What would you get if you blended together the compositional sounds of Sufjan Stevens with modern day sing song pop folk and then poured that topping over a cake made out of Final Fantasy? (And I guess I should clarify here; this Final Fantasy cake is the live version of Owen Pallet’s shows, not the quasi lame studio albums he continually puts out). Stumped? Well you won’t be for long. What you get is Anders Ponders (and coincidentally one great album that I simply didn’t get to listen to last year. It might have wormed its way into my best of 2009 list if I had just given it a listen last year. Sigh).
mp3 : Anders Ponders - The Discus Incident
mp3 : Anders Ponders - Slowest Motion Miracle
From the start of the album, 2009’s Nodes of Overtones (amazon) (itunes), the similarities to Final Fantasy should be evident. Every track contains ample amounts of violin (or possibly viola, never could tell them apart), a depth of arrangements, and the lyrics on each song tell a catchy story. The one main deviation from the parallel comes in the content of those lyrics. Where Final Fantasy sings songs about random events, (such as on He Poos Clouds), Anders Ponders tells short vignettes about Icarus (track 4) or his favorite fruit, Pomegranate (track 2). In his own words he describes his sound as “A Fairy Home Companion” and I would definitely agree with that.
The allusion to Sufjan Stevens becomes more and more apparent the longer you listen to the album and culminates on the last track, Slowest Motion Miracle, where if you weren’t listening closely you could easily mistake it as a Sufjan song.
The bottom line is that Anders Ponders has created an infectious debut album that all readers of The World Forgot should listen to as soon as they can.
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The debut album by Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More, is quite simply one of the most brilliant albums I have ever heard. Other than that very serious statement (one which I have pondered over for the past) I cannot figure out what else accurately captures the mood of this album. Far and away this has already become the album to beat for 2010 (and yes, I know it was released in 2009 in the UK, but as I’m currently based in the USA this will officially be on my list for 2010).
I’m struggling with how best to summarize an album that is beautiful, poignant, and brilliant throughout quite literally every single track. It’s an album so good, so compelling, it prompts me to go back to my old ways of burning copies of CDs and literally forcing everyone I know to listen to it from start to finish. It’s an album that is so well constructed that I’ve listened to it now about nine times and I honestly cannot figure out which two songs best represent the talent and craft that is apparent within each track.
For reference the following statements say nothing about the actual sound of the band, the type of music the create, but it’s the easiest way for me to explain how . This album reminds me a lot of the debut Third Eye Blind album in that every sing song is well crafted and worth listening to. This album reminds me a lot of Funeral by Arcade Fire in that the scope of the entire album is so epic and so moving you’re compelled to start it over again and again and again. This album reminds me a lot of Is This It by The Strokes in that the first time I heard it all I could think to do was to immediately run around forcing everyone I know to listen to this brilliance. This album reminds me a lot of The Weakerthans and Cloud Cult in that every song is infused with inventive storytelling. This album reminds me a lot of Sufjan Stevens in that the composition and frequent use of layered crescendos adds to the overall impact in a way that is genuinely smile inducing, foot bouncing, simply joyous fun.
mp3 : Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
mp3 : Mumford and Sons - The Cave
Perhaps the best way to sum up how I feel about the Mumford and Sons album Sigh No More (amazon) (itunes) is this; if I could I would force everyone who visits The World Forgot to download the entire album and listen to it before being allowed to visit any other website, go outside, or take a restroom break.
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I will freely admit that when I heard a single track from Freelance Whales I audibly groaned “oh no, not another derivative, sappy, knock off no talent hack like Owl City.” Thankfully I was wrong in assuming that this band was going to become as simple pop attention whore with a laptop. Their debut album, Weathervanes (which is out already as a download) (amazon) (itunes) is a solid trip through musical adventures akin to mashing together Postal Service and Sufjan Stevens. That really is the best way to describe their sound. Listen for yourself.
mp3 : Freelance Whales - Generator First Floor
mp3 : Freelance Whales - Broken Horse
I know I’m a scant few weeks from proclaiming my best albums of 2009, but I’m not sure I can imagine a future where this album doesn’t make it onto the best of 2010. It would have to be a mighty fine year in music to knock this to number eleven or below. (note : yes the album has been out as an mp3 download for awhile but I usually count an album’s release year as the year it was first published in a physical format. And yes, I acknowledge the physical format is dead or dying, but that’s an easy way to keep everything level across the board for now).
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I do apologize for the lack of posts during this past week. I really must apologize. But I fear I was busy scoring tickets to see the upcoming Sufjan Stevens mini tour (yes, I’ll be there in Bloomington to see him play), galavanting about the countryside for an all to brief weekend, and listening continuously to the latest album by my new Scottish obsession We Were Promised Jetpacks.
