House of Balloons falls so far outside the realm of music I normally listen to that I’m a little hesitant to post it. On the other hand, I’ve been listening to the album nonstop for the past six months, so I think it’s safe to say I’m obsessed. In the end, my desire to share good music will always outweigh my fear of destroying the impeccable reputation I’ve built on my blog over the past five years. Here it goes.

Despite my relatively eclectic collection of music, there are still genres I tend to avoid. R&B is definitely one of them. I’ve always found it to be a little too cheesy and overtly sexual for my tastes. Lately, though, I’ve been listening to a handful of artists that have me questioning this. One of these artists is The Weeknd, the moniker of über-talented Toronto musician Abel Tesfaye.

Despite being new to the genre, I quickly realized The Weeknd doesn’t record traditional R&B music. House of Balloons is dark, twisted, and somewhat unsettling. It provides a fascinating glimpse into a lifestyle I could never live: one filled with copious amounts of drugs, girls, and money. But the reason I find the album truly compelling is that through all the bravado Tesfaye still manages to bare his soul. Nowhere is this on better display than “Wicked Games.” The song begins with Tesfaye singing “I left my girl back home / I don’t love her no more” – hardly a declaration of good intentions. Later in the song, however, Tesfaye pleads “Just tell me you love me / Even though you don’t love me.” He may not be the most stand-up guy but in the end he just wants to be loved.

The song that initially hooked me, however, was “House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls.” The first half of the track features an incredibly catchy guitar riff (which Tesfaye sampled from “Happy House” by Siouxsie and the Banshees). Halfway through the song morphs into what can only be described as a sleazy, coke-fueled nightmare. It’s quite the experience (listen to it below). Other highlights on House of Balloons include “High For This,” “The Knowing,” and “The Party & the After Party” (which features an amazing sample from Beach House’s “Master of None”).

If you like “House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls” I strongly recommend checking out the rest of the album. Did I mention it’s free? A download link is provided below for your convenience. And if you like House of Balloons, I also recommend checking out Thursday, the second of three albums due this year from The Weeknd (House of Balloons was the first). It’s amazing and it’s also free. Grab it here.

• The Weeknd – House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls
• Download entire album

When Girl Talk released All Day last November, the thing that really grabbed my attention was its price tag. It was 100% free, no strings attached, not even an email address is required. Meaning that even though I’d never heard of Girl Talk before, I decided to download the album. After all, what did I have to lose?

The first time I played All Day I made it about halfway through the first track before I turned it off. What the hell was I listening to? It sounded like obnoxious club music. No wonder it was free. Luckily I didn’t delete the album, instead I added it to my ‘Party’ playlist in iTunes. You know, just in case I ever wanted to throw a rager.

A couple months passed before I gave the album a second try. This time I made it all the way through, though it was completely overwhelming. Subsequent listens went much the same, spent fruitlessly trying to identify each sample before it ended and the next began.

And while I’m still making my way through the album, I’m floored by how seamlessly everything blends together, and also by how amazing some of the samples sound juxtaposed. I especially like the pairings of Radiohead and Ol’ Dirty Bastard on “Jump On Stage,” U2 and Twista on “On and On,” and Arcade Fire and Birdman on “Make Me Wanna.”

My absolute favorite moment, however, and the one that ultimately inspired me to write this post, comes on the album closer “Every Day.” It starts with Jay-Z rapping over Modern English’s “I Melt With You” and ends with UGK spitting over John Lennon’s “Imagine.” It’s a sublime, beautiful moment, one that I never thought I’d love so much. It’s also a great place for someone unfamiliar with Girl Talk to dive in.

• Download entire album

With a band name like Surfer Blood, you’d probably expect their debut album Astro Coast to feature at least a few beach-inspired surf tunes. Hell, the cover even sports a chopped-up photo of a great white shark, a surfer’s worst nightmare. But appearances can be deceiving. Astro Coast could easily be classified as surf rock, but it is much more than that. Allow me to explain.

