CD Releases for October 28

Ten Albums Worth Checking Out:

1. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Cardinology - when I saw Ryan Adams at the Taft Theatre earlier this month, it seemed mostly like a "greatest hits" show, with a few new songs from the new album. I didn't discover Adams for myself, until just a couple years ago, but it didn't take long before I had his entire released collection. Some of those albums quickly grew on me, while others took a little more time. Easy Tiger was definitely what first made me a fan, but Demolition is probably my favorite album. The man writes a lot of tunes, some people saying that you shouldn't release every single thing you write. But the fact is, Ryan Adams "not best" material is still 100 times better than a lot of the crap out there today.

2. Jesse Malin, On Your Sleeve

3. Langhorne Slim, When the Sun's Gone Down

4. Hunter S. Thompson, The Gonzo Tapes: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

5. Rodrigo y Gabriela, Live in Japan (CD/DVD) - I saw these two on the first night of Bonnaroo 2007, and they were clearly one of the crowds favorites of that night, my personal favorite from that night (because I missed The National on the same night). Amazing what they can do, and how loud they can do it, with just two acoustic guitars. They're from Mexico but based out of Ireland, and although their influences include a lot of metal music, they play instrumental music on acoustic guitars, often beating on the wood of the guitar to create some bass, almost like having a drummer. You should get this DVD if you don't have the chance to see them live, but if you do get the chance to see them, you must go!

6. Deerhunter, Microcastle

7. The Cure, 4:13 Dream

8. Bloc Party, Intimacy

9. Kaiser Chiefs, Off With Their Heads

10. Susan Tedeschi, Back to the River