What am I listening to? (Part II)

[BillDoran]

I love it. Very groovy.

This, also groovy baby, in a very different way:

Can't go wrong with Trouble in Mind Records.

[BillDoran]

Mellow and jangly.



And a little jammier.

[Ohayou]

Only discovered these guys recently. They have a bright future ahead of them.

[Wonderful Monds]

There will not be a better record to come out this year than the newest Sufjan Stevens one.

https://m.soundcloud.com/asthmaticki...fficial-stream



Beautiful, absolutely emotionally devastating, some of the greatest, most personal and relatable songwriting I've heard in years. This one is definitely his Nick Drake/Elliott Smith record.

Make sure you read this first though, like required reading beforehand, so you can get the back story to the record, which just multiplies the impact it hits you with by like a billion.
http://m.pitchfork.com/features/inte...ufjan-stevens/

[vaticanplum]

People are raving about this Sufjan record. I've never been a big fan, but I guess I have to check it out.

The Father John Misty is probably my favorite so far this year. But nothing can compete with the teenage levels of excitement I'm harboring over the new Blur album. God, I hope it doesn't suck.

[Larry Schuler]

Sufjan all day, all night.

[*BaseClogger*]

But nothing can compete with the teenage levels of excitement I'm harboring over the new Blur album. God, I hope it doesn't suck.

If 'Go Out' is any indication I think we'll be alright.

There has been so much good music already this year--nobody has even mentioned To Pimp a Butterfly. But this has been my most played track:

[*BaseClogger*]

Mellow and jangly.

'Central Park Blues' was on repeat for a couple weeks, thanks mate!

[vaticanplum]

If 'Go Out' is any indication I think we'll be alright.[/YT]

I'm not crazy about Go Out. To me it sounds like a less inspired, 21st-century retread of Entertain Me. But I like both There Are Too Many of Us and Lonesome Street, and I loved Under the Westway.

Blur would have to really go off the deep end to disappoint me though. And I agree, this has been a very good year for music so far.

[Ohayou]

I haven't gotten around to listening to a ton of music this year, but I think Florence and the Machine's What Kind of Man is my favorite song, thus far (NSFW?):

[dwenrhod]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI

Some great stuff

[Wonderful Monds]

People are raving about this Sufjan record. I've never been a big fan, but I guess I have to check it out.

The Father John Misty is probably my favorite so far this year. But nothing can compete with the teenage levels of excitement I'm harboring over the new Blur album. God, I hope it doesn't suck.

It's sort of barely a Sufjan record. Very different from his previous work, which was a lot more whimsical and fun. There is nothing light about this album, lol. It's heavy. It's the most deeply personal emotional album I've ever heard in my life. It's an ode to influence by Elliott Smith and Nick Drake. It's incredible.

[Dom Heffner]

I'm still boycotting his music for stealing my first love.

They got divorced!

[Larry Schuler]

It's sort of barely a Sufjan record. Very different from his previous work, which was a lot more whimsical and fun. There is nothing light about this album, lol. It's heavy. It's the most deeply personal emotional album I've ever heard in my life. It's an ode to influence by Elliott Smith and Nick Drake. It's incredible.

Yep. It's Sufjan with the ornate orchestra stuff and whimsical narratives stripped away. Some of the Age of Adz electronic stuff remains but its incredibly muted and deep in the background. You basically have a guy ruminating on death and religious inner conflict for 10 songs. You'd think it'd be depressing but there's something beautiful about someone being able to mine such personal songs about and related to his mother passing away.

[Wonderful Monds]

Yep. It's Sufjan with the ornate orchestra stuff and whimsical narratives stripped away. Some of the Age of Adz electronic stuff remains but its incredibly muted and deep in the background. You basically have a guy ruminating on death and religious inner conflict for 10 songs. You'd think it'd be depressing but there's something beautiful about someone being able to mine such personal songs about and related to his mother passing away.

Indeed. Lyrically, "The Only Thing" should qualify as one of the saddest songs written in the history of music; but instead it comes off instead I think as cathartic, profoundly straightforward and honest about what are truly some very, very dark feelings.