The St Vincent album is really something. Engrossing, bold musicality - deft lyricism that seems to skate around various large, existential themes, and are brilliantly written to boot. This and the Vampire Weekend are really setting a high bar. Just everything you need, music for the times.

It seems like Dool is working on their next breakthrough, there's a a lot of love for the new album and live shows from inside and outside Metal. I like it so far.

Also like the new Taylor Swift (somebody had to bring it up). It's not her easiest and the additional tracks on the Anthology version might be even better, but other than that I have little to complain about.

The Tangent – To Follow Polaris

Once upon a time, little Andy Tillison woke up, took a shower on a mission to stop feeling like something that sticks to your shoe and recorded the new The Tangent album all by himself because the rest of the band couldn't be bothered. Or had other appointments. Need I say more? Probably not. It's yet another good one by the Al Stewart of the most entertaining retro-prog around, and the prog year is meteorologically over, the top spot fixed like Polaris and the world of mortals, once again, just "bird shit" (cf. The Tangent: Le Sacre du Travail, "Morning Journey and Arrival") in the lyrical tillisonverse. As a taster: the optimistic lead-off single "The North Sky (Edit)".