There’s a lot to like about the newest offering from Los Campesinos!, and even if you can’t enjoy the driving twee pop or clever lyrics, we Missourians can at least appreciate the shout-out to our home in the song “A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; Or, Letters from Me to Charlotte.”

The song is a good sampling of what you can expect from “Romance is Boring.” Longtime fans of the band will also be happy to know that this album is relatively similar to their last project, 2008’s “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.” Just as on that album, the listener can feel the presence of all seven members on each track because the band excels at layering the instrumentation and the vocals, from buzzing guitars to a keyboard imitating a music box to half-spoken vocals with swelling feedback. To add to the busyness, Los Campesinos! also employ a boy-girl attack and occasionally use the whole group to sing in chorus or lead a shout-along.

With the instruments all doing their own thing like mechanisms in a finely-tuned machine, The Peasants! proclivity to switch styles mid-song can have the effect of sounding like, well, like throwing a wrench into everything. But theirs is a controlled chaos in which neither the band members nor the listener loses sight of the song’s intent. If the guitar ratchets up the menace (as on “Plan A”) it’s to complement the similarly agitated lyrics. If there’s one major fault on “Romance is Boring,” it’s that the vocals of frontman Gareth, delivered in a near-spoken manner, leave something melodic to be desired.

Don’t let the group’s “pop” label scare you away. Sure they can bounce a melody along with the best of them, but lyrically the band is more likely to sing about prescription pill abuse and anorexia (“The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future”), sexual impotence and violence (“Straight in at 101”), and heresy and ennui (“Who Fell Asleep In”) than anything you’d hear come out of a former Mouseketeer.

But amid this cast of desperate characters, Los Campesinos! are at their best when they’re looking for the silver lining. That Missouri-shaped bruise isn’t yellow, they tell us; it’s golden.

Spoon, the indie-rock band best known for their irresistibly upbeat ode to the little man, “The Underdog,” has just released its seventh album, “Transference.” The album art, prominently featuring a young man languidly slumped in a large chair, has no thematic bearing on the quality of the album—Spoon just makes rocking look easy. This is not an album produced by slackers. Like always, Spoon delivers. Nor is it a drastic departure from Spoon’s previous style. This album has the same relentlessly manic heartbeat, guaranteed to induce more than a little head-bobbing and hip-shaking in all but hopeless killjoys and quadriplegics. This is a more organic-sounding album, though, reminiscent of garage rock. Following the critically drooled-over (deservedly so) 2007 album “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga,” Spoon has stripped down to produce a raw work, without sacrificing anything in terms of quality. Like Brad Pitt.

A good number of songs on the album deal with somewhat heavy themes. “Written in Reverse” immediately references a hearse, which in the hands of a less competent band would sound like the brooding emo poetry of that weird goth kid you knew in high school. In Spoon’s hands, though, issues with love and emotional distance are conveyed with convincing emotion and attitude—there is no whining. “Nobody Gets Me But You” communicates alienation without descending into despair or self-pity. “Laura” is pretty and lulling but sad. There aren’t any songs that are particularly sunny. That said, the album is far from depressing or slow—every song is alive and kicking.

The drumbeats and guitar hooks on the album are undeniably catchy. The songs feel alive, filled with energy and verve. “Is Love Forever” pounds along, making it hard to resist tapping your foot in time with the drums. “Trouble Comes Running” just rocks. Starting off with a bit of bare-bones garage-rock guitar, the song soon explodes with an impassioned “Oh!” from Britt Daniel and an invigorating drumbeat. All of the musical components—drums, guitar, voice, piano—come together wonderfully. “Got Nuffin” begins with drumming, then layers on guitar, singing and eventually piano. It all comes together like a delicious rock ‘n’ roll cake. Each component is individually emphasized at times, then seamlessly brought back into the general amalgamation of music. In contrast to the other tracks, “Laura” contains a piano lullaby. Despite its lack of a drum part and its mournful notes, Laura moves along steadily. None of the songs lag; this is a consistently enjoyable work.

One of the best things about this album is Britt Daniel’s voice. It’s slightly rough, with a gripping emotional intensity. On “Written in Reverse,” he nearly wails some of the lyrics, delivering a bare intensity that many too-pretty song renditions lack. His singing feels real. His vocal variations add to the ever-interesting vibe. On “Who Makes Your Money,” there are moments when his voice is a bit distorted, as though it is being delivered through a fan. The effect is bitingly alien. Daniel also punctuates with “Oohs” and other little emotional embellishments, fitting well rather than sounding silly or melodramatic. On “Laura,” his humming blends soothingly with rest of the song, contributing to its dreamy feel.

