MUSIC ON SPEED by Dexter Reed | Age: 29 | Allston, MA

Paul McCartney Chaos and Creation In The Backyard All the reviews I have read about this album compare each song to an old Beatles or solo McCartney tune. Screw that! It’s rude. This album is a great work of art. The songs are pop in an intellectual way and the more esoteric tunes stand out as personal works of art and musical poems. “Fine Line,” “Jenny Wren” and “Follow Me” should be classics on their own. And it is further evidence that Nigel Godrich is an unstoppable producer.

The Alternate Routes Good and Reckless and True There is an epidemic of white boys with acoustic guitars in America. I don’t know who is to blame but something should be done, if only for the small group of white boys with acoustic guitars that are actually good. Such is the case with Alternative Routes. There are some songs that fall short, such as the elementary and redundant riff on “Going Home With You." Paving the way for this album and band is the excellent production and songwriting that has the intellect of Neil Finn. Singer Tom Warren can hold his own on stage with Bono & Jimmy James any day.

Gogol Bordello Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike Stop reading this review right now and go see this band live. If, however, you are afraid of crowds that raise the room temperature then go buy this record. This is the best sounding Gogol Bordello recording yet. But nothing compares to the live show. That is all I am going to say. It’s a gypsy, punk, dub, folk carnival. You will get wet, nervous, shocked and awed. With lyrics in English, Spanish, Ukrainian and Italian, an infinite well of musical styles, and classically trained violin and accordion players, this is the best education you could get in 12 bucks.

My Morning Jacket - Z One of my favorite bands of the last five years just put out one of the best albums of 2005. If you are going to start with My Morning Jacket then this isn’t a bad place to start. They are a band that can go from dreamy country to pulsating rock riffs with little effort and never end up sounding like your neighborhood jam band. The first song is called “Chorusless” and has no chorus except for a little “AhhhOooAhhh” thing (see Dungeon below)! Thank you My Morning Jacket.

Lil’ Bit & The Customatics Whiskey Nights One of the first questions upon meeting a stranger is, “What kind of music do you like?” Then the customary response being, “Everything!”ÖBullshit. That means you either haven’t thought about it enough or you don’t want to talk to that person about music. But, if you do like everything, then you should get a little bit of Lil’ Bit & The Customatics in your collection. There is an authenticity to their songs and performance that is missing in most rock-a-billy recordings. Or, as they like to call it, “Heartbreakin’ Honky Tonk-a-billy.” And it’s true. There is an adequate amount of pain in Lil’ Bit’s voice that adds intimacy to the fun we are already having with this music. Guitarist Brian Duarte made his guitar sound like a chicken on the track “Red Hen Hop”. That alone sold it for me.

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene This band is a giant group of friends and musical cohorts. If you haven’t heard of them then you should start with the genus “You Forgot It In People." This new record, which includes a pretty good EP as well, is not so much the follow up but the twisted twin of that record. Present are all the co-mingling melodies, sounds, screams, and rhythms that should be expected from a band of 12+.

Dungen Ta Det Lugnt Fans of Sigur Ros might agree that it's refreshing to not hear the same language repeated over and over in popular music. You sometimes miss the meaning when you understand the words in music. It is perhaps why Dungeon is the most excited I have been over a rock and roll band since the White Stripes. Without the limits of the English Language, the imagery and energy induced by the vocal melody only expand the limitless boundaries created by this rocking pop-psychedelic band.

Brunswick Told In Photographs Sometimes a seemingly good band, usually young and just starting out, will get a bit screwed over by taking their energetic and youth charged music into the wrong production hands. Such is the case with Brunswicks’ first effort Told in Photographs. Guitar sounds that remind me of my little brother's 12-inch Peavey amp and drums that sounds like paper beating up against the speakers don’t sound artistically intentional. That being said, there is no reason why this band shouldn’t rule the underground all ages scene and then take over the world with their next studio effort.