Music Library: Brian Wilson, Bright Eyes, Brightblack Morning Light, the Brilliant Corners, and British Sea Power + Akron/Family and Belle & Sebastian

Brian Wilson - SMiLE and SMiLE Live 2/20/2004. The great unreleased album of the Beach Boys finally saw the light of day in 2004. And it was pretty great, although nowhere near as great as it would have been with the actual Beach Boys playing on it or Brian's younger voice at the fore. The live album is a bootleg of Brian and the Wondermints playing all of SMiLE in London before the record actually dropped in the U.S. It's fairly close to the actual release, and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it.

Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. Inoffensive folk-rock, but I can't seem to get into it. It's well-executed, but I can't manage to care. Not sure whether to keep or delete.


Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light and Motion To Rejoin. Alabama-bred hippies play Rhodes-heavy blue-eyed stoner-funk. Much better than it has any right to be.


The Brilliant Corners - Somebody Up There Likes Me + 11 and Joy Ride. British indie-rock band from the early 80s. I thought they were from New Zealand, although they seemed on the bright and poppy side of kiwi-rock, but nope. Definitely entertaining.


British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power, Krankenhaus? EP, and Do You Like Rock Music?. I admit that I have different reactions to this indie-rock band depending on other circumstances. Sometimes their anthemic U2-meets-Joy Division rock is a-ok by me, and other times it strikes me as overblown and unearned.


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Catch-Up!

Akron/Family - Everyone Is Guilty EP. A couple of early releases from the Akron/Family's upcoming album. "Everyone Is Guilty" is the song I heard them play at SXSW that had me worried that they might be turning into Phish. It's definitely not my favorite thing they've done, although it does feature a barnburner of a guitar solo. The second track, "Total Destruction," is pretty decent, however.

Belle & Sebastian - Books EP and I'm A Cuckoo EP. Two EPs from the time of Dear Catastrophe Waitress, which is a so-so period for B&S. The tracks here are ok, but nothing to write home about, either.