Although I check out the British music magazines every time I go to the bookstore, it’s probably been two years since I bought one. In the past, its cover-affixed free CDs were like catnip to me, but as they became less adventurous, so did my willingness to fork over $10.

But now here’s one worth having: OK_COMPUTER, “free” with the February issue of MOJO magazine. With a tip of the hat to Radiohead (which adorns the mag’s cover), the disc is a 15-track collection of futurist electronic music, spanning from the 1960s to today. It begins with a double-dose of New Wave – with less-obvious cuts from The Human League and Gary Numan – but really finds its footing with Fujiya & Miyagi’s buoyant “Ankle Injuries.” While I’ve never heard of this act before, this 2006 cut is a wholly infectious feel-good anthem.

I also haven’t heard of The Peppers, but their 1973 “Pepper Box” sounds like it could have been made for today’s soulful dancefloors. The ’60s-era The Sounds of Tomorrow is represented with “Space Child,” which will appease the Joe Meek fans. Boards of Canada remixes an act named Clouddead, while the always-reliable Tangerine Dream is on hand with “Rubycon (Part One),” from 1975.

Only a couple of tracks are duds, and its wide range of discoveries (with just a hint of kitsch) reminded me of a couple of my all-time favorite compilations: SYNTH ME UP: 14 CLASSIC ELECTRONIC HITS and WIRED MAGAZINE PRESENTS: MUSIC FUTURISTS. Drive down to your local Borders now to avoid paying eBay-inflated prices later.

Easy: By sending it to us. For the most part, we are out of the CD reviewing game – partly from lack of time, partly from lack of desire after being beaten down by so many terrible discs. You’ll still see the occasional album reviewed here, but it’ll likely be something we’ve bought, rather than the unsolicited “check us out on MySpace!” junk. Apologies if that sounds harsh, but I’m throwing in the towel.

Back about 10 years ago, we used to get good soundtrack compilations for every other movie, good or bad. Nowadays, they’re rare, with Hollywood looking for any excuse to co-opt the nü-metal or the gangsta rap. But this summer has given us two gems in the Various Artist category. First, MIAMI VICE. Though shorn of a Jan Hammer remake, the disc to Michael Mann’s film plays a lot like the disc to HEAT. In other words, ultra-moody, as tracks from Moby, Mogwai and Goldfrapp would attest. Two cuts don’t fit (go away, Emilio Estafan), but Nonpoint’s remake of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” is welcome. The other good OST is for SNAKES ON A PLANE. It’s chock full of emo bands I don’t care for (Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…), but somehow everybody brings a delirious spirit to what ends up as a tremendously fun party album. It probably helps that the bad bands here are all remixed by good ones (i.e. The Baldwin Brothers). The Cobra Starship single “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” is catchy as hell, and there are some genuinely good offerings from the likes of Michael Franti & Spearhead and Cee-Lo Green that don’t fall into the guilty-pleasure category.

Theta Naught does the instrumental math-rock thing on SOUND WEAVE, and their music is crisp, free-flowing and intoxicating. But what kills it – and I mean kills it – is having poet Alex Caldiero speak his annoying words all over it. With his gruff voice and pretentious verse spoiling the good vibe, it’s akin to having your kids walk in on you during sex. Luckily, the album’s bonus disc is free of Beat wannabes, but you may not get that far to even notice.

The Gold Standard Labs label is known primarily (to me, at least) for issuing unlistenable noise. So needless to say, I was surprised to hear that Crime in Choir did not fall into that category, and furthermore, that their TRUMPERY METIER album was flat-out awesome. They play vocal-free prog rock filtered through a defiantly indie aesthetic, pulling in elements of jazz (dig those trumpets!). Give ‘er a listen. Or five.

