All Around Sound's Favorite Albums Of 2016

I don't think anyone who pays any attention to music trends could've have predicted that after last year's terrific year that we were poised for another great year for music and yet here we are. 2016 offered up an absolute smorgasbord of releases for music lovers of every possible type: Rihanna, Gaga, and Zayn for the pop obsessed; ANOHNI, Okkervil River, Radiohead, for the indie lover; Beyonce, Blood Orange, and Solange for the politically minded. And yet this year, like almost every year, my favorite stand out albums happen to be ones that I felt were unfortunately overlooked. Considering how many good albums came out this year that's hardly surprising but hopefully this list of favorite album ranked in no particular order helps you find some truly great records that came out this year even if it's just a brief job down memory lane. Enjoy and as always feel free to chime in with your own.

Alex Izenberg - Harlequin
It's happened more times than I can count - an artist releases a single or several singles and either that single is the best song on the album by a strangely large margin or is just dramatically inconsistent with the songs on the album. In the case of Los Angeles singer/songwriter Alex Izenberg's debut full length Harlequin the singles "To Move On" and "Grace" do not prepare you at all for album in the best way. They paint a picture, intentionally, of your standard singer/songwriter crooning over guitar or piano with just the right amount of strings to ornament the song and give it added depth. And they're not entirely off base as Izenberg sets himself up to be just that but in an exciting twists glimpsed just barely in "Grace", Harlequin offers up something different: a wonderfully off-kilter experimentalism that finds itself in the wide majority of Izenberg's songwriting efforts. There's no attempts to hide it - album opening track "The Farm" sets the scene with dramatic string flourishes and highlighting Izenberg's distinct vocals. "Libra" and "Archer" inhabit that same realm of vivid dream-like imagery and its effectiveness heightened due to collaborator Ari Balouzian's arrangements. On Harlequin, Izenberg essentially breaks down many singer/songwriter tropes just by virtue of being himself - experimenting with sounds and textures as much if not more than his inventive lyricism.



 

Andy Shauf  - The Party
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Andy Shauf's latest effort The Party is just how steep his learning curve was that led to its creation. His debut full length The Bearer Of Bad News was the end result of 100 songs whittled down and still capable of forming coherent narratives and a cohesive flow. On The Party not only did Shauf work with far less songs but he aborted his original plans to record with an orchestra in favor of essentially handling the whole record himself while working although somewhat loosely in a concept. The Party succeeds on so many levels: the concept is simple but Shauf is able to do a lot with it: crafting characters and weaving tales that occasionally reoccur and intersect. His touch is light in every respect from the lyricism to the arrangement that it's immediately clear that's by design not lack of skill. It's impressive and engaging from start to finish and proof that Shauf is definitely a songwriter to watch.

Bayonne - Primitives
With an affinity for bedroom as well as experimental pop, I'm no stranger to loop based music and yet Primitives, the latest album from multi-instrumentalist/composer Roger Sellers, reinvigorates it in such a bold, yet understated way. The first album under his newly adopted Bayonne moniker, Sellers' manages to marry his study of minimalist music with pop songwriting and the result is a next level album that's intricate as well as exciting from beginning to end. Part of that is Sellers' own enthusiasm as he takes an active part in the layering and sequencing imbuing the electronic base with a live, human element that highlights the strengths in both while creating a sound that's new, exciting, and absolutely fascinating to dip into.

Big Thief - Masterpiece
My discovery of Big Thief is purely the result of their label Saddle Creek putting out releases from several of my favorite artists in the past that when they released the news that they were releasing Big Thief's debut album I made a note to check it out and I'm incredibly glad I did. Songwriting is nothing new to Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek who in addition to making music on their own also had another project together, and yet there's something in the alchemy of the full band that pulls even more intriguing songwriting out of Lenker and Meek. It's hard to imagine "Real Love", a beautiful song just lyrically speaking, without the rock grit. Masterpiece doesn't just succeed on those harder moments but also its lovelier, softer folk moments.

Chance The Rapper - Coloring Book
After his amazing second mixtape Acid Rap, the only people who weren't eagerly anticipating not only its follow up but anything the man did next were people who hadn't heard his music before. From guest appearances on fellow Save Money members mixtapes to last year's Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment record, Chance The Rapper has been building up a golden reputation. Add an appearance on probably the best song on Kanye's Life Of Pablo "Ultralight Beam" and that's pretty much solidified it. Coloring Book finds Chance The Rapper in a considerably different place than he was three years ago and it shows. Coloring Book is a winning combination of fun and spirituality, social commentary and self critique. With an all star cast as well as highlighting some of Chicago's best up and comers, Coloring Book is a mature work of self growth. Chance is counting his blessings but literally and figuratively and sharing the fruits of his labor in a fashion that's downright celebratory. Each song paints a definitive picture of what Chance The Rapper's been up to for the last couple years and it's a joy to hear him return so absolutely triumphant. Label woes and brushes with drugs behind him, Chance The Rapper's Coloring Book celebrates the music, his city, his family and God in a way that even the most resolved atheist can get behind. In fact the most spiritual moments on the mixtape tend to be its highest points.

Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution
Despite being a Grammy award-winning artist, Esperanza Spalding is an artist that certainly no one is talking about as much as they should be. Perhaps it's because she's a jazz musician and most people only pretend to listen to jazz? Whatever the case, Spalding put out one of this year's best albums in the form of Emily's D+Evolution. It's a concept record of sorts but even without really knowing the concept which is Spalding inhabiting an alter ego of Emily, it's a record steeped in imagination as well as talent. Separated from the live show which plays much like musical theatre and provides context, it's songs are still just as strong. Beginning with an ode to creativity energy, Emily's D+Evolution is an album of rich ideological ideas and inventive lyricism that uses its roots in funk and jazz fusion to move it along. Spalding tackles deep subjects on the album but in such an unpretentious way that it's easy for the listener to miss them. It's an album that reveals more about itself and it's multitude of wonders the more time you spend with it.

Jinja Safari - Crescent Head (Crescent Sun/Crescent Moon)
Though singer/songwriters Marcus Azon and Pepa Knight met and formed the jungle pop quintet Jinja Safari in 2010, it wasn't until 2013 when they released their debut self-titled. Sure they had released two EPs and compilation double EP in the years prior but Jinja Safari was a milestone moment for the band after several high profile shows and festivals. Unfortunately it also signaled a sort of beginning of the end, the band took a hiatus to work on side projects and otherwise alleviate industry pressures and expectations. When the band reunited they started recording the tunes that would form their double album Crescent Head.  Named after Azon and Knight's hometown and split into two parts Crescent Sun and Crescent Moon, the double album functions as love letter to the music they painstaking crafted, the fans that enjoyed it, and the band itself. It's deeply ambitious: Crescent Sun a collection of the more upbeat pop songs they're known for and Cresccent Moon a more restrained affair and yet it's masterfully done. Jinja Safari embody both the primal rhythms and jubilant energy and also making subtler, more mature musical choices. It's a shame it's their swan song since Crescent Head as a whole paints a picture of a band not only comfortable with their sounds and their choices but also a band that would continue to push itself in service to creating truly entertaining, enjoyable, and most importantly interesting music. It's a hell of a way to go out especially considering most band breakups don't come with such a thoughtful finale.

Kevin Morby - Singing Saw
Considering how practically flawless Kevin Morby's sophomore record Still Life was, I had high hopes for Singing Saw that even then were exceeded beyond my wildest dreams. Singing Saw finds Morby going grander and more cinematic with help from Sam Cohen of Yellowbirds refining his sound with effecting arrangements. Morby continues to be in rare form and his songs are as thoughtful as they are beautiful - capturing emotion stirring moments rather just telling interesting stories. There's a shift subtle as it may be in Morby's lyricism as Morby turns his gaze towards invoking a rich, balanced portrait of the human experience. And yet, there's still a little of both the reverential and referential in Morby as he calls back themes and subjects of Singing Saw on "Black Flowers" much like did on Still Life.

