Quick Music Jerk 3: Dirk, Responding to Feedback So Hard and Your Weekly Album Mandates

Dirk.

1.  Dirk.  Because this week belongs to him.

2.  I'd like to deliver a thanks to all of you who provided feedback, opinions, and even some general bitching about last week's playlist of songs I love by bands I hate.  A few notes on that:

• Those of you upset by my inclusion of U2--I understand.  If my favorite band had peaked when I was eight years old, I'd be frustrated, too.
• As I told a friend last week, I probably don't "hate" The Shins.  I think I'm just frustrated by how bored and indifferent I am to them these days.  Or maybe that I ever thought they were worth getting excited about. In life, someone has to pay for our unmet expectations.
• Arcade Fire in some ways is my kryptonite--but I find that criticism of Arcade Fire is the kryptonite for many of you.  I've got a hairline like Lex Luthor, so I might as well embrace it.
• The Weezer point, on the other hand, seemed to resonate with many of you.  Though I must lend some credence to the theory my best friend Clint has on this matter: Maybe it isn't Weezer that has changed.  Maybe WE'VE outgrown them and we either can't admit it or forgive them for THAT fact.

3.  Three albums I'm listening to this week for a variety of reasons and, therefore, you should be listening to:

Adorn EP by Mint Julep: Every now and then a random band or artist will stumble upon my blog and request to follow me on Twitter.  Well, something truly special has landed in my lap in the form of this husband/wife shoegaze/electronic project from Portland, Oregeon.  This 3-song EP is a mere teaser for their upcoming LP and it packs a wallop.  Gorgeous, layered sheets of sound and beats create a complex yet completely accessible and addictive sound.  A tiny little epic beauty.

For fans of: School of Seven Bells, Phantogram

i Want!  i Want! by Walk the Moon: Another somewhat random discovery (though I work hard at that sometimes) who has become a mainstay of my iPod and my brain the last week or so.  It's well-crafted indie guitar pop that retains a fine balance between weird and direct, serious and silly (the album includes a "chipmunk" version of one of the songs--and it actually doesn't sound half bad).  They're not forging bold new ground, but they sure seem to have taken the elements you like--even the seemingly ill-fitting ones--and found a way to mold it in to something so damned catchy and fun.  A great, great summer record.

For fans of: The Stills, Dirty Projectors, Ra Ra Riot

Teenage Hate by The Reatards: If you don't or can't love punk rock, this album isn't for you.  Plain and simple.  This complete (I believe) collection of tracks from the late, great Jay Reatard and his teenage 3-piece punk rock band is angry, funny, catchy, and rough around all edges.  But there is no denying the brilliant undercurrent present at nearly all times which hints at the solo brilliance to come and vanish all too quickly.  Some of us (including myself) just need this kind of music sometimes to remember what it was like and what it still sometimes feels like to boil with raw emotion.

For fans of: Jay Reatard, The Oblivians, other quality noise punk