I’ve gotten hold of a bunch of quality new music lately (and I have a feeling there’s more coming), so I figured I’d share a little of what I’m listening to these days in my CD player/iTunes playlist/iPod Shuffle:

White Lies, To Lose My Life: This UK trio rocks the post-punk in a familiar manner, with heavy shades of Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen and early Tears for Fears. Really, I challenge you to find evidence that songs such as “A Place to Hide” or “Fifty on Our Foreheads” were not recorded in 1983. But White Lies pulls off the reverb-drenched, bass-driven, keyboard-accented sound so well, I can’t help but dig it. These guys are touring the United States this spring with stops at both Coachella and South By Southwest, so you should definitely check them out should they come to your town. Or pick up To Lose My Life, which drops on March 17 in the States.

Morrissey, Years of Refusal: On the flipside of White Lies is Morrissey, who actually was an iconic 1980s post-punk artist, but you’ll find barely any hint of his Smiths origins on Years of Refusal, a worthy entry in Moz’s return to glory that began with 2004’s You Are The Quarry. From the outset, Steven Patrick Morrissey makes it quite clear that he’s not going to disappear quietly into the night even as he stares down his 50th birthday. He’s angrier and more bitter than ever, and his music is more aggressive than it has been in years. Right off the bat, the high-paced, loud opener, “Something is Squeezing My Skull,” unleashes lyrical venom such as “I know by now you think I should have straightened myself out, thank you, drop dead” and “It’s a miracle I even made it this far.” It’s good stuff for anyone, and great stuff for Morrissey fans. Moz is also touring the Colonies the next few months, though sadly, he’s not coming to Las Vegas anytime soon (surely he’ll fix that later this year — his last few shows have done considerably well).