 | Go by Jonsi
Buy new: $10.84 / Used from: $8.00 Holy god, if there was music that made you, I don't know, crap rainbows - this would be it.
Singing in both Icelandic and English, crafting songs both inspiring and heartbreaking, it's hard to recommend one song over another.
My vote? Animal Arithmetic, Go do, Around Us, Tornado
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 | Picaresque by The Decemberists
Buy new: $14.39 / Used from: $5.49 Mariner's Revenge Song.
You could buy the cd for that song alone.
Luckily, the rest of the album is just as amazing.
See: Eli the Barrow Boy, The Infanta, 16 Military Wives, The Engine Driver
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 | Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place by Explosions in the Sky
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $9.50 Someone once told me that this band was the ultimate background music to sex.
...No comment to that, but it is the ultimate background music - to everything. I prefer it when driving on a starry night, sticking your hand out the window, moving it to the breeze.
Standout: There are only five songs to begin with. I choose all of them.
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 | Re-Arrange Us by Mates of State
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $6.34 Ahh boyfriend memories. Screw em. This stuff's still classic to my ears.
Love: Everything. Honestly.
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 | Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
Buy new: $8.80 / Used from: $7.14 Scottish indie rock is really on the rise, and these dudes are quickly becoming my favorites.
Best tracks: The Cave, Winter Winds, Little Lion Man, Dust Bowl Dance
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 | Feed the Animals by Girl Talk
Buy new: $19.16 / Used from: $13.46 Like his previous work, this cd is basically one massive track.
After 'Night Ripper', I didn't think he could live up to such an amazing mix of songs and at first listen, I thought I was right.
But Feed the Animals, while not as instantly assaulting (in a good way) to your ears, hits the notes better and the songs slowly melt into your brain.
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 | Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor
Buy new: $10.08 / Used from: $4.02 Adorable voice. Cutesy songs. Oh yeah, girl crush.
Swoon over: Better, Samson, Apres Moi
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 | Give Up by Postal Service
Buy new: $12.71 / Used from: $4.75 Even my grandmother enjoyed this stuff. And unlike her, this never gets old.
Two wrinkled thumbs up up up!
This is another one of those 'EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL' recommendations.
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 | Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend
Buy new: $14.03 / Used from: $5.56 A friend of mine knew someone in the band so he scored a demo record that was played everywhere we went. It took a very long time to even get a little bit tired of this, and that's saying something.
Eargasm: Walcott, Oxford Comma, Mansard Roof
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 | Set Yourself on Fire by Stars
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $4.70 One of my favorite things from Canada besides cheese curds.
These guys switch between female and male vocalists but always employ a dreamy sound.
Check out: Your ex-lover is dead, One more night
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 | Turn on the Bright Lights by Interpol
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $0.09 During my trek down to the city for work, my ipod busted up and all I had was an Interpol cd that I purchased and forgot about way back when. Sitting through gridlock reaffirmed the excellence of this band and the singers monotone voice.
Drum your fingers to: PDA, Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down, Obstacle 1
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 | Gulag Orkestar by Beirut
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $7.54 Love Love Love.
'Postcards from Italy' is such a delight, even after the 900th time hearing it.
Listen to: What I just said above, plus Scenic World, Mount Wroclai & After the Curtain
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 | Nighttiming by Coconut Records
Buy new: $10.72 / Used from: $999.99 I had a long distance boyfriend at the time who introduced me to this via 'West Coast'.
The boy didn't last, but the music is still enjoyable.
Ear Candy: West Coast, Nighttimings, It's Not You, It's Me
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 | Oracular Spectacular by Mgmt
Buy new: $8.61 / Used from: $2.79 This album is synonymous with good times. Every time I play it, I end up having crazy adventures. 'Kids' is now my ringtone.
Star tracks: Kids, Time to Pretend
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 | Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $6.46 I adored Arcade Fire's previous effort very much and almost equally like this one, just in different ways.
The songs 'Keep the Car Running' and 'No Cars Go' are gems and serve to remind me of doing frantic things in college.
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 | Once: Music from the Motion Picture
Buy new: $8.77 / Used from: $3.29 What more can I say about this terrific film that numerous awards haven't? Watch + Listen.
See + Hear: Falling Slowly, When Your Mind's Made Up, The Hill, All the Way Down
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 | You Forgot It in People by Broken Social Scene
Buy new: $11.10 / Used from: $3.94 One of the older BSS collections but in my opinion it has some of the best tunes.
Sexy sexual songs: Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl, Lover's Spit, Pitter Patter Goes My Heart
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 | Come On Feel the Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $6.41 While my all time favorite Sufjan song lies on the Michigan record, you can't deny this cd's incredible music power.
The interludes between songs are kind of pointless and annoying though.
Be blown away by: Concerning the UFO Sighting, Jacksonville, Casimir Pulaski Day, The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades
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 | The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit
Buy new: $12.92 / Used from: $12.90 Oh hey, Scottish Indie Rock band. Good to see another one. Two words to describe them would be warble-y? and strong.
Just listen, you'll understand.
Drink in: Good Arms vs. Bad Arms, The Twist, Keep Yourself Warm
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 | Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron & Wine
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $4.25 Released in '04, it was still in my rotation the next year and beyond.
Ear enjoyment: Sodom South Georgia, Cinder and Smoke, Fever Dream
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 | Takk by Sigur Ros
Buy new: $12.10 / Used from: $4.25 It's just the ultimate album. Really.
Enjoy: all of it. But especially Hoppipolla, Saeglopur, Se Lest
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 | Electric President (Dig) by Electric President
Buy new: $13.02 / Used from: $6.94 True, you can tell they've been influenced by the Postal Service, but eh, I still like them. Quiet but moving.
Delight in: Insomnia, Snow on Dead Neighborhoods
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 | So Jealous by Tegan & Sara
Buy new: $11.82 / Used from: $11.14 Kind of poppy indie but great for carefree days.
Bop your head to: Walking With a Ghost, Take Me Anywhere, Speak Slow
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 | Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See by Okkervil River
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $5.69 Perfect for when you're slightly drunk and slightly sad. You can yell the lyrics into your empty vodka bottle for that extra echo.
Weep to: Red, Westfall, Kansas City
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 | The Singles Collection by The Kinks
Buy new: $13.18 / Used from: $6.72 RETRO music! Everyone goes through that phase where they 'discover' older music.
This is mine.
Love this stuff.
I even named my cat Lola after 'em.
Big Fat Old Classics: LOLA, Waterloo Sunset, Death of a Clown, Wonderboy, Apeman... etc., etc.
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 | Under the Blacklight by Rilo Kiley
Buy new: $12.23 / Used from: $1.95 Hey it's not their best album but it's sure a hell of a lot of fun. Esp. when combined with beers.
Get weird with: Silver Lining, The Moneymaker, Dreamworld
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 | Dust of Retreat (Exco) by Margot & Nuclear So & So's
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $2.73 There are times where I love a simple tune comprised of just a guitar and a drum. Maybe a bass. Other times, I go nuts over music that uses orchestral instruments. This album has both, in subtle spades.
Bliss.
Be amused by: Skeleton Key, Vampires in Blue Dresses, Dress Me Like a Clown
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