Here are the Top 30 Albums at WTSR for the Week Ending 9/18/2010!
(Listed by Artist then Album Title)

1 JUKEBOX THE GHOST Everything Under The Sun
2 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs
3 WAVVES King Of The Beach
4 RA RA RIOT The Orchard
5 OF MONTREAL False Priest
6 REVOLVER Music For A While
7 MAGIC KIDS Memphis
8 GOLD MOTEL Summer House
9 SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN Let It Sway
10 FILM SCHOOL Fission
Click here to see the full list.

Jukebox The Ghost
“Everything Under The Sun”
3 out of 5 stars

Jukebox the Ghost’s first album, “Let Live and Let Ghosts,” lacked maturity and depth but made up for it in lyrical clarity.

The band’s first success gave its members confidence and experience, priming them to return with an album that has significantly more substance than the debut.

Most of the songs on “Everything Under The Sun” are insanely catchy. The lead-off track, “Schizophrenia,” kicks off the album with a fast-paced song with an interesting refrain and features catchy drums and keyboards. Poppy tracks like “Empire” and “The Popular Thing” keep the rest of the album interesting and enjoyable.

Jukebox the Ghost plays to its strength by peppering songs with great hooks and even better choruses, making the album entertaining and accessible, but the album drags at points and depth is a lingering problem.

Key tracks: “Schizophrenia” and “The Popular Thing”
-Matt Jannetti
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Jenny and Johnny
“I’m Having Fun Now”
4 out of 5 stars

Fans of Rilo Kiley will be pleased to know that lead singer Jenny Lewis has released yet another record, but instead of forging ahead on her own to release a third solo album, on her latest effort she is accompanied by her boyfriend Johnathan Rice, whom she met in 2005 through Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst.

Due to this indie boy-girl match-up, the comparisons to She & Him are inevitable. It is hard to ignore the fact of how much Lewis tends to overshadow Rice, much in the same vein as Zooey Deschanel overshadowing M. Ward. However, “I’m Having Fun Now” has more of a rock edge than the latter’s “Volume One” and “Volume Two.”

Another difference is the mere fact that Lewis and Rice have been romantically involved for almost half a decade. Deceptively juxtaposed against sugary, upbeat music, it would be expected that the lyrics would be love letters written in song form, but that is not the case. There is much tongue-in-cheek banter between the couple, such as in the song “Committed,” which is about being committed to a mental hospital rather than to a significant other.

Key tracks: “Big Wave” and “My Pet Snakes”
-Caitlyn Preciado

Here are the Top 30 Albums at WTSR for the Week Ending 9/11/2010!
(Listed by Artist then Album Title)

1 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs
2 WAVVES King Of The Beach
3 BEST COAST Crazy For You
4 SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN
5 RA RA RIOT The Orchard
6 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS Disconnect From Desire
7 EELS Tomorrow Morning
8 BLACK ANGELS Phosphene Dream
9 MAGIC KIDS Memphis
10 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin
Click here to see the full list.

Ra Ra Riot
“The Orchard”
3.5 out of 5 stars

Since its meteoric rise in 2006, there has been plenty of pressure on Ra Ra Riot. The band’s debut album, “The Rhumb Line,” released in 2008, was critically praised and drew attention from the new wave and indie-pop scene. Its sophomore effort, “The Orchard,” produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla, doesn’t quite live up to the legacy of the debut, but is still an excellent album.

Fans can still enjoy the band’s Vampire Weekend-like style. At heart, Ra Ra Riot is still the same band they were two years ago. However, this album is a bit more somber. This album is made up of slower songs like the title track and “Keep It Quiet” and peppered with more poppy and upbeat songs such as “Boy” and “Too Dramatic.”

The highlight of the album, “Shadowcasting,” is full of upbeat guitars and drums that are complemented by a smooth violin and Wes Miles’ high vocals. Ra Ra Riot is also not afraid to experiment this time around, like letting Alexandra Lawn sing lead vocals on the solemn “You and I Know.”

Key Tracks: “Boy” and “Shadowcasting”
-Matt Jannetti
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The Thermals
“Personal Life”
3 out of 5 stars

The Thermals have teamed up again with Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla (Tegan and Sara, Ra Ra Riot) to produce its fifth album. As was the case with its previous releases, “Personal Life” revolvesaround a certain subject to create the semblance of a concept album, and in this case it is love and relationships.

Titles such as “Not Like Any Other Feeling,” “Only For You” and “Your Love Is So Strong” are affectionate phrases meant for a significant other. However, the tracks focus more on lies, losses and relationship breakdowns than on lovey-dovey sappiness.

While the subjects of the songs are downers, the delivery of them could not be more different. The band has moved to a more straight-forward alternative sound than the punk influence heard on prior albums, but The Thermals have not toned down its enthusiasm or passion for music.

Key Tracks: “Never Listen to Me” and “Not Like Any Other Feeling”
-Caitlyn Preciado

Here are the Top 30 Albums at WTSR for the Week Ending 9/4/2010!
(Listed by Artist then Album Title)

1 RA RA RIOT The Orchard
2 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs
3 WAVVES King Of The Beach
4 BEST COAST Crazy For You
5 LES SAVY FAV Root For Ruin
6 MENOMENA Mines
7 FILM SCHOOL Fission
8 MAGIC KIDS Memphis
9 !!! Strange Weather, Isn’t It?
10 JUKEBOX THE GHOST Everything Under The Sun
Click here to see the full list.