I would have killed to see these boys play with their compatriots (my other favorite Scottish band Frightened Rabbit - who is absolutely insanely good in concert), but alas they did not come close enough to central Indiana on their tour. Fortunately they have released These Four Walls (amazon) (itunes) and quite honestly, it is brilliant. It’s the type of brilliant that lets you know that these boys, will, in fact be on the top ten list at the end of the year. It’s the type of brilliant that blacks out all other albums for a solid week while you attempt to sate your addiction on these eleven songs.
mp3 : We Were Promised Jetpacks - It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning
mp3 : We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quite Little Voices
Not only are those two songs catchy, driving, Scottish rock, but there’s also a track on the album entitled Moving Clocks Run Slow. If I’m a sucker for anything it’s allusions to principles of physics in song titles. You got me good We Were Promised Jetpacks (wonderful band name by the way), you got me good. Get the album, thank me later.
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Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is a singer/songwriter out of Brooklyn who released his self titled debut, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (amazon) (itunes), in July of 2008. If I had to pare down my review to as few words as possible I would say the following. Miles sounds like an urban version of a one man band. It’s as if Bon Iver holed up in a bustling New York borough instead of an isolated cabin.
mp3 : Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Buriedfed
mp3 : Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - The Debtor
Overall it’s a great first album. Granted there are some rough bits, possibly even some songs that you won’t absolutely love when you first meet, but overall this is a solid debut album and I’m looking forward to what he produces next.
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I first heard an album by Phoenix a few years back as I was hanging out in a giant mall in downtown Bangkok. I was bored, my traveling mates were all busy doing something else, and I used my free time to listen to a load of albums in a large music store. I loved their album in Bangkok so much that I bought it and gave it to my little sister for her birthday that year. I’m not sure if she ever really got into their music like I did, but it says a lot if I think an album is good enough to buy and give to someone else as a gift.
Then along came 2009 and Phoenix released a new album called Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (amazon) (itunes). And again I am taken with the sound they create. The album is great and I’ve been listening to it on and off for at least a month now and I still think it’s good. Overall Phoenix has captured modern pop music and made it something clever and captivating, avoiding the ubiquitous banalities that drag down so many other bands. Enjoy the two tracks I’ve put up here and rest assured the remainder of the album is just as addicting.
mp3 : Phoenix - Lisztomania
mp3 : Phoenix - 1901
I would honestly post almost every single track from this album. They remind me a lot of The Strokes by way of a california/across-the-pond surf rock. Really nice.
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There are two words that immediately jumped into my head the first time I listened to the debut album by Throw Me The Statue. The first word is giddy. Giddy because that’s how this music makes me feel. It’s heartfelt, genuine, indie pop. At times they’re acoustic Weezer, at times they spark like The Anniversary, and in other moments they are Band of Horses. Overall they’re a solid band with interesting music.
The second word is disbelief. This album, Moonbeams (amazon) (itunes), is solid from opening to close. Every song has something of interest, some little slice of creativity that you’ll find you enjoy. I’m going with disbelif because I honestly can’t belive it took me two years to finally hear this album. It was released/recorded in 2007 and I’m just now, finally, hearing it. Where have all my music loving friends gone? Why was I not force fed this album years ago?
mp3 : Throw Me The Statue - Young Sensualists
mp3 : Throw Me The Statue - About To Walk
These tracks are but a taste of how great this album is. I can’t wait to hear their latest effort (which dropped just last week, August 4th 2009, so I’m not that far behind anymore). Trust me though, this is an album to add to your collection.
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Keane’s latest album, Perfect Symmetry (itunes) (amazon), quietly slipped onto the music scene awhile back and it hasn’t really had an overwhelming impact. In fact I listened to it a good five or six times before it finally started to stick in my head. And I think that’s because I was focusing on all the things that this album isn’t; this isn’t stadium ready, anthem filled, power pop/rock in the vein of Snow Patrol, Coldplay, or U2. In all reality that isn’t what Keane is. Yes they’ve given us a few soaring melodies in the past, but the core of Keane isn’t in those songs. Keane is a band that’s best heard in long quiet moments where the music can sink into your head and heart.
mp3 : Keane - Spiralling
mp3 : Keane - Lovers Are Losing
Once I realized what this album really is I appreciated it so much more. This is a perfect, unblemished, Keane album. The music, the lyrics, and the melodies are unapologetically one hundred percent Keane. Once you realize these three mates put together eleven solid songs, and you realize they’re not reaching for places that they didn’t really belong, you’ll understand that Perfect Symmetry is the perfect album for Keane.
