Summer is a-comin' in, and it's once again time for AMG's classical editors and writers to sort through the CDs they've reviewed over the past six months and to pick the best albums for their mid-year survey. Don't let these recent gems slip your notice!

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At first glance, it seems like the teaming of Beck and Dangermouse is a perfect pairing of post-modern pranksters, as neither musician has shaken the first impression they've made: for most, Beck is still seen as that ironic Loser, trawling through pop culture's junkheap, while Danger Mouse is the maverick of The Grey Album, a mash-up of the Beatles and Jay-Z that reads like a joke but doesn't play like one. Close listening to either man's body of work easily dispels these notions, as Beck has spent as much time mining the murky melancholia of Mutations as he has crafting neon freakouts like Midnite Vultures.

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What better time for a crush than the summer? While everyone else is out hitting the beach in search of some hotted up and clichéd fun, why not spend some time feverishly hunched over your keyboard discovering some thrilling new sounds? This edition of the Crush Band round-up is devoted to the twee-est, snappiest, poppiest groups of the summer.

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