The Thrills

i first got this album some months ago and initially wasn't that impressed.  i mean, it was good, but nothing that special.  and that may still be true, but after coming back to it after a while and listening to it a few more times, i'm really digging it.  i love the theme of the album (all the songs deal with life as a teenager), which is kind of appropriate for the sort of nostalgic power pop they play.  indeed, the concept of nostalgia should probably be applied to the musical aspects of the album as well when listening.  they aren't trying to do anything especially cutting edge, and once you accept that, i think they've got a pretty good album here.  here's "there's joy to be found... the boy who caught all the breaks" (that's right, two tracks in one!)

Cloud Cult

thinking about folk songs about haunting ghosts from last post, i was reminded of cloud cult's "the ghost in our house" from the album feel good ghosts (2008).  i love the eccentric, innocent sound of singer/songwriter craig minowa's voice.  

Hayden

elk lake serenade (2004)

i recently missed an opportunity to see this guy play live, which is unfortunate because i would be curious to see if his songs would sound just as warm and intimate in a live setting.  there's something sad and nostalgic about this album, which is embodied in "1939," a song about a ghost of a girl who drowned in the writer's current home.  moments of it sound much like adem to me, but it is appropriately more haunting.