Albums you should know about.

Mason Jennings – In The Ever

What makes Mason Jennings’ music so original and good is an element of songwriting that is often scarce today, honesty. Mason seems like a guy who would be the first to admit that he doesn’t have answers to all of life’s greatest questions, which is why he is able to masterfully convey his search for peace of mind is the songs he creates. In The Ever is a refreshing musical experience, fully immersed in the rough and tumble of our day, while still providing a nice escape from certain aspects of reality.

Mason Jennings - Memphis, Tennesse
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Ratatat – LP3

The ever-growing amount of electronic/synth music in the world can give any eager music seeker a headache. It’s getting increasingly more difficult to find music gems amongst all the artificial noise, but that’s just what Ratatat’s albums continually prove to be. LP3 is a collection of simple yet intricate electronic textures that can take a listener further into the thick of Ratatat’s style than I ever imagined possible.

Ratatat - Bird Priest
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Avishai Cohen Trio – Gently Disturbed

Nothing I could write in attempt to summarize my feelings about this album could do it justice, but I’ll try anyways. Jazz has been a newfound love of mine this past year, and with a little work on your part, you could learn to enjoy it too. For me, this collection of songs by Avishai Cohen embodies most all of what makes jazz so impressive, while still being accessible enough for any new listener. This rhythmic trio, consisting of bass (Cohen’s instrument), piano and drums work together flawlessly to create, what I think is, a masterpiece.

Avishai Cohen Trio - Chutzpan
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The Reign of Kindo – Rhythm, Chord & Melody

There are a lot of bands these days that get by with shadowing the style of every other group that has managed any monetary success in the current music scene. The Reign of Kindo is not one of those bands. They’re daring enough to branch out into a different jazz-influenced style while still keeping their sound basic enough to mix well with their contemporaries. I don’t consider this the best this to happen to music this year, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Rhythm, Chord and Melody won't be released until August 19th, but their debut EP is currently on sale.

The Reign of Kindo - Morning Cloud
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Club 8 – The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Dreaming

This album is calm, catchy, and optimistic, and although it might have a sound that would be easy to skip over, it would be a terrible mistake to do so. This is music well worth the time it takes to listen to and has consistently left me with a great feeling every time I’ve paid attention to it.

Club 8 - Heaven
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Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell

The thing that makes this album so refreshing is its emphasis on rhythm. Tokyo Police Club utilizes the power of combing bass, piano, and drums in a nearly flawless way in every single song. The prominence of the rhythm section allows for a very “full” and unbroken sound in which each instrument fills the gaps that are often left empty in most other musical productions. This strong combination also puts a lot of weight on the melodic importance of the vocals, but somehow they never falter. These musicians have found a balance seldom found in any music, let alone on the debut CD from some Canadian indie kids. This music definitely has depth and these songs are worth spending a lot of time with.

Tokyo Police Club - Graves
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These United States – A Picture Of...

Not only is These United States from our nation’s capitol but their music captures some of the finest aspects of America’s musical roots, making their name very fitting. Altogether I believe this band could be classified under folk rock but their mastery in genre-jumping makes them very difficult to categorize. They’ve combined certain attributes of electronic music with some distinctive country-based sound in ways I never thought possible. All in all the result is a very satisfying album.

These United States - First Sight
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The Bird And The Bee – One Too Many Hearts EP

The Bird And The Bee decided to release four perfectly crafted pop songs about love to set the mood for the weirdness of Valentines Day. Although our beloved sugar-coated holiday has since passed the beauty of these songs can forever linger in your heart… That was really ridiculous, but seriously, these songs are amazing.

The Bird And The Bee - Birthday
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Hot Chip – Made In The Dark

Hot Chip’s new tracks are about as fun as music ever gets. These British electropoppers create the most original dance music while never straying too far from the comfortable styles us new-age music lovers are used to. However, “Made In The Dark” isn’t just all fun and games, well it kind of is, but on such a smarter and more talented level than we’re used to these days.

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much
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