Much like Titus Andronicus’ The Monitor, Astro Coast makes for a tough first listen, though for very different reasons. Whereas The Monitor initially sounds chaotic and overwhelming, Astro Coast comes off sounding unemotional and lifeless. After a few listens I was ready to give up.

Luckily I didn’t. Quite surprisingly, I found myself drawn to “Slow Jabroni,” one of the longest and slowest tracks on the album. The song is a tale of two halves. The first half lurches by slowly, riding a lethargic, reverb-soaked guitar riff. Then at around the 3:25 mark the song shifts gears. The pace quickens and the track comes roaring to life. It might be tempting to just skip the first half, but the song wouldn’t sound quite as sweet without it.

As it turns out, “Slow Jabroni” was the first domino. Once it fell, it didn’t take long for the rest of the album to follow. With each listen, I found myself appreciating different parts of different songs: the thunderous intro to “Floating Vibes,” the random cat meow on “Twin Peaks” (also the way John Paul Pitts belts out the lyric “Why is everything a chore / I’m too young to be defeated”), and the even more random mention of Barack Obama on “Catholic Pagans.” Somehow it all works.

I no longer think Astro Coast lacks emotion. It might be buried in tons of reverb, but it’s definitely there, waiting to be discovered. But only if you have the patience.

• Surfer Blood – Slow Jabroni

I remember the exact moment I fell in love with The Monitor. It was in the middle of a Southern California road trip. I’d just finished an intense weekend in Vegas and was heading for San Diego. The drive was deceptively long (being hung over from the night before certainly didn’t help). There was only about an hour to go but I was about to lose it. As I desperately searched my iPod for something to help pass the time, I flipped past Titus Andronicus. Before the road trip I’d listened to The Monitor a few times but hadn’t really taken to it. Normally I avoid listening to “unfamiliar” music while traveling but for some reason I decided to queue it up.

You can probably guess what happened next. After all, I wouldn’t be writing this review if my opinion of the album hadn’t improved markedly. So what caused the change of heart? I’m not exactly sure, I think it was just persistence on my part. The Monitor is a challenging album. Heavy doses of angry noise and abrasive vocals make the first fews listens a little overwhelming (to say the least).

Here’s where persistence comes in. If you can wade through the initial chaos, you’ll find yourself fully immersed in one of the best albums of 2010. You’ll come to view The Monitor not as overwhelming but as epic. You’ll start listening to the lyrics only to realize you should’ve been paying attention all along because they’re fucking brilliant. You’ll begin to appreciate (and love) the way songs change direction often and at breakneck speed. Your favorite track will change with each listen. In other words, you’ll be obsessed.

To help you along with this process I’ve posted one of the most accessible tracks on The Monitor. It’s called “Theme From Cheers” and it might be the greatest drinking song of all time. Check out the lyrics here. If you like what you hear, give the rest of the album a try. You’ll be glad you did.

• Titus Andronicus – Theme From “Cheers”

Those of you familiar with my site know that I love Frightened Rabbit. I discovered them two years ago (after they released The Midnight Organ Fight) and have been obsessed ever since. I even got a chance to chat with the band before one of their shows in San Francisco. Super nice guys!

So when I found out Frightened Rabbit was releasing a new album this year, it quickly became my most anticipated album of 2010. Considering the ridiculous number of bands releasing new material this year (including The National, Menomena, and Sun Kil Moon), this is quite a feat.

Luckily I didn’t have to wait too long for it. On March 9 Frightened Rabbit released The Winter of Mixed Drinks. After nearly three months of digesting it, I’m finally ready to share my thoughts.

Let me start by saying that following an album like The Midnight Organ Fight is pretty much impossible: release more of the same and critics attack you for stagnating; change your sound too much and your fan base revolts. On The Winter of Mixed Drinks, the band walks this fine line about as well as five inebriated Scotsmen possibly can. The album sounds bigger and more produced, which initially led me to believe it was more upbeat than The Midnight Organ Fight. But after repeated listens I realized I was horribly wrong. The album is brimming with tales of heartbreak, regret, and despair. You know, the stuff that makes us love Frightened Rabbit so much.