Stone Jack Jones’ BLUEFOLK is an ambitious musical mix of gothic melancholy and rural rhythms that take a bit of acclimatizing from the listener. But in stunning tracks like “Bread” featuring guest vocalist Patty Griffin, we can hear the hard-edge of Jones’ life and the gritty beauty of his music. Though Jones’ voice is a little too one-note, the rich music makes up for this and gives each track a coherence that holds through the disc. It’s especially nice counterpointed to Griffin’s sweet sound. It’s in the realm of Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits, but doesn’t have quite the same storytelling power. –Mark Rose

About the band About’s BONGO: Uh, no. It’s straightforward pop mixed with annoying electronic sounds with each track sounding like a skipping and pitted CD. I don’t mind electronica, I don’t mind experimentalism, but I do mind gritting my teeth for30 minutes. When they pull it back a notch like on the track “Banddynamics,” there is a kernel of something worthwhile, but it’s usually surrounded by too much fuzz. –MR

I was expecting very little from Cats & Jammers’ WHOLE LOTTA GODDAMN, and I got a whole lot more. A whole lotta goddamn, in fact. This is peppy, slightly surreal über-pop that is just pure fun. An example track would be “Salvador Dali Lama” with its chorus of: “Salvador Dali Lama / Loosen the grip of this reality / Salvador Dali Lama / Taking a trip in your surreality.” Cynical, ironic, witty, punny, but not in a silly egghead way. Kind of The Arrogant Worms (“Women’s Tennis Obsession”) mixed with Space Cadet (“Closing Estelle’s Again”), a really strong release from this Chicago trio. –MR

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Often record companies send out promo CDs with little blurbs of reference so you know where the band is coming from, perspective-wise. Often this is helpful, but other times I hate it because they can nail it perfectly and leave me with next to nothing to contribute. Case in point: The Black Neon’s ARTS & CRAFTS. Here’s what they had to say about it: “A dynamite combo of krautrock, mechanical beauty, and rock swagger that plays out like an all-star concert featuring Air, Harmonia, Beta Band, Primal Scream and Kraftwerk!” And yep, that says it all. Well, I’ll throw in the name of Stereolab to contribute something. At first the vocals bugged me (since they’re not on every track), but they grew on me quick. This is a start-to-finish shot of musical adrenaline, as cool as anything I’ve heard this summer.

Snowglobe’s OXYTOCIN is aptly named, since it’s both feel-good (as a good narcotic should be) and addictive (my iTunes says I’ve played it 12 times now). I was a big fan of their OUR LAND BRAINS album from a few years back, and as loaded with anthems as it was, this one shows it up with a polished sense of knowing attitude. It’s ’70s pop with a ‘90 indy sheen, and meant to listen to in one whole swoop, rather than picking out your favorites. I’ve come to view it as one solid track, and I’m shortlisting it for “best of 2006″ honors. And the track “Instruments” is simply heartbreaking.

With an acute mix of hip-hop and horns, Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects’ LISTEN UP reminded me of Fun Lovin’ Criminals, except more melodic, more polished and less interested than writing songs about marijuana. This has a definite swagger to it that I appreciated, like mid-tempo jazz, and the Mexican musical influences are welcome as well. Smart stuff, not to be ignored.

Mouse on Mars is not a band I’ve paid much attention to (partly because I confused them all the time with Modest Mouse before I knew better), but their new one, the don’t-even-try-to-pronounce-it VARCHARZ, has changed that. As far as electronica instrumental discs go, it’s a pretty good one, primarily drum-and-bass married to rock beats (a la The Crystal Method), but veering into unexpected directions, including prog and harmonium. The last two tracks, however, almost ruin it; they test patience as they scramble your brain.

A punk band called F-Units named their new one REJECT ON IMPACT. So I did. Thanks for the tip, guys!

Nice, restrained, slo-mo melodies are what you get with Fiel Garvie’s latest, CAUGHT LAUGHING, and the female vocals match it perfectly. The instrumentation is so precise, so building, you think it’s going to reach a cacophony and just balls-out explode. It never does – and that’s not a criticism, because these songs are consistent, deliberate and soothing, like a salve on a wound, and that wound is your soul, my brother.

