With Hands Extended to the Rising Sun

His feet ached from walking; his back was sore from all the weight it had carried. Sad but spellbound, he watched the relentless wind carry the fallen petals and marshmallow ashes until they were lost in the empty but gorgeous sky. It was a misty night. Something about it smelled like fancy and elegance. The sparks rising from the embers were quickly extinguished by the mist. Soon, everything faded to pitch darkness, except the ground which was as pale as a vampire's skin. The world was utterly silent. He felt eerie but too exhausted to be overwhelmed by the fear. He lay on the cold, damp ground with his hands extended to the east. The certainty of the coming dawn and the rising sun soothed the tiny, throbbing vessels in his chest. His eyes closed slowly.

With Hands Extended to the Rising Sun
::Full Album:: [zip] (60 minutes)
01. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
02. Phoenix - Lasso
03. Skank - Garota Nacional
04. Animal Collective - Brother Sport
05. Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is the Move
06. Mew - Introducing Palace Players
07. Silversun Pickups - There's No Secrets This Year
08. Leslie Feist + Ben Gibbard - Train Song
09. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
10. The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
11. Imogen Heap - First Train Home
12. Bloc Party - Signs
13. Mates of State - My Only Offer
14. Frightened Rabbit - Keep Yourself Warm
15. Iron & Wine - Belated Promise Ring

(bonus)
::Side A:: [zip]
16. Ana Carolina e Seu Jorge - É Isso Aí
17. the Anniversary - All Things Ordinary
18. Beirut - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille
19. Cine - Garota Radical
20. A Day To Remember - Over My Head (The Fray cover)
21. The Devil Wears Prada - Sassafras
22. FilterFunk - S.O.S. (Message In A Bottle) (Hi Track radio edit)
23. Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane remix ft. Au Revoir Simone)

::Side B:: [zip]
24. Led Zeppelin - Misty Mountain Hop
25. Los Campesinos! - My Year in Lists
26. Lovedrug - Down Towards the Healing
27. Lykke Li - Dance Dance Dance
28. Mew - Sometimes Life Isn't Easy
29. Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
30. Owl City - Fireflies
31. Passion Pit - Little Secrets

::Side C:: [zip]
32. Search The City - Son Of A Gun
33. Shakira - Loba
34. Sufjan Stevens - There's Too Much Love (live)
35. Switchfoot - This Is Home
36. Umbrellas - Boston White
37. Vampire Weekend - Exit Music (For a Film)
38. Van She - Kelly (Cut Copy Remix)

Mew, Karen Overton, Sufjan Stevens, and more.

Lately, I haven't heard a good deal of good albums. It's not that there isn't anything good out there, just what I've liked recently is well-known. Albums like Mew's And the Glass-Handed Kites, and Brand New's The Devil and God are Raging inside Me. Additionally, though 21st-century post-hardcore has its weaknesses, I would post the incredible track "Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste" by Norma Jean but I don't have the file with me. If anyone else has it, would they post it in a comment, please?

I also have the duty to mention that the Shins' new album Wincing The Night Away is pretty good except the vocals sometimes sound empty or hollow. The first track "Sleeping Lessons" doesn't start out as powerfully as "Kissing the Lipless" [5.37 MB] did for the Shins' previous album Chutes Too Narrow . Since the album is being hyped "all over" the internet, I am too lazy to review what a thousand other people have already reviewed.

Finally, I have some recommendations:

:: On Spec - "Knights of Columbos" :: [19.69 MB]
This track falls under the genre of "Progressive House". When listening to the track, I realized that the chord structure was reminiscent of a song "Why Are You Looking Grave" by the indie rockers Mew. My suspicions were confirmed towards the end where "Knights of Columbos" samples the piano at the end of the Mew song.

:: Karen Overton - "Your Loving Arms" :: [9.78 MB]
Another Progressive House track, this track is my favorite from Tiësto's latest mix album In Search of Sunrise: 5.

Yes, I know it is difficult for the average American to appreciate the seeming repetition of European techno and its various deviations. Perhaps the blame for this negative perception should rest on clothing stores like Abercrombie who mostly play unsettling electronic dance music at full volume. Good electronica can be repetitive, but it subtly varies and progresses creating a driving forward motion that can be energetic and sexy or inspirational and meditative. A quality sound system helps, of course.

:: Sufjan Stevens - "Holy, Holy, Holy" :: [8.80 MB]
This is a sacred song reverently sung by the amazing Sufjan Stevens to an acoustic accompaniment.