∆ – An Awesome Wave

The band is called Alt-J, because that’s how you type the symbol that is their name, not because they make alternative Japanese music, as you might have thought. The symbol is for that triangle that you use in math for “change” – so, you know, it’s really a deep, clever name and totally not something so indescribably stupid that all the critics in the world turned on the band, never giving their music a chance. Although, I’d believe that is the case, since I really liked An Awesome Wave from my very first listen, despite it not getting anything close to the best reviews.

Or maybe it’s just one of those things that I really like and people with real musical credibility don’t. There seems to be plenty of that this year. I will say this, the lead singer has a weird, somewhat indecipherable voice, and I could easily imagine that turning a lot of people off.

Favorite Tracks: “Breezeblocks,” “Dissolve Me,” “Matilda”

Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man

The Haunted Man is the result of Bat for Lashes, the stage name for Natasha Khan, suffering from writer’s block after her second album. She turned to Thom Yorke, who told her to start drawing, and dancing, I guess. Thus her third album, which is maybe a departure from the first too? I don’t really know. What I do know is that I really like it. The Haunted Man tries to be a lot of things, there’s everything from piano ballads to weird electronica, which is what I think she’s best at. It’s exactly the kind of catchy, quirky, weird, beautiful, atmospheric album that I can get into, and you’ll probably hear more about it soon.

Favorite Tracks: “All Your Gold,” “Laura,” “Rest Your Head”

Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Animal

When I first heard My Head is an Animal, I thought, “My God, this new Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes album is so much better than the first.” But, no, this isn’t that band I once heard Patton Oswalt mock almost to their faces. It’s in fact as Icelandic band that channels Edward Sharpe’s folky, fun spirit and mixes it with a healthy Arcade Fire, kitchen sink approach. It’s exactly the kind of music I fall for, but try not to make a big deal out of it. They’ve been getting a lot of play on The End these last few months, “Little Talks” got a lot of movie trailer play, and this album came out in 2011 in Iceland, but I still can’t get enough of it.

Coincidentally, I’m not that big a fan of the new Edward Sharpe album.

Favorite Tracks: “Mountain Sound,” “Little Talks,” “Your Bones”

Field Music – Plumb

I read a couple reviews of Plumb that compares Field Music’s sound as Beatles meets prog rock. So that’s pretty cool for a guy like me, who enjoys both The White Album and The Yes Album. I think there’s a little Grizzly Bear in there too. At 15 tracks long, you might write Plumb off as way too long, but no, it’s actually just a bit over half an hour. So if that thing I wrote earlier sounds nice to you, you know what to do. Listen to it. On YouTube, or Spotify, or iTunes. Or put your ear to a glass that you can rest comfortably against your television and scrape it with a graphing calculator.

Favorite Tracks: “A New Town,” “From Hide and Seek to Heartache,” “(I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing”

Chairlift – Something

Here’s that indie synth pop stuff that I guess I’ve become associated with. I don’t mind, I like it. Although I’m a little iffy about Something, because I’m not sure if I like all of it, or just really like “I Belong in Your Arms” and appreciate the rest of it. Right now, I lean towards the former, though I may switch to the latter just to make my list-making easier. However, despite “I Belong in Your Arms” being one of the greatest songs from this year, I can definitely point to other high points. Such as “Frigid Spring,” one of the last tracks on the album, a song that reminds me of Beck. But with a lady singer. Lady Beck. That’s what she would be called in a Shakespearean play. Are these posts helpful?

Favorite Tracks: “I Belong in Your Arms,” “Ghost Tonight,” “Frigid Spring”