Kishi Bashi - Sonderlust
Perhaps the most enjoyable thing about following the career of multi-instrumentalist/producer Kishi Bashi is that none of his releases have sounded all that similar to one another. Sure two songs from his debut Room For Dream EP found their way on his debut full length 151a but were in an excitingly new context with newer songs. His sophomore effort Lighght somersaulted into Ishibashi's love of jazz fusion and prog rock and String Quartet Live! reimagined songs with string quartet accompaniment. Sonderlust is where Ishibashi hit the wall that so many artists normally hit between their first and second album. Where could he take his lush technicolored take on psychedelic dream pop while still staying true to his core sound as Kishi Bashi? The answer was inward. Ishibashi grounded his songs in his life and looked outside of his trademark violin gymnastics for inspiration. The result is an album rooted in real hopes and dreams that resonates. The sound is ambitious and yet not wholly detached from the jazz fusion and prog rock of Lighght. The lightness of tone and melody that characterized a lot of both 151a and Lighght is all but snuffed out returning briefly in the delightful album ender "Honeybody" and its use there is cathartic: the light at the end of the tunnel. Kishi Bashi believes in love and by focusing not only the bright butterflies fluttering feeling but on the actual work that must be put in to maintain it, Sonderlust ends up as an honest, sincere ode to it.

Lucius - Good Grief
Considering how all around great their debut record Wildewoman was Lucius had quite the task ahead of them avoiding a sophomore slump and less time to gather the songs to do so. But by staying the course even when they thought it would drive them insane, Lucius crafted a wonderful follow up that further expands their diverse sonic palette. The 60's girl group influence is still there but updated and not relied upon too heavily. Lucius focus on the real tumult and strife found in relationships to inform their songwriting and it elevates the moments of joyous celebration to ecstatic heights. Good Grief emphasizes the role of pain and struggle in making the moments of ease and comfort feel truly special.

Mal Devisa - Kiid
In this the age of the surprise album I think it's been forgotten that that's largely how music was released from less high profile artists. Indie bands that had no marketing budget, especially in the old Myspace days would just kind of release their music and hope that it'd reach the listeners that wanted it. And that's essentially how Mal Devisa released Kiid. Although truth be told it was a bit of an event among people who had actually seen her live and had been eagerly awaiting for her to release music. And Kiid doesn't disappoint. It captures Deja Carr's eclectic tastes and interests and offers them up in somewhat tidy package. Kiid goes from folky singer/singerwriter to fiery social commentary to deeply moving soul without ever feeling like it's trying too hard or doing too much. The album moves quick but it's not trying to lose you, Carr just has a lot to say and trusts your ability to keep up. It's a trust more art should have in its recipients and the result of that trust is a diverse offering of powerful songcraft.

Margaret Glaspy - Emotions and Math
I have a bad habit of ignoring music my friends are listening to until an embarrassingly long time after the fact. My introduction to Margaret Glaspy was an attempt to course correct. My friend Jeanette of The Miscreant/Miscreant Records have nothing but good things to say about her and so I jumped into her music around the time of her second single and didn't look back. Glaspy is an amazing singer, songwriter, and guitarists. What charmed me, aside from the absolutely infectious melodies she builds her songs around, was a kind of don't-give-a-fuck quality to her singing that reminded me of Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel.... On that album in particular Apple contorted her voice: howled and screamed with no regard for sounding pretty. What mattered was a sincere portrayal of the emotions and Emotions and Math finds Glaspy embarking on a similar journey. It's a portrait of complex woman - a fierce badass still capable of being hurt and wanting to be loved.

Mothers - When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired
With singer/songwriter/poets like Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn ranking among my favorite artists, it's hardly surprising that upon learning that Kristine Leschper, the frontwoman of Athens, GA four piece Mothers, is a poet why their songs resonated so much with me. But while Marling's poetic lyricism tends toward vague realism and Flynn's often detached from the self entirely, the most enthralling aspect of Leschper is that many of the lyrics feel lived in. There's also the packaging: complex rhythm and intricate guitar riffs catapult quiet emotive moments into action. When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired tells many stories: of love wanted and rebuked, of crippling self-doubt, of those questionable choices we make despite swearing we know better and yet ultimately, it's one long quest of the self: of finding yourself within yourself and reckoning with it. That's why despite the album's numerous tales of fractured, failing relationships, it manages to be so hopeful and inspiring. Leschper's charted journey isn't about boyfriends and girlfriends - it's about disarming and reversing one of the album's first eye-opening lyrics: "I hate my body/I love your taste". By album's end the certainty of the self is all that's left; all that's real.

Wye Oak - Tween
The fact that Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack have elected not to call Tween an album while initially confusing probably aids in its digestion. Essentially a collection of songs they had no home for, the fact that they don't consider it a full length or even a EP enables a sort of lowering of expectations that seems unworthy of how good Tween actually is. Recalling both Jenn Wasner's other side projects as well as Wye Oak's growth in general, it populates a unique place in the band's history in that it paints a picture of Wye Oak in transition. It might be an album of experiments and yet it's clear both in their decision to release it and the fact that songs like "If You Should See" and "Watching The Waiting" have made its way onto their setlists that it's a work of strong songcraft even managing to flow despite its various changes in sound and tone. With the exception of "Out Of Nowhere" which functions more as a place setting piece, Tween is a veritable feast of rock pop stunners. Wye Oak might not consider Tween to be a proper album but they've approached its creation with the same innovation and ear for melody that's made favorites out of their other proper albums.



Honorable Mentions:
Adult Jazz - Earrings Off! EP

Anderson .Paak - Malibu

And The Kids - Friends Share Lovers

Angel Olsen - MY WOMAN

Christopher Tignor - Along A Vanishing Plane

Conveyor - Ready Not Ready

Damien Jurado - Visions of Us on the Land

Golden Suits - Kubla Khan

The Heligoats - Back To The Lake

Hiss Golden Messenger - Heart Like A Levee

Jenny Hval - Blood Bitch

Julia Jacklin - Don't Let The Kids Win

Kris Orlowski - Often In The Pause

Kyle Morton - What Will Destroy You

Laura Gibson - Empire Builder

Lucy Dacus - No Burden

Mandolin Orange - Blindfaller

Marissa Nadler - Strangers

Marlon Williams - Marlon Williams

Moses Sumney - Lamentations EP

Noname - Telefone

Peter Broderick - Partners

Pinegrove - Cardinal

Psychic Twin - Strange Diary

Radiation City - Synesthetica

Steve Gunn - Eyes On The Lines

Sur Back - Kitsch EP

Tiny Ruins - Hurtling Through EP

Tuskha - Tushka

Uni Ika Ai - Keeping a Golden Bullseye in the Corner of My Mind

Weyes Blood - Front Row Seat To Earth

Lucius - Good Grief (2016)

"Inspiration feeds off of the deepest scars"

A somewhat offhanded lyric in the rather upbeat number "Almost Makes Me Wish For Rain" about regarding happiness with suspicion somehow functions as the thesis statement for powerpop outfit Lucius' latest offering Good Grief. It worked surprisingly well for their breakout album Wildewoman and the quintet has decided to double down on the blues to motivate themselves to overcome the sophomore slump. Considering the years Lucius spent not only refining and augmented their core sound as a must-see Brooklyn band but also taking the time to put out their debut full length record as a fivesome, the fact that they've managed to finish up a fully polished second helping in only two years and a cross country move is certainly unexpected and undoubtedly impressive.

