Over the course of the past week, I've acquired several new albums to add to my collection. Good stuff.
The Who: Who's Next
One of the most widely-known albums by the rock gods themselves, Who's Next is also considered by many to be their finest hour. Best album or not, it's an excellent one. I don't know what I can say about this one that hasn't already been said many times over. They're a great band; check them out.
R.E.M.: Accelerate
It's been a long time since I heard anything out of them, and I'm glad they're still making music. I do find it a little funny when people say that R.E.M. is "back." As put by Stephen Colbert, they never went anywhere. "Living Well is the Best Revenge" is a good way to open the album, and that leads into some softer songs like "Supernatural Superserious" and "Hollow Man," which are among my favorites by the band. I think it'd be safe to say that Accelerate is one of R.E.M.'s best albums, and it's easily my favorite so far.
The Offspring: Ixnay on the Hombre
Another band who's been around for a while. The release of their latest album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, prompted me to pick this one up as well. Ixnay is a lot more upbeat than the albums preceding it, like Smash and Americana, and the lyrics kind of reflect this, with the traditional angry lyrics toned down somewhat for a slightly different experience. Overall, it's not my favorite of their releases, but it has some of my favorites on it, like "Gone Away" and the more obscure "Change the World," which fans of Crazy Taxi would probably recognize easily.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: One Hot Minute
One of my favorite bands of all time, and indeed one of the most popular and influential of this generation. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' had Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro on for this album, and I'd say he did a great job for himself. One Hot Minute has some of RHCP's more recognizable songs, like "Aeroplane" and "My Friends," the latter of which was featured on their Greatest Hits album. Good album on the whole.
Edit: As stated in a comment by xTHAWx, Americana did not precede Ixnay on the Hombre, and instead was released about a year after it. My mistake; should've checked first.