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Snow Patrol has continued their ascension into the upper reaches of stadium ready powerpop with their latest album A Hundred Million Suns (itunes) (amazon). The album kicks off with the double fisted ultimate punch of If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It and the soothing melodies of Crack The Shutters before the first single, Take Back The City, mellows out a bit and segues into the melancholic middle of the album. Admittedly a few tracks linger a little too long on the slower edge of pop, but eventually these boys from Northern Ireland ramp up their act for the final three tracks off what proves to be a truly solid album.
mp3 : Snow Patrol - If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It
mp3 : Snow Patrol - Crack The Shutters
For those looking for a continuation and maturation of the now trademark Snow Patrol album this is the album you have been waiting for. For those hoping there would be something new to listen to you need not look further than the last track on the album. Consisting of four separate segments the last track, boasting a mouth full of a title that would put even Sufjan Stevens to shame, clocks in at over sixteen minutes and, in my humble opinion, is the best music Snow Patrol has offered up. Ever. Trust me, the last track alone is worth the price of the full album. While you’re listening to this sprawling landscape of melody you’ll come to appreciate that each of the album’s other ten tracks serve as a sort of aural sorbet, cleansing your palate and preparing you to fully appreciate this masterpiece.
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Today is a great day for the music world. Why you ask? Today is the day that the latest TV On The Radio album, Dear Science (amazon) (itunes), is finally available for purchase or download. If you’re into physical copies make sure you stop somewhere on your way home from work today to pick it up. Yes, it is that good. It’s good enough that for the next month you won’t take the album out of your car. It’s good enough that you just might forget that you own any other albums at all. No matter how many more albums TV On The Radio release this is one that will always be remembered as a masterpiece.
mp3 : TV On The Radio - Halfway Home
mp3 : TV On The Radio - Dancing Choose
This was one of the hardest albums to pick just two songs to post here on TWF. With all integrity I can honestly say that I love each and every track that appears on this album. I chose these two because I felt they show a good contrast, both sides of the TV On The Radio coin, if you will. Luckily for me {and for you} they’ve put their entire album up on their myspace page. Head over there and you can listen to the entire disc from start to finish. Simply brilliant.
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It’s hard not to love the sublimely catchy tunes that pop and sparkle all over the latest release from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. And honestly, who can resist loving a band who chose an entire sentence for their moniker? {Quite a cheeky sentence at that}. Regardless whether you like their name, or lack thereof, you’ll most definitely want to give their latest disc, 2008’s Pershing (amazon), a try from start to end.
mp3 : Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Modern Mystery
mp3 : Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Some Constellation
So far this year has been one massive success as far as indie pop has been concerned {recession or lack thereof not withstanding}. Great albums have been dropped so far by Frightened Rabbit, Mates of State, This Is Ivy League, Vampire Weekend, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, and the list could go on and on. This album is by far the better of the two that SSLYBY {their name is too long even for copy and paste} have released thus far and it makes me excited to hear what they’ll cook up next.
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Albert Hammond Jr separated himself just a little bit more from The Strokes on his latest studio effort. Released on July 7th of this year, Como Te Llama (amazon) (itunes), takes some of his tried and true roots and builds on them, further cementing his musical credibility. Overall the album is a solid addition to his career {I mean c’mon, the guy plays guitar on Is This It, has played with The Strokes for ages, and already had one good album in his solo shift}. One thing the album does very well is reveal the talent base of his other band. While Julian Casablancas might be the signature front man it appears, or at least sounds, like much of the music comes straight from the brain of this man.
mp3 : Albert Hammond Jr - GfC
The bottom line is that if you like anything The Strokes have done or you liked Albert’s first solo album then Como Te Llama is right up your alley. The bright side is that even if you didn’t like anything that has come before this album there is enough sustenance here that it could easily qualify as a good starting point for your Albert Hammond Jr love affair.
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Once in awhile along comes an album that I unceremoniously foist upon anyone within earshot of my current home. Once there was an album called The Colour and the Shape, then there was The Blue Album, followed by Is This It, followed by Greetings from Michigan, followed by Wednesdays, followed by, well, you get the picture. Yesterday I heard for the first time the latest album by Frightened Rabbit. The album is called The Midnight Organ Fight (amazon) (itunes) and you should immediately make an excuse to acquire yourself a copy as soon as is humanly possible.
From start to end this album is solid. The lyrics and melodies are intricate and intoxicating and I find myself at a loss for words to accurately describe the magic contained within these fourteen tracks. In fact I find it hard to choose just two songs for you to sample. Every track could stand alone, but it is the sum of the parts, when heard together, that take this album and elevate it to something special. Something special indeed.
mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper
mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - The Twist
In my opinion these two tracks are brilliant, but even they fail to accurately capture how great of an album this really is. Other standout tracks include Old Old Fashioned, Head Rolls Off, My Backwards Walk, Poke, Floating In The Forth, and I Feel Better. Mark my words, this is not an album that you can pick and choose which songs to purchase. Every single moment of this album is amazing.
