I know a lot of you think that we give out way too many high ratings for albums, but as infrequent as this sheet comes out it makes alot more sense to seek out the cool stuff that you may never have heard about otherwise and put you up on it, it seems pointless to review say NSYNC, when you're already going to love or despise regardless what we have to say about it.

That said, consider what I believe will end up being my favorite album of the year. I first learned of Matthew Jay when I read a review in the British mag Q--they raved about it and gave it their highest rating--and ever since I've been on the lookout for a stateside release. That day will soon be at hand. For fans of bands from the Beatles to their more recent heirs Radiohead, Travis, Coldplay all the way to Elliot Smith and Badly Drawn Boy, this record is what you're looking for. You also hear echoes of past favorites from Alan Parsons to Todd Rundgren to more obscure nods to The Blue Nile. The second track "You're Always Leaving Too Soon" is so gorgeous that you wish you could turn up the volume loud enough for the whole world to hear.