 First single "Born Again Teen" while arguably the catchiest of the quintet's infectious retro-infused powerpop happens to be a rarity on Good Grief. With band members Jess Wolfe and Dan Molad dating and eventual marriage led to the band being compared to Fleetwood Mac, the band has elected to really just go full on Rumors for Good Grief. It's a record that's so wonderfully honest in how it regards relationships - the ecstatic highs demonstrated by the aforementioned "Born Again Teen" and "Something About You", the turbulent in "What We Have (To Change)" and "Gone Insane" and the heartbreaking ballad in "My Heart Got Caught On Your Sleeve".  It manages to engage in moment of rich, emotional honest while never really forgetting that it's a pop record. It this way it resembles the self-titled debut album of former tourmates and friends The Head and the Heart - songs deceptively upbeat in arrangement with underlying emotional complexity. Chief singers/songwriters Jesse Wolfe and Holly Laessig are on a role here and their vocals are the key to really selling most of these slice of life scenes - imbuing the necessary drama and emotional resonance. Take "Go Insane", a frenetic look at words said that escalate a disagreement to an all out explosion. Wolfe and Laessig's main calling card is their perfectly in sync harmonies and the fact that they allow themselves to slip out of it as they properly illustrates those moments where things get out of control and you're carried by pure vitrol. Wolfe and Laessig devolve in an aggressive shout match, their vocals fraught with abrasive tension and harsh to the ear and it's jarring as hell but so incredibly effective.

While Lucius has always made it a point to spotlight Wolfe and Laessig to the point that they're often the focus in press photos, they're bold colors and matching outfits, that it's easy to forget that Lucius is continuing to come into its own as quintet. The production of Good Grief, helmed by Dan Molad, is absolutely impeccable making up for some of the occasion wonkiness on Wildewoman, and the band is astounding rare form nailing the genre-shifts with effortlessness. Which is no easy feat. Going from the dance-pop of "Almost Makes Me Wish For Rain" all the way to the rootsy folk of album closer "Dusty Trails", Lucius covers a considerable amount of ground but manage to internalize those influences and personalize it in a way that it never quite feels like the jukebox style of retro pop that's increasingly popular.

Good Grief is a triumph of Lucius' continuous stylistic synthesis and earnest, engaging songwriting. It might not've been the easiest path from the critical success of Wildewoman to this new batch of songs but it's a testament to the magic that awaits when you put in the work and love what you do to the point of potential madness. No one who's ever heard them would mistake their success for a fluke but Good Grief is a indicator that Lucius is capable of wonderful amounts of growth that can still contain the sound they've been working at since their earliest days together.



Lucius' latest album, their second in their current incarnation, Good Grief is out March 11th on Mom + Pop. You can order the album here and stream via NPR's First Listen until its release.

Listen/Watch: Lucius - "Born Again Teen"

Since Lucius re-emerged from a creative hibernation of sorts around the time of the release of their self-titled EP (give or take the couple months they had been winning crowds over with their less folk-inspired sound), they've managed to channel the spirit of old school rock & roll and girl pop glam in a way that was less about being derivative and more about honoring their influences and own musical tastes than mere imitation. It was a sound that galvanized some of the group's catchiest tracks atop of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig's powerhouse laser-precise vocals even as Lucius grew into their current five person setup. While the road to their break out full length Wildewoman seemed like a sort of endurance test, Lucius have, along with trading their digs from Brooklyn to LA, taken years work of hard work refining their sound to heart with the development of their new record Good Grief.

"Born Again Teen" is all wide-eyed exuberance - recalling the vibrant sounds and colors of the 1950s without exactly placing itself purely in that era. "It's a feeling like a born again teen/got a heartbeat like we're only sixteen", the ladies croon before there's a blast of shout vocals that jump-start the track's lilting verse/boisterous chorus combo. Laessig and Wolfe's vocals lead the dance - circling casually before taking the lead and rising to climactic highs. "Can somebody help me, please?/I don't think it's just me, I'm dying" embodies the melodrama of lovesickness and yet the band who all enter in harmonies aren't coquettish about it. It's real, it's sincere. There's nothing cute about this feeling and appropriately after reaching such a dramatic climax, the only response is a swing back to their introduction as if it (and it does) explain it all.



Good Grief isn't out until next March but "Born Again Teen" shows that Lucius aren't pulling any punches with their pop domination. "Born Again Teen" is Lucius at their catchiest but also their most self-aware, balancing teenage drama with the knowledge that they're mature enough to know better. It's going to be a long wait until March but "Born Again Teen" posits that it just might be worth the wait.

Lucius' upcoming album Good Grief is out March 11th. Preorder in available now and features a bunch of cool options like the making of documentary Days in One Place, and limited edition translucent 12" vinyl.

Listen: Lucius - "Genevieve"

Back when Brooklyn pop outfit Lucius revealed the official details behind the much anticipated debut album Wildewoman, I lamented the lack of standout track "Genevieve" from their self-titled EP. The band assured me that the blow would soon be mitigated and while including it as bonus track from the European release of their album isn't quite what I expected, it certainly helps that they've allowed us natives to at least hear the brand new version of the track.

As Lucius proved on their full length's first run, there's really not too much the quintet can do to improve upon their already immaculate sound - the ladies vocals are a bold and brassy as ever, intertwining seamlessly, the band a present force around them and given their own moments to shine. "Genevieve" was a cacophonous triumph on the Lucius EP and it remains so here - spruced up with a new mix, which adds another layer of variety with its production effects. The band aren't really in need of fancy recording tricks given their tight knit precision and the ladies' bodacious vocal chops but variety is the spice of life after all, and probably a nice way of putting a new spin on a track the band have been playing live for years so granted they kept the effects to minimum, there's really not much to complain about. "Genevieve" is boisterous and jubilant, fun and flirty, and well, just damn good.

Listen to the brand new mix of "Genevieve":



  

All Around Sound's Favorite Albums of 2013

It may not actually be true but this year at least seemed to be extensively stacked with follow ups from returning artists rather than a year which overflowed with impressive debuts. Whether those bands/artists had essentially released an album not too long ago (Alessi's Ark, Teitur), followed the traditional release schedule of an album every other year (Arctic Monkeys, Telekinesis) or appeared after a lengthy hiatus (Basia Bulat, Johnny Flynn), 2013 was filled with an impressive series of releases from more established acts. That's not to say there weren't impressive debut records to be found this year but rather, there was deluge of excitement-stirring announcements from bands newly out of the studio or that had finally gotten the go ahead from their label and/or distributor to make this their year. This year's list, like last year's, features a collection of my favorite records released this year in no particular order other than how they came in to memory.

The Dodos - Carrier
San Francisco duo The Dodos might very well be one of the most underrated "popular" bands going right now. Around the release of their albums, there's a justifiable buzz of interest that always seems to fizzle out a week or two after the record. Maybe that's just in my circle but they're a band with an incredible level of consistency while also offering up remarkably good ideas. 2011's No Color was an all around winner and this year's full length Carrier ups the ante a bit. In part a tribute to the recently departed Chris Reimer of Women, the guitar stars on Carrier in a way that it hasn't really been spotlighted before. Sure, there's still the percussive momentum that galvanizes the duo's oddly accessible guitar rock stylings but strives to be and achieves the goal of being the duo's most introspective album. Each of the album's tracks has absolute magnificent moments of beguiling melodic work and Meric Long's expansive experimentation with different guitar tones and curtails Kroeber's energetic drumming for emotional depth and a much more lyrical focus. It's an album that takes what worked well on No Color (backing vocals and strings) and utilizes them again while expanding them and pairing them up with new ideas. Carrier perfectly balances those moments of quiet, rumination ("Relief", "Death", "The Ocean") with moments of liveliness and jubilation ("Substance", "Confidence", "The Current") sometimes doing so in the same song ("Transformer", "Destroyer").

