Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Morrisey
Title: Years of Refusal
Release Date: February 17th
Label: Lost Highway
Thoughts: Morrissey is back with another record and fans of Morrissey are probably going to go ape shit over this like they normally do. Personally, I've never been the biggest fan of his or of The Smiths but I do respect what they do with their music and their sound, and Years of Refusal continues in the same vein of the previous eight solo records from Morrissey. Revealing lyrics, strong crooning, and solid music all adorn the record. It's another inoffensive record for fans of the musician, but if you're not a fan or if you're new to Morrissey this probably isn't where you'd wanna start listening.
Listen: Morrissey - "Something Is Squeezing My Skull"
Morrissey - "Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed"

Who: Andrew Bird
Title: Noble Beast
Release Date: January 20th
Label: Fat Possum
Thoughts: Listening to Noble Beast a couple of times in a row I kind of drifted away into a place where everything sounded alike. The music just seems to blend into itself, making a mix of whistling and crooning that makes for some excellent background noise but doesn't really engage in any sort of compelling listen. I'm listening again while I type this and save for a few moments - the last 30-seconds or so of "Masterswarm", the entirety of "Fitz & Dizzypspells", and a good portion of "Not A Robot, But A Ghost" - very little makes me perk up and take note of what Mr. Bird is singing about. It's a bit sad for such an anticipated release to be pushed into the realm of elevator music, but when you're following a record as widely hailed as Armchair Apocrypha you would hope the artist would expand upon the sound and build something. Bird does that to an extent but really he just relies on above average singing, whistling, and violin skills in the hope that that will be enough to carry the album. It's not, and that is why this becomes relegated to the background music world.
Listen: Andrew Bird - "Oh No"
Andrew Bird - "Fitz & Dizzyspells"

Who: Antony & the Johnsons
Title: The Crying Light
Release Date: January 20th
Label: Secretly Canadian
Thoughts: Like Andrew Bird, Antony & the Johnsons know what their bread winner is and on their new album The Crying Light they allow it to take center stage. Amongst sparse arrangements of strings, with barely noticeable bits of percussion, the voice of Antony Heggarty is allowed to sparkle once again. The voice is positively mesmerizing particularly on the single "Another World", which was released on an EP in 2008 but is still the highlight of this album. Heggarty's voice instantly makes everything infinitely more powerful, but placed alongside the simplicity of the music it is in truly stark comparison and the album soars thanks to it.
Listen: Antony & the Johnsons - "Another World"
Antony & the Johnsons - "The Crying Light"
Antony & the Johnsons - "Dust and Water"