What the CL Music Team is listening to on this fine Monday to rocket launch the work week. Click here to check out previous entries.

Deborah – WU LYF, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (2011)
If my recommendations lead you to purchase only one album this year, hands-down it should be this one. WU LYF (World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation) started out as a mysteriously anonymous, press avoiding British band that described their sound as simply "heavy pop." Their aesthetic is tough to describe exactly, but it's undeniably addictive, sprawling, guitar-driven deliciousness that's gaining momentum rapidly on the indie scene.

The nearly unintelligible vocals of lead singer Ellery Roberts are raw and emotion-driven, which should be just your thing if you dig Modest Mouse, Man Man, or Wolf Parade. If his raspy near-screams aren't an instant fit, sit back and let the organs, cymbals aplenty, and primal yet intricate drums swell around you with a climactic post-rock energy similar to Explosions in the Sky. The vocals and instrumentals crash together into a nearly flawless album that just seems to unfold more and more with each listen. No matter where I've listened to this one, it's a perfect fit, but my favorite play so far has been while skiing. Every year, I search for the perfect album to lend an epic Warren Miller tone to kick up my adrenaline and make every mogul and rush of powder seem to unfold in slow motion; WU LYF was a surprise as my pick of the ski season. This one's a grower … give it the chance to creep in and it's all you're gonna want to hear for a while. I can't narrow it down to a favorite song, but "Dirt" is pretty gosh darn breathtaking – check the video after the jump along with the rest of this week's entries…

This article appears in Mar 15-21, 2012.

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