Lucius - Wildewoman
I still remember my initial discovery of female-fronted Brooklyn pop rock quintet Lucius - it was perhaps my most visceral response to live music in my entire history of attending live shows. Normal show etiquette seemed an unfathomable burden to me. Who was this band? Where did they come from and how was I only now discovering them? How the hell were they so damn good? These are the questions I wondered aloud in a crowd of showgoers who probably wanted nothing more than for me to shut the hell up and enjoy the show. Lucius, with their 60s girl group retro rock vibe and infectious melody and head-spinning harmonies, were easily one of my favorite new bands and their live energy was unmatched. While I lamented that last year's self-titled EP failed to capture the true spirit of their live show, I had hope that when the fivesome finally put their debut album into the world all would be well. They didn't. Wildewoman, while featuring all five members as a band instead of focusing merely as a spotlight for Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig future separates the group from their electric live energy. The songs that carried over from the EP are remixed, reproduced toward a far less organic center. "Hey, Doreen", the album's true pop behemoth is a multitude of layers that's notably difficult to pull off live. And yet, even with its production choices, Wildewoman is a gem of an album. The new tracks full of Lucius' trademark smiling, winking charm ("Wildewoman", "Nothing Ordnary) or resonant emotive core ("Tempest", "Monsters").  While others like "Two of Us On the Run" "Until We Get There" and "How Loud Your Heart Gets" spotlight the ladies' ferocious and soulful vocal prowess while relying very little on the group's formidable pop chops. Wildewoman is a balanced effort which feels a whole lot more inclusive than last year's EP. It's a debut album of practically overwhelming strength even if it neglects to make proper use of the band's full potential.

Steve Gunn - Time Off
I would've missed the boat entirely on Steve Gunn's excellent, excellent record Time Off if it didn't come with the highest of recommendations from Daughn Gibson when I tapped him to participate in this year's blog birthday playlist extravaganza. Steve Gunn has and will probably continue to receive comparisons to all the greatest guitar players of all time and for good reason - Gunn's guitar prowess is awe-inspiring. Not in the flashy showman way of rock guitarists but for Time Off's thoughtfully spun narratives, Gunn wields his guitar as an extension of himself - indulging in a great deal of musical world building before the first verses are even sung. His melodies are vibrant and memorable, simple in terms of their pleasant ear-catchingness but complex in the dazzling array of colors he infuses his tunes with his instrument alone. Time Off is all wind-swept sketches that fully embrace less is more and is all the more impressive for it. Gunn's smooth uncomplicated rambles are paired perfectly with his effortlessly clean bluesy guitar lines and the results are pure synergistic excellence where the journey IS the reward.

Little Tybee - For Distant Viewing
Little Tybee's third full length record is a true testament to taking your time to really allow a record to gestate. Originally slated for a release right on the heels of 2011's Humorous to Bees, circumstances caused the album to be delayed and a strong argument can be made for the positive in that. Each song on For Distant Viewing seems to take its time, stretch its legs and hang around for awhile - from its eponymous opening track which luxuriates in its rapidly shifting musical ideas and multitude of layers so much that its climactic "Get down!" is like a jolt to the system, galvanizing not only the track itself but your interest in it. Little Tybee are a band of incredibly competent musicians and For Distant Viewing probably more than any other album gives the band the space to truly display their individual talents as well as the ensemble as a whole - featuring a series of rousing instrumental breaks and intense jams.

Typhoon - White Lighter
Forgive me if it sounds like I'm gushing but bands like Portland's folk rock collective Typhoon are a rarity. Boasting a bewildering 11 member roster, they're stunningly agile - utilizing their members not only effectively but also efficiently refusing to let anyone fall by the wayside or be deployed solely as an ornament. While Kyle Morton's songwriting talents are ultimately beyond reproach, the band gathers around them like moths to a flame letting their talents mingle with his in such a way that Typhoon never feels like just a vehicle for Morton. White Lighter continues the band's life-affirming, soul-rousing brand of highly literate rock while also polishing it in a way it wasn't on previous full length Hunger and Thirst. White Lighter plays with it's own established themes, lyrics, and melodies - recalling them cyclically and climatically with greater purpose than if it discarded them when first applied making White Lighter a much more resonant album than most. It's an album of passionate epiphanous moments freely given though filtered through a rock lens so you're not really aware you've learned anything at all. But Morton's open-armed embrace of sickness, weakness, and death and Typhoon's verisimilitude make White Lighter and album that'll stick with you long after it's done playing.

Golden Suits - Golden Suits
When I heard Fred Nicolaus from Department of Eagles was working on a solo record, I was excited. When I heard Daniel Rossen was assisting with it, I was ecstatic. You see as someone who's been carrying a major torch for Department of Eagles, this was a dream come true. A potential reunion of sorts. But Fred Nicolaus' first solo record under the name Golden Suits isn't a Department of Eagles record. Not in the slightest and that is perhaps it's greatest strength. Alone, Nicolaus' talents are far more out in the open. While Golden Suits follows in a long trend of heartbreak-fueled records, it manages to distinguish itself due to Nicolaus' excellent lyrical gifts, guitar prowess, and uncanny knack for melody. Each track on Golden Suits is composed of a little memorable extra that elevate it from good to great. Considering Fred Nicolaus is no stranger to the music industry/music-making in general, it's not really a shock that the man can craft of considerable worth but what is, and pleasantly, is its subtlety and gentleness in asserting itself as such. The song Cheever-inspired character sketches frankensteined with real life inspiration that never lets itself wallow. Golden Suits is an album of half-smiles, self-aware chuckles, and the occasional frown or two but it's an album that embraces the positives of emotional devastation and starting over again. The songs are casual reflections - never ascending to "baby come back!" level of pining and reverberate with a quiet cathartic strength even as Nicolaus rattles off the occasional self-deprecating lyric. It's also features damn good arrangements that heighten everything from narrative drama to aural pleasure.

Villagers - {Awayland}
There's always talk of singer/songwriters particularly those of the folk variety of being poets but for few people is this actually true than of Conor O'Brien of Villagers. And yet, the simple, quiet resonance of 2010's Becoming A Jackal had clearly done its damage - when O'Brien and company returned late year the game was clearly renaissance. "The Waves" and "Passing A Message" with electronic-stitch sonic tapestries and grooves were a statement of purpose and yet even despite the unexpected 180, O'Brien's narrative voice - of pitch-perfect descriptive lyricism was present if not honed. {Awayland}'s songs cover a dramatically different scope of emotions - no doubt born from the live energy cultivated from a touring behind the first record but also filled with an excitement of new paths tread. {Awayland} manages to keep what has worked well with Villagers in the past while also engaging in a great deal of reinvention. O'Brien's lyricism is clearer, more eloquent, and far more visceral that comes off as a very natural progression for Villagers.

The Heligoats - Back to the Ache
The Heligoat's frontman Chris Otepka has always had a way with the English language - elevating mundane details to high revelance due mostly in part to his own fascination with them and an ability to deftly use his words to make them something of interest. While Goodness Gracious dealt with a lot of the bigger questions we ponder - Back to the Ache shrinks down the focus to a molecular level. While also taking Otepka's curious attention to the details and employing in on whole level entire - that of his band. Back to the Ache functions far more as a band record than Goodness Gracious with those songs not likely to suffer if stripped down and played solo (which Otepka has done) in the latest album, there's an feel that would no doubt be lost. The album is really good old fashioned indie rock - strongly so with the added benefit of Otepka's lyricism. That's essentially what makes the album - the inclusion of a noticeable full band sound while retaining Otepka front and center.

Camp Counselors - Huntress
I'm a sucker for a good, original concept and an album inspired by old horror movie soundtracks was certainly original enough to pique my interest. That it was another effort from Cemeteries mastermind Kyle Reigle was another. Huntress, the debut record from Reigle's offshoot project Camp Counselors manages to create a distinctive brand of accessible synth pop while staying true to its initial inspiration - the lyrics are dark and mysterious, the aura eerie and otherworldly, and the beats undeniable. Huntress is a record as methodically established and embellished as the rules of the genre it sees to emulate. It's the perfect example of how an simple idea - in this case Reigle's lifelong obsession - can flourish into something truly spectacular. A great concept album doesn't have to be epic - it just needs the right mix of ambition and excitement and Huntress is a testament to that. Tremendously enjoyable in its own right while laying the groundwork for Reigle's further experimentation distinguishing it as far more than a fun throwaway and more as a benchmark of innovation.

