2010 Music So Far: 6 Months, 5 Albums

Six months into 2010, it seems like a neat idea to list my six favorite albums of the year so far. Or rather, I thought it would be,until I realized that five albums stood out for me as July started. Of these, Local Natives’ Gorilla Manor retains its lead as album of the year (see a previous post for more, including video of the band).

The other four albums comprise two pairs. There’s the Brit-folk pair of Mumford & Sons, with Sigh No More, and Laura Marling, with I Speak Because I Can.

Then there’s the pair of albums that I haven’t seen on many other (any other?) albums of the year so far list, but I really like, so there. Both are folky (again with the folk) and atmospheric. Shearwater’s The Golden Archipelago does indeed shimmer.

Laura Veirs’ July Flame is delicious. It’s named after this track, which is named after a peach, which is named after the month that’s just kicked off the second half of 2010.

If you want to see other selections of albums of 2010 so far, you could check over at Largehearted Boy, that excellent music (and literature, which is a welcome bonus) blog.

Local Natives

Today is the last new release day ever at Lala (Tuesday is new release day in the USA, and Lala closes next Monday, May 31). So this seems like a good time to reflect on music itself, as well as on the tech through which we access music.

My favorite of 2010 so far is Local Natives’ Gorilla Manor. I see the comparisons with Fleet Foxes and with Vampire Weekend, but find LN very different from, and preferable to, those bands. Anyway,here’s a video of a rather good version of “Wide Eyes.”

I feel as though I ought to link to Local Natives’ site, and I feel just as strongly that I ought to warn you that it might hurt your eyes.