Has anyone heard a band of such unique aural beauty? When introduced to their 2008 self-titled debut, I felt like I’d been washed in the river and reborn with a newfound faith in music. Finally, a sound of complete originality. Sure you can hear certain influences like The Band or Neil Young, but one listen and you walk away with a sense of purity for a world that only their eyes see.

The luscious, sometimes awkward harmonies continue to sweep across this album, which opens with the introspective Montezuma, raising questions of loneliness and self that they then attempt to answer on the following tracks, all the while raising more questions. Play this album from start to finish, but take note of 'Helplessness Blues', 'Lorelai' and the eight-minute genius that is 'The Shrine/An Argument'. Album of the Month ... Album of the Year!

Lou Fulco is from Readings Carlton.