Son Lux - Lanterns
There's something to be said of composer/arranger Ryan Lott's third outing as Son Lux. Lanterns encapsulates so much about what Lott such an interesting artist. It's no so much that Son Lux has fallen into a consistent groove as it is Lott continuously pushes the boundaries of his own creative process while offering works that are boldly experimental but still intensely engaging. Lanterns is a remarkably complex record, of that there's no question, but it's not a record that requires a lot of superfluous mythology or is challenging enough that its enjoyment isn't immediate. That's essentially my favorite thing about Son Lux and his creative process. There's a hell of a lot going on behind the scenes - as Lott cut, pastes, rearranges, and otherwise toys with the concept of linear songwriting but the end product is always something that is unquestionably beautiful but appears effortlessly so. Lott isn't the kind of experimentalist that thrives on exclusion or inaccessibility and that's always an endearing feature of his works of which Lanterns is no different; even carrying over the illumination theme of lanterns from sophomore effort We Are Rising's "Flickers" and expanding it in a whole new set of ways.

Young Man - Beyond Was All Around Me
After discovering singer/songwriter Colin Caulfield's Young Man project during the last quarter of 2012, I approached Beyond Was All Around Me, the final installation of Caulfield's Young Man moniker, with both a sense of tremendous anticipation and dread. There were, to me, so few male singer/songwriters actually discussing issues that were uniquely pertinent to a twenty-something male and I was both sad to see the project go and exciting as how Caulfield would tidy the whole thing up. One the last full length of the project, Caulfield plunges forward both in terms of his newly implemented band who imbue the album with an immediacy and spirited delivery we hadn't seen before. While Caulfield excelled at thoughtful, careful plotting on previous releases, there's no denying the excitement inducing fast-pacing. Caulfield's approach to the tail end of his saga is delighfully open ended but not frustratingly so. His future may take the form of an eternal ellipses but he does engage in a far bit of speculation. What's more, there's an incredible sense of closure gained from Caulfield's incorporation of many of the hallmarks of his other records - namely the return of string arrangements and themes. Beyond Was All Around Me is not only a perfect end to Caulfield's ruminations but also a stellar record on its own merits.

Young Dreams - Between Places
It's rare that I give in completely to total anticipation than I did upon discovering Norwegian orchestral pop group Young Dreams. Led to them by tourmate/champion Sondre Lerche, I was pretty much sold from fading strains of "Dream alone, wake together" and with each subsequent single release my enthusiasm rose and I became more and more certain that Young Dreams debut full length would be a truly worthwhile listen. Between Places exceeded all my possible expectations - expanding the sextet's tropical-inspired nostalgia-riden vibes into a full on masterpiece. On one end - it works as perfect collection of would be singles but also functions as a cohesive unit and doesn't steer clear of longform song structure - devoting a whopping 18 minutes and change towards the album's conclusion towards artistically plotted experimentations. As if the six songs that proceeded them weren't enough, Young Dreams go all out here - demonstrating their influences and overall musicianship pretty aptly. As a whole, Young Dreams' Between Places is musical escapism at is finest - recalling bright sunny days and balmy temperatures, and the optimism and thrills of youth without any of the poor decision making involved. It's an exceptional debut from a band bursting with ideas but fluent enough in pop to get them all out there patiently.  

Buke & Gase - General Dome
To say there are few bands as innovative and boundary-pushing as Buke & Gase seems a little obvious but also a bit of an understatement. Buke & Gase have essentially through pure ingenuity ultimately created a sound unlike any other, that was essentially the beauty of their debut record Riposte and General Dome proves that there's really no limits as far as the band's creativity is concerned. General Dome both manages to be completely unlike their debut while still sharing a common distinct sound - namely in the cacophonous energetic cerebral sprint that is Buke & Gase's form of music making. There is, of course, a grand arching concept to General Dome but that doesn't distract at all from it's accessibility - an accessibility that is actually rather surprising. While Buke & Gase are one of those truly rare bands where literally no genre can/will stick to them, there is no getting around the fact that their songs are distinct, memorable, and dare I say downright catchy.  General Dome expands the wonderfully psychological elements of Riposte to dramatically levels bordering on paranoia. The result is a heady rush of thrilling rise and falls - from manic screams to hushed whispers that never seems able to shake off its boundless kinetic energy or sense of unease until the album comes sputtering to is exhausted end.    

Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle
It's almost bewildering how British folk siren Laura Marling manages to stay so incredibly consistent release after release. Her latest effort Once I Was An Eagle is both a more ambitious and more intimate spin on Marling's distinctive brand of narrative driven folk rambles. While just the first four suite of songs is enough to nominate it for absolutely everyone's surefire favorite, through stripping down Marling and collaborator Ethan Johns get downright creative with the accompaniment. As if her normal way, Marling's songs are both frustrating mysterious and boldly telling at the same time. As the line are further blended between fiction and fact, Marling stays true to a couple of her pre-established fascinations - water, scorned women, and all-consuming passion. In a weird way, it's by noticeably shifting the focus away from her to the super and preternatural that makes Marling's songwriting all the more curious. Despite the unecessary speculation of when/where Marling is talking about her experiences directly or in elaborate metaphor, Marling's songs maintain their simple poetry that remain as relatable as ever.

Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond
There is a certain amount of balance and finesse that must be applied to musical catharsis. Too much wallowing and a whole album can feel cloying and claustrophobic maybe even the wrong kind of depressing. Too light and the endeavor can seem a tad bit trite. Like the problems presented aren't worth relating too if the singer themself isn't too bothered by them. But thankfully Mutual Benefit has no such difficultly. Where Jordan Lee and his collaborators succeed is not only in providing a valid and viable alternative to your standard pop in its articulately formed textural layering but in the rather small scale epic presentation. Love's Crushing Diamond is a journey, both of Lee's own experiences and through it's own bit of forward momentum. It's an album that's astonishing relatable; courageously vulnerable without sounding like entries out of a sad boy's diary. There's something to be said for the musicianship of it all - cyclical in its scope and played with pitch-perfect tenderness and managing to captivate not only with Lee's stellar songwriting but with its effortless use of space. Love's Crushing Diamond is a truly special record that manages to reach the perfect balance of rugged individualism and an endearing sense of universality.




Honorable Mentions:
Brazos - Saltwater

Chris Holm - Kilos

Emily Reo - Olive Juice

Friend Roulette - I'm Sorry You Hit Your Head

Genders - Get Lost

Radiation City - Animals in the Median

San Fermin - San Fermin

Secret Mountains - Rainer

Wild Ones - Keep It Safe

Listen: Lucius - "Tempest"

It kind of goes without saying but Brooklyn indie pop quintet Lucius' upcoming debut full length album is without a doubt one of my most anticipated albums of this year. Since discovering them last year, it's been a marvel to watch them only get better and better and "Tempest", the next single from the forthcoming Wildewoman just shows more of that.

Unlike the playful narrative flavor of "Hey, Doreen", "Tempest" plunks Lucius right back in the emotional hot seat of the songs from the self-titled EP. Only instead of the questing, pondering  "Don't Just Sit There" or the sassy and rebellious "Go Home", "Tempest" recalls the most violent conflicts in a relationship. But rather than pointing fingers, they willfully acknowledge their own culpability in surprisingly calmly delivered lines. It's a piece of delicately plotted beauty that runs the gamut of heartfelt appeal and soothing rationalization filled with those powerhouse vocals that are every bit of Lucius' signature.



Lucius' debut full length Wildewoman is out October 15th on Mom + Pop.

Listen: Lucius - "Hey, Doreen"

After their most recent announcement of signing to Mom + Pop, Brooklyn retro-pop outfit Lucius have wasted little time continuing the spree of good news. This fall, their much anticipated debut album Wildewoman will finally be released. October 15th will be a great day, mark my words.

