i’ve always respected feist as a member of that exclusive club of female vocalists that i actually listen to willingly. but this. oh man. this is something different altogether. it’s impossibly good. certainly her best, and probably one of the best of year. and if you ask me, it never gets better than this opening track…-d

finally seeing these guys at the largo tonight. james vincent mcmorrow is opening. the creators of my two favorite albums of 2011 playing in my favorite venue in LA. i’m literally sick with anticipation. if they start the show with the riff that starts this song, i might actually die.

one more day. just one more day until…

new bon iver track. released today. after listening to it, i kinda feel how i felt when i first heard ‘month of may’. the sound and spirit are there, but they’re definitely doing something different. i like it. i want to listen to it again. i want to talk about it. and more than anything i want it to end up coming from an album as excellent as ‘the suburbs’ was. -d

*’calgary’ is a free download at boniver.org.

this is off her latest album, which came out a few months ago. like the previous one, it was produced by dan auerbach (of the black keys). but the similarities end there. the simple, folksy mountain pop of the past still peeks through on a few tracks, but it’s really only just a nostalgic sprinkling. a very new sound - one with occasional synths and drum machines and a straightforward pop sensibility - takes clear precedent on this one, and for the most part it works for her. it really sounds like nothing she’s ever done. and nothing that auerbach has ever done either. and more than anything it makes me excited to see what the black keys are up to next. -d

holy smokes. okay, real quick, before you hit play, go find some good headphones and a quiet room and turn it up as loud as you can take it. this is going smack of hyperbole, but it honestly sounds like the fleet foxes, justin vernon, james blake and the avett bros all got together and made an album just for me. an album, i should add, that just leapt into the top spot for best album of the year so far. incidentally, he’s just announced some tour dates with the band whose album he replaced at the top of that list. genius loves company. mercy what a sound…

but that’s not to say the original isn’t very wonderful in its own right. for it is. -d

i have been mildly digging on this lord huron ep for a bit now, but i have to say: i think i like the remix better. -d

*it’s a free download from RCRDLBL.com

i’ve never found the music of breathe owl breathe sufficiently compelling to actively seek out their music on my ipod. but when it shuffles in, i’ve never found sufficient reason to shut it off. i heard this song on the way to work this morning. i found it pleasant. -d

*plus apparently they’re touring w/ Yann Tiersen. who, according to my old co-worker SuperLupes, puts on a devil of a show. so. that’s additional information.

love these guys. especially their commitment to album themes. they’ve released albums of just love songs, songs that start with the letter i, distorted songs, and this particular album was their ‘no synths’ albums. their next project: only synths. now that should be good. -d

from a sweet new orleans trio led by a girl named Alynda Lee Segarra. she ran away from home at 17 and made her way to new orleans by stowing away on freight trains. how rad is that? and the style of the music and texture of her voice fit perfectly with the backstory. i feel like if they’d given Natty Gann a banjo and a song to sing, it would have sounded just like this. -d

*which, i just realized, sounds a WHOLE lot like Fiona Apple.

it’s strange for me to hear the name of a band i’ve never heard of three times in one week - once from my best friend from high school during our annual phone chat, once on weekend edition on NPR, and once on KCRW’s top tune podcast. of course it shouldn’t have been strange. apparently these guys are pretty big and i’m just an idiot. which is fine, because the fact that i’m two years late to the game doesn’t make this album rule with any less mercy. -d

*seriously tho, the entire thing is smashing. like, smashing. and the NPR interview is completely charming.

speaking of obligatory posts. i fell completely in love with these guys back in their eponymous days. and while this first single didn’t completely blow me away, i’m still in awe at those crisp, echoey vocals. plus i’m a sucker for a good tempo change. can’t wait for the full length. -d

the obligatory decemberists post. the new album is fine. i like the occasional bluegrass leanings (and the decision to bring sara watkins on tour). but i can’t get over the fact that with each passing album, colin meloy continues to sound more and more like billy joe armstrong. -d