Kranky ended 2013 with their 20th anniversary & we can't imagine a better album to start their 21st year. L.A. via Louisville native Tara Jane O'Neil got her start in the early 90's with the sorely missed math rock group RODAN & over the past 20 years since their demise, O'Neil has had an impressive career as a solo artist & "Where Shine New Lights" is her Kranky debut. To be honest "Where Shine New Lights" surprised us with its Kranky-ness. The album opens with a beautiful vocal drone that's either built on loops or overdubs that would fit nicely on any GROUPER or LICHENS album. The record as a whole has a wonderful ebb & flow, a trait that it shares with many of the best Kranky releases. There's also a fantastic 'live' feel with soft percussion, vibes & gently strummed guitars. We tried this one on headphones & were rewarded with reminders of TALK TALK, LOW & WINDY & CARL. This is a very solid album all the way through & we're excited to know about one of our favorite releases for 2014 before the end of January.

SLOPPY JANE is the project of the New York based musician Haley Dahl. This album on Phoebe Bridgers Saddest Factory Records is mix of playful indie folk rock with some songs that reminded us of everything from FLEETWOOD MAC to PINK FLOYD's acoustic songs (believe it or not) & Nilsson. No joke the album was recorded in a cave & they lowered a piano down into the cave on cables to make the record & you can hear dripping water & everything. WILD!

2010 album from the very prolific and very intriguing SUFJAN STEVENS. A little while before this record, Mr. Stevens had announced that he might be done writing songs, and this record goes a way in explaining his statements. The kind of heart-wrenching perfect pop song that Sufjan was effortlessly churning out is now shot through with deliberate barriers of squelchy noise or incomprehensible length (the last song on this album clocks in at almost a half-hour!). Those of you who are patient will get it, those of you who are looking for another 'Chicago' will not. Another brilliant entry in the man's catalog!

Just when you thought you couldn't get enough of SUFJAN STEVENS, dude comes back with more hits about his second favorite state, ILLINOIS. Here you get 21 unreleased tracks and alternate version recorded at the same time as the "Come On Feel..." sessions. Hell, there's even a tune about SAUL BELLOW here!!!

Sufjan Stevens returns in 2015 with arguably his strongest album to date. The album is named after his mother & stepfather & the record is about as personal as they come. Lowell Brams was only married to Stevens' mother for 5 years, when Stevens was just a child but he's been in his life ever since. (Brams runs the Asthmatic Kitty label.) The album is quiet & sombre, with acoustic driven songs with only subtle backing & we're reminded of other artists like Elliott Smith & BON IVER. "Seven Swans" is the closest comparison from Stevens' past, but this really is a culmination of everything he's done before that makes for a powerful affirmation of his place in contemporary music.