Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
The Antlers - Hospice
I really wanted to get away with just rating albums with stars and not having any written description. Mainly because I don’t really have the writing skills to differentiate in words how one album or track makes me feel compared to another.
Unfortunately for me, this album does require a description. This is an album that needs to be listened to in its entirety in one sitting. You also need to be really focusing on the music to get the most out of it. The ten tracks tell a story of a relationship with a terminally ill child. With tracks made up from hospital scenery, snippets of conversations with doctors, terrifying dreams, and prayers. They take you on a emotional trip through guilt, duty, mortality, and hope in the face of hopelessness.
As overly depressing as all this sounds, the album is surprisingly uplifting. Make no mistake, you will feel the emotional strain that singer Peter Silberman is going through, but by the end you will see that even in our darkest moments there is unfathomable beauty.
Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Artisan Guns - Bird & Bone
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
This is the start of my journey to loving music. Why don’t you join me and we can discover music together.
I use pitchfork, the onion AV club, and NPR. However these really are all geared toward indie music at the mo. But check out their top lists for 2009, which can be quite interesting.
I also use sites like allmusic to find ’similar artists’. It doesn’t work that well, but sometimes you find something good.
Loved your honesty. The music I love is the music that shares my philosophy of life.
I give it a solid 3.5. I enjoyed the album. Short but pretty packed. And upbeat.
However, MGMT came to NZ (or are coming.. I forget the date) and are playing multiple gigs *only in Auckland*. For that they receive a big fat middle finger.
For similar (but IMHO, better) check out Phoenix. And I’ve just been listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs new album too. Both good.