Albums of the week 2011, week 1

[bright lights, big city]

Sorry if this is kind of polarizing between metal and, well the EXACT OPPOSITE, but whatever. I attempted to get acts no one's heard or had reason to try before.

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

http://www.myspace.com/ironandwine
http://www.fileserve.com/file/veUFb7J/Iron_And_Wine-Kiss_Each_Other_Clean-2011-pLAN9.rar
I would call most of Sam Beam's material "precious". That's not really a negative, but I need to be in the mood for it. I&W's new album, though, is different. Definitely more accessible than the stuff that was out during the Garden State era, I would compare it to the Decemberists, except way better, and also I think this even tops Sufjan Stevens' Age of Adz which was impressive in its own right. It's a young year, I know, but this was one of the highlights for me so far.

Julianna Barwick - Florine

http://www.myspace.com/juliannabarwick
http://www.mediafire.com/?jkyydgnmy00
My soundscape/ambient contribution. Barwick is a one woman choir, looping her layered, wordless wails until they crest in cascading waves of sound. Just beautiful and atmospheric. This is just an EP from a year ago, her new album hasn't leaked that I know of, but it's out Feb 22.

Explorers Club - Freedom Wind

http://www.myspace.com/explorersclub
http://www.mediafire.com/?bfc1jfghf9y
Best comparison for them is as a modern era Beach Boys. They have the harmonies and surf-pop sound perfectly. "Forever" and "Do You Love Me" are the best tracks.

Kalypso - Nyktophobie

http://www.myspace.com/kalypsometal
http://www.mediafire.com/?ychr7mw8dajrvsg
German death metal/metalcore. Heaviest act on the list, so not many people here will like them. This is another highlight of 2011, and also extremely rare (couldn't even find the album through google or the art in google images). I'd compare them to And Hell Followed With or Vegas In Ruins. For when you need a heavy music fix.

Time to Burn - Is.Land

http://www.myspace.com/timetoburnband
http://www.mediafire.com/?k2tymw3jwum
French post-rock/metal. Got some good sludgey soundscapes. Their myspace also compares them to Botch, Cult of Luna and Neurosis. I would agree with that.

BONUS:
Aziz Ansari - Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening

http://www.mediafire.com/?fzyymngz0mm
Bonus, because it's a comedy album, and ummm not music. But this album has been in my rotation for about a year now, all my friends enjoy his act, so I highly recommend it, at the very least to give it 1 spin. You might know him from being awesome in Funny People and Parks and Recreation.

[Crazylegs]

checking these out in a few hours.

[Crazylegs]

I enjoyed the Iron & Wine album, some of the explorers club album. Time to burn was allright, but i didn't enjoy their vocals much.
Julianna Barwick was allright too. Iron & Wine is definitely my favorite out of the lot.

[E-Money]

Kiss Each Other Clean is a great record!  Will check out Julianna Barwick and Explorers Club tonight! 

[raynor]

alright, i'm gonna check that aziz ansari-thing and explorers club out!

[bright lights, big city]

if you dug the Julianna Barwick, her new, better album is out
http://www.fileserve.com/file/5vPwgHc/Julianna

[black coffee]

Time to Burn is exactly my thing! Good find there.
Never really listened Iron & Wine before, but Kiss Each Other Clean is a good record, too! I still think I like The Age Of Adz by Sufjan Stevens a little better. Gonna check out the rest, too. From your description, Explorers Club might be a good album for the summer season...

[bright lights, big city]

Apparently, Time to Burn has split up. But the good news for you is their small discography is right here: http://a-fragile-hope.blogspot.com/2010/02/time-to-burn.html

[raynor]

alright, i'm gonna check that aziz ansari-thing and explorers club out!

aziz ansari was great!

explorers club I could just not stand, sorry. pretty much a ctrl-c ctrl-v of brian wilson I remember thinking.

here's a funny interview: http://www.thefader.com/2010/01/07/feature-animal-collective-interview-with-aziz-ansari/