I figured with my previous show being devoted to songs that remind me of sleep, this one would be the opposite. After a few bouts of standard indie rock, things got thick and loud.

The beginning of “Summer Solstice”, off Crystal Antlers‘ forthcoming LP Two Way Mirror, has a few traits common with their previous Tentacles LP and self-titled EP. It has that same style of vocals that are at one moment stretched and pained, and the next calmed and elated. But it’s missing the prodigal chaos in the instrumentation that was so profound in that early work. No worries; this band still knows how to melt your face.

When I compiled my original Best Of 2008 list last December, it was a snow day. The sky dropped about a foot, maybe a foot and a half of fluffy white stuff and we lowly sub-compact drivers could go nowhere. Between ranking albums and locating album art, I took a stroll around town with my camera. The above image comes from that trek. Overall, I was pretty happy with last year’s list but, in revisiting all the albums from 2008, I now see quite a few …

We’re now half way through 2009, so I figured it was about time to collect a few favorites from the year thus far. I’ve put together 10 must-hear albums from the first half of 2009. To alleviate any bias, and because I’m totally obsessed with this style of categorization, I’m putting them alphabetically.

There are moments on Tentacles where Crystal Anters lose their chaotic experimental flare so rampant on their debut, self-titled EP from last year. It was a trait that earned them much awareness in tunes like “A Thousand Eyes” and, my personal favorite, “Parting Song For The Torn Sky”. The good news is that Tentacles succeeds in achieving a similarly high status. Songs like “Andrew” are instantly recognizable as cutting edge and, as opposed to the EP, even dabble in psychedelia.

Talking to a friend several months ago about a quote she had on her IM profile, which said Fuck is the new Wolf, I couldn’t help but make the following prediction: Sure, but Crystal is the new Fuck. I could not have been more right.