UltraNormal

Pain sucks. New music doesn't. Here are some mini-reviews to keep you happy until the pain goes away and I can think up something worth posting:

• Eels: Shootenanny! - Wow. I love Souljacker, and this one doesn't disappoint either. From the driving riff on All in a Day's Work, to the racing jingle and humor of Dirty Girl, to the wonderful soaring strings and raw sentiment of Somebody Loves You, it's all here. The album never disappoints, no matter how far afield it goes.
• Luna: Rendezvous - If you like them, you'll like this album, there's no doubt about it. If you've never listened to them, this is a good album to start with. The Own & the Pussycat has grown on me. It's a wonderful twist on the nursery rhyme. Astronaut kicks some serious tail, and Buffalo Boots is one of the best road songs I've heard since Dire Straits.
• Massive Attack: Danny the Dog - This one snuck up on me. I usually try to keep up with them, and since their albums are usually years and years apart, I don't miss one. How this one slipped by, I'll never know. It's a soundtrack, and it shows. I need to listen to it a few more times, but if you like the laid back, trippy version of the band (Blue Lines, Protection, Teardrop), this isn't the album for you. It's more industrial and electronic than 100th Window (which was more of both than Mezzanine - my all-time, hands-down, no-close-second favorite album), and has fewer vocals. But, it's Massive Attack; how wrong can you go?

I've got some more to review, and will get to them eventually. There's also a book review coming that I'm having a hard time writing (of a book I really wanted to like, but really really didn't).