Music We Love

I have always wanted to use the royal we, but since there is no other musclehead it has been difficult. So, in this case the we refers to me and my pot of french roast.

Chris Garneau makes achingly beautiful pop songs. Garneau uses piano and his falsetto to engage the listener even deeper into the emotional world created by his lyrics. Music for Tourists is quite simply a gem of a record, perfect for quiet afternoons or relaxing nights.

Kings of Leon have finally realized their potential with their third album, Because of the Times. This is a hybrid of Southern and garage rock, with some flat out stompers.

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists new album, Living with the Living is a post punk political masterpiece. Leo is comfortable coursing through straight up post punk numbers, Irish tinted tunes, and even some raggae-tinged soul. The man is clearly a songwriting genius and gives you fifteen songs just to prove it. And, since this is Ted Leo there is plenty of social and political commentary, headlined by the already popular Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.

Panda Bear, the nom be plume of Animal Collective member Noah Lennox, is probably the least accessible of this list of music. But Person Pitch is a wonderful album and its secrets will be revealed to those who dare venture outside of the musical mainstream. Lennox is staking a claim to be this generation's Brian Wilson. He has a beuatiful voice (yes, he does sound almost exactly like Wilson) and the same spirit of adventure that gave us the musical masterpiece (and one of the most important rock albums) Pet Sounds. I cannot help but think of Pet Sounds everytime I listen to this album. And that is about the highest compliment one can pay.