Denison Witmer, “Are You a Dreamer?”
Denison Witmer has been making lovely 1970’s-sounding folk records for years, but he is finally on a bigger label and getting the proper marketing push he’s long deserved. He’s been called the next Elliott Smith, but that’s not so accurate. Smith was far more cynical. Sufjan Stevens (who guests on a number of the album’s tracks) would be a better comparison, and Witmer’s warm, soothing voice is more reminicent of guys like Jackson Browne and Graham Nash than the frail Smith. The whole record is really nice, but “Little Flowers,” “California Brown and Blue,” and “East from West” are our highlights.

Nada Surf, “The Weight Is a Gift”
Not nearly as pleasing as 2002’s “Let Go,” Nada Surf’s latest is still worth a listen. The band retains their style, and the songs run from jangly indie rock to revved up power pop, but the record this time around is uneven. The album boasts a couple of genuinely terrific songs, a few that may find you reaching for your CD player’s next button, and one pop gem (”Blankest Year”), that very well may be the anthem of the summer. Fans of the band should find enough here to hang on to, though the record is far from essential.

Bob Mould, “Body of Song”
At long last, the Husker Du and Sugar frontman Bob Mould returns to doing records as he does best, with a full-on band. This is his first full band release since the mid-90s and his first release for new label Yep Roc. This isn’t of quite the same caliber as the first Sugar record or as most of the Husker Du catalog, but there are shades of Mould’s greatness throughout, and a handful of tracks, namely “Paralyzed” and “Underneath Days,” rank up there amongst his best work. Yes indeed, Bob is back.

Youth Group, “Skeleton Jar”
Sort of what you’d get if you crossed a Britpop band with Death Cab for Cutie (Chris Walla loves them by the way), Youth Group are from Sydney, Australia where they’ve become a hometown sensation. Epitaph has just rereleased the record for North America and we expect they’ll likely catch on here as well. Oh, and bonus points for the excellent band name.