Holy crap. This album is on track to snag my top album of the year slot away from Neko Case at the rate I've been listening to it. I probably spun it 20 times today alone. (I can listen to music when I work - amen for brainless computer work.)
-ringding-

I should mention it's streaming for free this week over at www.spinner.com - just click on the new releases tab on the left side and then select the second album.

Yes! It's my favorite album of the year so far, definitely. I was starting to wonder why nobody was talking about it around here.

the ever fickle NME gave it a positive review. Compared to say another band who are they most similiar to?

I bought this on a whim last week and haven't regretted it one bit. I'm listening to it now.

I'm only disappointed that it looks like this is their first full-fledged studio album, because I want more.

Hmmm?

You're in luck, it's not:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_of_Plenty_(album)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_House_(album)

So far this gets my vote for the most overrated album of the year. I'm not surprised all the hipster sites & critics are raving about it, but I find it to be quite monotonous, every song sounds the same (I do like track 3 though) & overall quite derivative, there are so many bands that sound just like them & do it better, the meloncholy-folk schtick, which I enjoy, feels very stale here.

good grief!

honestly, nothing personal because all you guys are cool...well, sorta...but really, a lot of people on this forum seem to really be into boring, folk-ish, most-talked-about-and-overhyped-band-of-the-week music and you rave about them incessantly. Bon Iver? Grizzly Bear? Seriously? Album of the year? This is just awful. I don't get it.

Is it an age thing? I'm 36. Too old? Too young?

Why post in this thread then? And what type of music meets your high standards?

I mean, I'm not into metal & you don't see me posting in the metal threads, "gee, why are all you people into such angry, dated, cheezy music". Too each their own. I agree with you on Grizzly Bear, I am clueless how people call this the album of the year, it is a big trite cliche, but you have no soul if you don't get Bon Iver, such good stuff.

Oh boy...

I don't want to start an argument here, but why are they a "band-of-the-week" when they've had three well-received albums released over the last 5 years?

I looked up your favorite albums of last year:

I've listened to most of them, and the only ones that I enjoyed at all were Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs. I rated your favorite album a grade of "C." Can't two people just have different tastes and opinions without one of them lashing out at the other?

Can we find some common ground? Did you like any of my favorite albums of last year?:

1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
2. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
3. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes / Sun Giant EP
4. Mount Eerie - Lost Wisdom / Black Wooden Ceiling Opening EP
5. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
6. Portishead - Third
7. Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too
8. The Dodos - Visiter
9. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
10. Deerhunter - Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.
11. No Age - Nouns
12. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
13. Sigur Rós - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
14. Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
15. School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms

I won't go that far, but to me at least, it's yet another very Brian Wilson influenced album. Not necessarily a bad thing, just seems like they are becoming more an more frequent. Having heard the album, I find the music itself is pleasant enough - but just nothing I feel the need to own.

Guys, I'm really, sincerely, sorry...I didn't mean to offend anyone. Too each his own, exactly. Absolutely right.

and, of course, *smacks head* if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all...

I'm certainly not a music snob but I do know my stuff.

Just curious at to what kind of personality type listens to that stuff...obviously posting my top 10 from last year, the majority of the bands listed are generally upbeat, charismatic, catchy and hook-filled. Favorites range from Britpop/rock like Placebo, Muse, White Lies, Franz etc. to Filthy Dukes, Metric, The Sounds, VNV Nation, Client, Friendly Fires, Crystal Method (and on and on)....

I listen to some of the stuff recommended here at DVD Talk and wonder, honestly, what demographic of society listens to Grizzly Bear, Bon, Fleet Foxes etc.? I understand that all these acts topped 10's and 10's of media/zine reviewers' lists for last year but why?

I too, Aegean, am familiar with several of YOUR favorties. Portishead is wonderful for a cure to those sleepless nights. Cut Copy's album was interesting but nowhere near as much fun as The Presets record was. Hercules and Love Affair is akin to modern day Erasure but with a touch more flamboyance...not necessarily a bad thing, just not something I'd listen to on an ongoing basis.

Really, let's be honest here...who seriously still listens to that Vampire Weekend record from last year?

Seeing Grizzly Bear open for TV On The Radio in two weeks - can't wait

Well, what do you know...

I kind of wish I'd stayed in my little world where they'd only released the one album, though.

I downloaded Yellow House and I really don't know if I like it or not. Still, for $5.99, it's not bad.

Is this a more of a Fleet Foxes or Animal Collective sort of thing?

I love the song and video for "Two Weeks," definitely going to get album. I don't care too much if something is hyped by the hipsters or not, depends on whether I like it -- I admit I didn't care for Vampire Weekend or Animal Collective particularly despite hearing hype about them, but on the other hand I've had bands like the Hold Steady and Wolf Parade I have discovered and quite like based on so-called "hipster blogs" and so forth.

Definitely way more on the Fleet Foxes tip and not nearly as weird as Animal Collective.

I've only listened to it a couple times but so far I'm not liking it as much as Yellow House which I loved.

All the time. Great album.

= J