If "Until We Get There" wasn't enough to satiate your need for new Lucius, they five-some have returned with the sassy "Hey, Doreen" which is rather unlike anything we've heard from them before. Sure, there's the same doo-wop & 60s girl group inspired sounds the group regular draws on but like "Until We Get There", "Hey, Doreen" is another band-centric gem. The ladies powerhouse vocals and trademark harmonies aren't spotlighted this time out, instead utilized during the most sumptuous of band grooves. "Hey, Doreen" is nearly 5 minutes of unadulterated jam and it's an infectious rumpshaker if their ever was on.

It's amazing the level of band growth Lucius has undergone in about a year and the results have been nothing short of spectacular. Wildewoman is going to a very special record. Until it's October release date, I'll be bumping "Hey, Doreen" and so should you.

Listen: Lucius - "Until We Get There"

Since my discovery of Brooklyn indie pop quintet Lucius at last year's Deli B.E.A.F, I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of new music from them, more opportunities to hear Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig's bold, brassy vocals and the bands distinctive brand of 60s leaning power pop. We've gotten peaks of course in the form of their tragically short self-titled four song EP released last spring as well as through the Christmas themed session for The Wild Honey Pie and their songs showing up remarkably in all matter of TV shows but this fall, we're finally getting a full length. Thank our lucky stars.

"Until We Get There", our first look at the band's upcoming studio album also marks their signing to Mom + Pop Records which boasts a pretty eclectic and exciting roster. But what can I say, I'm really just all a buzz with excitement that we're finally getting a Lucius full length. "Until We Get There" follows is a stream of rather journey-inspired tracks (the first being "Two Of Us On The Run"). It's the kind of track that wouldn't be out of place soundtracking a tour documentary or a roadtrip. It's actually a decidedly new look at Lucius.
While their self-titled EP covered a wide range of tonal shifts, we never quite got a track like "Until We Get There" which combines the subdued vocals stylings of "Don't Just Sit There" with the galvanizing energy of "Genevieve".  It also functions as a far more interactive band experience, for the first time in their recorded out you truly hear Lucius as a quintet and less like a vehicle for the impressive vocal chops of its two ladies.

I'm going to counting the days until their full length makes it way into the world but until then, "Until We Get There" will be perfect company.

Listen: Lucius - "Two Of Us On the Run" (Honey I'm Home Session)

This year I was luckily enough to discover not only the ultra talented female fronted Brooklyn quintet Lucius but also their friends and frequent collaborators The Wild Honey Pie and this holiday season the two combined to give their fans a treat in the form of one of The Wild Honey Pie's amazing Honey I'm Home sessions. Not only that, we get a new song out of it in "Two of Us on the Run". It's got everything you've come to expect and love from the band as Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig's outstanding vocals that intertwine so flawlessly. Understated but no less moving, "Two of Us on the Run" resembles Songs From the Bromley House's "Shenandoah" in it's acoustic ramble that gives way to controlled displays of the ladies' ferocious vocal chops.

The fact that Lucius haven't released a full length yet (as a quintet) is downright criminal. Here's hoping they're going to churn out one in the year. Until then enjoy "Two of Us on the Run". Guaranteed to warm your heart on even the coldest winter night.






Check out "Wildewoman" also from their holiday Honey I'm Home Session and make sure to pop over to The Wild Honey Pie for some free downloads of the two song session.



(via The Wild Honey Pie)

All Around Sound's Favorite Tracks of 2012

In a year that I felt was far more populated by stellar singles than exceptional full length albums, the idea of cherry-picking my favorite tracks of the year seemed more than a little daunting. While my favorite albums seemed like such a no brainer, arranging my favorite songs of the year seemed like a far more stressful but not impossible endeavor. So here's my favorite tracks of the year, arranged in no particular order. Enjoy!

Plants & Animals - "Lightshow", The End of All That
It's the track that singlehandedly dominated the early part of my year, while The End of All That was ultimately a major letdown for me in terms of living up to this fantastic lead single, to omit it from this list seemed wrong. Why? Have you ever heard a more earcatching single? That question is rhetorical and the answer is no. A track that grabs you right from when you press play, "Lightshow" manages to be rather simple in construction, featuring a pretty standard slow build incorporation of instrument but it's when these all converge together that the consuming power of the track is revealed. The lyrics? Awesome. The not too balls-to-the-wall style of rock that enables the immediate attention paid to the lyrics? Also awesome. It might very well be the single greatest song the band has written/performed and that's why even after burn after constant burn, I'm guaranteed to come back.


Lower Dens - "Brains", Nootropics
The first single from Lower Dens hot anticipated sophomore record Nootropics was a righteous jam. There's no other way around it. It's the kind of track you imagine would be twice as long live because it's pretty much neverending in it's simplicity. Chug-a-long guitar riffs with a sort of question/answer voice part. It sort of belies where the rest of Nootropics was bound to go (that is, a set of non-jams). It's catchy for its insistence and manages to avoid being annoying about it. It's a track that easily gets stuck in your head but that you make no major effort to get rid of. The lyrics may be obscured by fuzz but the track is no less enjoyable. Just thinking about the track gets the repetitive chunky lines stuck in your noggin and next thing you know you're jamming along to "Brains" on repeat and anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 days have gone by. It's dangerously time-consuming but you wouldn't have it any other way.


Father John Misty - "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", Fear Fun
In the initial cymbal crash of "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" mild-mannered J.Tillman singer/songwriter/drummer of Fleet Foxes fame was instantaneously reborn as Father John Misty. While Fear Fun remains to be an album many are trying to fully wrap their heads around (myself included), one thing is clear "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" fully justifies Tillman's Fleet Foxes split on its own merit. It shows a more honest, decidedly more creative Tillman than we've experienced thus far and it's far better for it. It also helps that it's catchy as hell. So catchy that the lyrics aren't immediately apparent to the listener. After dozens of listens it wasn't until reading an interview with Tillman where I realized the song was about graveyard sex. Cool. It's a proper departure from the songs about heartbreak and reconciliation that your standard singer/songwriter doles out in spades. The track alone was enough to ease the hurt of no longer getting to witness Tillman charming up Robin Pecknold's awkward stage banter as well as providing something new and exciting to look forward to. Father John Misty, you can stay.


Alt-J, "Breezeblocks", An Awesome Wave
While support of UK art-pop band Alt-J seems to be split right down the middle, one thing is clear at least to me "Breezeblocks" is incredible. It might've been the accompanying video shot in reverse but from the second I heard "Breezeblocks" I was hooked. It's a spindly, slowly-raveling tune which lurches forth with more than its fair share of mood changes. Sparse folky interludes burst into a grooving, multi-layered laid-back rock. For me, it's the most appealing song from Alt-J; the track you throw on a mix or send along when you're trying to gauge whether someone would like them or just to give them a taste of what the band sounds like when it's at its best.


Patrick Watson, "Into Giants", Adventures in Your Own Backyard
"Into Giants" is the probably the best example of Adventures in Your Own Backyard's normalized grandeur, raising a simple love song to fairy tale pleasantness. But far more impressive is Watson's song construction, properly enlisting a strong female vocal to act as a foil to his soft falsetto. It's easily the most memorable song of the album and it's not hard to see why. A lighthearted jaunt composed of various little flourishes and moving parts but plays smoothly and places melody at the forefront. "Into Giants" is Watson at his absolute songwriting best creating a track that's insanely enjoyable to listen to while also giving you that heart-clench you get from a properly emotional song. The perfect balance whimsical pop that still manages to stay grounded with a bit of seriousness.


Daniel Rossen, "Not Coming Back"
Anyone who knows me probably knows that I have a major love of Daniel Rossen's non-Grizzly Bear related projects. Department of Eagles, his solo stuff, whatever, I've never been disappointed. Even though he released an immaculate solo EP this year, the greatest gift happened when Rossen entered the 21st century and joined the social networking site Twitter. Why? Because though he doesn't tweet often when he does he does something incredible like drop a previously unreleased track from days past. Case in point: "Not Coming Back" a demo that apparently Rossen doesn't think too highly of, he's since dispersed it among Silent Hour/Golden Mile and Shields and seeing no future use for the remains posted it to his Soundcloud for curious ears. Obviously Rossen is a perfectionist of the highest order because "Not Coming Back" is brilliant. An emotive jam that seems to be establishing itself as Rossen's trademark, it's hard to believe "Not Coming Back" isn't a fully realized song ready for release.


