Caribou
Andorra
(Merge)
Bliss is one of the hardest emotions to conjure in music, but Andorra has it in spades. The brilliant opening track "Melody Day" sets the tone, mixing 1960s sunshine pop with loops, beats, and a dense wall of sound production. Caribou mastermind Dan Snaith has added more vocals for this third album and he sounds like an euphoric Elliot Smith nestled in a day-glow forest of violins, woodwinds, and sleigh bells. Apart from the sickly sweet "She's The One," he manages to keep the songs from sounding overly precious. The surging harmonies, galvanizing riffs and psychedelic flourishes may be hopelessly retro, but they're balanced by cutting-edge electronic effects. Andorra is a rare evocation of Mod-era pop that manages to improve on the past. —Jeff Jackson
*
Eddie Vedder
Music for Into the Wild
(J)
I tried to like them, but the few Pearl Jam albums I ever bought all ended up back in the used CD bin. I've been listening to Eddie Vedder's soundtrack for Into the Wild, however, ever since I got it, and I'm still impressed. Stripped of the wall of his band's fuzzy feedback, for the first time I can hear Vedder's lyrics, and his voice, which once annoyed me as a strange combination of screaming and mumbling, now sounds much more commanding, reminding me of Cat Stevens. Many of the tracks are slight, but the album's determined and rebellious tone creates a compelling mood, and seems a perfect soundtrack for someone ready to abandon society for the wilderness. —Mark Roessler
*
Ingrid Michaelson
Girls & Boys
(Cabin Records)
Think the power of the Internet is just hype? Consider Ingrid Michaelson, working part-time until her MySpace songs made it to "Grey's Anatomy" soundtracks. Her debut, Girls & Boys, proves she's far more than the flavor of the month. The opener, "Die Alone," has flashes of post-punk angst as it might sound filtered through an early-'60s "girl" group. It's one of several songs whose grit contrasts with the sunny optimism of jazzy pop selections. Those in the dating scene are sure to adopt "Breakable," Michaelson's lushly arranged commentary on fragile hearts, as their personal anthem. Michaelson's mood shifts parallel her vocal variations: bird-like and delicate at one moment, gutsy and big the next. Catch this impressive rising star at Pearl Street Oct. 15. —Rob Weir
*
50 Cent
Curtis
(Interscope)
"It's my third album, third tour, third time's a charm," says 50 Cent in "Follow My Lead." After listening to Curtis, his newest release, I'm more inclined to say, "Three strikes and you're out." Going up against someone as progressive as Kanye West only exposes 50 Cent's weakness—that is, treading old territory again and again. Curtis Jackson III says nothing new over uninspired beats. Even his Timbaland-produced track featuring Justin Timberlake falls considerably short. His talent, as well as that of Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige, is wasted on this failed effort. —Mark Rowan
