Album of the week

Grand Archives
The Grand Archives (Sub Pop)










The west coast strikes again! The best album of the year so far comes from Grand Archives from Seattle. What's that you say? Vampire Weekend? You're funny. Grand Archives' music is quite a departure from lead man Matt Brooke's old outfit, Carissas's Wierd- one of the best unknown bands ever. As opposed to the gray, melancholic, at times pseudo-suicidal music from CW, Grand Archives' sound resonates hope and cheerfulness -as well as a rustic vibe, native to their hometown.. So much so, that at times it's hard to tell that it's Brooke singing. Of course, another reason for this is because every other member of the band contributes vocals as well. Brooke is also one-half of the genius behind the original Band of Horses, leaving the band shortly after their classic debut album was released. But it's easy to tell that Grand Archives is a collective of talent whose sum is much greater than any of its parts. And it's easy to tell that universal praise cometh.

hear: Torn Blue Foam Couch, Miniature Birds, George Kaminski, Setting Sun, Sleepdriving, The Crime Window