If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Future Islands Album : People Who Aren't There Anymore Quick Thoughts : When "Seasons (Waiting On You)" became a surprise critical favorite, complete with chaotic Letterman/Jools Holland performances, I wasn't sure if their brand of synth-forward indie rock would work with Samuel T. Herring's unique voice in the long term. They've remained a favorite of the indie set, but People Who Aren't There Anymore feels like an accessible entrypoint in a way they haven't gone before. "King of Sweden" and "The Tower" in particular both feel epic and present, and the album gives a mood of a true journey across its tracklisting. I loved this, and in a week with a lot of really solid releases this shouldn't be ignored. Songs of Note : "King of Sweden," "The Tower," "Give Me The Ghost Back," "The Thief," "Iris," "Peach" Artist : Angry Blackmen Album : The Legend of A...

Some solid stuff out this week! Album of the Week : Artist : Diet Cig Album : Swear I'm Good at This Quick Description : Debut from an indie-alt duo. Why You Should Listen : This is one of the great releases of the last few months. Overall Thoughts : After I listened to this amazing album, I went back to their first EP because I knew I had listened to it and I couldn’t figure out why it didn’t register with me. If you were thinking “that’s nice” with the EP, then strap in, because this debut effort is a much more full affair. Lots of that great 90s-esque alt-rock sound, but with a modern indie sensibility that is just so good. The lyrics are extremely current, which provides an extra novelty factor, and the overall feel of the thing is both immediate and fun. This is absolutely a duo to watch, and this is absolutely one of my favorite recent listens. Recommendation : Do not let this slip by. Artist : KOLARS Album : Kolars Quick Description : Poppy punky duo's...

Some of the albums we missed over the last few months... Mr Little Jeans - Pocketknife : Mr Little Jeans has been a blogosphere favorite for a while, largely due to her cover of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" a few years back. I loved "Runaway" when she released it as a single a while back, and we finally get a full length that is very techno-aligned along with the songs that have put her on the map. If there's a downside to the album it's that some of these songs have existed for a very long time now and thus the album doesn't feel terribly new from start to finish, but it's still a minor complaint for what is really a solid listen from top to bottom. Future Islands - Singles : Chances are you've probably already heard of this album, or at least the single "Seasons (Waiting on You)" via their fairly incredible David Letterman performance . While the sort of dark new wave thing doesn't always do it for me, this album is rea...