Morningwood - Diamonds & Studs

Morningwood
Diamonds & Studs
MTV Networks

If Morningwood were a highschool stereotype, they would be the head cheerleader who likes it rough in her parents’ hot tub. The NYC outfit returns with a batch of dangerously catchy songs about late night hookups (“Three’s A Crowd”), flesh-hungry Arctic natives (“Bipolar Bear”), and the joys of homicide (“Killer Life”) that are just as suitable for aerobic workouts as “congratulating” the winning quarterback. For their second LP, the group’s brand of power pop sounds more refined, poignant, and disco-friendly than ever before. Although the doing-away-with of any major riffage has Diamonds & Studs sounding far less brash than their previous full-length, frontwoman Chantal Claret’s head is still securely in the gutter, ensuring that Morningwood are just as crassly sassy as ever. – Izzy Cihak

Glass Ghost - Idol Omen

Glass Ghost
Idol Omen
Western Vinyl

Had they been birthed 33 years ago, Glass Ghost could’ve scored Eraserhead. Their listless, dreamlike beats are ineffably haunting, coaxing the listener into a postindustrial wasteland ruled by rusted machinery. There is, however a Masochistic beauty to be found in the audio horror of the Brooklyn duo. The inverted vocals of Eliot Krimsky violently gasp for air, as if trapped in the nightmarish world you had always hoped for only to reach the promised land and yearn for a single sign of life. Synthesizers have never sounded so daunting and undanceable. – Izzy Cihak

Faster Pussycat - Front Row For the Donkey Show

Faster Pussycat
Front Row For the Donkey Show
Full Effect Records

2009’s best live album is less likely to be reviewed by Pitchfork than Michael Jackson is to posthumously win the Babysitter of the Year award. The kings of Sunset Sleeze (still looking like fabulous Goth queens) present you with a collection of anthems about the finer things in life, including BDSM, whorehouses, and glory holes. – Izzy Cihak

Music Go Music - Expressions

Music Go Music
Expressions
Secretly Canadian

Music Go Music’s Expressions sounds a bit like Siouxsie Sioux on a hippie commune. Vocalist Gala Bell’s hauntingly soulful voice soars through one epic track after another. Although Music Go Music’s sound varies from song to song, it’s all undeniably retro. They blend groovy psychedelic riffs with uplifting disco beats seamlessly for a sound that is both warm and decadent. It’s anyone’s guess where the band got their inspiration, although if it were thirty years ago, it would be a good bet that they made a hobby of listening in on the soundtracks of their parents’ key parties. – Izzy Cihak

Shelley Short - A Cave, A Canoo

Shelley Short
A Cave, A Canoo

Hush Records

There is a gentle mysticism to Shelley Short that allows her to transcend the ineffably dull genre of the “singer/songwriter.” The wispy vocals and lingering guitar plucks of her brand of alt. country inspire sometimes haunting existential reflections on the most simple (and most daunting) aspects of life. Although A Cave, A Canoo lacks a standout track, the whole will serve you well on lonely Sunday afternoons spent wondering what happened. – Izzy Cihak

Imelda May - Love Tattoo

Imelda May
Love Tattoo
Verve International

Imelda May’s debut album could be the soundtrack to the classiest bar brawl you’ll ever witness. Although this Irish lass kicks off Love Tattoo with a slew of dial-a-cliché jazzy Rockabilly tunes, by the fourth track May is proving to be the most badass chanteuse on either side of the Atlantic with the most intriguing take on Chicago blues since the Dolls and balladry that would’ve made Lux Interior weep. Izzy Cihak