Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Drumroll please….

1. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

I can’t say it any better than I already have:

It sounds monumental, and maybe even a little pretentious, for Idahoan Josh Ritter to title an album The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. Who is he to claim such a rich past with his first major record label release? Well, in Ritter’s defense, this is his fourth studio album, and he just may be one of the great songwriters of our time. Mixing one part Dylan, another part Springsteen, and throwing in a big dose of his own country-folk charm, Ritter has created a masterpiece with his latest release.

Some songwriters define themselves by their lyrical content, others by their musical accompaniment, and still others through an impeccably distinctive voice. The individual that can meld all three of these is a rare species, and I would venture to say that Ritter is one of them. He effortlessly moves from slow ballads about heartache to string and horn-infused rock arrangements about his own insecurities. All this he pulls off with an air of confidence and a folksy pomp that makes you think that he’s that guy who’s the baddest dude in town with a heart of gold.

On the opening track, “To the Dogs of Whoever”, Ritter pays homage to an American icon, doing his best Springsteen impersonation. He then ventures into a piano-driven rock ditty “Mind’s Eye” that can best be described as insanely catchy. He slides into “Right Moves” with violins blazing and horns ready to attack. As the album starts to catch, a darker jazzy rock “Rumors” comes on that also makes good use of some wind instrumentation. But on “Next to the Last Romantic”, Ritter shows he can step back and laugh at himself as well. Ritter saves his best for next-to-last, though. On “Empty Hearts”, he seems most comfortable. He opens with a beautiful stringed riff, and soon enters into a chorus of “Don’t let me in to this year with an empty heart” that will have you singing along in no time.

It’s really Ritter’s ability to be but also appeal to the everyman that grants him such success in his songwriting. On The Historical Conquests.., Ritter ends up revering those who have come before him but also paving a way for new songwriters to join a rare collection of folks who have been blessed like him. As he polishes his own skills, he reveals his own influences from the past; in truth, his album title couldn’t be more fitting.

Listen to “Empty Heart” (5/5)

2. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala

You may recall me referring to my man-crush on Jens Lekman, and nothing has really changed since then. Lekman’s sage-like wisdom about life and relationships always comes across with the utmost earnestness (and comedy). Lyrically, NFOK is certainly interesting, with the situational “Postcard to Nina” or the comically romantic “Your Arms Around Me”. Discopop tracks (”Sipping on the Sweet Nectar”) combined with funky fresh tunes (”Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig”) make for an album that has only one rival from the entire year. Cheers, Jens. More on Jens Lekman here.

Listen to “Your Arms Around Me” (5/5)

3. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

What an amazing year it has been for His Birdness! While not touring around the country for his incredible Armchair Apocrypha, Bird has been busy taking with his violin. Complete with lush stringed instrumentation, Bird’s lilting vocals, and the addition of Martin Dosh’s stylings, Armchair Apocrypha lends for music that (as some have described) may cure some forms of cancer. Bird also finally tackles the various analogs between himself and the namesake of his last name–he seems to have embraced his birdness in the end. Click here for a really great post on the album.

Listen to “Dark Matter” (5/5) [via Sound of Marching Feet]

4. The National - Boxer

I know everybody and their mother has put this album pretty high on their albums of the year, but the bottom line is that it is justified. Matt Berninger’s vocals conjure up images of an earnest poet who has plenty of worthy things to be said. Berninger throws around such vivid, subtle imagery ( ‘Standing in an empty tuxedo with grapes in my mouth’), that it often takes a keen listener to pick them out over the symphonic, horn-glazed tracks. Boxer is a collection of emotive and dynamic songs that uniquely find a way of coming together as a document of the everyman’s conscience. More on The National here.

Listen to “Ada” (5/5)

5. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog

The Shepherd’s Dog seems to take influences from everywhere, from the dusty trails of ghost towns to the asphalt paths of boisterous cities. It’s an album that celebrates the extroverted and the reserved, one that appeals to the ears but sings to the soul. Each track has a sparseness to it, but yet the multi-layered richness of Beam’s voice and his plethora of instruments add an incredible voluminousness each song. This album simply doesn’t miss. More on Iron & Wine here.

Listen to “The Devil Never Sleeps” (5/5)