So while The Winter of Mixed Drinks ultimately succeeds as a follow-up, I’m not obsessed with it like I was with The Midnight Organ Fight. And I’ve finally figured out why. On The Midnight Organ Fight, the instrumentation and lyrics perfectly complement each other. But on The Winter of Mixed Drinks there is a disconnect between the two. As I mentioned above, the instrumentation is upbeat while the lyrics are quite the opposite. Because of this the album sounds slightly muddled, like the band is emerging from the shit-storm of emotion that was The Midnight Organ Fight.

Picking a favorite song from The Winter of Mixed Drinks is like picking a favorite beer: you really can’t go too wrong with whatever you choose (though some are definitely better than others). Right now my favorite is the aptly-titled “FootShooter.” It’s the most mellow track on the album and, coincidentally, features some of the best lyrics. I especially love the line “I will blink my eyes and hope the blink can erase / All the shit that I said and did.” Vintage Frightened Rabbit. Listen to it now.

• Frightened Rabbit – FootShooter

2009 was a strange year. I spent most of it grumbling about a shortage of quality music only to fall completely in love with several amazing albums at the end of the year. This explains (at least partially) why over half the albums on my Top 10 list were new to my site. There just wasn’t enough time to write about them all before the end of the year (full disclosure: there was definitely some laziness mixed in there too).

But good music is good music, regardless of how long it takes me to finally write about it. To make amends for the many albums that slipped through the cracks in 2009 (and in general), I’m introducing a new series called “Better Late Than Never,” or BLTN for short. It will feature music that I’ve been listening to for a while but haven’t yet written about on my site.

The first installment in the series is Union, the fantastic sophomore album by The Boxer Rebellion. It landed at #7 on my Top 10 Albums of 2009 list and (amazingly) grabbed the top spot in the alternative genre at the iTunes store.

I’m surprised by this because, on first listen, Union comes off sounding a little cold and uninviting. If given the proper amount of time, however, this initial bleakness fades to reveal complex layers of beauty and emotion. Union is a definite grower, much like Frightened Rabbit’s Midnight Organ Fight (though the two albums sound nothing alike). If forced to make lazy comparisons, I’d say The Boxer Rebellion sound like a cross between Interpol and Sigur Rós. Mainly because of the shimmering guitars and soaring vocals.

The track posted below is the most accessible on Union. It also happens to be my favorite. It’s called “Soviets.” Enjoy!

• The Boxer Rebellion – Soviets

Ryan Adams’ Cold Roses has everything a good country album should: weepy ballads (“How Do You Keep Love Alive”), rollicking barn-burners (“Let It Ride” and “If I Am a Stranger”), and bittersweet love songs (“Dance All Night” and “Friends”). The album’s diversity of sound is truly impressive. It got me through both good and bad times.

Quite naturally, I’ve been searching for more albums like Cold Roses. Josh Ritter’s Golden Age of Radio came pretty close. But a few weeks ago I found something even better: Transcendental Blues by Steve Earle. If that name sounds familiar it’s because I’ve mentioned his son Justin Townes Earle a few times before on my site.

Much like Cold Roses, Transcendental Blues features a remarkable range of sound. There are country rockers (“The Galway Girl”) and barroom bawlers (“Lonelier Than This” and “Over Yonder”). But that’s where the similarities end. Transcendental Blues is an entirely different experience. It sounds grittier and more mature than Cold Roses. Earle’s gravelly southern drawl provides the perfect accompaniment to the tales of hardship, disappointment, and regret that abound in his music.

The two tracks posted below anchor the middle of Transcendental Blues. Despite their side-by-side placement on the album, the songs couldn’t be more different. “The Galway Girl” makes you wanna dance while “Lonelier Than This” makes you wanna cry, highlighting Earle’s impressive range.

Transcendental Blues is my first experience with Steve Earle. It certainly won’t be my last; the man has 13 studio albums to his name. Looks like I’ve got some work to do!

