p.6

Ideally I'd be farther along on my list than this, but there are still several albums that I haven't even gotten around to listening to yet, and there are several more that I need to listen to again just to remind myself what they sound like. It's a lot harder to write them now, considering the fact that it is Christmas Eve afterall, and between helping out with dinner and all the family activities we have going on, there really isn't much left over to waste on well-written reviews. So instead, here are some hastily written reviews, written in between various family functions.

Facit - Sakert!
Insound | Pitchfork Review | Mediafire


So maybe you've heard of Hello Saferide. Maybe you thought her music was endearingly silly, and though at first you were drawn to it on that premise, you eventually felt that you're just a little more serious than that. Facit is a chance for people to hear Annika Norlin without the pigeonhole. Without having to rely on her lyrics (unless, of course, you speak Svenska), you might actually hear Norlin as a musician and not a public figure.

Epic - Sharon Van Etten
Insound | Pitchfork Review | Mediafire


Epic doesn't exactly break ground. It doesn't need to; the album simply aims to explore relationships and love in as many different angles possible. With only seven tracks, the album is surprisingly ripe with emotion, owing a lot to Van Etten's beautiful voice. The music doesn't rely on a diverse palette of sounds, nor does it rely on popular trends in music to carry it along, instead favoring simpler arrangements and all the emotional performance Van Etten can pack into a single note.

The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens
Insound | Pitchfork Review | Mediafire


It's honestly a little bit shameful how long I waited to listen to this album (I think I heard it for the first time last night). But anyone knows that a Sufjan Stevens album is not something to dip your toes into: his albums require a thoughtfulness that only his fans and people that pride themselves in trying to understand albums can muster. And Sufjan does not disappoint the listener; The Age of Adz is at once carefully orchestrated and emotionally chaotic, with Sufjan leaning towards a darker tale of love. Even naysayers, who have in the past felt that Sufjan was just a little bit too cute to stand, will enjoy this album.

Okay, well, I would have preferred to add just one more album, but you know, it's Christmas Eve and all that.