Even though I'm trying to give away all the promos I never got around to listening to or didn't like, I actually do listen to a lot of the ones that fill up my mailbox. Here are a few I listened to in the last few weeks:

Sloan, Never Hear The End Of It
Buzz on this record has been universally positive and I have nothing different to report. I'm a very late arriver to the Sloan party (Between the Bridges is my shit!), which I think actually works for me because I don't have their vast back catalog to compare the new material to. This record, all 30 (!!) tracks, is full of gorgeous 70's FM radio inspired pure power pop. My only complaint is that the songs kinda run together and you can't tell when one begins and when one ends, but I'll probably end up listening to this all the way through, as opposed to specific tracks, so even that's no biggie. Recommended.

Dean & Britta, Back Numbers
This is a nice enough record, Ms. Smith really digs it, but it's too Luna-like for me. I am still bitter about Luna breaking up, so it will be a while before I can listen to this with a clear conscience. A long while. I still can't bring myself to listen to any Malkmus, and Pavement broke up when?

Robbers On High Street, The Fatalist and Friends
I love EP's. Give me four great songs that can grab my attention and a good EP will stay in my rotation much longer than a merely okay album. This definitely qualifies, even if they veer a bit too far into Britt Daniel's territory. Still, lotsa fun. Recommended. Grab it on iTunes.

Paul Weller, Hit Parade
I got the single disc sampler from this collection and I almost short-circuited my car stereo because I was drooling so much. Although, it might be a while before I actually pick the box set up because I already have most of it on the individual CD's. But if you want to immerse yourself in all things Modfather, you can't go wrong with either one. Recommended.

The Shins, Wincing The Night Away
I'm already on the record about how much I like this record. I've had it for a while and it hasn't grown stale at all. The whole record has this Don Henley, "Boys Of Summer" vibe that I'm really loving. Although I don't know why they went with "Phantom Limb" for the first single. They go into the second verse instead of the chorus the first time through, so the big payoff doesn't come until the second half of the song. Not exactly radio ready, but then again, I guess radio's not going to play it, so...*shrug* Also, they were positively horrible on SNL. Shockingly so.

LCD Soundsystem, Sound Of Silver
Yeah, it's good, but it sounds like James Murphy cut up the Nike song and remade it into a bunch of similar tracks. I'll listen to it on the treadmill, but that's about it.

Bloc Party, Weekend In The City
Hated it the first few times I listened to it, but it's grown on me a bit. Definitely not as hooky and catchy as the last record. I guess they're trying to prove to everyone how grown up they are. I still think these guys are overrated, but not as overrated as Sufjan. Yikes!

The Vita Ruins, Thanks For Your Concern (But We're Okay)
Another EP! This one by a local DC band I booked to play the last Unbuckled. They play the best kind of rock, drugged out and spacey as fuck. Their influences are very apparent; Spiritualized, Doves, Ride, MBV and even a bit of Coldplay (the guitars, not Chris Martin). Good stuff. Check 'em out on Myspace.

The Panda Band, This Vital Chapter
I wanted to like this on band name alone, but I just couldn't get into it. The music is bright and peppy, but after three listens, I couldn't hum a single tune or recall a memorable hook. And then I went back to listening to the Sloan record.