Cavedoll - No Vertigo

Perry: Spooky David Byrne vocals and spooky indie rock keyboards. Dynamic, wonderful pop with Burton's soul.
Byrd: Taco's Midnight Runners. One step beyond She Wants Revenge. Hope the wife likes it. Gross.
Nimitz: Talking Heads, Rentals, John Doe, Gary Numan. Totally cool.
Halsey: I like really excellent obscure pop music, especially when Tim Burgess joins in for a song.

The Chevelles - Barbarella Girl God

Perry: Really awesome rock music with a 60's vibe and early 80's riffs. Party music. Rock.
Byrd: Early 70's bubble rock. Pure background. Could be on 8 track. But more like Chevette.
Nimitz: The sun has set on bands named after cars. The worst part is that the music is actually pretty good, in a Partridge Family kind of way. Really, it doesn't take much effort to name a band.
Halsey: Nothing like Wayne Coyne, but very rocking rock music with soul… like shrimp on the barbarella.

Death To Anders - Fictitious Business

Perry: Drummer is awesome! Scrubby sounding noisey pop with repetitive lyrics and mathy sentimentality. Geek rock.
Byrd: Remedial math-rock. Every song different. Great musicianship and construction. Clever lyrics, nerdy goodness.
Nimitz: They Might Be Giants. They Might Be Sonic Youth. They Might Be Radiohead.
Halsey: 1. They Might Be Giants. 2. Sonic Youth. 3. Pixies. 4. Hillstomp. 5. Neil Young. 6. Radiohead… and repeat.

Derby - Posters Fade (out June 2008)
Perry: Orchestrated indie pop with brilliant melodies and a quiet sense of everything. Beach Boys.
Byrd: Mild mannered pop done by dudes too old to do it. Like Andy Kim.
Nimitz: Deconstructing The Beatles and The Lemonheads.
Halsey: This guy is taking a lot of lyrics directly from Wayne Coyne… but less overtly crazy.

The Devil Makes Three - The Devil Makes Three

Perry: Acoustic 3-piece dark folk blues music with nice gypsy grooves and hot harmonies. Drawlingly cool.
Byrd: Dr. John fronting a 3-piece. Sufficient darkness and joviality to cause a dogpile for the disc.
Nimitz: Good voice, talented acoustic, lots of songs about being drunk at sea.
Halsey: Nimble lyricallity and braggadocio that puts most rap acts to shame. Under the bridge music.

The Heavenly States - Delayer

Perry: Sounds like dude from Offspring singing in a really, really great indie band… great tones!
Byrd: Flaming Lips-era Priest Driven… it's not harmony when it's an octave.
Nimitz: Jesus Lizard, Superchunk, Silver Sun Pickups - Totally worthwhile. Go see this live.
Halsey: The indie-er sounding Flaming Lips… less epic, but more beautiful repeating keyboard lines. Sweet packaging.

The Kris Special - Alone Feels Like A Hotel Room

Perry: Liz Phair singing Mazzy Star songs in a roundabout way. Cowpoke-ish and low, bit off-key.
Byrd: Aimee Mann will be performing the part of Margot Timmins. Incredible drummer, great music.
Nimitz: Far-away, semi-hollow, dreamy, alt-country.
Halsey: Cowboy Junkies musicianship without treble, nice guitar, slow tempos, passable vocals. Very sleepy and nice.

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Perry: Indie arena rock with synthesizers. Newer Flaming Lips vibe, kooky lyrics and clean production. Cool.
Byrd: If Oasis had soothing electronics and progressions like this, I'd have gotten behind them.
Nimitz: Eminently enjoyable alt-pop. Rentals. Silver Sun Pickups. Darkness.
Halsey: This is what happens when fans of Wayne Coyne's less-rock listen to too much Polyphonic Spree.

The Pink Snow Flakes - Sun Chasing

Perry: Very thick, psychedelic rock with lots of Velvet's sounds. Late 60's and beautiful and lo-fi.
Byrd: The Who mixed with Dinosaur Jr. For the kids, you know?
Nimitz: Flaming Lips, David Bowie, Jesus And Mary Chain. Good stuff.
Halsey: The Partridge Family on huge amounts of acid… psychedelic and very reminiscent of "real" Flaming Lips.

The Sword - Gods Of The Earth

Perry: Thick and crunchy metal music of the doom persuasion. Almost listenable for more than one song.
Byrd: Fucking brutal, but still listenable. Sabbath crossed with Iced Earth.
Nimitz: Beard-core stoner rock. Great live show.
Halsey: Metal tricks and indie sound. They're no Black Mountain, but still trying to be Sabbath.

Three Hour Tour - B Side Oblivion

Perry: Cleanly produced garagey power pop. Like Matthew Sweet without the awesome fuzz tones. California, baby.
Byrd: Smithereens and other bands that should play twice as fast. Great band in slow-motion.
Nimitz: Urge Overkill-ish. Dave says "we all hear our own things", which makes me feel more alone than ever.
Halsey: Crowded Red House Painters painted eight shades of dull. Daniel Amos' bad day.

The Victors - Days To Come

Perry: Excellent Australian-sounding early 90's-style rock with a sound like The Red House. Boring, but beautiful.
Byrd: Wanted: guitar virtuoso for post nu-emo band with intentions of blandness.
Nimitz: Speaking of band names, it's hard to believe this one hasn't been taken. Bizarrely spiritual Orange County garbage. Pabulum for guys who keep diaries.
Halsey: Music for the next season of O.C…. Oh shit! They cancelled that, didn't they?