One wishes Bridges and Powerlines’ five-track self-titled debut were longer. Because the songs here are rhythmic and dark, but not brooding, as the band knows how to rock. Power pop is almost a lost art in these days of rap and bubblegum, but at least there are practitioners out there like B&P who won’t let it truly die. The songwriting here is sharper than most indie acts, and any band that manages to work in a piano without going mamby-pamby has my respect.

The world music craze has pretty much died out, but those global rhythms can still be found flourishing in the club world. Naked Rhythm’s FREQUENCY is a perfect example (and not just for that tasty bare midriff cover). The tunes on this one are Ibiza-ready – lush and awash with exotic flavor and solid beats. It’s slick as sunblock.

There’s some nifty, loopy work on Central City Music Company’s CENTRAL BOISE LIBRARY. Folks into somewhat-silly but still musically competent work might be into it. But 21 songs is a bit too much of a good thing, like eating a pound of candy corn. –Rod Lott

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Arma Secreta (that’s Italian for “secreting arm,” you know) makes a powerful showing with A CENTURY’S REMAINS, even if it doesn’t quite take home the gold. From the opening “Segue/Debris,” the music is driving, relentless – a forceful but not in-your-face army of percussion-based rhythm. Then the vocals kick in. I’m not a fan of the kind of vocal style which lands somewhere between screaming and talking loud after gargling cough syrup; here, it just detracts from the music. Still, the lyrics are good, simultaneously dealing with love and loss, hope and anger. And how can you not like a song titled “Little Snow Ninja”? I also have to applaud the disc for its excellent cover – a truly artistic statement carried through the gorgeous inside package. –Rod Lott

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Herbert’s SCALE isn’t the typical cut ‘n’ click affair electronic music fans have come to expect from the !K7 label. And not that there’s anything wrong with that, but this album is a little more special. The tracks are largely vocal-based, with soulful flourishes of horns and strings. On “We’re in Love,” it even swells to reach a grand, Bacharachian level of cinematic swooning. But the album grooves and shakes when it needs to, and do so admirably. All in all, this one hovers somewhere between a posh bar in Broadway and the sunny beaches of Ibiza. –Rod Lott

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Jeff Merchant is a member of The Lullabies, and his WINDOW ROLLED DOWN disc also features members of Listing Ship (which got a rave review here not too long ago), Stew and Brian Wilson’s band. Unfortunately, that’s about the most exciting thing one can say about this release. Ultra-soft, dreamy, ethereal vocals never seem to elevate into anything that really stands out, and soon, your head is nodding and you’re all depressed. Even when something fun happens, like the funky wacka-wacka opening on “Guy,” the song quickly morphs into every other song on the album, even with its jazzy bridge. It may be fine for rainy days if you’re on Valium. –Mark Rose

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Hey, when did L7 get back together? Wow, they’re still just as good, dark, nasty, gnarly guitar work with growly tough-girl vocals that really hit you smack dab in the rock and roll nerve, but they seem a little slower, a little more Gothic … er …. wait … hmmm … this isn’t L7, but a threesome called Hazard County Girls. Huh. Well, still, yeah, this is pretty good and gets you moving right along in time. On DIVINE ARMOR, guitars and drums mesh well, and Donita Sparks’ vocals …. um, sorry, I mean Christy Kane’s vocals serve as the perfect angry counterclash to the driving beats. And they do a fucking brilliant cover of The Louvin Brothers’ “Knoxville Girl,” here gender-switched. A great dark rock disc that should be in your player for those whiskey-fueled nights. Oh, and it comes with a Frankenstein guitar pick, so how can you resist? –Mark Rose

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Ohio quartet Miranda Sound’s last album, ENGAGED IN LABOR, was one of my favorites when released in late 2002. So much that two of its tracks have never – and will never – leave my iPod (”Midas” and “The Boy Is on the Outside” – you’re welcome in advance). Their long-awaited follow-up, WESTERN RESERVE, might not have anything quite as instantly catchy, but it’s a more mature work, and a testament that the good ol’ American rock song will never die, charts be damned. From start to finish, the album is quality – big, full-sounding, indie-rock anthems, written with intelligence and sung in earnest. The band is polished, driven by excellent guitar work and drumming, but never sacrificing sound over substance, as the four craft meaningful, listenable lyrics rather than some inane catchphrase geared to sell phone plans. What a concept! As the title promises, the album is rich in melody, majestic in scope and honest in all. –Rod Lott

