Animal Collective
Grass (single + DVD)
FatCat Records
Street: 03.21
Animal Collective = if you don’t know already, you’d better find out on your own time, in the privacy of your own home, because everyone else is cooler than you and it’s time to play catch-up
The “Grass” single from last year’s Feels, equipped with a four-video DVD and a pair of B-sides, offers a nice summation of the band’s current aesthetic. “Must Be Treeman,” though representative of their split with Black Dice and some of the Danse Manatee work, still seems like a superfluous experiment at this stage in the band’s career (probably why it’s a B-side). On the other hand, the live favorite, “Fickle Cycle,” is as strong as any track on Feels, but maybe a bit too disorganized for the album’s progression. The videos aren’t essential viewing, but why not see what these animals can do with cameras? As easy as it is to recommend anything Animal Collective has done in the last five years, this offering should be strictly designated for the Animal Collective devotee; all others should worry about acquiring the albums. –Justin Thomas Burch

Anti-Pasti
No Government the Best Of
Cleopatra Records
Street: 03.10
Anti Pasti = UK Subs +The Exploited
If you are an Anti-Pasti fan and don’t already own some 7”s and a record or two, this is the only Anti-Pasti recording you’ll ever need. But, what the hell – even if you already own them now, you can listen to some Anti-Pasti in your car or on the bus. This best-of collection contains all of their most kick-ass songs like “No Government,” “Ain’t Got Me” and “Six Guns.” No matter what kind of punk music you are into, this is an album to add to your record collection. It would be stupid to forget the bands that started punk rock. –Jeanette Moses

Anti-Social Music + The Gena Rowlands Band
The Nitrate Hymnal
Lujo Records
Street: 04.18
ASM + TGRB = A Silver Mt. Zion – mystery + Broadway lyrics
It makes me nervous anytime a post-rock guitarist takes on a pseudo-opera project. There is a reason that people who write operas have been writing them for years and years. Luckily for this particular piece, it leans more toward roadhouse theater than classical opera. The Nitrate Hymnal is the result of a musician named Bob Massey who came across some old footage of his grandparents when they were just starting their lives together soon after Pearl Harbor. Massey edited the footage and wrote a flowing chunk of music that corresponds to the various sequences of his antecedents’ lives. The music is actually well put together. The subtle use of guitar adds an interesting element to the quartet of strings. The singing is a little tacky, but would probably make much more sense if it was experienced along with the video. As it is, there is probably just too little to relate to without seeing the images of his grandparents. –Andrew Glassett

Band of Horses
Everything All the Time
Sub Pop
Street: 03.21
Band of Horses = Bonnie Prince Billy + Carissa’s Weird
A beautiful collection of shimmering guitars, reverb and singer Ben Bridwell’s vulnerable voice, Everything All the Time is a melancholy and elegant first LP from the former leaders of Carissa’s Weird. I wouldn’t expect the Pitchfork people to do anything with this album except lap it up (being that it is from Sub Pop), even if it was a warm cup of bird shit. But it’s truly an expansive and sometimes haunting set of songs. The glitzy production by Phil Ek puts Bridwell’s voice on an exposed pedestal above the layers of shining guitars, perfectly accentuating his “I’ve surely lost, but I’m still fighting” style of biting lyrics. Throughout the record, his voice remains the winning card, and his intriguing nasal charm alternately calls to mind Wayne Coyne and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler. –Tyler Ford

Bayside
Acoustic CD/DVD
Victory Records
Street: 02.28
Bayside = Alkaline Trio + Smoking Popes
Acoustic came together after the band’s van rolled last Halloween, killing drummer John “Beatz” Holohan and breaking the back of bassist Nick Ghanbarian. Vocalist/guitarist Anthony Raneri and guitarist/vocalist Jack O’ Shea finished the Never Sleep Again Tour as an acoustic two-piece, birthing the DVD at the final stop in Chicago and encouraging the acoustic CD based on the crowd response. Despite reviews accusing Bayside of capitalizing on Holohan’s death and Ghanbarian’s broken back, I don’t buy it. The CD features the standout “Winter,” written about Holohan, acoustic studio versions of previously released material, a live track, an unreleased song and a cover of Smoking Popes’ “Megan” featuring Josh Caterer of the Popes and Elliott Smith’s “Baby Britain.” The DVD has pin-dropping sound, great camera work and extras of the studio and a tribute to Holohan. If you like acoustic music and Bayside, then you can’t go wrong with this album. –Jeremy C. Wilkins