With Trouble Will Find Me, it really feels as if The National has taken this sound to its natural conclusion. It’s uncomfortably dark, which isn’t unusual for The National, but this is relentless, with nary a moment of joy to be found. What can come next? It feels as if The National has recorded their OK Computer, a record that pushes a certain style to the brink. Trouble Will Find Me’s biggest question isn’t about whether or not the album is any good — it’s probably the band’s best yet — but it does make me wonder what comes next for the band. (What will be their Kid A?)

The lead single, Demons, is an appropriately titled piece of melancholy. There are some numbers, like Sea of Love, that are different than anything they’ve done before. Not to mention that songs like Graceless are great live. You really owe it to yourself to check this record out.

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One of my favourite blogs, Henry’s Music Blog, calls Modern Vampires of the City “the best album I’ve heard all year”, and goes so far as to call it the second-best of the past decade. I don’t know if I’ve earned the right to say anything that wild, but this record is absurdly good. Who knows, maybe Henry’s right. Years from now, we could look back on Modern Vampires of the City as one of the decade’s best releases.

Check out the lead single, Diane Young (which is also a hysterical video). If that’s not enough to convince you to buy this record right now, give Step and Ya Hey a whirl. (And if you’ve never heard of them, check out their first two records, the self-titled Vampire Weekend and Contra.)

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The lead single is Sweater Weather, but the real money is on tracks like Alleyways, Afraid and the gut-punching Female Robbery. The Neighbourhood is a band to watch, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from them in the future.

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It sounds like Josh learned a lot from Them Crooked Vultures, his (awesome) side project with members of The Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin. The songs are tight and try new things with the QOTSA sound, and it’s an immensely rewarding listen.

The first two singles, My God is the Sun and I Appear Missing are sadly two of the least interesting songs on the album. Songs like If I Had a Tail and I Sat by the Ocean are reminiscent of The Rolling Stones, but are recognizably Queens of the Stone Age. Songs like The Vampyre of Time and Memory (check it out live) are unlike anything the group’s ever done before. This is definitely going to go down as one of the most interesting rock records of the year.

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There is a certain feeling that, this time around, Camera Obscura are giving us the best they have to offer. It’s clear they’re not comfortable with maintaining the same sound they always have, opting instead to grow and feel comfortable with that growth. What’s interesting is that, despite the fact that they are engineering increasingly perfect recordings, Camera Obscura feels uncomfortable with that and wants to mix it up and get a renewed vision for what it means to make music in 2013. It’s a statement, and a darned good one.

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There are lots of music blogs that keep up with new music, and they do a far better job than I ever could. This is just about recommending music I think is great. Whether I want to recommend two albums or eight albums, this is just about whatever I think you should be listening to for the next seven days.

I want to take this moment to address a few questions you might have.

Why should I read your music blog? What do you know?
I’m glad you asked. For years, I’ve been that guy in any social group. I’m the guy who knew who Of Monsters and Men were before their debut album dropped in North America. I was the part-time worker blaring Jack White’s Blunderbluss a week before it came out in an ice cream store. I’m the dude who always won his friends free drinks at the bar’s music trivia nights. If friends are throwing house parties, I’m making the playlist and passing out music recommendations all night long. I’ve released my own music, fronted my own band and tried the rock and roll lifestyle firsthand. I’ve been on both sides of the stage at the CD release parties. In short: I’ve been recommending awesome music to people for as long as I can remember. This is just a more public way for me to do it.

Why Sunday?
I’m subscribed to a lot of different blogs. All of them update during the week, and some of them also update on Saturdays. None of the blogs I keep up with post much on a Sunday. That means it’s a day you’ll have nothing else to read. And I want to make updates as predictable as possible, that way we’ll both have something to look forward to on Sunday morning. And grabbing new music on Sunday seems to be a natural way to get through workweek.

Every Sunday?
Yes, unless Sunday falls on a major holiday (think Christmas or New Year’s) or there’s a major event (the Superbowl with God in attendance).

I have some music I’d like you to recommend.
I can’t make any guarantees I’ll post it, but the best way to get my attention is on Twitter. The artist must have a purchasable release available on iTunes or Amazon for me to consider them (I want everybody to be able to support musicians).

What’s the best way to follow Unsung Sundays?
I’ve tried to make sure Unsung Sundays fits into your lifestyle as easily as possible, but the best way to follow along is by subscribing to the email newsletter. It goes out once a week and includes all the posts you’ll find in the issue. Alternative, if email isn’t your thing, here’s a few options on social media:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Do you make any money off this?
I don’t. This is something I’ve put together for fun. That being said, any Amazon or iTunes link I share on the blog is an affiliate link, which means I get a small kickback for referring you if you use them. If you’d like to support me, the easiest way for you to do so is to purchase your music by using my links. (Clicking any of my links and buying anything in their stores during that session, regardless of whether or not you purchase my recommended music, also sends me a small kickback.) The goal here isn’t to monetize you; a link will never take you to a retailer unless it explicitly says as much.

If you ever use my affiliate links, please let me know. I’d love to thank you personally.

My question wasn’t answered and I’m not on Twitter. How can I get in touch with you?
Send me an email and I’ll do my best to respond to you.

Like all 1.0 releases, expect the website to change over time. Unsung Sundays is different, but I’m confident you’ll like what you see. Here goes.

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