Better Late Than Never Reviews: Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay

Sometimes it seems like Coldplay has multiple personalities. There's the band that is willing to constantly experiment with their sound. The one who chose to work with 70s ambient guru Brian Eno in order to find new sonic textures (and to be more like Bono and crew). The one whose guitarist, Jonny Buckland, is one of the more underrated shredders in contemporary rock music.

But then you have the band that is willing to fall into the background while Chris Martin croons for the swooning masses. You have the one with the naked commercial ambition, churning out hits for the lowest common denominator. You have the group that freely apes successful bands (U2, Radiohead) who have come before them in an effort to achieve musical immortality. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you are an optimist), both of these entities rear their heads on the band's fifth studio album, the oddly titled Mylo Xyloto.

Better Late Than Never Reviews: Audio, Video, Disco - Justice

When I took on Philadelphia's Broad Street Run some three years ago, I chose to listen to one CD and one CD only when traversing the city in search of a successful ten-mile run: Cross by French electro-crunk magnates Justice. The album's infectious dance groovesand brutal break beats kept me running and I survived to tell the tale (even if I usually pretend that I ran it around 10 minutes faster than I actually did). I also survived to purchase Audi0, Video, Disco, the band's second album, one that seesthem moving away from pop-influenced mega-hits like the appropriately titled "D.A.N.C.E.," and toward a more rock-influenced sound that may not move as many units, but sure does make for a consistently thrilling sophomore effort.

Time for a Random List: Ten Best Songs by the Beatles...after the Beatles Broke Up

10. "It Don't Come Easy" - Ringo Starr

9. "Mind Games" - John Lennon

8. "Band on the Run" - Paul McCartney and Wings

7. "What Is Life" - George Harrison

6. "Imagine" - John Lennon

5. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" - George Harrison

4. "Jet" - Paul McCartney and Wings

3. "Live and Let Die" - Paul McCartney and Wings

2. "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison

1. "Instant Karma" - John Lennon

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Better Late Than Never Reviews: The Whole Love - Wilco

Let's pretend for a moment that The Whole Love, the eighth studio album by accomplished rock collective Wilco, was actually two EPs, one of which we will call The Whole Love Above and the other of which we will call The Whole Love Below. If this were the case, I would say that The Whole Love Above was an out-and-out winner, loaded with infectious bass lines, experimental instrumentation, masterful songcraft, and ferocious yet nimble guitar work. On the other hand, I would be forced to say that The Whole Love Below was...a bit of a dud. However, as it stands, the piece is one full album, an uneven one that struggles to find a cohesive sound and frustratingly chooses to keep cycling back to spare guitar balladry when everything of value is clearly in the churning musicianship of its first half.

Four of the first six songs are stellar. Album opener "Art of Almost" starts with a crunchy, Krautrocky repetitious drum beat and a boatload of noodly synth, and concludes with a spectacular surge of guitar violence by reliable ax man Nels Cline. The thrill continues with "I Might," an instantly hummable classic that thrives on 60s surf rock keys, tweaked-out fuzz guitar, and a tremendously vibrant-sounding Jeff Tweedy, who is joined by the boys toward the conclusion for a cooing vocal harmony. Also standing out are "Dawned on Me," which features more distorted guitar, a tremendous chorus, and an uproarious closing that includes thunder drums, wailing keys, and some off-kilter whistling for effect. Finally, the band wraps up the first half of the album with "Born Alone," which showcases the band's way underrated rhythm section of John Stirratt and Glenn Kotche. The two combine to create a groove that leaves the listener literally salivating to hear the song in concert.

Better Late Than Never Reviews: Circuital - My Morning Jacket

Circuital, the sixth studio album by Kentucky rockers My Morning Jacket, is four-fifths of a great album. While not as grandiose as Z or adventurous as their last album, Evil Urges, it does feature eight tracks with their signature multi-guitar attack, layered sonics, and endlessly memorable choruses. However, the last two tracks on the album are enough to wonder if the band simply fell asleep at the wheel or if they were working to have the same thing happen to their audience while they were operating their automobiles.

Album highlights include the title track, a seven-minute monster that alternates between spare, echo-filled acoustics and soaring, country-tinged electric solos, all of which is balanced by an instantly catchy bass line and nimble piano work. "The Day Is Coming" also stands out, with a somewhat ghostly wordless intro, more stellar work on the keys (both conventional and Moog-like), and one of lead singer Jim James' best vocal turns of the album. "Holdin' on to Black Metal," which ranks as the album's best song and the one that best encapsulates the bands delicate balance of delicate songcraft and R&B eccentricity, features tweaked James vocals formed into a sort of demonic choir (and even some actual chorus work in other parts), unhinged horns, unholy fuzz guitar, and some terrifically intrusive horn blares. All in all, the first eight tracks of the album work as a tremendous unit, all of which makes the letdown of the last two tracks all the more disappointing.

Better Late Than Never Reviews: Nine Types of Light - TV on the Radio

Upon first listen, it was clear to me that Nine Types of Light, the fourth studio album by Brooklyn quintet TV on the Radio (although that number was unfortunately subtracted by one when bassist Gerald Smith died of cancer in April of this year) was inferior to at least its two immediate predecessors, 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain and 2008's Dear Science. It fell a little too much on the mellow side, and it lacked something with the brute force and raw power of Return's "Playhouses" or the infectious hummability of Science's "Golden Age." And anyway, it is no shame to fall short of those albums. Both ranked among the best of their year and decade. However, since I still spend money on music - sometimes I feel like I am the only one - I decided I would give it more than one listen. I'm glad I did.