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One of my favorite bands has released their latest album and I must say it is quite brilliant. In a smooth step The Walkmen have chosen to release their album, You & Me, exclusively on music retailer Amie Street’s web store. The full album download is only five dollars and for each album purchased five dollars is donated to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. You can download individual tracks, buy the full album, or stream the entire album simply by following this link.
I love the fact that these boys from New York have released their album for a mere five dollars and I’m also pleased they chose to do so with a nontraditional retailer {aka not iTunes}. The fact that each album sale helps fight cancer is the icing on the cake. Kudos to The Walkmen.
mp3 : The Walkmen - In the New Year
mp3 : The Walkmen - Four Provinces
The album is full of amazing songs. I’m not yet sure if this album is at the same level as Bows+Arrows, but I must say up front that it is a classic Walkmen creation. Almost every track contains sprawling guitar soundscapes and Dylanesque style vocals. There are ballads as well as rockers here on You & Me and from the start to the end you’ll love every second. And saying that is saying a lot. The album clocks in at over fifty minutes in length and contains fourteen tracks. For a five dollar download this is one album whose value simply cannot be beat. I would look for You & Me to be all over top ten lists in a few months {I’m almost sure it will be on mine}.
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For starters let me apologize for how much TWF has been sucking as of late. Three weeks vacation could be considered a dry spell {a small death if you will}, but to return from the great state of Colorado with three lackluster posts in the span of a week is weak even by the most lackadaisical of standards. I shall persevere and endeavor to return The World Forgot to the glory that it was before my heart was reminded, yet again, of how much I love the mountains. On with the show.
Sigur Ros is one of the most brilliant groups currently making music. Their sonic soundscapes can be cited as influences in every band from Smashing Pumpkins to Radiohead {and they’ve done it all while singing in Icelandic - or in one case Hopelandic}. Listening to a Sigur Ros album is akin to watching a master painter lovingly craft his masterwork stroke by exacting stroke. With their latest effort, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (amazon) (itunes), Sigur Ros has taken their already trademark sound and expanded and elevated it to heights even they have not reached before. Every single minute of this album is filled with emotion and when taken as an entire album you cannot help but come to realize this is truly a work of art.
mp3 : Sigur Ros - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur
mp3 : Sigur Ros - Fljótavík
It’s a rare breed today that crafts an entire album so carefully to fit and flow together into one big swath of sonic superiority. Somehow the boys from Iceland have found a way to capture this magic time and time again {and yet they continue to improve and innovate with each and every album they release}. It is my opinion that this album is the best, to date, that Sigur Ros has made. It stays true to their roots; lengthy soundscapes, soaring harmonies, a stratospheric falsetto, and yet on this album they’ve found a way to take their unique sound and make it accessible to virtually everyone. Sigur Ros has taken their dominance of what was once a niche market and thrust it upon the main stage of modern music.
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It’s hard to choose only two songs to showcase Nathan Moomaw’s latest album, 26 (itunes), due to the eclectic folk nature of the album. Each song was written and recorded during one month of his twenty sixth year on the planet and each track has its own unique flavor and style. Put together they form a solid new folk album with some nods to diverse acts like Elliot Smith, Joseph Arthur, and The Flaming Lips. It’s fun to listen to the entire album in one sitting and reflect on how Nathan’s life changed over twelve months. To hear musical influences come and go and to find the sublte consistencies that exist throughout this solid album.
mp3 : Nathan Moomaw - April
mp3 : Nathan Moomaw - January
Both of these songs are great and I feel they lean away from references of other musicians and more towards the core of Nathan’s natural talent. He creates an easy style of folk music {an almost fairytale quality folk music} that is as much at home this year as it will be twenty years from now.
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Awhile back I posted a few tracks I’d heard from the dynamic Californian duo who calls themselves The Dodos. Finally I’ve come around to getting their entire album and I must say that it is brilliant. From start to end there exists a certain coherency and consistency that is not oft found in a full length album in today’s modern single song download driven industry. Granted some songs are more amazing than others, but I challenge you to find a single track on Visiter (amazon) (itunes) that isn’t absolutely worth having in your music collection.
mp3 : The Dodos - Walking
mp3 : The Dodos - God?
The above two tracks serve as the opening and closing tracks of the album and I feel they do a good job of showcasing the breadth of talent these two boys from California have. To be honest I haven’t been this thrilled about a guitar player percussionist duo since Meg and Jack first made that pairing seem as simple as breathing. Clocking in at just under one full hour this album contains some of the creative songs I’ve heard this year; some tracks will leave you contemplating life while others will simply leave you smiling, and bouncing your head while your fingers reach inexplicably for the repeat button.
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