• Steve Earle – The Galway Girl
• Steve Earle – Lonelier Than This

A couple years ago I briefly mentioned the Swedish band Loney, Dear on my site. You probably don’t remember this because the few sentences I wrote about them were pretty pathetic. I’d just discovered their album Loney, Noir and didn’t yet know what to think of it.

As it turns out, I never really made up my mind. That didn’t stop me from downloading their previous album Sologne. But after nearly a dozen listens, I still couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not.

So when Loney, Dear released Dear John earlier this year, I didn’t rush out to buy it. In fact, it sat on my “Save For Later” list on eMusic for several months. Then one random day I decided to give it a try. I don’t remember what prompted me to do it, but it was a fantastic decision.

Darker and more complex than its two predecessors, Dear John is an incredible album. Its shiny pop veneer masks feelings of loneliness, regret, and melancholy. I’ve never heard an album that bounces around so effortlessly between happy and sad. It might take a few spins before the album’s greatness hits you, but when it finally does, you won’t want to listen to anything else. For these reasons, Dear John has undoubtedly secured a spot on my year-end list.

I’ve posted three tracks below. The first two (“Summers” and “Distant Lights”) are my favorites from Dear John. The last one (“Sinister In a State of Hope”) is the song that got me into Loney, Dear in the first place.

• Loney, Dear – Summers
• Loney, Dear – Distant Lights
• Loney, Dear – Sinister In a State of Hope

Sometimes I can’t help but think of all the amazing artists and albums that have slipped through the cracks over the years. Luckily these thoughts don’t keep me up at night. But they probably explain why I listen to so much music. I’m always browsing the interweb, searching for my next obsession. But this insatiable appetite also could be my undoing. By listening to tons of new music, I probably can’t fully appreciate the stuff I have, which causes more artists and albums to slip through the cracks. It’s a viscous cycle.

This almost happened with Annuals. The first time I listened to their debut album Be He Me I hated it. After nearly a dozen listens, my opinion hadn’t changed much. Eventually I forgot about the album.

Then a few weeks ago I randomly played Be He Me in my car. I don’t know if it was the better speakers or the time spent away from the album, but it sounded completely different. It sounded alive. Beautiful, soaring melodies had emerged from the overwhelming chaos. It was unbelievable.

Album closer “Sway” is a great example of this transformation. The song features a cacophony of seemingly random sounds and noises. With repeated listens, however, this unholy ruckus transforms into one of the most gorgeous moments on the album. It’s the perfect ending to a stellar album, and also the perfect introduction to Annuals, my latest obsession.

• Annuals – Sway

Two months ago, I wrote about The Antlers. In that post (which can be read here), I gushed about the song “Two.” Now I want to gush about the album Hospice. Especially now that I’ve had some time to digest it. But before I start, I must disclose something: I’m completely obsessed with Hospice. With a fair amount of confidence, I can say it will top my year-end list. I realize 2009 is only half over, but it’s that good. Here’s why.

Much like Blind Pilot’s 3 Rounds and a Sounds, Hospice is a complete album. As much as I love “Two,” the other nine songs on the album are just as good. “Kettering” sounds ethereal, “Sylvia” soars to ridiculous heights, and “Epilogue” features some of the most gorgeous vocals I’ve ever heard. With the exception of the opening track (which is ambient), there is no filler.

And much like Frightened Rabbit’s Midnight Organ Fight, Hospice has many layers. Most tracks reveal their beauty only after repeated listens. The album is packed with so much emotion it’s almost overwhelming. I can’t imagine the events or experiences that inspired some of these songs (nor do I want to). But while there is an abundance of sadness and heartbreak, the album also contains moments of inspiration and joy. In short, Hospice is a roller coaster of emotion.

Below I’ve posted my two favorite songs from Hospice (“Kettering” and “Two”), though it was difficult narrowing it down to only two. I’ve also included the title track from The Antler’s debut album Uprooted, which clearly hints at the band’s enormous potential. Potential that has been fully realized with Hospice.

• The Antlers – Kettering
• The Antlers – Two
• The Antlers – Uprooted

By the way, you can download the iTunes bonus tracks “Sylvia, An Introduction” and “Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing” for free here.