I picked up some new music recently thanks to a few iTunes gift cards and birthday money. Here's what I got and my thoughts...

Black Holes and Revelations - Muse - I'd bought the songs "Knights of Cydonia" and "Assassins" off of iTunes about two years ago and had been meaning to buy the rest of the album but only recently got around to it. All in all, I've got to say, it's probably one of my favorite albums that I've picked up in the last three or so years. I especially like the last half of the album, starting with the song "Assassins," continuing with "Exo-Politics," "City of Delusion," "Hoodoo," and ending with "Knights of Cydonia." The overall feel reminds me of science fiction flicks from the late 70s and early 80s (visions of "Flash Gordan" and David Lynch's "Dune" keep popping through my mind as I listen) and it seems almost like "space rock."

Secret Machines - Secret Machines - Speaking of "space rock," the band that describes their music that way had a new release out in October and only recently did I pick up Secret Machines self-titled, third album. I definitely enjoyed it more than their previous album, Ten Silver Drops, but not quite as much as their first album, Now Here is Nowhere. Still, it's a littler edgier than TSD was and harkens back to NHiN, which in my mind is a good thing.

Dirt and Jar of Flies - Alice in Chains - Both albums are grunge classics and it's surprising that I haven't added them to my collection before this. As someone who's been hearing such AIC songs as "Rooster," "Them Bones," "Down in a Hole," and "No Excuses" on the radio for years, they were pretty much what I expected and didn't disappoint.

Day and Age - The Killers - You know what? I haven't been overly impressed with this one. Then again, I've only listened to it twice and it might not have had the chance to grow on me. But my initial reaction to it was that while being good, the Killers haven't quite lived up to the potential they showed with their first album, Hot Fuss, which is still my favorite of theirs. Still, I'll admit that "Human" is a catchy enough track and again, like I said, I've only listened to it twice, so it has room to grow with me, I suppose.

Third - Portishead - Okay, I picked this one up last summer, but I felt like writing about it. It may have taken eleven years between studio albums, but I thought this one was a worthy addition to the band's discography. I haven't listened to it in a few months, so it's not as fresh in my mind as some of the others, but I do remember liking it.

Mercy...Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy - Ours - This one is downloading on iTunes as I speak and I'm listening to the first three tracks. So far, I'm digging this album more than I did the band's previous venture from six years ago, Precious. Hopefully, the rest of the album lives up to the beginning.