“Transference” proves, as does Brad Pitt in “Fight Club” (and several other movies), that stripping down a bit can produce fantastic results. Fans of indie, rock, or good music in general will enjoy this album; Celine Dion devotees might not.

Last spring, I unofficially knew “Idol” performance night as WTF-Tuesdays, because every week, Adam gave an even less predictable performance than he did the week before. This album gives off a similar vibe. Songs range from the synthesizing pop-dance beats of the opening song “Music Again” to the tantalizingly drawn out ballad “Broken Down.” Both songs, like most of the album, showcase Adam’s ridiculously large range that brought him to the top of the pack this season.

Because he can sing just about anything, Adam has been called a vocal chameleon. This is both a positive and a negative on this album. Writing credits on “For Your Entertainment” feature many famous musicians, and it shows. “Soaked,” written by Muse’s Matthew Bellamy, has a Mediterranean vibe that Adam sings wonderfully, but it sounds exactly like a Muse song. And, I’m surprised every time I listen to “Whatya Want From Me” when Adam starts singing. Written by Pink, this unofficial second single sounds exactly like something she would record. Not that I’m complaining. These two tracks are two of my favorites on the record, focusing on a softer side of Adam’s vocals and revealing his own sensitive side.

The title track, “For Your Entertainment,” is a different story. This is a song I would hear in any dance club. The first time I heard it, I stopped in the middle of the song. Adam’s voice sounded processed, like nothing like I’d expect from someone with such beautiful vocals. The slightly sadistic lyrics (“do you know what you got into/ Can you handle what I’m ‘bout to do/ Cuz it’s about to get rough for you/ I’m here for your entertainment”) certainly didn’t help. But then on second and third (and ninth and 10th…) listen, I started to love the song. It has a great beat, and it is perfect for dancing. After half a year of being confined into the “American Idol mold,” Adam is getting to express himself here. And it’s just fun.

Many other songs also highlight Adam’s raw sexual power. “Strut” and “Fever” are two examples. Both feature gender-neutral pronouns like “you,” allowing Adam to ambiguously express his true nature. And they both encourage the listener to get rid of all their inhibitions like Adam did, and, as the producer of “Fever,” Lady Gaga, once pronounced—to just dance. Songs like “If I Got You” and “Sure Fire Winners” give Adam even more opportunity to proclaim who he is and show the world that he honestly doesn’t care what people think of him. And they are just so fun to listen to.

All in all, “For Your Entertainment” is an extremely fun album. It gives Adam slightly less opportunity to showcase his raw vocal power than I was expecting, but I haven’t heard an album in a really long time that made me just want to get up and go crazy as much as this one does—that is, go crazy in a good way.

Rating: 3.5/5
For fans of: Lady Gaga, David Bowie
Songs to download: ‘Whatya Want From Me’, ‘For Your Entertainment’, ‘Soaked’

On “The Fame Monster,” Lady Gaga uses her original formula (dance beat underneath catchy lyrics) but branches out into many new territories at the same time. The album’s first two singles, “Bad Romance” and “Telephone,” are by far the most recognizably “Gaga” songs. The songs are modern dance-pop filled with synthesizers and catchy lyrics galore. The former song, though it may be the first single, is probably the weakest song on the album. Of all of the songs, it took the longest amount of time to like. On “Bad Romance,” some of her singing is a little cacophonous and can therefore turn people off. That said, after a few listens, its catchiness is irresistible.

“Telephone,” on the other hand, is definitely one of the best on the album. It is high energy, club ready and, of course, catchy. Beyoncé features on this song as the only guest on the EP. The self-proclaimed diva leaves her runs and high notes at home, as she assumes her “Sasha Fierce” personality and swaggers across the song. She fits perfectly well in between Gaga’s verses, and the combination of two of today’s most popular superstars is hard to resist.

As on her first album, Gaga doesn’t only produce dance-centric tracks on “The Fame Monster,” but she also adds two slower songs that further diversify the album. The first, “Speechless,” sounds like a rock ‘n’ roll power ballad with its heavy piano chords and spare instrumentation. It is on this song that the eccentric singer really shows off her skills. She has a real voice, and she isn’t afraid to use it on this song, contrary to what many say about her. “So Happy I Could Die” is less of a ballad and more of a slow, peaceful, ethereal pop song. It is calm, collected and shows a different side of the energetic Gaga.

