Sounds quite heavenly - to April from January.

While the majority of people are content with splitting their year into the neat fractions of quarters, halves and twelfths I have decided that each third of the year should be addressed when it comes to the albums that have impressed me these last few months. This is in no way influenced by my laziness but is, instead, a carefully measured decision with the best outcome.

Blunderbuss - Jack White April

Perhaps it is too soon to be writing about this album. It only arrived a few days ago, after all. However, it is worth mentioning, and it didn't come out next month so I really don't have a choice. 

Jack White's first solo album is not something you would not expect. It doesn't disappoint any hype because it is very good although it is not spectacular. We are all so familiar with his work that it would be a devastating decision to produce something that could be considered totally surprisingly because with that familiarity comes a great source of adoration from a great many people. 

It could be asked if it is really a necessary album. Wouldn't we all just like to have more Whites Stripes, Raconteurs or The Dead Weather (maybe not quite for the last one) given the similarity between all these outlets and Blunderbuss. 

Personally, I think that it is necessary. That, and extremely self indulgent. Jack White shows off just how much of a throttle hold his musical influence (genius?) has had on every project he has worked on. The album is a boast, a wielding of a power we all knew was there and a careless disregard for his previous collaborators. And, like I said, it is very good.

Always - Xiu Xiu February
Difficult, painful, erratic, dark and sad are all words that can easily be applied to Xiu Xiu's eighth album.
It is really quite odd, and will take a number of listens to really appreciate - and when you do appreciate it, you are constantly under the impression that you might think it is brilliant simply because of its unfathomability. All in all, it is a pretty standard outing from the consistently bizarre band.
The reward, be it real or not, when you finally get to grips with tracks which alternate between flailing, sobbing and malevolence is worth any amount of hours reaching it. It might be the densest, most satisfying album out there. It also might be a random mix of wretched nothings playing a trick on me.

Port of Morrow - The Shins March
There is not a terrible amount that needs to be said about this album. It is an album by the Shins. If you like the Shins then it is a very good album. If you do not like the Shins, what is wrong with you?
Filled with obscene amounts of fun and childish grandiosity it will not let you down. It is something to be enjoyed with very little thought involved.

Have Some Faith in Magic - Errors January
Haunting and magnificent, the third go by Errors is easily their best attempt at music. Borrowing some of the epic wanderings of M83 and mixing it with their own strangeness they have created an album that will completely suck you in.
Even as one song blends into another and you have lost yourself amongst the ten tracks you will always be aware of a benevolent genius lurking in the pulsing guitars, laptop key pushing and half sung words.

The Lion's Roar - First Aid Kit January
When I first heard this album I have to admit that I did not rate it that high. I thought that it was entering a saturated folk market without offering anything special or original enough to worth considerable praise.
While I would still debate its originality I have revised my position of general thoughts of praise. When I found that I was still going back to it every now and again for sneaky listens I discovered the incredible level of warmth and character that rests in each song. An understated passion is infused in the album and is combined with far too much maturity for its young creators.

Something - Chairlift January
Already mentioned this album on here because I adore it so much. Intelligence and fun are ever so present sometimes disguising a darkness that lurks within the tracks. We should not overlook the fact that the first song is about trying to run someone over in a car.
The whole thing is constructed with a wondrous 80's feel that you cannot escape. A lot of bands trying to do this would create music that sounded tired and copied, but Chairlift have used it to make an album that is refreshing in its premise and execution.

Django Django - Django Django January
If I am going to mention fun, there is no good reason for leaving out the excellent debut album by Django Django.
It arrived amidst a lot of pomp and fervour, and I am definitely not the first person to say it is good. What I am surprised by is that an album which relies so much on catchy, lively and fun music has as much staying power as this one has.
It is not a grower, you will like it a lot the first time you hear it. You will also like it almost as much the twentieth time you hear it. Beyond that, I really couldn't say, sorry.

Ghostory - School of Seven Bells February
School of Seven Bells have now released three very good albums. Therefore it is significant that I consider this album to be their best, by far.
Despite the name, it is strange that it is not nearly as ghostly as some of their previous work, the glorious wishiness of their music has been replaced by a glorious ambition.
The ambition has also arrived with much more accessibility, but not in a way that compromises any integrity or smarts. Each track advances with force and carries grand sweeps and exquisite crescendos that will make you lie on your bed with your eyes closed for the entire 45 minutes.

Plumb - Field Music February
I have a real soft spot for Field Music, so I was probably going to put on this album no matter what. Luckily for me, it really is quite good.
It is not, unfortunately, better, or as good as, Measure. The prospect of it managing that was always quite slim but they have not fallen too far short of what was an incredible third album.
Their forth continues with Field Music's tradition of cramming a seemingly limitless number of influences and sounds like a car crusher into painstakingly simply guitar music. You can hear echoes from Queen and David Bowie with ease, along with more recent input from bands like Of Montreal and Little Dragon. It is a real feat of engineering, but with music.

Animal Joy - Shearwater February
When I read that Animal Joy was coming out, I was pleased. I then continued to read the very same piece that announced the news and discovered that the band had decided to take a different direction than that of their utterly exquisite trio of Palo Santo, Rooks and The Golden Archipelago to pursue a more 'indie' sound. This news troubled me some what but it needn't have. Animal Joy retains the majority of the profound and stunning qualities of Shearwater's best music and adds a flourish of happiness to proceedings.
While the result is incredible, the slight lifting of the dark beauty that was so prevalent in the aforementioned three does make it feel like something is missing. Luckily it is still infused with some darkness so you are not missing much.