While Justin is known for his songwriting abilities, unlike Bon Iver, he doesn’t write any of the instrumental parts for Volcano Choir. He relegates himself to only singing. So the long and short of this is simple: Justin Vernon is a beautiful singer and he sounds great on Volcano Choir, but it’s nothing like Bon Iver.

This isn’t Justin Vernon the singer-songwriter. This is Justin Vernon the bandmate, leading a group of great musicians and songwriters. Many of you might prefer it to Bon Iver. The album’s actually very, very good. Tiderays is a swell opener. The synthesized keyboard noises beneath the guitar and Vernon’s voice make it sound like the ocean tide slowly coming in. I love Acetate, with its catchy vocal work and group effort across the song making it a standout. If you were to ask me what the standout track was, I’d probably tell you to give Alaskans a shout. It’s not the title track, but it uses the album’s title in its chorus.

The whole album is great, start to finish, but that’s how it really needs to be heard: from start to finish, with headphones on, in a dark room and no distractions. If you’re a fan of Vernon’s voice and are interested in the other work he’s doing, give this one a shot this week. It’s great to hear how he’s developing as an artist.

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These guys opened for The Killers, and they’re actually a really good band that deserves to be headlining some big tours themselves. There are subtle overtones of U2 sprinkled throughout Unnecessary Maps, and the songs are made for big stadiums and uplifting crowd cheers. Listen to Salt Lake City and Prometheus. These are huge tracks that would sound amazing in a stadium. Prometheus could have fit in on one of those old teen dramas that a lot of my friends were watching in high school (think The OC), but it also stands on its own as great driving music and fantastically loud rock and roll.

If you’re not hearing the Bono and U2 influence, please put on Glacial Places and just close your eyes. Honestly, if they layered the guitar work with a little more delay and reverb, we’d have a band that could be an honest-to-goodness possible successor to U2. And frankly, we kind of need one. Bonus points to this British band for calling a song Keep Calm and Carry On. If I wanted any one song to catch on with the radio, it’d probably be Holy Wars. This one’s worth checking out.

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Spun Out sounds like something Nirvana might have recorded in a more drunken and relaxed moment, sort of like if Nirvana and early Arctic Monkeys got together and made a baby. This Must Be Done channels old-school rock and roll in a uniquely modern way, with a bass line thumping through the whole song. I love Pet Trust, which is my favourite in the record. We’ve all said it: “Screw people, my dog is the only person I can trust.” Malpractice sounds vintage, but again, it’s more out of respect than it is Obits trying to rip anybody off.

The later tracks don’t always maintain the same energy, but for some people that might be an improvement. Receptor is more melodic than some of the punk-filled earlier tracks, while Machines almost sounds like a whole different band.

The bottom line? If your favourite music comes from groups like Nirvana or the Pixies or any of those great hardcore groups from the 1970s, Bed & Bugs is a record you’ll want to give a listen to.

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This is a band you’ll immediately recognize as being incredibly layered and nuanced with its details. I love it. Chocolate is another catchy radio song that I can guarantee is going to get some great airplay — especially that post-chorus. Sex is as catchy as you could imagine a song on that topic being, maybe catchier. Heart Out sounds like it’s straight out of the 1980’s, and Settle Down maintains that upbeat. Robbers is slower, and that’s when the album takes a turn.

A lot of people might misinterpret the album’s later tracks as being indications that the band can’t maintain a set of quality tracks, but slowing down makes it feel very emotional. Menswear is aesthetically beautiful, and when Matthew Healy finally starts singing, it feels nearly cathartic. Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You is totally different from the rest of the album, but its slow and sad melody makes me pause. I’m a sucker for a melancholic final track.

The 1975 is the kind of album you’ll want to put on repeat again and again and again, and I wish I could just share a Youtube link to every track. A must-listen.

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Wild Light is tremendous. I have no idea why they never took off. Although the album art is pretty terrible, the music itself is awesome.

They rip through the opening of the record with California On My Mind, a relatable song (at least for me) about loving and hating where you grow up (and I love this live performance, in which the drummer plays a fridge). In reality, it could easily be about a failed love or even a case of the Mondays.

From there, the record moves on with an almost-predictable amount of saccharine sadness and upbeat movements. If California On My Mind is the thesis, the rest of the album is the exploration. That’s a good thing — I can’t say that a lot of music explores a thesis with such gusto.

Listen to New Hampshire — it’s only the second track, but it’s still exploring the same love/hate story. Call Home might be one of the best tracks on the record, and it’s decidedly more optimistic. Songs like Heart Attack are absurdly catchy — again, how did these guys not catch on? The Party (Oh, My God!) is similarly radio-friendly and filled with crowd parts. It’d make for a great live show.

My Father Was A Horse and Red House keep the album moving briskly, even towards the end. If Wild Light ever committed a crime, it was simply being ahead of their time. These guys are obviously huge influences on up-and-coming indie bands like Little Green Cars. Adult Nights is well worth checking out.

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