What To Shop For : 2008

<div><a href="features/features/what_to_shop_for_:_2008/"><img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/whattoshopfor2008.jpg" alt=" " /></a> <br /></div><p>American may have been in a recession since <em>last</em> December, but it's the holiday time and damned if we aren't going to...

Albums:

Annuals : Such Fun
Up until now, Annuals might have been stuck at the indie-rock kids' table – but that's all about to change. Read more…
 
Annuals/Sunfold : Wet Zoo EP 
Annuals show off a different side – and side project – on Wet Zoo EP, adding a little bit of country to their rock ‘n’ roll. Read more…
 
Arms : Kids Aflame
Harlem Shakes' guitarist Todd Goldstein steps out on his own as Arms with his debut, Kids Aflame. Read more…
 
Atlas Sound : Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel
Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox crisscrosses the latitudes and longitudes of waking and dreaming world in his solo project as Atlas Sound, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel. Read more…
 
Beck : Odelay – Deluxe Edition 
Alt-alt singer/songwriter Beck’s 1996 breakthrough release, Odelay, gets the deluxe treatment – and hold up very well. Read more…
 
Brian Birdwell : Volume 1
Brian Birdwell delivers irony and attitude along with some sweet folk sounds on his debut, Volume 1. Read more…
 
The Black Keys : Live at the Crystal Ballroom DVD
This DVD captures the band's stellar April 2008 gig in Portland, Oregon. Read more…
 
Blitzen Trapper : Furr
After three self-released albums, Blitzen Trapper put their latest effort out through Sub Pop. Read more…
 
Bon Iver : For Emma, Forever Ago
Justin Vernon touches the soul with beauty and emotion on his debut release, For Emma, Forever Ago. Read more…
 
British Sea Power : Do You Like Music?
Brighton’s British Sea Power ask and answer on their third full length, Do You Like Rock Music?. Read more…
 
The Broken West : Now or Heaven
The Broken West seriously up their game on their second release, Now or Heaven, reaching new heights. Read more…
 
Clinic : Do It!
Clinic keep riding their pony through their one-horse town on their latest, Do It!. Read more…
 
The Coast : Expatriate
Sky meets sea in a foreign land as Canada’s The Coast deliver their impressive, atmospheric full-length debut, Expatriate. Read more…
 
Constantines : Kensington Heights
Constantines are more pressing and impressing on their latest, Kensington Heights. Read more…
 
Cut Copy : In Ghost Colours
This Aussie dance-rock outfit is poised to take over summer '08 with utterly intoxicating grooves. Read more…
 
The Danks : Samples
Out of Prince Edward Island, Canada, comes the undeniable catch of The Danks on their debut release, Samples EP. Read more…
 
Death Cab for Cutie : Narrow Stairs
Indie-rock all-stars Death Cab for Cutie return stronger than ever with their second major-label release, Narrow Stairs. Read more…
 
The Eels : Meet The Eels
The Eels deliver a full and fair compilation of decade’s worth of tunes on their greatest hits collection, Meet The Eels: Essential Eels, Vol. 1 1996-2006. Read more…
 
Elbow : The Seldom Seen Kid
With everything from deeply orchestral rock to eccentric lounge grooves, Elbow's fifth album is easily its most diverse and complex to date. Read more…
 
Electric President : Sleep Well
Electric President sing you a sweet indietronic lullaby on their sophomore full-length, Sleep Well. Read more…
 
Evangelicals : The Evening Descends
One of the most intricately psychotic albums of recent memory, Evangelicals' second album is a complicated beauty. Read more…
 
The Faint : Fasciination
Disco-dance-tech gets more compelling as The Faint go their own way on Fasciinatiion. Read more…
 
The Felice Brothers : The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers bring it all back home on their self-titled American debut. Read more…
 
Flight of the Conchords : Flight of the Conchords
“New Zealand’s former fourth-most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a cappella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo” jump from screen back to record with their hilarious and catchy self-titled LP. Read more…
 
Frightened Rabbit : Liver! Lung! FR!
On the live Liver! Lung! FR!, Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit are both stripped and grand. Read more…
 
The Futureheads : This Is Not the World
Tomorrow looks a little brighter on The Futureheads’ latest release, This Is Not the World. Read more…
 
Ghostkeeper : Children of the Great Northern Muskeg
A fresh take on an old sound comes out of the prairies of Canada on twin sides of Ghostkeeper’s debut, Children of the Great Northern Muskeg. Read more…
 
Hot Chip : Made In the Dark
The electro-pop group's third album is both ear-poppingly vivid and refined with a wildly diverse range of sounds. Read more…
 
Benji Hughes : A Love Extreme
Benji Hughes delivers a belly full of material when he debuts with the double-disc A Love Extreme. Read more…
 
Illinois : The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe, Chapter One
The wide spanning and inventive Illinois embark on the first Chapter of The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe. Read more…
 
Illinois : The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe, Chapter Two
Illinois goes down home in their latest installment, as the one and only Kid Catastrophe pulls out his trusty banjo in Chapter 2 of his Adventures. Read more…
 
Land of Talk : Some Are Lakes
The next great siren from up north comes out full-bore on Land of Talk’s debut LP, Some Are Lakes. Read more…
 
Jenny Lewis : Acid Tongue
Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis draws upon what’s right about Americana rock on her second solo release, Acid Tongue. Read more…
 
Los Campesinos! : Hold On Now, Youngster…
Los Campesinos! flesh out their exciting sound on their first full-length, Hold On Now, Youngster…. Read more…
 
Los Campesinos! : We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Less than a year after the release of Hold On Now, Youngster…, the Welsh collective Los Campesinos! are out with a whole new record of original studio material. Read more…
 
