Every week, our mailbox overflows with unsolicited albums, but we only have so much space on the Arts in Review page on Fridays, and our own interests often take precedence anyway. But some of these bands (or at least some of these bands' publicists) put in a lot of time with this whole publicity thing -- one band even sent us a legitimate vinyl LP -- so it seems only fair to give them a little bit of our time.

Sometimes the music we receive is familiar, like the 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Unfortunately, sometimes it's familiar like the "legacy edition" of the Dirty Dancing original soundtrack. Mostly, though, it's stuff we've never heard before.

That being said, the records stack up pretty quickly. Lamentably, I do not have the time it would take to give all of these musicians the attention they deserve, but I feel it's reasonable to at least give them a bit of my efforts.

In the interest of spring cleaning, I decided to go through a whole bunch of them. In the interest of quantity over quality, I gave each album, at most, one full spin, and in most cases, I only listened to a handful of songs. It's better than nothing, right? At the completion of each listen, I wrote down the first word that came to mind, and then a little bit more.

1 - Mudvayne, By the People, For the People: Why?

Someone needs to explain to me why Mudvayne needs to release a compilation album of unreleased demos and live material, much less a second one.

2 - The Secret Lives of Freemasons, Weekend Warriors: Overflowing.

Somebody needs to tell these guys about the concept of tension and release. Even if you're a screamo band, you need to pace yourself and not just play as loud and aggressively as you can for 40 minutes.

3 - Dingus, Please Stand By: Seriously?

This sounds like a bunch of 15-year-olds covering New Found Glory. The press release is even worse, containing gems like "Dingus' musicianship is simply palpable and contains a true and innovative girth of modern pop punk." Yeesh.

4 - Destroyer, Trouble in Dreams: Asynchronous.

Basically, the rhythm section doesn't fit with the guitar, and neither really fits with the vocal melodies. Each is good in its own right, but it doesn't mesh well all the time.

5 - The Whigs, Mission Control: Familiar.

Straightforward rock and roll at its simplest, Mission Control features a heavy rhythm section that carries the album when the guitar riffs get mundane. Enthusiastic and occasionally catchy, but a little too conventional.

6 - Future of the Left, Curses: Clever.

With this project, I haven't had much of a chance to really delve into much of the lyrical content of many of these records, but with lines like "Violence solves everything" and "Where's the harm in being accidentally miniaturized?" it became obvious there was some fun being had here.

7 - The Morning Light, The Sounds of Love EP: Dance-y.

Aside from having maybe the wussiest name for a record ever, the Morning Light actually has some cool things going on here. Not really my style, but still solid pop rock in the same vein as Copeland or MAE.

8 - Jack Peñate, Matinée: Rockabilly.

If Sublime had been faster, from England, and were influenced more by soul music and less by hip-hop, this might have been what they'd have sounded like. Also, if no one had died.

9 - I, Crime, Get the Knife: Driving.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for bands with male and female vocalists. Okay, fine: I'm definitely a sucker for bands with male and female vocalists. Whatever. This one's a winner.

10 - What Made Milwaukee Famous, What Doesn't Kill Us: Hypnotic.

I don't know who the singer sounds like, but it's someone I know, and it's someone I like. The closest comparison I can come up with is Jon Brion, but that's not quite it. Regardless, What Doesn't Kill Us is a diverse, engaging listen.

11 - Monade, Monstre Comic: Refreshing.

Relaxed, pleasant dream-pop that never really goes anywhere. Laetitia Sadier's smooth vocals are enough to make me wish I hadn't dropped out of French, as half the lyrics are in her native tongue.

12 - The Hands, The Hands: Belligerent.

I think I'd be more surprised at this point when a band came out of the Pacific Northwest that didn't rock fairly hard. The Hands' self-titled record, due out in April, is a garage-y, solo-heavy throwdown.

We couldn't fit everything in Venues, so we've included the rest of the review here. Enjoy.

Blaqk Audio, CexCells: Gloomy.

Recalling Depeche Mode at its most goth, this AFI side project explores the darker side of contemporary electronic music. It's well executed, but your opinion of this album comes down to your opinion of the genre.

Solid Gold, Who You Gonna Run To?: Atmospheric.

Three tracks of electro-pop-for-those-who-don't-feel-like-dancing, and then three remixes of those songs. Still, those three original songs are diverse enough to be mildly interesting, if not really danceable.

Future of the Left, Curses: Clever.

With this project, I haven't had much of a chance to really delve into much of the lyrical content of many of these records, but with lines like "Violence solves everything" and "Where's the harm in being accidentally miniaturized?" it became obvious there was some fun here.

The Devastations, Yes, U: Melancholic.

Dark, reverb-laden guitars and somber vocals define this record, but there are only a handful of moments that really stand out. The rest is just too ambient.

I, Crime, Get the Knife: Driving.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for bands with male and female vocalists. OK, fine: I'm definitely a sucker for bands with male and female vocalists. Whatever. This one's a winner.

Bullet For My Valentine, Scream Aim Fire: Guttural.

Metalcore drivel derivative of bands that are derivative of bands that are derivative of Iron Maiden. I guess it's impressive that a band can sound watered down and abrasive at the same time.

Simian Mobile Disco, Attack Decay Sustain Release: Clean.

A simple concept: well-paced techno music that's easy to dance to, but doesn't force you to move. It's equally listenable while raving or studying.

EndeverafteR, Kiss or Kill: Anachronistic.

Wait, what do you mean "It's not 1986"? You mean sounding like Mötley Crüe covering Kansas isn't a recipe for success, even if it's a faithful reenactment? Too bad.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Scary Kids Scaring Kids: Oblivious.

At this point in my life, I think my biggest fear is that one day I'll wake up and inexplicably be in a band like this one and not realize how trite the entire thing is. Also, "Watch Me Bleed" might be the worst post-hardcore-band-trying-to-be-emotional-and-romantic song that I've ever heard.

Like a Movie, Say It Again: Predictable.

I'd like someone to make a special thesaurus that only has synonyms for the word "derivative." It would make my job a lot easier. There has to be a carrying capacity for bands that sound mildly like Fall Out Boy.