urgency to bleed

I'm resisting the urge to post more Parenthetical Girls, as they're essentially all I've been listening to for the past week with very few exceptions (seriously, if you listen to any one band I've ever recommended here, please make it them). But instead I'll post about another band I've known for awhile but had kind of forgotten about for the past couple years before recently rediscovering. Unfortunately, said rediscovery has been put slightly on the back-burner by my current obsession but that's not to say this band isn't just as worthy of your time.

Winterpills has been consistently releasing very lovely, low-key music since their self-titled debut in 2005 but they've really stepped up their game with this year's All My Lovely Goners. It's a staggeringly gorgeous album that is, sadly, flying completely under the musical radar though it certainly deserves much more attention. It's also a bit more dynamic, sound-wise, than Winterpills' past releases, which makes it even more appropriate for multiple listens. From the lush male/female harmonies of "Amazing Sky" to the more upbeat and instantly catchy "Dying Star" to the devastating, subtle intensity of "Sunspots (Ruins)," there's truly something here for everyone to love. The song that stole my heart right away, though, is the comparably bare and simplistic "Small Bright Doses." Philip Price and Flora Reed's soothing voices and the heartbreaking lyrics are placed front and center while the instrumentation slowly but beautifully unfolds and develops in the background, culminating in a stunning yet still understated finale. It actually reminds me very much of a Carissa's Wierd song, particularly Price's deeper, raspier vocals at the beginning and the melancholy beauty of the song's atmosphere. If you like what you hear, I suggest you head over to Winterpills' Bandcamp page and stream the entire album right away, then maybe throw $10 their way for making such ear-pleasing sounds.

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Okay, here's the final post of 2007-related stuff. That is, until six months from now when I discover some album I didn't know anything about previously and it suddenly becomes my new favorite. And believe me, that's probably very likely to happen, knowing my track record. I actually still have a handful of albums on my "Need to listen to more!" playlist, but I have to let go of 2007 list-making at some point or I won't have time to listen to any 2008 releases. (And shockingly, those are starting to pile up as well already!) Anyway, here's the last set of songs. Enjoy!

• Jens Lekman - The Opposite of Hallelujah (from Night Falls Over Kortedala)
• Joanna Newsom - Colleen (from The Ys Street Band EP)
• Kristin Hersh - Vertigo (from Learn to Sing Like a Star)
• Laura Veirs - Black Butterfly (from Saltbreakers)
• Mandy Moore - Nothing That You Are (from Wild Hope)
• Shannon Wright - Louise (from Let in the Light)
• Slow Club - Me and You (from Me and You single)
• Straylight Run - The Words We Say (from The Needles, the Space)
• Tori Amos - Smokey Joe (from American Doll Posse)
• Winterpills - Broken Arm (from The Light Divides)
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Isis (from Is Is EP)