Wow, this year is shaping up to be pretty stellar in terms of music. January isn't even over and I've already heard a ridiculous amount of good stuff. I doubt this will continue through the next 11 months, but I'm definitely going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Artists I'm loving:
1. Belle and Sebatian. I'm having trouble conveying exactly how great this album is. I don't know if it's my favorite album of theirs, but it's definitely their most diverse and ambitious, encompassing a wide range of styles and showing a huge leap in terms of their overall sound. The lyrics are still classic B&S, but the songs seem so much bigger. There's eurovision dance-pop and clubbish electronica to go along with their peculiar brand of brit-pop and folk-rock. They've dabbled in these styles before, but have always seemed reluctant to go full-bore into that end of the pool.
2. Sleater-Kinney. Another solid contender for the 2015 top-ten. Honestly, S-K kinda fell off my radar after All Hands on the Bad One. Their albums have always had their moments, but never really congealed for me. No Cities to Love is pretty amazing. It definitely evokes their earlier material, but at the same time, they've upped the musical complexity. The melodies are stronger and the interplay between Carrie and Corin's guitar playing is more intricate. At times, they sound like a primal and more ferocious Television.
3. Ryan Bingham. This is a rootsy, raspy chronicle of weariness that wears its emotions on its sleeve. I don't know much about Ryan Bingham but he certainly sounds like he's lived a life that is hard and fast. Even when he gets optimistic, there's an undercurrent of hurt in the songs. It's as if he's forever trying to catch a break in his songs. It's powerful stuff and his voice has an edge that gives the lyrics extra weight.
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