This album got me through final exams; it doesn’t get more magical than that. The melodic house music of Amygdala was a surprise hit for me. Despite my initial hatred of the album art, this is possibly the only album I fell for this year. I even warmed to the art once I had more of a grasp of DJ Koze’s personality. That this is near-perfect music for studying is not the main reason I’m so head over heels for this album. Its power lies in the youthful feelings of wonderment it stirs up. Each track has a moment that takes the listener further down the rabbit hole. 

Mossy stones, wax-covered candlesticks, a harvest moon. These are but a few of the images the acoustic folk album Bad Debt conjures upon listening. When it reaches its final note, it is about God and love. In the artist’s own words, which are far superior to any rock criticism about the album, “the record is about my God: that is, whether I have one, and whether there is a place for me in this world. I don’t go to church, and I am not saved. I can party too.”

Abodes of Owls — Self-Released by Garrett Linck ’17

Drawing on influences such as Stephen Malkmus, Isaac Brock, and Elliot Smith, it’s no wonder why freshman Garrett Linck decided to expand his musical endeavors here in Portland.

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Sun Structures — Temples

Released last week, Temples’ Sun Structures is a dreamily harmonized ode to the late 1960s.