Savoir Adore - In the Wooded Forest (2009)

This album was, hands down, one of the best releases of 2009. The proper full-length debut of Brooklyn's Savoir Adore (following 2008's The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl With Animals in Her Throat), In the Wooden Forest is a gust of wind that gives the listener's ears a breath of fresh air (if ears had lungs, that is... You get the picture.). This studio release is full of little nuances and idiosyncrasies that keep it fresh with each listen. Songs like "We Talk Like Machines," "Transylvanian Candy Patrol," "MERP," and "Space Travel" sound new with each and every listen. This record has been given a lot of care and nurturing, and the end result is something much more cohesive than the band's previous release, while still containing all of the defining characteristics that made your humble narrator fall in love with them in the first place. Fans of their first release will recognize the track "The Wooded Forest," (formerly titled "In the Wooded Forest, A Girl") now in an extended and much more finished version (not to mention where this album gets its name). If lights had sounds, this record would be home to the entire visible spectrum of color.

For fans of: The Submarines, Broken Social Scene, Mates of State, GIVERS, The Ethnographers

Download

Atom and His Package - Redefining Music (2001)

The fourth full length from this Philadelphia-based one man arsenal of sound, "Redefining Music" is a healthy part of this balanced breakfast. Retaining the classic sequencer-heavy punk sound that he's so well-known for, this record comes with full force, as well as plenty of beeps and boops. This album is home to cover songs like "Seed Song," "Going to Georgia," "Alpha Desperation March" and "Open Your Heart" (the first three being by The Mountain Goats while the last is a Madonna cover) as well as Atom and His Package staples, "Anarchy Means I Litter," "Undercover Funny," "Shopping Spree," and (my personal favorite song of his) "Upside Down from Here." The longest song on this release clocks in at around 3:18, and just as well. Punk songs are short and sweet and this record packs a shitload of sweet.

For fans of: Armalite, Bomb the Music Industry!, The Dead Milkmen

I Was a Cub Scout - I Want You to Know That There Is Always Hope (2008)

Guitars? Check. Pleasant heartfelt vocals? Check. Delighful layers of synth? Check. Kickass drummer? Check. "I Want You to Know That There is Always Hope," the first and only release by William Bowerman and Todd Marriott under the name I Was a Cub Scout is the latest in the line of great musical collaboration in the past few years. The Postal Service did it with "Give Up," The Mountain Goats and Kaki King did it with "Black Pear Tree" and I Was a Cub Scout don't miss a beat with this record. In the same aspect of albums like "The Ugly Organ" or "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," the first few tracks seem to flow together seamlessly. The first song, "Save Your Wishes" (the single that got the band a lot of recognition on eyeToones) is a tale of too little too late, giving someone yourself, getting nothing in return and then having them want you after you've been hurt and they miss the attention. Marriott's feelings towards the song's subject are best displayed in the chorus, "Save your wishes 'cause they won't help you and keep your kisses, as they're unwanted." Gang vocals and drums galore flesh out the following track, "Echoes" and go straight into "Lucean." The fourth song, "Pink Squares," is probably the band's most well known song, both released as a single and having been made into a music video. Neil Young once said that it was better to burn out than to fade away, and while it was sad to see something so good end so soon, it comes as a relief that it ended before it had the chance to jump the shark.

For fans of: DARTZ!, Hot Club de Paris, Tellison

Download