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There’s not much less attractive than a band name like Poo Poodles, but not much more oddly charming than their wonderfully deranged new album, HERE COMES THE FUTURE. There are two great ways to describe it: 1) a guy, a girl and a four-track, and 2) “25 tracks in 14 minutes and 59 seconds,” as the liner notes read. And, no, that’s not a joke. (I suppose naming a 30-second song “Frusciante (Extended Mix)” is, but I’ll be damned if you get much breathing room to ponder such a thing.)

These cute, warped little homemade ditties rattle off with aplomb – twee vocals, hard guitar, catchy beats and the occasional cartoon sound effect. But let’s be honest: This type of musical tomfoolery ain’t for everyone; either you’re up for someone saying “Doing the naked dance! La la la la!” over and over for the entirety of a song or you’re not. If you’re not, let me point you this way; if you are, allow me to congratulate you on your willingness to be daring, and share some other choice lyrics from this marathon of mentally unhinged melodia:
• “Hey mama, papa says, ‘give me ten dollars for gas and tacos.’” (from “Hey Mama Papa Says”)
• “Banana man, banana man, banana man, eggboy!” (from “Bananaman/Eggboy”)
• “P-3, that’s my favorite level. Parking garage!” (from “P-3″)

Still with me? Good. It’s like They Might Be Giants suffered head injuries and lost their recording contract. In other words, something I’d like to hear. Oh, yeah, they also sell some kick-ass T-shirts, too. –Rod Lott

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If you think the electronica genre has grown a little tiresome, here’s something to give it a little juice: KOMPOSI003, the third label-showcase compilation from Positron! Records. I was unfamiliar with all of the 11 artists on board, but now I have 11 artists to add to my “watch out for” list. Largely void of vocals, KOMPOSI003 fronts a nicely chilled groove overall, though the tracks themselves differ a bit, running the range from IDM to trip-hop. It opens with the jazz-cut/drum-and-bass funk of the aptly named Amish Rake Fight’s “Artist with a Thompson,” while Chris Randall’s thick and humid “Be There Tonight” sounds like the late-night city-driving song of the summer. Aizome’s “Terminal” was my favorite track, a Tangerine Dream-esque tune with airport ambience and a ticking-clock beat. With contributions from Milkfish, Micronauts and Scanalyzer, KOMPOSI003 proves the indie scene is where tomorrow’s electronica stars are currently brewing. –Rod Lott

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This little parcel of total strangeness, a mixture of happy toy insanity with a Saturday-morning LIDSVILLE aesthetic could only come from Japan, and sure enough, the likable foursome does hail from that hallowed land, and how they ended up on an Athens, Georgia label is anyone’s guess. On WELCOME WONDERFUL WORLD, they play simple, straightforward, happy songs but do so with an astounding ESL slant that sometimes comes across as a little too precious. Lines like “We’ve been living in the city long time maybe we should live there peoplepack!” are par for the course. Where they succeed, however, is in their outstanding tribute song “Almanack,” which honors The Kinks’ great song “Autumn Almanac.” It’s not a cover; it’s just about how much they love the song and they mimic one or two moments while singing “Ray the rock!” Ray the rock indeed. Goofy stuff and every once in a while Youichi Sakamoto sounds like Davy Jones. Don’t know if that’s good or not. –Mark Rose

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The Maybellines’ A LA CARTE is soft, sweet indie sugarpop from the Denver area. You’ve heard them on your favorite indie station, but they don’t have a lot of recorded material. This is a six-song EP that follows the release of their full-length CHATFIELD HOLIDAY from four full years ago. They’re still together, still pretty solid and sing their charming little ditties well. But there’s nothing that really pops out here and makes you listen to them, unfortunately. –Mark Rose

