March 20th - Tir Na Nog- S/T - Another decent contemporary folk album with some psychedelic influences. Pleasant, but nothing in particular really jumps out. Maybe I need to focus on the lyrics more, but music-wise, there doesn’t seem to be much here that’s special. 7.5/10.
March 21st - Deafheaven - Sunbather - I must say, this definitely lived up to the hype built around it. This combines elements of shoegaze and atmospheric black metal to pretty wonderful effect. And it’s nice and long too, so you can enjoy it for as long as is needed. The stuff here is punishing, and the vocals are pretty chilling as well. As abrasive as it is, there are still some moments of beauty, as the guitars blaring everywhere still offer some pretty, sometimes almost dreamy, melodies. I was hungry for more after it finished, which is a good sign in my book. I really loved this, and I’d venture to say that this is a decent starting point for anyone wanting to get into black metal (though, I’m no expert of course). 9.0/10.
March 22nd - Daniel Johnston - 1990 - Here we get a rawer look at Johnston’s state-of-mind. A bit ironic, considering that the sound quality is much clearer here than on his early cassette-tape days. The fragility of his mind and his connection to his faith are painfully evident on tracks like “Careless Soul”, where he starts crying in the middle of the song. Along with the more in-depth look into the man himself, Johnston shows that even when he is emotionally troubled, he can still write a beautiful, and still simple, melody, like on “Some Things Last a Long Time”, which may be my favorite song of his overall. Beautiful, simple, and sometimes heartbreaking, this album ranks up there with his other great releases. 8.7/10.