Hop Along - Painted Shut (2015)
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Frances Quinlan's lyrics are what makes this one of the best indie-rock albums ever. Not just because her lyrics are brilliant, which they are, but also because her poems are written first and the band crafts its music and melodies around them. It gives their songs such a unique structure and feel.
Warning: The links lead to the original album art which contains nudity.
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Indie rock/emo that is far more mature and nuanced than the genre tags suggest. The lyrics about finding comfort and peace in nature feel so at home in emo music I'm surprised this album seems to be unique in that regard. The whole album feels like a Mary Oliver poem which is appropriate because she's referenced throughout.
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Extremely pleasant and creative contemporary folk singer-songwriter music from Japan.
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One of several flawless heavy/power metal albums from this legendary band. This one's a little poppier and shorter form than their others, but all the classic Iron Maiden staples are here. My favorite being the horse-galloping triplet rhythms from Nico McBrain's drums and Steve Harris's bass.
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Jeffrey Lewis's brand of anti-folk is significantly elevated with a full band behind him. And his lyrics and songwriting are razor-sharp as ever on this release, if not sharper.
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Justin Broadrick is more known for his industrial metal band Godflesh, whose album Streetcleaner is maybe the heaviest metal album I've ever heard. This project is the lighter, prettier side of that same coin. The metal is replaced with warm shoegaze and post-rock but the robotic, mechanical elements driving Streetcleaner are driving this too.
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Quiet, intimate singer-songwriter folk music with a bit of country and Appalachian influence.
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Joanna Newsom's first album sounds so light and silly, with its jaunty harps, harpsichords, Wurlitzer organs and with her cartoonish voice that it's easy to miss the depth and darkness that's present throughout. She has no contemporaries, but this album is somehow even more unique than her others.
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John Prine's illustrious folk/country career is bookended by a perfect debut and a perfect finale. I went with the finale because it has all the tenderness and humor of the debut but with 47 extra years of wisdom.
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Ambient from the lead singer and guitarist of Sigur Rós and his film-scorer partner. Keeps the ethereal, child-like vibes of Sigur Rós and adds warm drones and modern classical strings.
