The carefree and airy words of these songs were co-written by the duo that chose their name from a Neil Young song. The two we speak of, are singer/songwriter Jim Guthrie and a personal favorite, Nick Thornburn (the Unicorns, Islands).

A band’s first album contains the hit that makes them fans. A band’s second album is generally considered the “sophomore slump,” smart and a good mix of what you did right the first time, with room to improve and spend more time and money on what you.

Anyone can appreciate the messages of the album track by track; there isn’t really a dull song that you press “skip” to get through once you’ve heard them all. The production of the album isn’t as rough and messy as most do-it-yourself records these days — and they didn’t have a label to distribute it all for them.

Way oh, way oh, way oh! Who cares what people say, punk is not dead. It’s just on hiatus in most of suburban America — banned to fumed garages, late-night house shows and crappy back-alley venues. But as long as it’s still being played, and albums like this are being put out, I will never lose hope.

Boy, is this Charlotte lad young, but his direction is a lot more mature than most 20-year-olds trying to make it in music right now. However, I think that’s not saying nearly enough, because even if you take away his barely two-decade age, the music is still more than just “good enough.

The album opens with what I might consider one of the best summer college songs for 2008, First Time, a song about infinite possibility and the loved ones at your side who empower you to go anywhere and do anything then, of course, the person is lost and no longer around (hello summer love story).

Boy, was this was an album for sore ears. Andrew Eversole was Kentucky born, and began his mountain-music journey when his parents relocated to North Carolina. It's been a decade now since his relocation to the Triad, and he has now released his debut album in May on Rivers of Mars Records.

Jimmie’s Chicken Shack — Fail On Cue “Some motha lovas don’t know when to quit. I figured it out, I don’t want in. So I just decided to be the man that I’ve always been,” and thank goodness for that. It’s summertime, the prime time for reggae-alternative, mischief-mixed tunes.