Hits In The Car

Before the new music starts floating in during the next couple of days I thought it might be appropriate to make a few comments on the albums that have been on heavy rotation (or what do you call it when the music is played on the computer?) the past few weeks.

Doves: Some Cities
This band is only trailing Kent on my personal "Best band in the world"-list. So it was with great interest I awaited the release of the new album. Would it be anywhere near as good as the two first albums? Would I still be able to entitle them the "second best band in the world"?
The album has received great reviews and they indeed deserve it, because this album is so much better than most stuff released today. But after maybe 15 listens I'm still trying to convince myself that Some Cities is just as great as Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast. Unfortunately I cannot say it is because in the finest moments on the album the band sound like they are copying (or at least are VERY inspired by) themselves. So if this was my first Doves experience I wouldn't hesitate to call it a fantastic album. However with my expectations in mind (logically they were based on my previous Doves experiences) I will have to settle for a "very good album" verdict. But no doubt in my mind that they are indeed still "the second best band in the world"!
Best songs:
1) Walk in Fire
2) Almost Forgot Myself
3) Some Cities

Bright Eyes: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
I bought the album entirely from reviews and recommendations without knowing (or even listening to) a single song. The album wasn't an instant winner and I had to listen to it a couple of times before realizing what a great album it is. A little bit of country, a twist of Paul Simon, a squeeze of Neil Young, the magic of Emmylou Harris, some ingredients I'm not able to identify and a large chunk of Conor Oberst mixed together gives us this wonderful cocktail. I'm still working on getting familiar with Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, which probably is just as great. But two albums at the same time from the same artist is in my opinion a very large "dose".
Best songs:
1) Another Travelin' Song
2) Land Locked Blues
3) At the Bottom of Everything

Thirteen Senses: The Invitation
So far it hasn't been possible to get my own copy of this album. And since it won't be officially released in Denmark until some time in April, I did something I normally won't do. I asked a friend (located somewhere, where you can actually BUY the album), to mail me the songs as MP3 files. But I've pre-ordered the album, so once I get it, I will hopefully be forgiven for this isolated case of breaking the law?
Thirteen Senses is not the most original band in the world (this description actually fits a lot of bands), because they do sound like a mix between Keane, Coldplay and Travis. But their song writing skills can easily be compared to the bands mentioned, so the album is a compilation of 12 very nice songs. Unfortunately it looks as if the world doesn't need anymore bands like this, because the album only had a very short stay in the UK album chart. This fact shouldn't really prevent anyone from checking this band out though, because they are worth it.
Best songs:
1) Into The Fire
2) Do No Wrong
3) The Salt Wound Routine