Aural Cornicopia!

Holy shit! Am I allowed to swear on these things? Whatever. Fuck!

New Music! Really fucking good new music! This isn't really a music blog, but music is so important to my writing and to me that I'm going to write about it anyway.

The Decembrists' "The Crane Wife"
Simply astounding. If you've heard the Decembrists before you know what to expect. Literate historical stories (one of them references The Tempest! Holy #$%^#) backed with alt-folk and prog-/rock music. The band's sound is tighter and better than ever, and the experiments succeed brilliantly (the album's longest tracks, The Island and Crane Wife 1 and 2, are both very different and very good (the middle section of The Island makes me freak out every time, and Crane Wife 1 might be my favorite song so far this year)). They have a new drummer, who is fucking awesome. Get this album.

The Hold Steady's "Boys and Girls in America”
Wooooo!

Matthew Friedberger's Winter Women / Holy Ghost Language School"
Like the Fiery Furnaces? No? Well, then don't bother with this album. If you do (wow, I thought "Rehearsing My Choir" wiped most of us FF Fans out) than this solo effort is well worth a listen. It showcases Matt's skill at creating some of the most bizarre melodies out there, along with some of the most strangely affecting lyrics. Excellent if you are into that sort of thing.

White Whale's "WWI"
Saw this and bought in on an impulse, as I pretty much cannot resist Moby Dick references. It's pretty good.

Happy listening!