José González In Our Nature (Mute)

Last year, González talked to us about the never-ending tour schedule, the slow process of songwriting, and how his next record --well, this record-- would focus on the guitar. His first full-length, Veneer, wooed us back in 2003, and though Gonzalez has been touring fairly relentlessly in support of it, he has found time to put together this work, a ten song album that sounds quite similar to its predecessor. We're thankful for this: thought we've seen EPs and side projects (Junip), In Our Nature is technically a sophomore effort, and it dovetails nicely with Veneer, offering similarly arranged moments shared between the artist and his instrument. Glints of his favorite influences (Silvio Rodriguez, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa) shine through, but so do slightly darker and more ominous strains, auditory shout-outs to British and American folk empires such as Ian Williams, Nick Drake and yes, Bruce Springsteen. Bonus: always a fan of the unusual cover song, he tackles Massive Attack's "Teardrop".

Jose Gonzalez Official
Jose Gonzalez MySpace
Jose Gonzalez "Down the Line" (YouTube)

múm Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy (Fat Cat)

The small fishing town of Ísafjörður in Iceland is just one of the places where múm recorded their first album in nearly three years, and the stark, overwhelming landscape plays a pretty influential role in the songs that came out of it. Isolated and simple venues are nothing new for the group, who recorded their previous work, Finally, We Are No One in a lighthouse, and have been known to perform underwater shows. Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy is weighty, but tempered with upbeat art-rock pieces as well as symphonic electronica that fits more snugly with what listeners have come to expect from the band. The album finds múm in what seems to be a slightly more uplifting spot than previous efforts: skipping harmonies, song titles like "These Eyes Are Berries" and dare-we-say-it dance-like beats pervade. It's still graduate-level electronica, but there's far more live instrumentation (and vocals!) than past efforts, and the beauty of Iceland has, as with contemporaries like Sigur Ros, contributed to a truly cinematic work.

múm MySpace
múm @ Fat Cat
múm ""They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded" (YouTube)

Iron & Wine The Shepherd's Dog (SubPop)

Shepherd's Dog is only Texas-transplant Sam Beam's second solo full-length, but his work with Calexico and his cover of Postal Service's instant classic "Such Great Heights" made him a subversive household's name, his work highly anticipated by several genre enthusiasts. This release, unlike previous solo work and even records made with Calexico, is far more lush than expected. Still weaving softly layered vocals and acoustics, still seemingly telling the tales of silent old photographs found in upstairs attics, Beam has employed the careful arrangements of neu-folk majesty for this record, making his most satisfying yet. Vibraphone echoes, sleigh bells, subtle vocal effects and the smallest bit of jam (the end of "Carousel" and the beginning of "House By the Sea" flow together seamlessly) make his typically sinister-but-sweet songwriting that much more alluring. Ed. Note: Thank you Guest, you're right: there were two full-lengths before this one.

Iron & Wine Official
Iron & Wine MySpace

Athlete: Beyond the Neighbourhood [cd]
Barcelona: Absolutes [cd]
Bear Claw: Slow Speed: Deep Owls [cd]
Bettye Lavette: The Scene Of The Crime [cd]
Billy Joe Shaver: Everybody's Brother [cd]
Birdie Busch: Penny Arcade [cd]
Brian Setzer Orchestra: Wolfgang's Big Night Out
Cave Singers: Invitation Songs
Damon and Naomi: Within These Walls
Devendra Banhart: Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Erik Friedlander: Volac: Book of Angels, Vol. 8
Erin McKeown: Lafayette
Eskimo Joe: Black Fingernails Red Wine (W/ Bonus DVD)
Foo Fighters: Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
Freezepop: Future Future Future Perfect
Georgie James: Places
The GoStation: Passion Before Function
Herbie Hancock: River: The Joni Letters
Iron & Wine: Shepherd's Dog
Jill Scott: The Real Thing
John Digiweed: Renaissance Presents: Transitions, Vol. 3
Joni Mitchell: Shine
Jose Gonzalez: In Our Nature
Karen Dalton: Cotton Eyed Joe (2 CDs and DVD)
Keyshia Cole: Just Like You
Lemonheads: Best of the Lemonheads: The Atlantic Years
Loney, Dear: Sologne
Magik Markers: Boss
Matt Pond, PA: Last Light
Melissa Etheridge: The Awakening
Meneguar: Strangers in Our House
Meshell Ndegeocello: The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams
MF Grimm: The Hunt For the Gingerbread Man
Michael Ian Black: I'm a Wonderful Man
Miles Davis: Complete On the Corner Sessions (box set)
Mountain Home: Mountain Home
mum: Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy, Let Your Crooked Hands Be Holy
Nellie McKay: Obligatory Villagers
New Amsterdams: At the Foot of My Rival
Office: A Night at the Ritz
Orion Rigel Dommisse: What I Want from You Is Sweet
Pat DiNizio: Pat DiNizio
Pearl Jam: Immagine in Cornice: Picture in a Frame
The Pearlfishers: Up With The Larks
Pentangle: In the Round (reissue)
Pentangle: Open the Door (reissue)
Poison Control Center: A Collage of Impressions
Raul Malo: Marshmallow World & Other Holiday Favorites
Red Krayola, Art & Language: Sighs Trapped by Liars
Sea Wolf: Leaves in the River
The Secret Handshake: One Full Year
Shocking Pinks: Shocking Pinks
Sir Richard Bishop: Polyheistic Fragments
Sly & Robbie: The Song Remains The Same - Sly:Robbie Greets Led Zeppelin
Small Sins: Mood Swings
Stars: In Our Bedroom After the War
Steve Earle: Washington Square Serenade (Ltd Ed CD/DVD Combo featuring 35 minute documentary and 3 acoustic performances)
Steven Wright: I Still Have a Pony
Takka Takka: We Feel Safer at Night
Tegan and Sara: This Business of Art (reissue)
Telephone Jim Jesus: Anywhere out of the Everything
Tiny Masters of Today: Bang Bang Boom Cake
Tunng: Good Arrows
Two Cow Garage: Please Turn the Gas Back On (reissue)
Two Gallants: Two Gallants
Various Artists: Celebrate Catmas!
Various Artists: Give US Your Poor
Various Artists: Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Various Artists: Interstellar: The String Quartet Tribute to Interpol
Various Artists: People Take Warning!: Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
Via Audio: Say Something
The Weakerthans: Reunion Tour
Will.I.Am: Songs About Girls
Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Ray Price: Last of the Breed
Zolar X: X Marks The Spot
Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer: Schematics