The Magnetic Fields : Distortion
A clever mix of modernized 60's pop and biting lyrics, The Magnetic Fields' eighth album is stark and enchanting.  Read more…
 
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks : Real Emotional Trash
Stephen Malkmus gets Jick-y with it on their latest release, Real Emotional Trash. Read more…
 
M83 : Saturdays = Youth
Far less abstract than M83's previous releases, Saturdays = Youth is a digitized re-imagining of 80's pop and 90's shoegaze. Read more…
 
Midnight Juggernauts : Dystopia
Astralwerks poaches another great piece of the international disco-dance revolution with the American release of Midnight Juggernauts’ Dystopia. Read more…
 
Monkey : Journey to the West
Given Damon Albarn's résumé, it should be no surprise that he's made an opera soundtrack. Read more…
 
Bob Mould : District Line
Alt-rock icon Bob Mould once again delivers a mature and effective record with his latest, District Line. Read more…
 
My Morning Jacket : Evil Urges
t tends to be a great thing when an established band releases an album that shows off unexpected skills. Read more…
 
The National : Virginia EP
The National take a moment out of their skyrocketing success to look back at where they’ve been on The Virginia EP. Read more…
 
Okkervil River : The Stand Ins
Picking up where The Stage Names left off, this wonderfully seals Okkervil River's double album effort. Read more…
 
Pavement : Brighten the Corners (Nicene Creedence Edition)
Matador releases its fourth Pavement double disc re-release, Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition. Read more…
 
Photons : Photons EP
The indie-rock collective isn’t dead: the eight-person Photons are bringing it back with a new mixture of sounds on their self-titled, self-released EP. Read more…
 
Plants and Animals : Parc Avenue
With the greatest of ease, decoration and grit overlap on Plants and Animals' debut album. Read more…
 
Polarkreis 18 : The Colour of Snow
Inspired alt-rock group from Dresden ups their game. Read more…
 
R.E.M. : Accelerate
R.E.M. shifts into full throttle for their best record in over a decade, Accelerate. Read more…
 
R.E.M. : Murmur
R.E.M.'s first full-length, Murmur, comes out in a double-disc deluxe edition re-release, alongside the recording of a nearly-as-old concert. Read more…
 
Ra Ra Riot : The Rhumb Line
On their debut album, Ra Ra Riot impressively maintains their save-the-earth innocence while pushing forward. Read more…
 
The Replacements : Twin/Tone Deluxe Editions
The four studio recordings by classic eighties alt-rockers The Replacements for independent imprint Twin/Tone get the deluxe edition treatment in their re-release on Rhino. Read more…
 
The Rosebuds : Life Like
The Rosebuds give a wistful look back at the past in their latest, Life Like. Read more…
 
The Ruby Suns : Sea Lion
With so many soft, but intricate elements, The Ruby Suns' second album is a shimmering beauty reminiscent of psychedelic, coastline rock of the 60's. Read more…
 
School Of Seven Bells : Alpinisms
One of the eeriest albums of the year is also one of the most elegant. Read more…
 
Sebadoh : Bubble & Scrape Deluxe Edition
Sebadoh’s seminal, but sometimes overlooked Bubble & Scrape gets a well deserved deluxe edition re-release. Read more…
 
Shearwater : Rook
The band's fifth album is a journey down a lost highway thanks to haunted vocals and operatic riffs. Read more…
 
Sigur Ros : Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Given the inspired mystique surrounding the band, a change to sacrifice their stoic charm would be difficult to pull off. Read more…
 
Silver Jews : Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
David Berman returns to a wryer outlook on life with his latest Silver Jews release, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. Read more…
 
The Stills : Oceans Will Rise
The Stills stay anything but on Oceans Will Rise, as the band comes out more confident and assured than ever before. Read more…
 
Supergrass : Diamond Hoo Ha
Brit-rock vets re-expose their raw side with tremendous execution on their sixth album. Read more…
 
TV on the Radio : Dear Science
Perhaps already art-rock's finest edge, TV on the Radio get sharper yet again. Read more…
 
Unkle : End Titles… Stories For Film
When is an album not an album?  When Unkle takes the leftovers from a previous release, gets inspiration from visual media, and combines them in a 20+ track non-"album". Read more…
 
The Verve : Forth
They broke up on top of their game… or did they? Read more…
 
Wolf Parade : At Mount Zoomer
Several side projects by members of the band put their second album under greater anticipation and loftier expectations. Read more…
 
Xiu Xiu : Women As Lovers
Pushing the band's catalog further into cozy obscurity, Xiu Xiu's sixth album ranges from desolate to explosive. Read more…
 

Accessories:

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All DVD
America's leading newsman demands that you purchase the DVD of his Christmas special on iTunes at 5:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on Wednesday, December 3rd to knock Kanye West's 808s & Heartbeats off the #1 spot and take down man who dared to say he "will go down as the voice of the generation of this decade", when we all know the man who invented 'truthiness' is our undisputed Bob Dylan.  Includes Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Feist, and a grizzly bear.  A portion of the profits go to charity Feeding America – "the rest go to starving our enemies".  Update: We humbled him! Link…

 
Feist iSweats
Keep your iPod cozy this winter with the warm fuzzies that Feist not only sings, but puts her face on.  Link…
 
My Morning Jacket Belt Buckle
Rock your favorite band's logo right above your junk with this sweet piece of metal.  No one would dare punch your FUPA with this thing on.  Link…
 
TV on the Radio Underwear
The perfect way to shake your booty to a TVOTR song.  Just slap on a pair of these undies and your caboose will be good to go. Link…
 
We Are Scientists' W.W.W.A.S.D.? Bracelet
What better way to show your devotion than a constant reminder around your wrist that your favorite band decides everything for you?  In this case, We Are Scientists can do all of your thinking with a gentle nudge from a rubber wristband. Link…
 

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