Continuing our series of record reviews that should have been posted a while ago, let's talk about Underneath The Pine , the second full-length from Chaz Bundick, better known by his stage name as Toro Y Moi . Highly anticipated, Underneath The Pine was released in February to great acclaim from the indie chillwave world, and was followed by an equally successful release tour with a full band around the country. Previous readers of this fine (sporadic) interweb publication should already be familiar with this author's love for Toro Y Moi, which has been expressed in numerous mentions of his first album, Causers of This , and his earlier solo tour with The Ruby Suns in 2010. Delightfully, I can concur with the general hipster consciousness that Toro Y Moi's sophomore effort does not disappoint. All the promise of an exciting new music-maker that was put forth in the first album has been developed into a skillfully crafted second album that showcases Bundick's talent as ...

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! I'm bound and determined, dear readers. My Tuesday Is For Tunes column will recommence in ernest as I review my favorite albums I've acquired in the last six months by chronological release date. Break! Let's do this. Don't let the grandiose and lengthy title deter you, Nocturne Of Exploded Crystal Chandelier , the debut full-length from Sun Airway is deserving and aptly named. Like something delicate and shimmering bursting in a dark room or in a sky without a moon, the sounds of this album resound from dimly lit pensive places that favor minor chords, shine, fall, and fade, but are not forgotten. When I first listened to this album, it was on repeat for two weeks. I put it away for a little while, and dug it back up for a recent road trip to New England. Fantastically, not only does it have lasting value, I think I like it even better this time around. The more I keep it in rotation the more I need to hear it. That's prob...

Some people seem to be effortlessly happy, and not in a naive, false sense. I have met people, who seem to be relatively aware of themselves and the world, and still genuinely happy. Everyday their happiness effervesces out of them like freshly uncorked champagne bubbles out of its bottle, naturally infectious in the best of ways. I am not one of those people. My happiness is more like the first flowers of spring, a special occasion carefully cultivated through cold winter months. I could be wrong, but I think most conscientious people are like me. It's hard to be knowledgeable of current world events, and striving through personal life difficulties, and still be happy. You have to actively go out seeking happiness, tie yourself to it, and tend to it daily. If I going to discuss it, I should probably first lay some boundaries to define it. Let's be clear that I'm talking about deep, long-lasting, fully-aware happiness. I am not talking about fleeting moments of random joy, ...