We have difficult music, easy music; beautiful music with ugly edges, ugly music with beautiful edges; autobiographical and idiosyncratic. The choice is yours.
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Album of the Week
Being a fan of the members of indie rock supergroup boygenius can sometimes feel like a treasure hunt. Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus eagerly reference each other, fellow musicians, gossip, and misunderstandings in their lyrics. True fans know what they're talking about. In that respect, Dacus' " Forever is a Feeling" is the ultimate masterpiece. A powerful piece of meta-folk. Dacus sings of a budding infatuation she desperately tries to suppress, a relationship that's on the rocks, and finally: the infatuation that comes to fruition. By now, fans know what this is all about: Dacus and Baker have become a couple.
You might not be interested in all that. In any case, the love is palpable, as are the struggles that come with it. Dacus is gentle in her lyrics and her music, but even she occasionally loses her cool .
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| Mumford & Sons - Rushmere (CD) |
Mumford & Sons - Rushmere (LP) |
| €17.99 |
€29.99 |
A chorus of stomping songs is never far away on Mumford & Sons , but on Rushmere , their first album in years and also the first since Winston Marshall's messy departure, the sadness resonates deeper than ever. Fortunately, the band always manages to tie it all together on a hopeful note—in a style that more than once evokes Fleetwood Mac. Not entirely coincidentally, Mumford sings on "Caroline": "You can go your own way."
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| Elephant - III (LP) |
Elephant - III (CD) |
| €26.99 | €16.99 |
Elephant 's third album It's simply called III , but don't think it's just a rehash. The Rotterdam guitar band, which previously thrived in the sun, now seeks out the shadows more often. The foundation (à la Real Estate, Wilco, Andy Shauf) remains the same, but they experiment more with shoegaze, ambient music, and even bring in a vocoder.
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| Alison Krauss & Union Station - Arcadia (LP) |
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Arcadia (CD) |
| €34.99 | €16.99 |
Despite her mainstream success, Alison Krauss manages to retrace her steps back to the source with ease every few albums. In Union Station, Krauss shakes up traditional bluegrass, as she does on Arcadia . The lyrics here hark back to a fatal fire in 1874, and Krauss sings with the conviction of someone who lived through it all. For anyone who thinks roots music is old-fashioned, Krauss exists to prove them wrong.
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| Destroyer - Dan's Boogie (CD) |
Destroyer - Dan's Boogie (LP) |
| €17.99 | €32.99 |
Who since the biggest mainstream success of Destroyer , Kaputt (2011), trying to become a fan of the Canadian eccentric, is quite a challenge. Not because the music isn't good—quite the opposite—but because frontman Dan Bejar isn't in the mood for the easy route. No one writes such enigmatic lyrics, no one devises such strange structures, and no one but regular producer John Collins concocts such bizarre productions. Dan's Boogie is beautiful in all its ugliness, heartwarming in all its iciness. A digital synth-pop album by someone who only listens to Billie Holiday. We daren't compare it to anything, but if we absolutely have to, we'll say: Popol Vuh; Bowie à la Scary Monsters ; a madcap Father John Misty.
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Anyone trying to become a fan of the Canadian eccentric since Destroyer 's biggest mainstream success, Kaputt (2011), has a tough job ahead of them. Not because the music isn't good—quite the opposite—but because frontman Dan Bejar isn't in the mood for the easy route. No one writes such enigmatic lyrics, no one devises such strange structures, and no one but regular producer John Collins concocts such bizarre productions. Dan's Boogie is beautiful in all its ugliness, heartwarming in all its iciness. A digital synth-pop album by someone who only listens to Billie Holiday. We daren't compare it to anything, but if we absolutely have to, we say: Popol Vuh; Bowie à la Scary Monsters ; a madcap Father John Misty.
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| Miley Cyrus - Something beautiful (LP) |
Anouk - Set this thing on fire (LP) |
| €27.99 |
€31.99 |
| Miley Cyrus promises Something Beautiful (May 30): she collaborated with the producer of Alabama Shakes and Kacey Musgraves, among others. | The latest from Anouk comes with clear instructions: Set This Thing on Fire (April 11). |