music: ten albums I can't get enough of lately

[wanderlight]

I come bearing gifts! This thing took forever to put together, so I hope you can get at least an album or two that you like out of it. All I ask is that if you do end up liking something, report back to me and talk to me about it! Very few of my offline friends have similar music tastes, so I never get to talk about music, even though I really love doing so. ♥

These aren't my favourite albums of all time (that post is elsewhere), but they're ten albums that, for the moment, I can listen to over and over again. Warning: superlatives lie ahead.

	REVERIE SOUND REVUE: reverie sound revue This is on my next list of desert island albums. This classifies as Canadian indie pop (the vocalist, Lisa Lobsinger, tours with Broken Social Scene), but it's so much more than that; it's ethereal. The guitar work is intricate, mesmerising, gossamer stuff, and the vocals are beautiful. The album makes me feel like I've been thrust into a modern city fairytale.
	METRIC: fantasies My love for Metric is cherise's fault, she uploaded their acoustic album and I fell in love with it. And then I fell in love with the wall of flawless, overwhelming sound that is Fantasies. I wouldn't change a single thing about this album, which is a rare find. Every single song is good, several are brilliant, and something about Emily Haines' voice makes it transcendent.
	ANNIE: anniemal Annie has been described as Madonna for hipsters, which -- okay, whatever, what does that even mean? All that matters is that this album is sonically amazing and it takes me into huge emotional spaces. It's suffused with melancholy, with desire, with attitude, and awesome beats. As a bonus, here's a non-album that's my undisputed favourite song right now: Two of Hearts.
	ELLIE GOULDING: lights God, I listened to this album so much, I think I have most of the lyrics memorised. Ellie's voice is vulnerable and yearning, and her delivery is completely heartfelt. Sonically it's a combination of folksy warmth and vast electronic beats: listen to it LOUD. And snag this coversong, which has made me cry on multiple occasions: Be Mine.
	HOLLY MIRANDA: the magician's private library Yes, I admit it. I downloaded this on a whim because who can resist an album title like that? And it ended up captivating me. Dreamlike vocals are layered with electronics, a combination I always love; this really is an album to dissolve in. Plus, "Joints" is about Holly's battle with fibromyalgia (!).
	LIBRARY VOICES: denim on denim Yeah, I also gave them a try because of the word "library." Their lyrics really are as geeky & literate as the name promises! Their sound is kind of like chamber pop, but harder-edged: "chamber rock," maybe? Songs like "Bodies of Fiction" and "End Time" (a song about being okay about death!) drew me in, and the catchy, happy-yet-wistful sound kept me there. The album's been growing on me ever since.
	YEAH YEAH YEAHS: is is My favourite Yeah Yeah Yeahs album is actually Fever To Tell, followed by It's Blitz!, but this is the one I'm into right now. Five totally solid rock songs filled with frenetic energy. Also, it's not on this EP, but it's my favourite Yeah Yeah Yeahs song, so here: Phenomena.
	CARINA ROUND: things you should know Carina Round is seriously stunning. I need her next album to come out, stat. She has the sirenlike quality of Sarah Slean and Charlotte Martin, plus a vulnerability and rawness that's incredibly seductive. The emotional precision of her lyrics and of her voice send shivers up my spine. This one's just an EP, but you need it.
	The XX: xx Listening to The XX is like being haunted by a ghost who does really slick guitar work. It's a good thing, I promise. This is a subtle, quiet album, with understated, sensual vocals (most songs feature two intertwining vocalists, one male, one female). Excellent for pensive, late-night listening.
	TORO Y MOI: causers of this I don't know if anyone will even like this, but I'm uploading it anyway because I fucking adore it. This is addictive, schizophrenic electronica filled with loops that make your brain feel like it's tripping over itself. It feels icy and warm at the same time, and listening to it is like being washed clean and left with a feeling of total peace. Although most people tell me it gives them a headache, but what do they know.

I should do this more often, because I get an inordinate amount of joy out of sharing music. I've thought about this a bit and figured out why: it's an easy way to give a part of yourself to someone else. Because words are hard, and saying something true about yourself can make you vulnerable. If a friend's hurting, sometimes words do nothing, but if you can give them a couple of songs that got you through a hard time, and it does the same for them -- then that's communication, that's a meaningful connection. And I mean, it's not always about the angst. Sometimes I just love something and want to make other people happy by sharing it with them. Things don't always have to be (as) complicated (as I make them).

And now I must get back to doing readings for class tomorrow; upcoming post on that! I'm already behind, and this actually fills me with joy, because it's such a return to the familiar. It's been a while since I've had readings to be behind on. (Although ... it's fifty pages of Marx, which is not so thrilling. I hate reading Marx.)

Comments

[papered.livejournal.com]

hello hello! Random person here who stumbled across your journal - but I just wanted to let you know that I downloaded Ellie Goulding's Lights off you and already love it. ♥ I already have her song Under The Sheets, which I adore and have had on repeat for ages, but I hadn't heard anything else from her until I stumbled across your entry, and I'm so glad I did. :3 Her live version of Starry Eyed is so gorgeous, and I don't know why I didn't think to go find other stuff from her until now.

Anyway, yes - thank you! :3 I might come back for some other albums later too, hehehe. ♥

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

*waves* Hi! I'm glad you dropped by & downloaded the album -- hope you love it as much as I do. ♥ Hee, did you get "Under The Sheets" from the awesome, awesome Arthur/Eames vid that's been floating around? I've loved the song for months, and was pretty thrilled to see it vidded like that. And "Starry Eyed" is indeed gorgeous. I'm pretty sure there were a couple of weeks where I listened to it every night before bed, it's just that kind of song.

Feel free to take as much music as you want! :)

[papered.livejournal.com]

Predictably, I did get Under The Sheets from that vid - I listened to it once and sort of fell in love, :'). I also have a sneaking suspicion that listening to it will always remind me a little of Arthur and Eames now, haha. ♥

Tyty, <33. I have plans to download The Magician's Private Library next, because like you, I also cannot resist pretty titles. :3

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

It does the same to me! Whenever I listen to that album I have to stop and have an Arthur/Eames moment in the middle, ahaha. Which is a good thing. You should definitely try The Magician's Private Library, it unfolds slowly & gorgeously. And if you ever want to just go wild, this is my album uploads folder -- I've got a weird genre-sorting system, but if you click through there's a lot of stuff there. Enjoy! <3