Flock of Dimes, "Prison Bride", Prison Bride 7"
The solo project of Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, I was too busy making up for lost time listening to Wye Oak's Civilian to pay any attention to Wasner's solo debut last year. In fact it wasn't until Caleb from Lands & Peoples mentioned that he picked up the recently released 7" that I was even aware Flock of Dimes existed and while she's put out a fairly sizeable amount of new tracks in the year, "Prison Bride" remains the most insistent, the most demanding of my attention and infinite listens. Perhaps its because so many parts of its overall construction seem so non-beautiful. The chunky beats and percussive effects compliment Wasner's dizzying vocals perfectly. Wasner seems to be on a crusade to elevate the current status of pop music and with tracks like "Prison Bride" she does a pretty good job of throwing her hat into the ring. I hope there's more songs like Flock of Dimes' or even that Wasner herself gets more popular (which is normally not a thing I wish on any of the bands I like) as everyone can do with a little more substance like Wasner seems inclined to dole out.


ARMS, "Summer Skills (Bump in the Night Version)"
Ah, some of you might think of this as the obligatory ARMS track that's meant to go on my list since my almost two year long obsession with them and perhaps you'd be right in that. But in addition to wanting to have one of my favorite bands represented in a year-end roundup there's also the fact that the jazzed up version of the title track off last year's incredible Summer Skills is a real home-run. Normally a slow-burning ballad, ARMS put a little bit of a groove-centric spin on the track (which actually got debuted at their record release show last year) and went about putting it to tape this year. Ace.  Not everyone is always in the mood for a ballad but everyone and I do mean everyone is in the mood for a jam and the Bump in the Night version of "Summer Skills" is a jam if there ever was one. Taking its place among other Summer Skills ragers proudly.


The Tallest Man on Earth, "To Just Grow Away", There's No Leaving Now
With a large part of The Tallest Man on Earth's draw (and subsequent criticism) being that each album adds a number of songs to a steadily growing songbook, every once in awhile you have a song that really stands out among the crowd. Impressive considering Matsson balances his songwriting talent pretty evenly among his albums tracklists. The Wild Hunt's was "The Drying of the Lawns" (with "King of Spain" a very close second), Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird's was "Thrown Right At Me", and There's No Leaving Now seems to "To Just Grow Away" despite valiant efforts made by "1904" and "Revelation Blues". It's the beginning track and sets the stage wonderfully for the album's rather different take on Matsson's rambling folk reveries.
Tallest Man on Earth - To Just Grow Away by maggiemreid

AU, "Solid Gold", Both Lights
There are tons of bands that claim to be or are lauded as being energetic and then a band like AU comes around to prove what being energetic really means. "Solid Gold" with its wild, breakneck mbira is and unfettered masterpiece of unrivaled, untameable energy. Sure, there's the occasional slow down when Holland Andrews enters lovingly caressing each note but ultimately the track moves at a speed that'd be nerve-wracking if it weren't so perfectly executed. At any moment the track seems like it could burst into flames ruined by it's own hubris of flying too close to the sun but it never does. It's a musical thrill-ride, nusic as a spectacle in the best way. "Solid Gold" is catchy as hell to rival AU's artistic ambition. The track bustling and frantic but confident in its abilities. It pays off because the risk seems monumental.


Prussia - "Annie", Girl Cops single
While Prussia may (or may not) be a thing of the past, they made sure to leave us with one more nugget of sweet, quirky songwriting with the Girl Cops single. And while the single is no doubt excellent, I fell hard for the b side "Annie". Featuring Prussia cinematic scope and innovative storytelling "Annie" is one of the reasons I'm going to miss Prussia. Ryan Spencer's lyrics have a tendency to explain just the right amount to give the narrative life while making you fill in the blanks yourself and also giving more questions than answers. It's never quite clear who Annie is exactly as major of an influence as she is on the song's course - instead minor details about her shift slightly more into focus as her character hangs back in the periphery. This combined with the sort of glammy 80s synth-pop vibe that manages to stay aligned with Prussia's intimate chamber pop stylings, it's not hard for the track to win you over. Vivacious, intelligent, and weird "Annie" could very well be inspired by the messed up realm of Poor English without fitting tidily into that box.

Lucius, "Genevieve", Lucius EP
There are few bands around as good as Lucius. While band after band can and will continue to use 60s girl pop as their muse, few will do so as effectively as the Brooklyn quintet. In fact, my first brush with them turned me into a puddle of exclamation. My brain couldn't process the level of talent being dished out and that wasn't some fluke - each member of Lucius is an integral part of that effect not just Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig's tight-knit harmonies and jaw-dropping vocal chops (though they certainly do help). While the full effect of Lucius isn't attained outside of their live set, "Genevieve" is most closely captures the vivacious brassy attitudes, the sauntering melodies, the dynamic musicianship. It's short but sweet, simple but all-consuming, "Genevieve" hints at the playfulness and the rising levels of mind-shattering interplay of the band while being restrained enough that you don't utterly lose it when the track plays. Win win.

Parlovr, "Holding On To Something", Kook Soul
It was an album I was rooting for since catching the Montreal pop trio at CMJ back in 2011, the concept seemed quirky enough to work. Three Canadians find influence and inspiration in soul music - a decidedly American idiom and effective pair it with their own brand of wild, high intensity power pop. It was an idea that turned out to be far more ingenious in theory than practice. Though Kook Soul certainly was not without it's triumphs - "Holding On To Something" no doubt being the absolute best of them. It's a track much like "Lightshow" that hinted at an potential not quite reached within the confines of the album but which shines brightly on it's own. The energy "Holding On To Something" is infectious, the fellas talents for cobbling together sloshing but pristinely memorable melodies with an interesting even dance-y feel. Though the rest of Kook Soul failed to live up to the sinful pop promises of "Holding On To Something". it certain was worth the effort if only for the track's creation.

Lemolo - "Open Air", The Kaleidoscope
Perhaps it's because it's the single upbeat track in a series of brooding ones, maybe it's that it functions as the perfect showcase for Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox's vocals accompanied purely by a piano, beat-keeping drum and a limitless sense of freedom but "Open Air" was the track I found myself returning to over and over again on Lemolo's stunning debut The Kaleidoscope. Simple lyrically as well as compositionally, it manages to grip you by putting the two ladies' harmonies fully on display unencumbered.



Illuminator - "Tangled With Bear", Soul Sister (forthcoming)
What can I say I have a real fondness for concept albums. The higher the stakes for it to be completely missed or fail completely, the more I'm interested in it. Sure, sometimes releases get bogged down with all the minute details that came from crafting a record as much more than just a musical narrative but when they really get it, it's excellent. Enter Illuminator: On paper Soul Sister (or what we've heard from it thus far rather) seems weird. Like REALLY weird. In execution though it works, surprisingly. "Tangled With Bear" kind of drops you into the middle of the action: a battle between the album's protagonist and a violent soul he's confronted through multiple lifetimes. Without the concept, "Tangled With Bear" is a rollicking blues rock jam which alternates between moments of delicate pulsating narrative-driven plotting and glorious bursting emotive climaxes. In concept, it's more than just an addictive piece of southern-inspired rock, it's cathartic and interesting to have an internal and external battle taking place with the music functioning as both weapon and battlefield. Weird, yes, but good. Normal's overrated anyway.