Elsewhere on the album, Lady Gaga changes up her style and takes us back to the 1980s with “Dance in the Dark” and “Monster.” These synth-heavy throwbacks manage to mix the modern dance beats with the ’80s sounds. “Monster” is not as danceable as some of her previous hits but is still high energy enough to get people moving. As usual, the song’s lyrics are catchy, if not extremely confusing, as Gaga sings about a guy who “is a monster:” “He ate my heart, and then he ate my brain.”

By far the strangest song, though, is “Teeth.” This song is reminiscent of a southern saloon song with its heavy, continual bass drum and sleigh bells. Throughout the song, Gaga demands that her guy show her his teeth. While the song’s meaning isn’t clear, there is no doubt that Gaga is heavily referencing vampires throughout the song (“Help, need a man now, show me your fangs”). While “Teeth” is definitely a strange, out-of-this-world song, Gaga pulls it off like only she can.

After a slew of club-ready hits produced by RedOne, Lady Gaga released “The Fame Monster” EP, which shows just how versatile she really is. While she has certainly become an icon, she is more than just that or a one-trick pony. She can sing ballads just as well as she can sing catchy dance-pop. She is undeniably creative, she can make whatever music she feels like, and she can do it better than most.

Rating: 4.5/5
For fans of: Britney Spears, Madonna, Ke$ha, Cascada
Tracks to download: ‘Telephone’, ‘So Happy I Could Die’, ‘Monster’

Rating: 3.5/5
For fans of: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Kills, The White Stripes
Tracks to download: ‘I bet you there are some burley dudes on that ship…’. ‘Pressure Check’, and ‘Clean it up’

The album’s first track, “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” takes wing as well. Like the pooch from the cover, the song excels so much because in most logical worlds, it wouldn’t. The guitars and drums stack up like a homemade tower of popsicle sticks, leaning with the wind during the verses and catching flame at the top like a lighter when the chorus hits. Frontman Rivers Cuomo’s and Butch Walker’s lyrics carry the flame and piece together a narrative that doesn’t strive to be cohesive or glamourous. It rambles the way a pre-teen does when he or she is entranced by and afraid of his or her strange, new feelings.

With the first song, Weezer is out to prove that “The Red Album” was not aberration—the band has vehemently wiped “Make Believe’s” gloss-pop from their set-lists, and I hope most of that gets wiped from my memory, too.

In the album’s subsequent numbers, Weezer reconnects with its funny bone. “I’m Your Daddy” comes straight from the soul of that guy who puffs up his chest at the clubs. Cuomo sings, “I would like to give a demonstration/ Of what it is I do/ I’ll take you out to dinner at Palermo’s/ We’ll split a cheese fondue,” and I can see the hair gel now.

“The Girl Got Hot,” with its sweeping “whooaaaaas” and bouncing guitar riffs, embodies the speaker’s blank stare in the face of this “goodness me” hot girl. That means the song is devoid of meaning, but man, is it silly. And catchy.

Strangely enough, it’s a song titled “Can’t Stop Partying” that carries the album’s deeper meanings. From its synth-laden beginnings, the song’s voice tries its hardest to give off the “I’m the party-goer type!” vibe. The point, however, is that this is Weezer playing this song, and the nerd-lords of alternative rock realize that even with all their fame and fortune, they can’t throw a gig that doesn’t eventually turn into a “shindig.”

With the urge to reinvent always present, Weezer is admirable for nearly always staying true to its geeked-out roots. Of course, there are songs where the band strays too far; “Let It All Hang Out” and “In the Mall” are both catchphrases stretched thin. And to the dismay of the “Pinkerton” fans out there, Cuomo’s lyrics are rarely personal and are certainly not torn from his heartstrings.

However, songs like “I Don’t Want To Let You Go” and, if you can believe it, “Love is the Answer,” are beautiful in a way that is both understated and childlike. If these songs represent how close Cuomo will let himself explore his own demons, I’ll gladly take it.

Of course, even in the lesser songs, Cuomo’s voice shines, the same way it did in the band’s shy debut 15 years ago. “Raditude” is sort of like a Road Trip flick. It starts out strong, with a full tank of gas and delusions of grandeur, and while the family celebrates when they make it to their destination, they can’t completely forget about all the potholes and…malls they hit on the way.

