new music

While folks may be talking about the new album from Kanye West and Jay-Z, I want to take some time out here to express that I think this has been a great year for new music.  And I haven't even listened yet to the new My Morning Jacket.  Moreover, new albums are due out later this year from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Feist.  Awesome.

I admit, I bought the new Beyonce album.  I liked it.  It's got some great, addictive singles.  But, in particular, there are four albums released this year that have really been like companions for me this year.  They've been like good friends that have accompanied me through many moods as I transition to life here in Buenos Aires.     

Dawes - NOTHING IS WRONG

My college friends who now live in San Francisco turned me on to this band.  I had nearly exhausted their first album, NORTH HILLS.  I had listened to it an unusual amount for any album.  Which is to say, a lot.  Putting songs on repeat a lot and such.  Perhaps it's because they are an LA band, and I'm from LA and could relate to their sentiments.  Well, NORTH HILLS, their second effort, starts with a track called "Time Spent in Los Angeles."  The lyrics really hit me at first listen.  I was hooked.  I found a new band that really spoke to me, that felt how I felt.  Listening to the album through only strengthened these feelings... tracks in particular that hit hard besides the first track are "So Well" and "A Little Bit of Everything."  But it's one of those albums where a different track becomes your favorite weekly. 

James Blake - JAMES BLAKE
This dude is a producer from London.  I guess associated with the dubstep movement.  Though I'll admit I don't know much what dubstep means.  I'm old school in that way.  This album has a rainy day music vibe.  It's electronic, but also organic.  It's got soul, it hits you in the soul, but it also makes you aware of the times we are living in.  It's down tempo, somewhat repetitive... but interesting enough so that it never gets old.  Furthermore, it's a great soundtrack for a night time or cloudy day bus ride.  It's got that ambiance of looking out the window and observing the world. 

Fleet Foxes - HELPLESSNESS BLUES
Lush harmonies, profound lyrics.  Put it on and slip away in to a magical, Pacific Northwest woodsy paradise.

Bon Iver - BON IVER
My mom is from Wisconsin, and much of my family lives there... so I have a special affinity for the state.  When I found out Justin Vernon, Bon Iver's frontman, was from Wisconsin, I became more interested.  This guy Vernon is the best thing to happen to American music in awhile.  This one takes a lot of listens to understand.  But it's soothing enough that you can also just listen to it endlessly without trying to understand it.