Quickie Album Reviews: Zero 7, Somebody Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin, & Phoenix

Zero 7: The Garden (Atlantic/Wea)
The perfectly cool album for those late-night summer lounging, desert driving, stargazing, and first-time-we-ever-kissed kind of moments. Although it borrows heavily from 70’s AM flourishes, it's just as likely to be Giorgio Moroder as it is Burt Bacharach, or even America. With a much more organic feel to it than previous releases, The Garden is their most timeless piece of music yet. - Gabriel Burger

Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin: Broom (Generic Equivalent)
The members of this Missouri act clearly subscribe to the songwriting school of, "If you don't have something clever to say, don't say it." Several of the album's George Harrison-meets-The Shins tracks would be perfectly at home on a soundtrack to an imaginary Garden State sequel. In a word: Promising. - Joe Fielder

Phoenix: It’s Never Been Like That (Astralwerks/Emd)
By paying more attention to the interplay between the guitarists Mazzalai, there’s some much-needed salt added to the usually sugary confection that is Phoenix. But don’t worry, the record remains sweet to the tongue; as the Frenchies retain their ability to write catchy melodies and hooks with tracks like: Courtesy Laughs, or Sometimes In The Fall, that may find themselves stuck on repeat in your brain for the rest of the day. Consider yourself warned. - Gabriel Burger