Rating: 4/5
For fans of: The Rentals, The All-American Rejects, The Get Up Kids
Tracks to download: ‘(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To)’, ‘The Girl Got Hot’, ‘I Don’t Want to Let You Go’

One of the most glaring deficiencies of “Play On” is the fact that most of the tracks are generic pop songs that do little to captivate the listener. Songs such as “Undo It,” “Songs Like This” and “Unapologize” offer nothing noteworthy. They sound listless and stale. There is little to distinguish them from any other modern pop song, and Ms. Underwood’s impressive voice cannot repair the damages. Even when Ms. Underwood tries creative flourishes to salvage a song, such as featuring the country band Sons of Sylvia on “What Can I Say,” the results are disappointing. Instead of being a heartfelt duet, “What Can I Say” becomes a vehicle for Ms. Underwood to pointlessly sing at the top of her lungs and obscure the contributions of Sons of Sylvia.

To add insult to injury, some of the most memorable songs on “Play On” are noteworthy because of their insincerity or absurdity. In  “Change,” Ms. Underwood mulls over poverty and homelessness, initially asserting, “Smallest thing can make all the difference/Love is a luck.” I was dumbfounded and confused by this conclusion, which seems non-sensical. Eventually, Ms. Underwood communicates her message that any small act of charity is noteworthy, but by that point, the song has already come across as insincere. This inability to express a meaningful thought or feeling is also present in “Mama’s Song.” Instead of writing a heartfelt song about the relationship between a mother and daughter, Ms. Underwood butchers the song and transforms it into a sappy love song in which she proclaims that she has found a man “who treats [her] like a man should.”

Fortunately, there are a few salvageable tracks on the album. Some are even memorable for their quality of musicianship. Ms. Underwood demonstrates her ability to both be charming and sing with passion on “Quitter.” Unlike most of the songs on the album, “Quitter” has a rollicking melody that is truly enjoyable. It also features one of Ms. Underwood’s most subtle and satisfying vocal performances. Ms. Underwood demonstrates her ability to be witty and perform a semi-edgy song with “Songs Like This.” Unfortunately, this charm that Ms. Underwood has is absent throughout most of the album.

Carrie Underwood’s newest release, “Play On,” is unfortunately a monotonous and listless album that does little to highlight Ms. Underwood’s vocal talents and inherent charm. Most of the album is generic and stale, offering listeners few pleasurable moments. A few of the songs do highlight Ms. Underwood’s talents, demonstrating how she can be quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between, and most of the album feels staid and boring.

Rating: 1.5/5
For fans of: Taylor Hicks, Kelly Clarkson, American Idol
Tracks to download: ‘Quitter’, ‘Songs Like This’

The album kicks off with the titular track, “Slice.” Referencing Don McLean’s well-known song, “American Pie,” Ondrasik sounds fake and hollow. Almost exactly like “The Riddle,” Ondrasik appears to have failed to mature in the past three years since its release.

The second track, “Note to the Unknown Soldier,” would fit perfectly in any of the albums Ondrasik, The Fray or any other soft rock band has released in the past 10 years. Singing about the past, Ondrasik falls short of ingenuity, instead coming up with something vaguely reminiscent of a weak Disney song.

Ondrasik’s voice dominates “This Dance,” backed by only a sparse piano and the occasional quiet chimes. The style is almost a carbon copy of Elton John. But, as we all know, only Elton John can pull off Elton John. Ondrasik only manages a pale imitation.

Continuing through the album, there is not much differentiation between tracks. In fact, I became confused at several points as to when songs started and ended.

“Hope” actually represents a departure from the rest of the album. Opening with a ditty evocative of a drinking song, the song quickly morphs into a country ballad.

The penultimate track on the album, “Love Can’t Change the Weather,” crashes and burns. Sounding like the final number of a B-list Vegas musical, Ondrasik takes meaninglessness to new highs. Love can’t change the weather? Really? What does that even mean?

The final track, “Augie Nieto,” returns to the Disney theme. Reminiscent of both “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin,” Ondrasik appears to be trying to mewl his way into the spotlight again. An unremarkable ending to an unremarkable album.

Bottom line: If you’ve heard anything by Five for Fighting, The Fray or a plethora of other artists, skip it. Pick up something that better represents this genre.

Rating: 1.5/5
For fans of: The Fray, Aqualung, Jack’s Mannequin
Tracks to download: ‘Slice’, ‘Story Of Your Life’

The lead single, “My Wena,” characterizes the band’s frat boy humor. Opening with a catchy guitar riff, this song describes the lead singer’s relationship with his unfortunately named girlfriend. The chorus takes over every opportunity for sexual innuendo, and lyrics like “She’s only happy when I’m holding her tight/ my Wena” certainly prove this.

More of the songs seem like a bored frat boy wrote them about the things he loves—beer (“Hooray for Beer”) and his best friend (“BFFF”). Like most of the album, these songs have appealing melodies and comical lyrics, but the combination of the lyrics and music seems wrong. One would expect a 21-year-old coed to performing these songs, not a 38-year-old singer who should be changing his sound as he matures.