Town Hall - "Mary A. Longden", Roots & Bells
 If you're going to go the tall tell narrative route of folk pop, you've got to be damn good. Not just in lyrical content but in overall presentation. The tales, the arrangements, you name it they all better be pretty damn interesting otherwise you end up with a sort of "Why am I listening to this?!" sort of reaction. Because your narrative aren't grounded enough in reality to be considerably relatable. Fortunately that's not really a problem for Town Hall who released a whole album of narrative-driven songs of their own creation in Roots & Bells. One of the absolute gems being "Mary A. Longden" so good they released it twice. First on their Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps EP and then premier full length debut. They may not be doing anything genre-defying in terms of instrumentation or overall but where they do deserve some credit lies in their absolute creativity and ability to make a series of character studies into something worthwhile and accessible. Their vocals also happen to be downright crackerjack.

Johnny Flynn - "Flowers in My Garden", A Bag of Hammers soundtrack
Earlier this year, British folk singer Johnny Flynn surprised everyone with a two day jaunt across the US (one day in NY, one in LA) before retreating back to the Britain. The reason why seemed unclear. Did Flynn just miss touring after a year of theatre engagements? Yes. Was there new Johnny Flynn material on the horizon? Not quite but sure. While Flynn is still at work on his follow up to Been Listening, we did get new release from him in the form of a soundtrack he wrote for the indie dramedy A Bag of Hammers. The first track from the soundtrack out well over half a year before the soundtrack streeted, it's Johnny Flynn at his best: An updated but inspired take on actual folk music. The track sounds very much like the music used in the Shakespeare plays he's been featuring in and perhaps that's the intent. But also: The track is just plain good.


Gracie -  "Creature Pleaser", Bleeder (forthcoming)
What isn't there to like about "Creature Pleaser"? The first taste from Gracie's forthcoming full length, the track is an absolutely infectious and entirely all-consuming dance jam. If any of Bleeder's tracks come anywhere close to this one in terms of just insane catchiness, we're going to all be in real trouble. Because from the moment you press play on "Creature Pleaser", listening to anything else seems like an absolute chore. Instead you're compelled to just replay it and marvel at it's toe-tapping, body-moving splendor. Fairly certain the song is laced with some sort of high grade aural crack because one you start you're hooked and  it isn't until someone intervenes. But damn if it isn't the best 4 minute potentially life-ruining decision you've made.

Grizzly Bear - "Half Gate", Shields

Sure it's an album where each song leans slightly upon the other to support the colossal weight of the whole but for some reason "Half Gate" with wind-whipped plotting and gently unfolding piano pop stuck with it the most. More than that. It's the moment that Shields won me over completely. Before Shields, I wouldn't consider myself as a Grizzly Bear fan by any means but Shields with it's epic grandeur, it's clean immaculate twist on orchestral pop sans orchestra, has made a convert out of me. It seemed tighter and more accessible than records past while not trading in any of Grizzly Bear's notorious layered complexity. Shields seemed to me the first truly collaborative effort of the group of four musicians and "Half Gate" the best display: Placing Ed Droste's vocals with Daniel Rossen's and letting them highlight each other's strengths and fill in what the other's couldn't. Instead of just functioning as harmonic filler like times past, "Half Gate" sees the band's two main vocalists actually working together in the full context of a song. Their voices may alternate but it's the first time I felt both's vocal prowess was acknowledged and not only that - deployed together for an excellent heart-fluttering effect.  

Cheyenne Marie Mize - "Keep It", We Don't Need EP
As Cheyenne Marie Mize reaches a rather eclectic happy medium on her We Don't Need EP, the straight up feisty girl rock track "Keep It" was really what conquered me. The whole EP a charming display of personality, "Keep It" with it's rather eloquent rejection gives Sharon Van Etten's "Serpents" a run for its money with its level of casual, fiery badassery. It's as easy as that. There's no posturing, no elaborate metaphor; "Keep It" is a scorching dismissal pairing with all the rock trimmings needed to drive Mize's point home.


Lands & Peoples, "I Tried", Pop Guilt 
If an album is featured on one of my favorites list I try not to feature it on the other (try being the operative word because last year didn't work that way) but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. To not feature "I've Tried" would not only be the biggest slap in the face to the uber talented Baltimore lads but also to the idea of a favorites list. "I've Tried" has gotten a hell of a lot of play from me. Maybe more so than any other song on this list? Why? Well it takes Lands & Peoples "there's actually a buttload of complex things happening here but listen to how fluid it all sounds" method of song construction that I had become enamored with and put it in a decidedly more poppy context than I was used to from the band. It's also one of the few songs on their record that really shine a spotlight on the vocals. Sure there's singing all over the album but really "Ukulele", "Ghosts", and "I Tried" show Lands & Peoples at their best vocally. While "Ukulele" and "Ghosts" are more emotional fare, "I Tried" is more guilt-free pop (if you can really even call anything Lands & Peoples that), which manages both a showcase for Lands & Peoples creative accompaniment (there's a part from Terminator thrown in there!) as well as Caleb Moore's vocals. There's even a bit of that trademark L&P harmony. Just a small taste but it's a nice touch.

Secret Mountains - "Golden Blue", Winter Sessions/Rainer (forthcoming)
While Secret Mountains are certainly known for taking their time in all things, this year's tide over release Winter Sessions -  a collection of 3 songs from their upcoming full length debut Rainer saw Secret Mountains turning over a more immediate leaf. Their songs are still pleasantly lengthy but there's less build up, less pacing, and more here's what we can do as a group of tight-knit and talented musicians after we introduce you to the main idea. It's like knowing the destination but electing a new way to get there. The scenic route if you will. On "Golden Blue" Secret Mountains sure give you a lot to see too; offering winding, curling passages of subdued, tasteful pyrotechnics while deploying Kelly Laughlin's dynamite vocals, their biggest explosive of all.

Sea of Bees - "Broke", Orangefarben  

You'd be hard pressed to find a more earnest artist than Sea of Bees and her latest album Orangefarben certainly doesn't disappoint on that front especially in lead singler/album opener "Broke" as Sea of Bees lets her hearfelt feelings bubble out of her fitting considering the song's about attempting to keep your feelings bottled up. Her vocals are sincere, her feelings a very special type of raw; not quite heart-breaking but moving, gripping, and intense. I suppose that's always been Julie Bee's ace in the hole. Girl's got a hell of a lot of heart and she's not afraid to bare it. Despite what the actual lyrics of "Broke" might want you to believe. 

Sharon Van Etten - "Leonard", Tramp

It's not my most shining moment but for some reason I had never really gotten around to giving Sharon Van Etten a proper listen until I heard the fiery vitriol of "Serpents". It seemed like such a different take on the heartbroken lover shtick your most basic singer/songwriter resorts to and I was intrigued as hell. But there's a reason "Leonard" is here over "Serpents" though each song would be more than welcome on this list. My preference for "Leonard" started superficially at first a "listen to those harmonies!" moment as I watched the acoustic version featuring Sharon Van Etten and Heather Woods Broderick for i-D. But as I watched the video more and more and Tramp eventually made its way into my hands, more of it appealed to me. Sharon Van Etten's always been a profoundly honest songwriter but "Leonard" to me seemed to marry the idea of the spurned lover while also acknowledging her own faults in the mess while featuring Van Etten's uncanny knack for downplayed moments of lyrical brilliance.  

Fiona Apple - "Hot Knife", The Idler Wheel...

Perhaps it's place after a set of high intensity, emotional, catharsis-seeking moments on The Idler Wheel... but by the time Fiona Apple reaches the album's terrific conclusion with sultry pop "Hot Knife" is shined my absolute gold. Only the kicker was that it held up pretty incredibly on its own. That discredits that theory. But for all her trouble singer/songwriter-y ways, Apple is a gifted popsmith rewarding those that listened to her air of her life's various grievances, moments of pain, heartache, and ugliness with a simmering ode to sexual need. While that might sound like something you'd expect to hear on Top 40 radio and just grimace at until it was over or change the station over, lest we not forget Apple's gifts. Primitive drums beat out underneath a fugal masterpiece of layered vocals and damn if it isn't the catchiest little thing. For all her songwriting-as-therapy methods, Apple really shines when she takes on a simple truth and runs with it in a rather significantly fun way.