ON ROTATION

After almost a year of listening to lots and lots and lots of music, I will admit that I get a bit burnt out and it becomes harder for new music to get me excited. And the music that does get me excited, I frankly want to simply enjoy listening to it and not necessarily write about it. With this said, here are four recently released albums that I have been listening to and enjoying....a lot! All are quite special and definitely rise above many of the albums that I have reviewed this second half of the year.

M83, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Anthony Gonzalez, the French wonder-musician behind M83, has been dazzling with his electro-shoegazing music for a decade now. And his latest album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, is by far his most ambitious outing to date. A 22 song, double album, it's epic in its shear scale and effort. Fortunately, the album is also packed full of music that lives up to the ambition. While many of the songs have an early '80's synth sound to them, the album feels quite contemporary. I really like how Gonzalez is less interested in creating pop songs, than a body of work filled with richly textured pieces that create a great listening atmosphere and space. 
Midnight City  

Lisa Hannigan, Passenger

Irish, singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan has one of the most beautiful voices that I have heard in a very long time. The first time I heard her I was absolutely captivated by it. Matching her wonderful voice is her songwriting and musicianship which is every bit as good. In general, I really, really like Hannigan's sophomore album, Passenger. What I absolutely love are the quieter and more tender songs and moments on the album where her voice just shines. She can convey so much with her voice, and it is sometimes lost in the 'bigger' songs. Regardless, this is a wonderful album and it has what is one of my favorite songs of the year in Little Bird.
Little Bird   

The Roots, Undun
Last year I made the mistake of not including The Roots' album, How I Got Over, as one of my favorite album picks of the year. A year later, it is one of the albums released last year that I listen to on a regular basis. What was I thinking? I have always appreciated and loved The Roots incredible combination of musicianship and social consciousness that permeates their lyrics. And Undun is another absolutely stunning and phenomenal album that blends the two perfectly. Described as the existential retelling of the life of a fictional street hustler named Redford Stephens, the album follows his brief rise and fall. It's a gripping and tragic story, and it should not be missed. 
Make My 

Amy Winehouse, Lioness: Hidden Treasures
I was always a fan of Amy Winehouse. As much as I liked Back In Black, her sophomore-break through album, it was her debut album, Frank that really grabbed me. She was only 19 at the time, but she sang with the power, confidence, and knowledge of someone who was much older. She magnificently blended influences of of soul, jazz, and blues from decades that came and went..decades before she was born. On Lioness: Hidden Treasures, I am once again reminded at how special Winehouse was at interpreting the music that so heavily influenced her and how she was so easily able to make it relevant, exciting, and fun. 
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