The opening track, “Sounds Like a Dance Song,” is a pop-punk, synthesized song where the band tries to comment on the state of the music industry. When trying to lament the fact that the pop-rock industry seems to be dying out in favor of dance hits, lyrics like “I can’t wait for the remix…it’s gonna be a really big hit” come off as more in-your-face than scathing, or even funny.

In the best songs on the album—“Only Young” and “Me With No You”—Bowling for Soup jumps from their standard comedy pop-rock formula in a poignant way. The anthemic “Only Young” posits a hopeful message about being young against a rising chorus, and “Me With No You” is a low-key love song where a boy is just trying to find himself after a breakup.

There are a couple of moments on this album that just don’t belong. “No Hablo Ingles” is an awkward mashup of the lead singer trying to get out of some really unfortunate situations by claiming that he does not speak English. For some strange reason, matador music plays in the middle of the song. Maybe the band is trying to play up how Spanish it is pretending to be? In “I Gotchoo,” the music switches from upbeat pop to death metal in the middle of the song. Also, the bonus track on the album inexplicably is a Belgian polka. I guess it was fun to hear once, but really: Who wants to listen to a Belgian polka?

I would have preferred this album more if the lyrics were printed out and billed as a book of comedic poetry or if the music was merely instrumental for me to jam out to. All the components are there, but placing immature lyrics on top of surprisingly pleasant music just doesn’t work for me. At least some of the songs show signs of growing maturity, so here’s to hoping that more songs like “If Only” will show up on Bowling for Soup’s 11th studio album.

Rating: 2.5/5
For fans of: New Found Glory, Boys Like Girls
Tracks to download: ‘Only Young’, ‘Me With No You’, ‘Don’t Wish You Were Dead Anymore’

If you read PerezHilton.com, then you have probably heard of the band Gossip, formerly known as “The” Gossip. The band, fronted by singer Beth Ditto, is a favorite of the site’s creator and is therefore frequently featured on the Web site. The band’s new album, “Music for Men,” with its awesome ’80s-tinged music, shows why the band is one of his favorites, though it still has room for improvement.

Much of “Music for Men” sounds like it has been imported from the punk era in the ’80s. The heavy bass, simple drum beats and twinkling synthesizer-piano account for this, especially in songs like “Love Long Distance.” The heavy synthesizer in this song gives it a strong funky ’80s vibe, while Ditto’s singing also fits the music of that decade. It is fun and danceable, as is a lot of this album. “Heavy Cross” and “Men in Love” would also easily fit into the same genre of music.

The latter song (“Men in Love”) is certainly chock full of ’80s fun, but it doesn’t fully deliver the way other songs on the album do. On the song’s breakdown, Ditto restrains her voice so that it sounds weak and breathy, making her sound like she can’t sing. This is a problem throughout the album. While Ditto’s voice shines on some songs, on others its punk quality sounds strained and screechy. On “Spare Me from the Mold,” Ditto screams over the cacophonous punk track. Although this may fit into their intended genre, her “hut, hut, hut, hut”s are just grating to the ears. The song is the worst on “Music for Men.”

“Vertical Rhythm,” on the other hand, is clearly one of the best of the album. For the verses, Ditto sings soulfully over sparse guitar picking and drums. In the chorus, the song adds more instruments, but the verses are what really make this song interesting. Her punk voice sounds almost haunting over the instrumental track, and she emits a great “who cares” attitude when singing about her failed relationship. “2012” is another song on the album that is fairly simple but undeniably catchy. It is a bit more punk than some of the other songs on the album, for which Ditto strains her voice a little, but with success on this song. Although it is unclear what the song has to do with 2012, its lyrics are clever nonetheless.

While many of the songs on “Music for Men” are fun and danceable, Gossip makes sure to add in some that are slower and more relaxed. With its bluesy bass and strutting vibe, the album’s first track, “Dimestore Diamond,” is one such example. “Love and Let Love,” while a little faster, still has a chilled-out feel to the music, which can probably be attributed to its funky bass line. Although Ditto does wail on this song, she controls her voice in such a way that it fits in with the song and actually sounds good.

Gossip’s “Music for Men” is by no means perfect. It is boring in some parts (see “For Keeps”) and cacophonous in others (“Spare Me from the Mold”), so why does it deserve so much attention? No, it’s not great, but Gossip is bringing something to the industry that no one else is really doing: The band is bringing back the ’80s with funky basses and wild synthesizers.