30 Second Reviews from 8/5

Ramona Falls
Intuit
SOUNDS LIKE: Portland behemoth Menomena’s Brent Knopf’s solo project is a spacey, keys-heavy indie rock hike in the woods.
FREE ASSOCIATION: Everything these boys do is golden, wonky, artsy bliss.
FOR FANS OF: Beards, plain Ts, modesty

The Most Serene Republic
... And the Ever Expanding Universe
SOUNDS LIKE: Some whispery serenity on the Canadian collective’s fourth LP, but also loud, fast, dramatic crescendos.
FREE ASSOCIATION: What are they drinking in Toronto? It breeds deeply epic songs.
FOR FANS OF: Apostle of Hustle, Broken Social Scene

Talbot Tagora
Lessons in the Woods or a City
SOUNDS LIKE: Reverb-heavy rock from Seattle kids who yelp, shout nonstop and wail on their instruments.
FREE ASSOCIATION: Sweaty, ripped T-shirts and long black hair is in there somewhere.
FOR FANS OF: Oneida, Deerhunter, volume

La Coka Nostra
A Brand You Can Trust
SOUNDS LIKE: Basically House of Pain reincarnate, Everlast goes 50x harder with this rap supergroup shouting about guns.
FREE ASSOCIATION: HOP goes to L.A., gets blunted with Cypress Hill, goes gangsta.
FOR FANS OF: Long shorts, bandanas, strippers.

Baby Teeth
Hustle Beach
SOUNDS LIKE: Influenced by ’70s/’80s cheese rock/pop (Hall & Oates, ELO), and it rocks and grooves real good.
FREE ASSOCIATION: Heavy synth and cowbell; one of these Chi-town dudes must have a mullet or variation thereof.
FOR FANS OF: Chicago, Kansas, Boston

Sugar Ray
Music for Cougars
SOUNDS LIKE: The California tool brigade knows no one’s waiting for this record, but give it to you anyway.
FREE ASSOCIATION: Setting Mark McGrath’s firing from Extra to Auto-Tune.
FOR FANS OF: Barenaked Ladies, Third Eye Blind

Portugal. The Man
The Satanic Satanist
SOUNDS LIKE: Wasilla, AK, redeems itself with a great weird rock band like this one; arty, psycho, rhythmic, curiously well-crafted.
FREE ASSOCIATION: The best album packaging you’ll ever see, though the music shines independently.
FOR FANS OF: Yeasayer, Jane’s Addiction, the Lips

Swimclub
Swimclub
SOUNDS LIKE: Strummy, sun-kissed Americana from New York boys in Western shirts with hints of Spoon, Jason Collett.
FREE ASSOCIATION: No one will accuse you of being offensive, ever.
FOR FANS OF: Wilco, Ryan Adams