The top choice for this fine week is AU’s Both Lights. A review of the album will be posted on our website tomorrow, so stay tuned. In the meantime, stream the album here.
I don’t lament missing any of the hundreds of bands that I couldn’t check out in Austin for SXSW except Of Monsters and Men. This Icelandic sextet slipped through my schedule like sunshine through an Icelandic winter’s day. Alas, I am redeemed by hearing the joyful, rousing My Head is an Animal. With climactic builds in the vein of Arcade Fire with lush instrumentation, you’d be hard pressed to find a dull track out of the 12.
The surprise album of the week is Denver-based The Lumineers self-titled release, which demonstrates frontman Wesley Schultz’s distilled, heartrending lyrics. It’s simple acoustic songs filled with mantra-like chanting and hand-clapping, but they warrant repeat listens. The Lumineers play The State Room on Thursday. Watch a video of "Ho Hey" below.
Other albums dropping today worth mentioning are Bear in Heaven’s I Love You, It’s Cool (what an incredible hipster name) and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real’s Wasted.