The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers - The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia (2005)

I acquired this not too long after it was released and it is still one of my favorite records to this day. A splendid union of perfections and imperfections, "The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia" houses astute and pensive lyrics that ride a highway of soft vocal melodies to a musical amalgamation of guitars both electric and acoustic, vibraphones, strings and even a drum machine here and there. The opening track, "The Eventual Intimate of So Much Nostalgia," is unassuming and calm at first, but by the time the listener knows what's going on, they're already down the rabbit hole and on to the next track, one of my personal favorites, "Concerning Lessons Learned by the Aliens." "Archaeopteryx" is a number filled with a fun amount of programmed elements, which leads into "Ammunition for a Bolt," a song delightfully reminiscent of The Faint's earlier work. "Above the Waves" contains one of my favorite lyrics, "We are the cavemen in the Garden of Eden. Frail, fucked up fossils - obsolete and useless. Now that we design our days, how will you stay above the waves?" If bands like Bright Eyes and Cursive are ingredients to the indie kid's starter kit, this album is for some of the more advanced pupils, but nevertheless remains a vital part of the record collection. And yes, their name IS a reference to The Big Lebowski, in case you were wondering.

For fans of: The Physics of Meaning, Belle and Sebastian, Eels, Now It's Overhead

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Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)

Number 14 in Pitchfork's list of the top 100 albums of the 1990s, it's been said that this marks the high point in Belle and Sebastian's career. While that is completely and utterly untrue (I actually liked "The Boy With the Arab Strap" and will forever have a soft spot for "Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant"), if you look at Belle and Sebastian from a Tralfamadorian perspective, it's one of the spots that shines the brightest. Stuart Murdoch, the band's leader, says that in his opinion, this is the best collection of songs he's ever written (in other words "If You're Feeling Sinister" : Belle and Sebastian :: "The Photo Album" : Death Cab for Cutie). My personal favorite track is "Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying," in which Murdoch quips, "Nobody writes them like they used to, so it may as well be me," and goes on to cheer for the success of the boy inflicted with naïveté. This record isn't the Big Bang; it's the serene and calm right before hand. After this album, something happened and new and different things began popping up in the band's career, manifesting in subsequent albums. Murdoch's also said that he isn't completely happy with the album's recording quality, and in response to that (and any complaints about low recording quality in general), I offer three words: Something. About. Airplanes.

For fans of: Andrew Bird, Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire

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