New Column: One Forward, Two Back

If you'd asked me last week which new album I expected to thrill me more, the new Vampire Weekend (above) or the new Boxer Rebellion, I know which one I would have picked. And I would have been dead wrong.

This week's column examines both of those albums, and finds more to love about Vampire Weekend's odd, splendid Modern Vampires of the City than about the Boxer Rebellion's stuck-in-place Promises. Head on over to the main site to read all about it, and come back here to leave a comment.

New Column: Living for This

In this week's column, I list off my 10 most anticipated albums of the summer - everything from next week's Boxer Rebellion (above) and Vampire Weekend records to August's just-announced new Travis. And I'm curious about your lists. What are you most looking forward to this summer? And why?

I also take a look at anticipation gone wrong, in the form of the dreadful new Phoenix album, Bankrupt. As always, head to the main site to read the column, and then pop back here to leave me a comment.