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Keith John Adams is a pleasant enough British lad who used to be in the fairly obscure Zuno Men and has gone off on his own, now with his second full-length release, PIP. Here, we have 14 brief tracks with pared down guitar and drums, and the occasional super-annoying toy piano and perhaps even an accordion (on the title track). The music is competent if unambitious, but the vocals are even better. Adams has a lovely clear voice that reminds me of a British Billy Joel or the lead singer from Madness (without the goofy fun). The lyrics are spotty, ranging from sheer pretentious incomprehensibility (“Never Look Down”) to a sweetly charming explanation of a father-son relationship (“Dad,” one of the best songs on the disc). There are just enough hooks in here and enough interesting concepts to make this worth your while to give it at least a try. Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records has been one of the most consistently strong labels in the past few years, so it’s hard to go really wrong with anything from their stable.

Oh my. On a first listen to ALL THE STUFF WE DO, you might recoil from the little-girl vocals and minimalist drum and guitar from the duo of Becky Brooks and Nate Mitchell, and you’re just about to pop it out of the tray when you think, “Did they just sing that line?” And you pause, and you listen, and you realize, damn, these guys are funny. Perhaps not quite on a They Might Be Giants or an Arrogant Worms level, but the way they so sincerely sing their lyrics on songs like “Hey Hippie,” “She Needs It” (alternate title “Deep Dicking”), “Dirty Song” (alternate title “**** Me”) or “Dating Batman” (“Met him last week at a superhero dance/ He said ‘I can see myself in your pants’/Thought he’d have a better line than this/But you can’t say no to Batman so I gave him a kiss/Next thing I know we were at his lair/He had a HITAC record player/We listened to Modern Lovers that night/I’m dating Batman and it feels right”) will either make you laugh or shake your head in wonderment. Like a wildly silly and filthy Tuscadero. And we haven’t even gotten to the songs about abortion and retardation. Yeah, probably not for the easily offended. Seriously great stuff, but you have to be in the right mood for it. Absolutely nuts, proud of it, and a release you might want to add to your collection. –Mark Rose

Sigh. Let me quote from the jewel case: “[This] album is the third and last in the trilogy of albums named after emotions. The predecessor to SAD ALBUM (2002) and ANGRY ALBUM – OR – PSYCHIC SONGS (2004), HAPPY ALBUM is the most ambitious album to date.” Well, okay. But if that’s true, then I don’t think I want to hear the other two works. Oh, it’s alright but the fairly flat male vocals coupled with minimal guitar just don’t sound as ambitious as some of the great song titles (“Anti-Saints with Words in Their Mouths,” “Thieves Choke on Spit,” “Can I Taste Rock N’ Roll?”). Sadly, the lyrics and the music don’t match up. It’s not terrible but you’ve heard it before, though it should be fine for askeleton fans. –Mark Rose

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Oh my. Listing Ship’s TIME TO DREAM is like an American version of Japanese cutegirl pop with a serious undertone. And it’s seriously great. A tremendous concentration on the gentle vocals backed by almost minimalist guitar work makes a lovely track about childhood and siblings (“Destroying France”) grow from mere anecdote to tribute. The musical style brings the listener’s focus to the lyrics which are suitably mysterious, evocative and layered. I’m still working through a track like “Ichabod Crane” with its coda of “I fall asleep and dream of meat/smoked sides of ham/Cornish hen/and headless men” or the backwards track “Eda No Mel” (see their first album). And let’s not forget the opening “American Song” which would have made a No. 1 hit in the Vietnam era and still holds true today. So beautiful, so sad, so strong, I keep going back and listening to it again and again. Much like this entire CD. You’re not going to get your rock jones off here; this is straight sweet vocal brilliance for those of us who don’t always need or want an aural assault. Puffy AmiYumi mixed with Black Box Recorder and Bono. Pure. Good. Necessary. –Mark Rose

