The Wilderness of Manitoba- When You Left The Fire

It was pretty difficult to dig up any information on The Wilderness of Manitoba but one thing I can say for sure is that they are good. When You Left the Fire is a smooth listen that is drenched in acoustic guitars, banjos, and reverbed vocal harmonies. At times the album does run a little long, and though the music is interesting enough, I think you have to be in the right mindset to really dig an album like When You Left the Fire. In a few ways The Wilderness of Manitoba kind of reminds me of Sufjan Stevens, especially with the intricate melodies and the lead vocalist defiantly shares some of Stevens’s style. I enjoyed this album and I think most people who have been getting into this new age of indie folk will share a lot of my positive feelings towards it. I wouldn’t say that When You Left the Fire is a must listen for most, but I would say if you get a chance and it’s on you would not be wasting your time giving it a listen.  

Final Review- 80

The Antlers- Burst Apart

I have never been a big fan of falsetto, but The Antlers front man and founder Peter Silberman is one of the few singers who can really pull it off. I would put Silbermanis’s quality of singing and range right up there with some of the greats like Thom Yorke and Prince. Burst Apart starts a little slow, but when it picks up, it doesn’t stop till the end. I knew almost immediately when Burst Apart started that it wasn’t just going to be another indie rock album from Brooklyn but its own entity entirely. In the oversaturated dream pop and indie scene that’s going on right now I think it’s a big feat to be original the way The Antlers are. There are a few tracks on Burst Apart that will straight up blow your mind, one of them being “Rolled Together.” The track has little to no vocals and is mainly just slow guitar strums, but the drum build is almost overwhelmingly good. I think if you have been waiting for a new and original sound/album then Burst Apart is here for you. This was one of the harder albums to not give a perfect score to. The slower start just makes it a listen that will not stay with you right away, but as it goes on Burst Apart will end up being an album that touches the deepest part of you.

Final Review- 95

The Cars- Move Like This

Move Like This is my first Cars album and I have to say I am kind of surprised I haven’t given them a chance before. Ric Ocasek, the lead singer of The Cars, has a similar tone to Lou Reed, which sounds good with their mix of electro pop and rock pop. Something about The Cars on Move Like This that makes me pretty happy is that they successfully found a way to evolve their ‘80s sound so it feels original and not done to death. Almost immediately after putting on Move Like This I found myself tapping my toes and humming along to the melodies so there are definitely some great hooks going on. It’s when Move Like This hits the fourth track from the end titled “Drag On Forever” that the album starts losing its steam. Up until then I was ready to give the album at least a 95, but with such a poor ending I had to knock it down a few pegs. All in all Move Like This is good and has some charming moments that make you want to keep listening, but like I said: it ends on a pretty weak note. Would I say it’s worth borrowing still? Definitely. Minus its flaws, Move Like This is still a fun listen.  

Final Review- 85