You’re Just Exceptionally Good At Small Talk, Baby

Erase Errata “Rider” – Erase Errata make the transition from “pretty good and kinda interesting” to “very good and rather compelling” on Nightlife, which is due out late next month. They haven’t even changed that much in terms of sound, but the compositions are far more mature, consistent, and visceral than on previous releases. Many of the songs have an incredible momentum, with “Rider” and “Another Genius Idea From Our Government” in particular sounding like ideas careening towards inevitable conclusions, or colliding with dissent. Excellent work, and easily one of the best punk albums from 2006. (Click here to pre-order it from Smart Punk.)

Shimura Curves “Just Like Friends” – This song begins with the beat from “Just Like Honey” (or, really, “Be My Baby”), and it’s actually sort of misleading because the Shimura Curves take that familiar melancholy sound and use it is an emotional starting point for a song that eventually builds up into a bold and brutally honest post-mortem of a soured relationship. As the song reaches its crest, the Curves come off as empowered, resolute, and self-possessed as they quote Orange Juice’s “Rip It Up” and rock out with a fierce guitar vamp that sounds as though it’s being run through ten pedals at once. (Click here for the Shimura Curves’ MySpace page.)