Charles Jensen | Writer

Albums I’ve purchased this year:

+44, When Your Heart Stops Beating
They kind of remind me of Sugar and Foo Fighters playing together, but I like it. It has a fresh, 90s-alterna feel to it.

Ok Go, Oh No
I was a little late to the train, but I’ve sorted it out now and I really like this band.

Avril Lavigne, Under My Skin
I’m done fighting this. I love Avril Lavigne. Do you hear me? I LOVE HER. I’m gonna tell the world. I listened to the album for two weeks straight. It’s well done.

Matchbox Twenty, More Than You Think You Are
Another belated purchase; I really like Rob Thomas’s songwriting and lyrics, and this is a good album.

Wham!, Make It Big
Is this title something George Michael is fond of uttering in men’s rooms? Whatever the case, it was a nostalgia purchase. I used to roller skate to this album in my basement. It was like Xanadu, but no ONJ.

The Blow, Paper Television
A gift from my friend Kevin, this is an interesting, quiet little album of softcore alternative electronica. Nice, different.

Matt Kearney, Nothing Left to Lose
What would happen if Coldplay picked up Duncan Sheik’s guitar and started doing a little spoken word? The answer: this.

Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
A strange album with a wide range, I really enjoy the way they inject R&B and soul into their songs. Great cover of the Femmes’s “Gone Daddy Gone.”

Dannii Minogue, Neon Nights
If it’s not clear by now, I’m gay.

Lilly Allen, Alright, Still
Oops, and I just got a little gayer. Allen mixes reggae, ska hooks, P!nk’s brand of lyrics with Shirley Manson’s anger into a pop confection you don’t mind so much when she stretches to rhyme “al fresco” with “Tesco.” Cute accent, too.

Stefy, The Orange Album
Yes, delicious. Sweet and tangy, with a thick rind of guitar and…oh, where is this metaphor going?

Young Love, Too Young to Fight It
LOVE. Reminds me of Panic! At the Disco with a heavier focus on electronic beats than guitar.

Erasure, On the Road to Nashville: (Live in Nashville)
How am I so blessed but to have TWO acoustic albums by Erasure? This one torques up the country and provides revisions of some of their older favorites like “Stop!,” “Chains of Love,” and “A Little Respect.” A must-hear.

Evanescence, The Open Door
I tried to resist, but I love Amy Lee’s voice, and sometimes I get angry too. And sad. And my dark angry sadness needs a little company. I haven’t heard it yet because I just bought it today, but it will probably keep me company in the dark angry sadness that is AWP.