Lord Huron, Lonesome Dreams, October 2nd 2012

For an album titled Lonesome Dreams, Lord Huron certainly has come forth as the next great indie folk artist - this time with a happier tune. With similarities in sound to Band of Horses, Bonnie "Prince" Billy and maybe even a little bit of Smog, Lord Huron is my new favorite crooning, acoustic dude music. To boot, this guy is a cowboy-style cutie. At least by the looks of his marketing:

What a hottie! Who cares if he is hot if his music were to suck, but the fact of the matter is, I have fallen in love with his music, and am having a hard time believing this guy knows the meaning of lonesome. Maybe if he is super picky and only waiting for the right one...

The album's first song starts off mellow, but picks up speed; "Ends of the Earth" is probably the song at the album that sets him farthest apart from the previous mentioned indie folk dudes. The following songs have a similar upbeat (not lonesome) sound. His voice definitely has that lonesome country singer sound, but paired with the music, the overall sound is really not that of a lonely cowboy but rather has ecstatic build-ups that feel a bit like you just climbed a beautiful mountain on a horse and found your true love up there. The entire album is fantastic, with no particular song standing out, although "The Man Who Lives Forever" has a little bit of an extra country twang twist. My only complaint is that this album is too short. With only ten songs, I am always surprised when it is over, and  just end up playing it again.

So far, this appears to be his only full length album. He has a couple EPs with entirely different songs. I intend to check those out too! For now, Lonesome Dreams is a great album, one you should definitely check out.

Band of Horses, Mirage Rock, Sept 18th 2012

Mirage Rock's first song kicks in with a rockin' beat, as not yet heard by Band of Horses. While their last album Infinite Arms (2010) was their most upbeat at the time of its release, Mirage Rock has it, well, beat. However, Mirage Rock has a more natural feel to it, and comes off as the better, and happier album. It would seem that indie rock is catching up with the happy times of its counter part - indie pop.

While the influence may have been there on previous albums, it is on Mirage Rock that I notice lead singer Benjamin Bridwell channeling Neil Young the way Christian Slater channeled Nicholas Cage; on some songs I caught myself wondering if I was indeed actually was listening to Neil Young, circa Harvest Moon. This is a good thing, in my opinion. Song "Dumpster World" particularly conjurs up images of Harvest Moon crooner, until it breaks out into a Band of Horses-esque rock out chorus.

Other notable songs:
"Electric Music" has a great American rock feel, both with twang and lyrical imagery about the open road. 
"Heartbreak on the 101" has an altogether different musical feel, distinctly different from all other Band of Horses tracks, yet still fits in with the tone and theme of the album.
"Ego Nightmare" sounds like a quintessential upbeat Band of Horses song, with a slight Beach Boys influence.

Overall, a good album I think I'll be listening to more. Definitely worth checking it out.

Grizzly Bear, Shields, Sept. 18th 2012

This is a very mature album, playing off their previous signature sounds and remaining edgy while losing the hipster whine.

I'd listened to their 2006 album Yellow House and put a song or two from there onto playlists. But the album as a whole didn't capture my interest the way Shields has.

Shields is an excellent album overall, with no song particularly standing out, it's the kind of album where you actually listen to the whole thing as one piece of art work. The music seems more technically and artistically interesting than their previous work.

There are aspects of this album that remind me of Band of Horses. These bands are chummy, having played shows together and Band of Horses did cover a Grizzly Bear song Plans. Or maybe I just like this album more because as another review said, they got "rockier."

A very evolved album for Grizzly Bear - highly recommended.