On this follow-up to one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year, "Castaway and Cutouts," strings soar, glockenspiels chime, and analog synths buzz over what this band considers its finest overture into pop song arrangement, all the while keeping intact the folk-pop sound that has defined the band since its inception. A new cast of characters is introduced as well, giving further depth to the richly bizarre songcraft of the band's bespectacled leading player, Colin Meloy.

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The amazing follow-up to their beloved, critically acclaimed debut, Gallowsbird's Bark. Matthew Friedberger, one half of the brother-sister folk-pop duo, describes Blueberry Boat as sounding like "a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant pit orchestra." But better. A lot better. Here the Furnaces give us 74 minutes of charming, catchy, clunky, sprawling, saloon-piano-heavy, pop-psych mini-epics, some clocking in at eight minutes. "After making one of last year's best albums -- the blues-folk-rock amalgam Gallowsbird's...   [ read more ]

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Now a classic! Belle and Sebastian offer up a largely acoustic folk-pop sound with deep roots in the '60s. Their guitar-and-piano arrangements are often filled out by luxurious trumpets and strings, but the clever, sardonic lyrics keep things from ever getting too mushy. The bright, irresistible pop melodies stand in sharp contrast to decidedly downbeat lyrics that recall Morrissey at his sharpest. Timeless, gorgeous, and just cool enough to avoid a mainstream breakthrough.

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