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If you haven’t heard Azalia Snail, perhaps it’s time. With AVEC AMOUR, this solo vocalist takes the single-person, single-vision lo-fi aesthetic into weird, loopy, club-sound realms that manages to root into your ear canal and flip your head around. This is pusher’s music; her voice encourages you inward, then you get the shot and foooove, you’re completely enveloped in her dreamy trance sounds. I’m struggling to describe this: maybe you can hear Arling and Cameron mixed with a female Rick Wakeman, or maybe you’re just hearing Azalia Snail’s own intrinsically unique sound. Rich, layered, and senses-obliterating, haunting horn sounds, black coffee hippie music. Outstanding tracks include “I Praise You,” “Honeysuckle,” “Alcazar,” and oh half the rest of the release. Ms. Snail has been around for more than a decade with all kinds of different sounds, some more approachable than others. This is one to try. –Mark Rose

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Like a minor-league Beastie Boys (and I mean that as a compliment), the gang known as Ninja High School snottily half-raps it way through its debut, YOUNG ADULTS AGAINST SUICIDE. Some of it is annoying, while other parts exude smarmy charm. It doesn’t quite spark a singalong along the lines of Go! Team, but its aggressive too-cool-for-you-ness is at least mildly infectious.

It may just be a two-track 7”, but Drums & Tuba’s EL TUBADOR is also one of the most musically exciting works I’ve heard all year. Their sound is primarily drums and a tuba (natch), merging incestuously to produce some wonderfully twisted-sounding quasi-electronic rock. Two great songs, but much too short!

I’m totally into Chevreuil’s SPORT, a guitar-and-drums-only assault on the aural cavity. The album is entirely instrumental and in-your-face, but with a bend toward the melodic. So it hurts in a good way.

The Kanpai record label flies under the radar, but I’ve been impressed with most everything they’ve put out, all of it in the ambient electronica category. Little Plastic Pilots’ self-titled disc is no exception, and it blips and bleeps along nicely, with a mysterious hint of Boards of Canada to it.

On the Double Crown label, Dr. Frankenstein is a surf-rock band and CRIME SCENES AND MURDER SONGS – CHAPTER III: THE DRAGON LOUNGE CONNECTION is their unnecessarily long-titled but mucho fun current album. The tracks move fast and furious on this one, as befitting the genre. Yes, these bands all kind of sound of the same, but Dr. F at least has a hint of the sinister, with titles like “AM 666″ and “She-Devils’ Stroll.” There’s a cool cover of “Goldfinger” as well as “Music to Watch Girls By,” but here, the “Watch” is replaced with “Murder.”

Three new discs where the packaging is the best thing about it:
• Head Control System’s MURDER NATURE – Exceedingly well-done graphics inside and out. Fairly lame metal music.
• Red Animal War’s SEVEN YEAR WAR – Booklet recalls 4AD heyday; band’s music does not. Not bad, but not engaging enough. The two live tracks are nice.
• The Finals’ PLAN YOUR GETAWAY – Comic-book sci-fi look is fun. Angry-emo-punk music is not.

If you’re familiar with Atari Teenage Riot, you know what to expect from the THREAT soundtrack. If not, let’s just say it’s not all bleep-bloop-happy like that Pac-Man cartridge, but insane breakbeat punk, more noise than music. If that’s your cup o’ Drano, this is the soundtrack for you. It also has a companion CD of music that inspired the film, with hardcore remix action.

Half-Handed Cloud’s fourth album, HALOS AND LASSOS, combines electronic, peppy and high-pitched sounds with churchy messages on one multi-element creation. This solo artist has obvious ’60s-style influences that are clearly heard in his uniquely indie genre. There’s soft clapping in the background of “Suit if Clouds to Ride the Skies” and just as you begin to tap your foot in rhythm, the song cuts short of an ending, jumping into the next musical ensemble. This pattern is evident on the album with a get-to-the-point method with nothing extra to linger. HHC keeps a clean and happy sound that is almost child-like while still composing pleasantly upbeat arrangements. –Andrea Aycock