Arcade Fire, Avenged Sevenfold, The Chemical Brothers, Nujabes

Just wanted to share some music that I’ve been listening to pretty recently. I’ll try to keep the descriptions short and sweet.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (2010): The Canadian band with roots in indie came out with their third album several weeks ago. Although I still like Neon Bible more, I’m enjoying the new album immensely. I especially like the band’s trademark atmospheric sound. Lyrics could use some work, but emotions are Arcade Fire’s forte. And their railing against and coming to terms with the suburbs leaves listeners happy, sad, and everything in between.

Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare (2010): Another new album, Nightmare is A7X’s first album following the tragic passing of drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan back in January. Appropriately, this is their darkest album to date, filled with angst, guilt, and imagery of death. The songs are typical A7X, with awesome melodic guitar solos and good old Metallica-inspired thrash. Great album for those late nights of studying.

The Chemical Brothers – Further (2010): The Chemical Brothers are back, with an album that definitely ranks high up in their discography. The first two songs, “Snow” and “Escape Velocity,” complement each other perfectly and set the tone for this excellent house recording. Catchy beats and good use of layers and dynamics make this a fun album through and through.

Nujabes – Modal Soul (2005): I have found a gem this summer in the music world, and his name is Nujabes. The late Jun Seba was a Japanese hip hop producer and DJ who was innovative, talented, and authentic. The songs in this album speak for themselves, from beautiful piano compositions and jazz set to hip hop beats to rap artists who can actually rap. Makes the perfect late night chill-out music.

Suggestions and recommendations welcome at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.