We all got to listen to Viva La Vida today, so we're sort of in the same boat here. Press play, and the album starts with "Life In Technicolor," a shimmery piece of keys and electronics that eventually moves into a "Where The Streets Have No Name"-y, lyricless rev-up, all of which is an announcement: Hey, did you hear we got Brian Eno to do this record? Hey, we did -- and now we're sorta hoping this to be Coldplay's Joshua Tree. Unfortunately, that it is not. But it is great at not being X&Y, which is a major accomplishment. Over three albums, Chris Martin found a simple and relatively understated formula for successful songwriting: melodically, he hit it on Parachutes -- verse, verse up an octave, falsetto hook -- expanded it on Rush Of Bood, and made an overblown parody of it on that last one. If nothing else, this album shows the band is thinking, and is self aware: say hello to less falsetto, different song structures, and a legendary producer. Already we're off to a good start.

Coldplay's been talking of wanting a Reinvention, a reinvention of everything but the fact that they are a massive seller. Balancing an artistic shift with maintaining commercial appeal is not easy (see: rock history). But let's at least start with giving props to the band for recognizing there was a problem with their last album, no matter how many millions (10 of 'em, actually) it sold: you can't just keep rewriting your hits (see: "Speed Of Sound" is "Clocks," "Fix You" is "The Scientist," etc.) and expect people not to catch on. To that point: We called "Viva La Vida" a rut buster, and the same can be said for the record. Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends is exactly the record this band needed to make: a slightly shifted Coldplay album, with some memorable moments, some new tricks, and an overall emotionality that will appeal to anyone who's ever liked a Coldplay song.

In "Constructive Summer," the opening and arguably best track on Stay Positive, Craig Finn intones "Our songs are sing-a-long songs." True, the best ones really are anthems you want to be shouting while climbing water towers, toasting St. Joe Strummer ("I think he might've been our only decent teacher"), and drinking whiskey coke's with no ice in double time -- which is the "get hammered" summer plan Finn and cohorts lay out. In "Constructive Summer" he also tells us, "Let this be my annual reminder / that we can all be something bigger." If there's any major letdown on Stay Positive, it's that there isn't a bigger song in the collection. Sure, bands often front load, or give you their best first, but this song feels classic after only a few listens, setting the bar really high. When Craig says he thinks Strummer "might've been our only decent teacher," he's likely forgetting Blake Schwarzenbach, who he's mentioned as an inspiration, and who haunts this tune in particular, for sure. It doesn't help the Jawbreaker flashbacks to have gravelly Ben Nichols singing on "Sequestered In Memphis," another of the album's truly kick-ass tracks.

Red leaked in fits and starts and birthed "Pork And Beans"'s beloved YouTube-centric video before we'd heard the album from start to finish. Though we had most of it. If you add it up -- three plus four and carry the aforementioned single -- that's eight new Weezer songs. That left two small gaps, right at the end of the record: "Automatic" and "The Angel And The One." So, are those two any kind of tipping point? Or has the point already been made? Oh, before that, we should mention that we also have the somewhat bland cover of the Band's "The Weight" as the sing-a-long UK "bonus." Americans, you aren't missing much.

Three years ago Apologies To The Queen Mary established Wolf Parade as major indie players. Since then, though, the core members' various other projects and collaborations, including Handsome Furs, Frog Eyes, Swan Lake, and Sunset Rubdown (especially), became the main focus. In fact, at times we wondered quietly and to ourselves if there ever would be another Wolf Parade album. Well, of course, there would be, we just had Sunset Rubdown hype on the brain -- it's here, and it's very good. The Montreal band's nine new songs arrive under the At Mount Zoomer moniker, which as we mentioned, is named after drummer Arlen Thompson's studio Mount Zoomer, where it was recorded. Those devils.

