Skygreen Leopards – “The Heron”
One Thousand Bird Ceremony
One of my favorite songs, period. Just the absolute pinnacle of jangly forest-folk. From a fantastic album (their follow-up was disappointing).
Gustav – “Total Quality Woman”
Verlass Die Stadt
Gustav has always been hit-and-miss for me, but it’s rewarding listening. This song is very far from her normal oeuvre, but it’s still a fun little thing, and you get a good idea of her strangely idiomatic and not exactly correct English.
Bibio – “Mr. and Mrs. Compost”
Vignetting the Compost
This beautiful, micro-sized bite of a song is a bit of an exception on this album due to its primary vocal focus. I have to say that Vignetting the Compost is one of my favorite albums I’ve gotten this year.
The Wind-Up Bird – “That I’ve”
Whips
I wrote this album up at length here. What a fantastic, crushing album. Joe Grimm has moved on to a new album under his own name which I need to check out.
Broken Social Scene – “Baroque Social”
To Be You And Me
BSS like you never hear them. Actually sounds like Do Make Say Think’s “Chinatown” crossed with Loscil. Great track no matter what.
Crime in Choir – “Crystal Cakes”
Gift Givers
I’ve been meaning to check these guys out for a while. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this is pretty great: it’s kind of like they took the instrumental parts of Pink Floyd’s Animals and just extended it and augmented it. Very cool, very dynamic.
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Mouse on Mars – “Catching Butterflies With Hand”
Idiology
Mouse on Mars is a quirky electronic outfit that’s been around for a while; Idiology came out ages ago. It’s not full of music I like, but it’s got a few gems on it like this one. Give it a minute, it starts out pretty weird.
Augie March – “Heartbeat and Sails”
Sunset Studies
Augie March’s Sunset Studies is a far cry from the masterpiece that is Strange Bird, but it’s got some fantastic tracks on it. This isn’t really representative of them, but it’s a great song – I love the metronomic beat of the banjo.
Blood On The Wall – “Lightning Song”
Liferz
Loved this song as soon as I heard it. Blood On The Wall are hit-or-miss, but they can hit pretty hard, particularly when the lady is singing instead of the guy. I love that “Lightning Song” is exactly the length and depth it wants to be – it’s just a perfectly crafted song.
The Lovely Feathers – “Lowiza”
Fantasy of the Lot
Compared with Hind Hind Legs, this album is very tame. Of course, an exploding fireworks factory is tame next to Hind Hind Legs. But the pieces that made it great are still there. Great melody, fun lyrics delivered well, and a feeling that they’re not taking it that seriously. I’ve only listened through it two or three times and it’s already growing on me.