Wintersleep-Miasmal Smoke & The Yellow Bellied Freaks

Ride with this one. Wintersleep's "Miasmal Smoke & The Yellow Bellied Freaks" is an odyssey of a song. Starting off with a haunting guitar loop it builds and builds and builds, sometimes dropping out, sometimes teasing you with a glimpse of a guitar roar, but all the time building. Quickly prefaced with a short breather, at 2:26 all hell seems to break out, and the song takes on a completely different feel. With a new loop setting the pace, this jam finally hits a crescendo and truly comes alive, exploding in euphoric energy. When the energy tsunami finally stops, it comes at the perfect moment-anymore and your speakers/headphones/neighbor would have likely burst. An incredible rich sonical experience, this is a jam that begs to be seen live. While vigorous, it never sounds overly aggressive, instead it takes you on a wild voyage of sounds and movements, and provides the perfect bookend to a great album.

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Wintersleep-Weighty Ghost

There are some songs that make you immediately want to email everyone you know. This is one of them. Originally released over three years ago (a lifetime on the blogosphere), this is a song that I've either slept on something serious or one that hasn't gotten nearly enough due shine.

Great indie rock is coming from all over and this band is no exception, hailing from Nova Scotia of all places. A ghost story pollinated with a bit of a southern Baptist church service, "Weighty Ghost" is defined by its absurdity, but somehow works incredibly well. The song exudes a warmth perfect for the January chill, with the layers of sounds providing a wholesome richness. I picture this song being sung equally well around a small camp fire in the desert or with a full choir clapping and swaying behind the band; I don't know which image is more perfect. The jam really starts to let loose at around the 2:30 mark, amping up the hand-claps and the choir to hit a peak where it turns to a big, goofy singalong, all about the strange story of a lost ghost.

 04 Weighty Ghost (Jamandahalf.com) by jammininthenameof