Quick Hits 3/16/11 (Album Reviews)

Wye Oak * Civilian - With music so beautifully sweeping, one would hope the vocals would capture the same result. Instead, vocalist Jenn Wasner mostly mumbles over 40 minutes of lush instrumentation, failing to create a cohesive listen. (B-)

Kurt Vile * Smoke Ring For My Halo - Failing to succumb to any pressure surrounding his earlier work, Kurt Vile delivers an album that further establishes his credibility as one of the most introspective and intoxicating songwriters currently making music. Thoughtful music for the foreground. (A-)

Acrylics * Lives and Treasure - Uninspired synthed-out indie pop from Brooklyn-based duo. [Note to self: save that descriptor for future reviews]. (C)

The Smoking Popes * This Is Only a Test - With all of the 90s revivalism happening in 2011, it'd be easy to mistake The Smoking Popes for an upstart suburban garage band. That's to say that they haven't changed much in 20 (yes...20) years. An easy and enjoyable listen that will please longtime fans. (B)

Quick Hits 3/4/11 (News, Concerts, Free Album Streaming)

Blake Sennett misses Donkey Lips

Rilo Kiley lead guitarist Blake Sennett (aka Pinsky from "Salute Your Shorts") has played second fiddle to Jenny Lewis for many years. After Jenny embarked on her solo career (and subsequent pairing with lover Johnathan Rice), I was crossing my fingers that Sennett would return to The Elected moniker and release a follow up to 2006's excellent Sun, Sun, Sun. Well he did it, and this week Spin posted the falsetto-rich new track here. A change of pace and a welcome back. The new album, Bury Me In My Rings, hits stores on 5/17 via Vagrant Records.

The Kills, appropriately smoking

Minneapolis clubs have been announcing a ton of high-quality gigs for the late Spring / early Summer as of late. Make sure you pick up tickets to the following before it's too late:

*The Kills w/ Cold Cave - 5/5 @ First Avenue

*Iron & Wine w/ The Head and the Heart - 6/8 @ First Avenue

*Architecture in Helsinki - 6/9 @ Varsity Theater

*Okkervil River w/ Future Islands (and maybe Titus Andronicus) - 6/12 @ First Avenue

These guys are still around?

Local dude-rock station 93X has announced plans to bring back X-Fest after a 7 year hiatus, 5/28 at Midway Stadium. The macho daylong festival will feature Godsmack, Puddle of Mudd, Black Label Society and various other bands I had no idea were still making music. I've wanted the station to bring back this festival for years now (well, I'd rather have it harken back to the Edgefest days). I think it's important for the Minneapolis area to host bigger outdoor festivals again. Given this lineup, though, I'm starting to think 93X forgot it's actually 2011. Details here.

If you're looking for some new music on the cheap (aka free), you can find new albums from the following currently available at a variety of free (and legal) streaming sites:

*Rural Alberta Advantage, Middle Brother, Beady Eye, Ron Sexsmith and more at Spinner.

*R.E.M., Wye Oak, The Mountain Goats, Kurt Vile and Alexi Murdoch at NPR First Listen.

*Elbow, DeVotchKa, Julianna Barwick and a ton more at 3VOOR12.