The Devin Townsend Project- Ki (2009)

It's weird to think that I didn't really like this album at first. I thought it had some really cool parts, but nothing stood out to me. Lately, that opinion has been rapidly changing each time I listen to the album. It has a richness that is unmatched by anything else Devin has released prior, and will hence be tough to beat. The lush atmosphere of the album that began with "Coast" is really brought to the forefront with the dreamy "Terminal". While the album is mostly a laid-back ambient ride, at some parts it changes direction and brings out some of the first bluesy-work that Devin has ever released (see "Trainfire"). And despite the album being primarily acoustic, you still get Devin's powerful voice going as wild as ever on tracks like "Heaven Send". "Ki" is a beautiful starting point for the Devin Townsend Project tetralogy.

Last Word: If you're a fan of Devin and at first you don't like it, wait a few days and try again. It's hard to remember what it was I didn't like about this album at first- it probably just wasn't what I expected.

Get it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?td2zdfzmnjw

DeWollf- "Orchards/Lupine" (2011)

When I first heard this album, before I even saw the album art, I thought it sounded like music from the devil in a three-piece suit. The music is a refreshing take on 60s and 70s psychedelic rock, but with a little more of a blues sensibility. The guitars are gritty and muddy, and sound as though they were from the backwoods of the American south... but it all came to fruition in the Netherlands. Despite the dirty blues feel, there's a noticeable class to the music. So classy in fact, that I can picture this music being played in either a gritty southern blues club, or even a slick Vegas cocktail lounge. There's even an almost sinister feel to the music, like the Devil himself were fronting the band, wailing away the soulful (or soulless?) vocals, and grinning all the while. The album really shines with the tracks "The Pistol" and the menacing "Pick Your Bones Out of the Water". Pick this one up.

 Get it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?7n19jxbyne11wid