Let's get this out of the way first: The worst part of Evil Urges is the admittedly crapola cover art. But then, nobody buys records these days anyhow, so that shouldn't be much of a problem (oh, how we kid -- besides, Coverflow). Seriously, though -- parts of My Morning Jacket's fifth studio album are schizo ("Highly Suspicious," anyone?) but the 13 tracks (and tiny, screeching "Good Intentions" sample that close the record) eventually do congeal into a powerful whole. If you give it some time. There are more than a few immediate standouts like the excellent title track (we've all heard that one by now) and a couple songs that lodged themselves into our eardrums the moment we heard them at Jim James' pin-drop quiet SXSW solo set: The instantly classic, post-James Taylor "Sec Walkin'" ("left leg, right leg, one leg at a time, I keep on walkin'....") and beautifully emotional, Rocky Mountain high "Look At You" ("such a glowing example of peace and glory..."). The latter would be comfortable on any soft rock station, and felt especially fitting when we listened to it in church, but each track has enough power to kick it like the bad-ass Kentucky roots-rock it is...

Formed way back in 2005, Tokyo Police Club have had a ton of success on the back of two very short EP's -- 2006's Lesson In Crime and Smith, the following year. On the Ontario quartet's first full-length Elephant Shell there are maybe a couple songs that aren't as crisp as band's best, but we have to say that the guys have successfully made the transition from the EP to LP format (granted, they blast through their 11 songs in 28 minutes). You've already heard "In A Cave" with its fuzz-up bass, handclaps, and group chants. Not a surprise. There are some, though.

The best laid plans and all that. We know the Raconteurs tried their darndest to get Consolers Of The Lonely to everyone at the same time with a super short release schedule, but it's impossible to prepare for everything (in this case, the dreaded, institutionalized iTunes leak). Realistically, the fact that Jack and Brendan and the boys didn't get their sophomore follow up to Broken Boy Soldiers into everyone's hands today (3/25) as planned won't hurt much besides Jack's feelings in the long run. Plus, it allowed for interesting interactions with your beloved Web Sheriff. And the music?

Danger Mouse is a good producer. Or at least we like the accents and aesthetic he brings to his projects. His dreamy sheen saves much of the mediocre Odd Couple, for instance. In general, there's better songwriting on the Black Keys fifth album, and follow up to 2006's Magic Potion, Attack & Release, but the woozy choirs, ghostly keys, and spectral whirls he adds to Daniel Auerbach and Patrick Carney's blues rock, pushes the Akron duo into engaging new directions. Remember, these dudes didn't always record in official studios. Then again, good blues players don't need to...

As we mentioned, when discussing the demos at Peter Morén's MySpace, he sounds a tad sad without Bjorn and John. He also sounds wordy. And like Wham!. And Robyn Hitchcock (especially Eye). Recorded over two years, Morén's first solo album The Last Tycoon is an understated effort -- mostly the man alone with his guitar with some handclaps (ok, a ton), strings, vibes, synthesizers, piano, bedroom percussion, drum machine, vibraphone, harmonica, and a singing saw (see "Missing Link"). A wooden noisemaker adds a Latin flamenco flair to "Twisted" and its well heed words of advice: "Don't overrate yourself / it could have been someone else." True enough. The accents and different sonic textures add to the variety, but the focus is largely Morén's words and his elliptical storytelling. Listen closely -- the lyrics often don't add up to more than skeletal outlines for the shortest of stories, though there are enough charming details, smart lines. It's a different sort of narrative ... insert Writer's Block joke here.

We've already given a few hints about our feelings for Mountain Battles, the Breeders' first album since Title TK. In case you missed it before: We're basically blown away that Kim and Kelly sound so fresh after -- relatively speaking -- so long. Mountain Battles was recorded over a number of years, across locales, and with different producers (Steve Albini, Erika Larson, Manny Nieto), and languages (German, English, Spanish), but it impressively sounds cohesive and whole. We like some songs less or more than others, but there're no duds. Basically, the Deal sisters, along with Title TK players drummer Jose Medeles and bassist Mando Lopez. have returned to form to school any number of indistinguishable indie upstarts. Listen up indistinguishable indie upstarts.