I'm making an effort in my two weeks off to catch up with everything I missed this semester.
Craig Finn - Clear Heart, Full Eyes: Meh. Nothing the Hold Steady ever does really strikes my fancy. I find them a bit soulless in delivery, and maybe that's a product of Craig Finn's tendency to yell stories in the same tone over every song he writes. I like the man's voice, but for god's sake switch it up some.
Marissa Nadler - The Sister: Quite liked this one. Marissa Nadler's got a lovely voice, and the album is short enough that she doesn't get repetitive. Crisp, dreamy folk.
Anais Mitchell - Young Man in America: Was quite looking forwards to this one, because I was impressed with Hadestown, but was kind of let down by this. Great opening track, but the album kind of went downhill from there. It lacks the diversity of Hadestown, which I think is important when you've got a voice that toes the line between being soulful and irritating.
Deerhoof - Breakup Song: A bit torn on this one, because I find the first half a bit annoying, and the second half ****ing great. Prolific band either way, and I expect I'll be listening to this again.
David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant: I quite liked this, especially the use of horns as beats, and I think the two compliment one another very well. It's not awfully unique in sound, but I think it's a successful partnership and a good album.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!: I thought Godspeed were dull as **** when I was 18. Visible differences in my opinion like this one make me so grateful my interests continue to evolve. This is a great album.
How to Dress Well - Total Loss: Hmmm. A step up from Love Remains for sure, but still not enough to capture me for over half an album, let alone any future replays. I love the idea of this guy more than the reality of his work, I guess.
Toy - Toy: A fine shoegazey indie rock album. I could criticize it on the grounds that it does almost nothing different from The Horrors' Skying, which I loved last year, but I've heard so much shoegaze at this point I'm not really surprised. I'll just applaud it for what it is: a solid 2012 release.
THEESatisfaction - awE naturalE: If you like Janelle Monae, you'll like this. Good stuff. Goofle's fault I picked it up, and I'm glad.
Goat - World Music: This album is a bit like a sober version of Gang Gang Dance. Good stuff, but it makes me want to dial up the insanity and toss on Saint Dymphna.