Congrats on making it to Friday! This week was a deceptive music release week. On the one hand, you could just hear all about 50 Cent and Miranda Lambert plus the re-releases of acts from the past. Or you could notice a slew of smaller known but still quite respectfully known artists with stuff out this week. Let's just run through this: Matisyahu, Akeda; Echo & The Bunnymen, Meteorites; Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Only Run (liking this one, by the by); Bob Mould, Beauty & Ruin; Meshell Nedgeocello, Comet, Come To Me; Camper Van Beethoven, El Camino Real; and Hamilton Leithauser, Black Hours. Okay I don't know if Hamilton Leithauser has much of a respectable following but the local station I listen to has been playing the single, "Alexandria," a lot - so there you go.

When I talked to my husb on his break this morning, he asked how far I was with the releases this week. "I've listened to some," I replied at 10 o'clock on Friday morning. Holy cannoli. So you see, the list isn't very well bunka-genrefied today. The problem? I was enjoying entire albums all week long and not just rocking my usual 3 song set with a couple of skims. The other problem? I think this might just have been a good week for music.

So pick some out and enjoy - Here's the List

As for me? This is my liked list, thus far

Jukebox the Giant, The Great Unknown - To me it's as if "Walking In Memphis," that paved over a parking lot song and the band Pompeii were playdoh and this song is a twisty worm of them.

The Orwells, Disgraceland

Ryan Robinson, 3 O'Clock

Vulkano, Spider Spider [Single]

The Teen Age, Ways To Adapt - Car trip rock.

The Priests, Bodies and Control and Money and Power - Female vocal who doesn't care if she sounds "pretty."

The Donkeys, Ride the Black Wave - I listened to the album and it was all sunny California rock, but then I read the album title and now I wonder if I missed something.

Robert Francis, Heaven

Kan Wakan, Moving On

Big Smo, Kuntry Livin' - Country rap.

Lee Fields & The Expressions, Emma Jean - I saw him at Bonnaroo last year. One of those musicians who has found the fount of youth because I can't believe that he's over 50.

Blackbird Blackbird, Tangerine Sky - that vein of music that sounds like MGMT, etc.

All right, that's it for this week. I would share my To-Listen list but it's really really long this week. Too many things I liked, and/or maybe I'm just a softie this week. If you're hitting up some outdoor music this weekend - remember to stay hydrated and reapply that sunscreen! It is possible to rock out and not pay dearly the next day. Happy listening!

Friday Refrain is a weekly post regarding what new releases have caught my ear for the week. I try to compile a pretty comprehensive list of releases of the week and see what is available for me to listen to on the web. This is just my non-scientific, highly-subjective, randomly-listened-to list of stuff from the week. Oh, and I don’t always listen to lyrics or look at album art/music videos, so appropriateness is left up to the listener