New Rock&Roll& column at Barnes & Noble Review:

• Character References

New Consumer Guide for June 2009. Featured albums:

• African Pearls: Senegal 70: Musical Effervescence (Syllart) [A-]
• Leonard Cohen: Live in London (Columbia) [A]
• Doom: Born Like This (Lex) [A-]
• Bob Dylan: Together Through Life (Columbia) [B+]
• Béla Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart (Rounder) [A-]
• PJ Harvey & John Parish: "A Woman a Man Walked By (Island) [A-]
• The Hold Steady: A Positive Rage (Vagrant) [A-]
• New York Dolls: 'Cause I Sez So (Atco) [A-]
• Occidental Brothers Dance Band International: Odo Sanbra (Occidental Brothers) [A-]
• Eminem: Relapse (Aftermath/Interscope) [B-]

Honorable Mentions: Extra Golden, Strange Boys, PJ Harvey, On Ka'a Davis, Asher Roth, Buraka Som Sistema, The Rough Guide to Afrobeat Revival, Conor Oberst, Marnie Stern, Sir Lord Von Raven, The Girls, Marnie Stern, brakesbrakesbrakes, Cursive, Titus Andronicus.

Choice Cuts: Keri Hilson, Anjani, Lucky Dube.

More Duds: Bon Iver, Ciara, Peter Doherty, Fleet Foxes, Peter Bjorn and John, Jayme Stone & Mansa Sissoko.

New Rock&Roll& column at Barnes & Noble Review:

• Positive Harangues: The Hold Steady: A Positive Rage

The May 2005 issue of Blender did not, and will not, appear. Some leftover reviews intended for the issue have, however, appeared on the website:

• The Coathangers: Scramble (Suicide Squeeze) ****
• The-Dream: Love vs Money (Def Jam) ***(*)
• Neil Young: Fork in the Road (Reprise) ****

For more info on Blender, see here.

New Consumer Guide for May 2009. Featured albums:

• Art Brut: Art Brut vs. Satan (Downtown) [A-]
• Jonatha Brooke: The Works (Bad Dog) [A-]
• The Coathangers: Scramble (Suicide Squeeze) [A-]
• The Fugs: Greatest Hits 1984-2004 (Fugs) [A-]
• Lady Sovereign: Jigsaw (Midget) [A-]
• The Lonely Island: Incredibad (Universal Republic) [A-]
• Wussy: Be Here Now (Shake It) [A]
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz! (Interscope) [A-]
• Neil Young: Fork in the Road (Reprise) [A-]
• Bat for Lashes: Two Suns (Astralwerks) [C]

New Rock&Roll& column at Barnes & Noble Review:

• Charity Cases: Dark Was the Night

New Consumer Guide for April 2009. Featured albums:

• Lily Allen: It's Not Me It's You (Capitol) [A]
• Amadou & Mariam: Welcome to Mali (Nonesuch) [A]
• The Baseball Project: Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails (Yep Roc) [A]
• Dark Was the Night (4AD) [A-]
• Marianne Faithfull: Easy Come Easy Go (Decca) [A]
• Golem: Citizen Boris (JDub) [B+]
• Staff Benda Bilili: Très Très Fort (Crammed Disc) [A-]
• White Denim: Workout Holiday (Full Time Hobby) [A-]
• Shearwater: Rook (Matador) [C-]

PS: Original post repeated March's "More Duds"; this will be corrected.

New reviews:

• Buddy Holly: Memorial Collection (Geffen/Decca/UME) ***

New Rock&Roll& column at Barnes & Noble Review:

• Remembrance of Seasons Passed

New Consumer Guide for March 2009. Featured albums:

• Abe Vigoda: Skeleton (PPM) [A-]
• Buck 65: Dirtbike (no label) [B+]
• Clipse: Re-Up Gang Records Present: Re-Up Gang: The Saga Continues (BCD) [A-]
• DJ /rupture: Uproot (The Agriculture) [A-]
• Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Primary Colours (Goner) [A-]
• Kal: Radio Romanista (Asphalt Tango) [B+]
• K'naan: Troubadour (A&M/Octone) [A-]
• La Cherga: Fake No More (Asphalt Tango) [A-]
• The Living Things: Habeas Corpus (Jive) [A-]
• The Knux: Remind Me in 3 Days . . . (Interscope) [B-]

New Rock&Roll& column at Barnes & Noble Review:

• Lily Allen: The Same Everygirl After All

New reviews:

• Living Things: Habeas Corpus (Jive) ***(*)