I recently fell in love with St. Vincent. I always really wanted to like her. I think she is the most beautiful person in the world. Maybe that's shallow, but I just think she's really interesting, too. However, I found it hard to get into her music. You could never quite hear her voice over her bad ass guitar, which is kind of a problem when you want to actually hear the words. I set her aside with promises to try again.

 One day, Annie Clark and David Byrne decided to make an album together, so she was everywhere. I'm not sure if I heard St. Vincent on accident or on purpose this time around, but I am glad that it happened. Guys, I am obsessed. Annie Clark has an incredible voice. It sounds so classic, like she should be singing in an opera or some other musical thing that I know nothing about. When you listen to her, it makes a lot of sense that she played with Sufjan Stevens.

 Also, her guitar playing is phenomenal. Seriously, "bad ass" is the only way to describe it. It really takes the stage, which would make it a battle between her voice and her guitar if they didn't complement each other so wonderfully. While all of Strange Mercy is wonderful, I think "Cruel" is a great example of it.

Stars is one of those bands I've always kind of liked. I loved their third album and especially the song " You're Ex-Lover is Dead," but the rest of their albums have failed to resonate with me. There are a few songs I like, but I can't listen to a whole album from start to finish before boredom sets in. 
That's not the case with their latest album The North. Not only is it my favorite Stars album, but one of my favorite albums of the year.
It has what you're looking for in a Stars album (dueling male and female vocals, love songs) but for some reason this album (from start to finish) has a feel that their last few albums lacked.
The sound for one is much different than previous albums. The combination of synthesizers and big guitars make North seem like a low profile Canadian version of a Killers album.
Even with a bigger sound they keep the emotion in their lyrics and vocals. The trade off from male to female vocals on the songs are sang beautifully and keep you interested through the entire album.
Key tracks are: The North (title track), Lights are Changing Color, & The 400. 

I know Zach already posted about this album but I have a couple things to say about it too so sorry for some repetition....

I've been obsessed with The Avett Brothers since 2007 when Emotionalism came out. My brother was into them and would mention them every now and then. Then they played at the Bumbershoot music festival on a little stage in the corner. I went alone. The friends I was with wanted to go see Mae instead. Of course, they were incredible and I've never turned back.
It's been interesting to see them evolve these last 5 years. They've changed a lot but they're still them. I don't think it's possible for them to make anything bad. (Knock on wood. I used to think that about Nate Ruess). I gave their new album, The Carpenter a listen last night. (Thanks NPR!) Now, I've only listened to it once and it was late at night but here are my first, sleepy thoughts on it.
It was really good. Really different from their old stuff but really good. Don't know if I could call it my favorite yet but I still really enjoyed it. It's a lot less bluegrass-ey, a little more sing-song-ey. Less banjo, more drums, some electric guitar, even some horns. I felt like there was also a lot less vocal harmonies than usual too and I don't think there was any passionate build up to him yelling. In other albums he yells at least once or twice. I missed that. I also missed the harmonies and banjo.
That said, it's still a fantastic album. A great addition to their collection. I think it's great they're changing and experimenting. Now that they're making more money, why not? I think it's time they did. They've already set the tone for other bands such as Mumford & Sons and a few others. Now that their bluegrass/rock sound is trending, time to mix things up a little bit, right? Set some new trends. Explore new sounds. Luckily, it would seem, The Avett Brothers will always be The Avett Brothers. They will always sing beautifully. They will always sing things that get me right in the heart. They will always be who I listen to when I have a rough day. They will always get me.

Feeling good about this today. It's a good Sunday song, or just a good song if you're going through a trial. Let Cat Stevens dissolve your troubles for three minutes. Thanks to Sharon Morgan for posting this on Facebook.