Never Shout Never - 'What Is Love?'
tf: hahaha. 
This dude's songs are so disappointing every time he comes out with anything new... I'm kind of sick of wasting my time. He's got undeniable potential to lay down well-tracked songs but he sounds like a 10 year old girl playing princess when you listen to the lyrics. I can't stand it.
Alesana - 'The Emptiness'
tf: nope. 
The actual instrumentation on this album is pretty good to say the least - I was fairly impressed... but this brand of emocore vocals just isn't really my thing... I couldn't get into it at all and probably didn't give it a fair chance, but it's just not for me.
The Wonder Years - 'The Upsides'
tf: ehhh. 
I don't have a whole lot to say about 'The Upsides'... just that I was expecting something a little more memorable. I didn't really hear anything I haven't heard from your average pop-punk band. However, the thing I do like about these guys is that they're completely fucking around... They don't seem to particularly love the genre of music they're in, but damn it they're going to have fun doing it.
Spoon - 'Transference'
tf: ehhh.
I'm still not really sure what I think about this album... and I'm even less sure what I want to think about it, if that makes sense. It seems kind of hard NOT to like Spoon's simplistic, buzzy song structures and rhythms... but it's also pretty hard to find myself getting really into them too... maybe it'll catch on more with listens? And maybe I won't listen to it much at all...
Greeley Estates - 'No Rain, No Rainbow'
tf: fasho. 
Boom. The first album I've listened to this year that's got me completely jacked. It doesn't seem to be getting the greatest of reviews early on... and I'm hoping that's just because a lot of people won't understand their "transition" to a more metalcore genre in this release... these songs are HARD, so be ready.
The Felix Culpa - 'Sever Your Roots'
tf: yaysh. 
Easily the most complete album thus far in 2010... The Felix Culpa kicked a four year hiatus in the ass with 'Sever Your Roots'. Nearly every song is meticulously and perfectly crafted into the next... you can't stop at any one point, which is what I like to see sometimes. I've always been a believer in records, not singles... and The Felix Culpa know what's up.
Native - 'Wrestling Moves'
tf: yaysh.
Raw, gritty and full of emotion, this is everything I could ever want in a post-hardcore/indie album. I fell in love before I even finished the first listen... it'll be interesting to see how long this hangs on at the top of my list for 2010, being that it's only January... damn this month was packed.
Download (right-click and save!)
Manchester Orchestra - "I Could Be With Anyone"
Kevin Devine - "The Only One"
I'm not going to waste my time critiquing these two songs or placing a rating on them - they're more of a nice little bonus from last year's respective releases of 'Mean Everything to Nothing' and 'Brother's Blood'. So if you haven't checked those albums out... DO IT. Oh, and anticipate a new album from Manchester Orchestra in June. Yeah I know! You're thinking, "Already?" Yes. Already.
