The Black Keys - Brothers. A bluesy, gritty album that delivers song after song of searing vocals, catchy lyrics, and irresistible pounding rythym. And all of this coming mostly from it's two band members, guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The first 5 songs on the album alone are so good, you can't imagine they can keep it going for 11 more songs but they do. Many of later songs, though slower tempo, have some of most insightful lyrics and best vocals of the album, my favorites being
Unknown Brother and
These Days.
Band of Horses - Infinite Arms. Clearly the best thing the Band of Horses have going for them is the soaring vocals of Ben Bridwell. And this album definitely highlights his talents with melodic tunes featuring some amazing harmonies. This makes for a very easy listening experience, when you're not in the mood for the heavy beats of the Black Keys. It definitely seems like they were inspired by The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, but were still able to make something fresh and unique of their own. My favorite songs are
Blue Beard and
Infinite Arms.
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs. Everything that Arcade Fire does is BIG: at least 7 band members, big rock anthems, grand statements in their lyrics. Just look at the list of instruments they play: guitar, drums, bass guitar, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, glockenspiel, keyboard, French horn, accordion, harp, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy. And this is the main reason I can't wait to see them live, what a show that must be. I would rate this one a close second to their debut album Funeral, but an improvement from their second attempt Neon Bible. Like always there are some great anthems here:
Ready to Start,
City with No Children,
Half Light II, and
Sprawl II we'll get you going. Then some great quieter, more introspective songs:
The Suburbs,
Modern Man, and
Wasted Hours. The only negative for me is that by the end of the album I begin to think "Yeah the suburbs suck, but they're not THAT bad, are they?" Either way, musically another great Arcade Fire record.
The Black Keys - Brothers. A bluesy, gritty album that delivers song after song of searing vocals, catchy lyrics, and irresistible pounding rythym. And all of this coming mostly from it's two band members, guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The first 5 songs on the album alone are so good, you can't imagine they can keep it going for 11 more songs but they do. Many of later songs, though slower tempo, have some of most insightful lyrics and best vocals of the album, my favorites being Unknown Brother and These Days.
Band of Horses - Infinite Arms. Clearly the best thing the Band of Horses have going for them is the soaring vocals of Ben Bridwell. And this album definitely highlights his talents with melodic tunes featuring some amazing harmonies. This makes for a very easy listening experience, when you're not in the mood for the heavy beats of the Black Keys. It definitely seems like they were inspired by The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, but were still able to make something fresh and unique of their own. My favorite songs are Blue Beard and Infinite Arms. 
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs. Everything that Arcade Fire does is BIG: at least 7 band members, big rock anthems, grand statements in their lyrics. Just look at the list of instruments they play: guitar, drums, bass guitar, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, glockenspiel, keyboard, French horn, accordion, harp, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy. And this is the main reason I can't wait to see them live, what a show that must be. I would rate this one a close second to their debut album Funeral, but an improvement from their second attempt Neon Bible. Like always there are some great anthems here: Ready to Start, City with No Children, Half Light II, and Sprawl II we'll get you going. Then some great quieter, more introspective songs: The Suburbs, Modern Man, and Wasted Hours. The only negative for me is that by the end of the album I begin to think "Yeah the suburbs suck, but they're not THAT bad, are they?" Either way, musically another great Arcade Fire record.
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