Best of 2011: October Essentials

Real Estate
Real Estate / photo by David Greenwald

Here are the October-released albums I loved. All worth your time and money.

Real EstateDays
Guitar chiming never sounded so good. (At least not this year.) | Album Review | “It’s Real” video | Buy
“It’s Real”: mp3

North HighlandsWild One
Genuinely quirky Brooklyn chamber-folk act goes electric and hypnotic with its debut album. Come for the hooks, stay for the guitars. | Buy

Ryan AdamsAshes & Fire
Not his most wildly poetic lyrics, perhaps, but the Alternative Country troubadour’s latest is an exquisitely emotional piece of work. He’s rarely been a better performer. | Live Review | All Posts | Buy

A Classic EducationCall It Blazing
At its best, the Italian band’s debut album is as propulsive and tuneful as the Shins’ early work. Even when they slow down, their usual toolbox — aquatic guitars, forlorn vocals, thoughtful drumming — gets the job done. | “Night Owl” Video | Buy
“Night Owl”: mp3

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