be a dance/pop band and have 10 seconds of silence in the beginning of every song and have so many boring filler songs? I hate to say this, but you really need to listen to this album to know what I’m on about…You are left with an empty, “what did I just listen to?” feeling.

Elephant Shell is the Canadian-pop sensation, Tokyo Police Club’s, first full length album set to be released late this April. The small group, composed of four members, have been hard at work in the studio under their new label, Saddle Creek Records, creating blessed music for your ears. And I must say, they’ve certainly done a great job.

This newest album is a lot of what you’d expect from Tokyo Police Club but you can certainly hear a huge growth of maturity from the boys. Elephant Shell definitely sounds a lot more like an actual album than just a compilation of demos. Everything is crisper, cleaner, and clearer than it was in A Lesson in Crime. Their new sound is a lot less “punk” and everything is much more relaxed. It’s not going to put you to sleep, but it’s not going to pump you up either. Elephant Shell eased off the gas pedal and decided to cruise along while A Lesson in Crime is more concerned about speeding past you; leaving you in a cloud of dust.

Dave Monks’ (lead vocals) voice is now very soothing in his own, unique and shockingly, a little feminine, way. In the first track, “Centennial”, you may be a little surprised to notice that Monks’ testicles are actually quite possibly..ascending? But not to fear, just like a thirteen year-old boy going through puberty, his voice slowly starts to enter manhood throughout the album’s tracks. Overall, the whole CD sounds a little the same but this is a positive for someone who really enjoys their stuff. All-in-all, no complaints here.

Portugal. The Man is a group of guys from Alaska, or at least was prior to members leaving. Their original band was Anatomy of a Ghost before they broke up in May 2004; so, the remainder of the group members ended up forming the experimental indie-trio Portugal. The Man. A few guys left, some new guys came, but all-in-all the two most important still remain. Nice rhyme, eh? Completely unintentional.

It’s Complicated Being a Wizard is a short EP that John Gourley conspired after creating Waiter: “You Vultures!” (another great Portugal CD). Even though it’s a twenty-three minute mini-album, it still packs a nice punch of ghostly and haunting psych-synth sounds. The entire album is a lucid, ethereal dream you’ll never wake up from. Or at least until it finishes.

It’s Complicated labels each individual track after a specific gem of wizardry. What each gem implies specifically, I haven’t a clue, but what I do know is that throwing this CD into one genre would be nearly impossible. Each individual song manages to sound similar to the others but at the same time keep its individualism; usually through various kinds of vocal presentation. Sorry to end this review rather short, but basically…the album is worth listening to.

It seems like I’m going backwards in time with these reviews. The albums are getting older, but the bands are getting better. The Unicorns are a pop-synth band from Canada (where all the best pop-synth music is created) that broke up in late ‘04. After heated arguments and intense touring, the band collapsed due to rising tensions finally bursting. Later on, two of the three unicorns ended up forming a similar band called Islands, which is due to release a second album this April.

Now, this CD may be aged but just like a fine wine, it only gets better as it matures. Full of fun and fancy beats, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? is not like all the other albums spawned in Montreal. These guys perfect the beloved essence of pop music to deliver you a dose of fully-polished songs that will infect your mind with their catchy tunes and childish lyrics. The only way to keep them out is to let them in; so, open your doors and welcome in their quirky choruses and whacky verses with arms wide open.

I tend to start at the beginning of this album to only find myself at the end moments later. The CD flies down your ears smoothly, banging on your ear drums with each pleasant, passing tone. In a way, their music lacks structure but they still manage to keep it ringing through your head. With silly lyrics and an immature disposition, their album is the Toys ‘R Us of the music world. It’s a place you still dream about, even as an adult.

A big name for a big group, and I’m not talking about popularity points here. The Sound of Animals Fighting (TSOAF) is a collaboration of Rx Bandits, Circa Survive, Finch, Atreyu, Never Heard of It, The Autumns, Chiodos, Days Away, and Sunn O))) (simply pronounced sun). Whew, that was a mouthful. Anyways, their newest album (if you call May ‘06 new) is a dramatic shift from their old one. The previous and original CD was a progressive, post-hardcore mix with an opera-style layout. In Lover, the Lord has Left Us…, they decided to shake it up quite a bit with lots of electronic beats and foreign language for a completely new sound.

It’s hard to break down the album because it’s all so completely different. All of the bands come from different backgrounds and musical styles, but when combined together it creates a sound of beautiful chaos. With six different amazing vocalists (excluding the foreign singers), this CD is something to brag about. “Horses in the Sky” has a lot more energy and is definitely the more “hardcore” side of the band coming out; while “The Heretic” is the complete opposite. The rest of the album sticks in the middle of those two extremes.

Lover, the Lord has Left Us… is like a good cop/bad cop sort of scenario where they’ll kick your ass and then try to help you out. It’s a bi-polar, manic-depressive album with PMS. You never know what’s coming at you and once you figure it out, it stops being nice, and starts kicking dirt into your eyes.