The trouble with emusic, as wonderful as it is, is that about half the albums I get from there are done like drive-by-downloads. I do it quickly while I’m passing through the site but then I totally forget they’re there. Every once in a while I have sort through my bulging downloads folder and dig around to find the good stuff. So that’s what I did this week and I’m glad I did.

I seriously don’t even know when Devendra Banhart’s latest album came out and I definitely don’t remember downloading it, so it was a nice surprise to see it waiting there. Where previous Devendra Banhart albums have been more 70s in a Marc-Bolan-meets-tiny-Spanish-pixie sort of way, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is a bit more 50s and 60s (there’s still some Marc Bolan there though, it wouldn’t be right if there wasn’t). It’s got some doo-wop, some soul, a little funk – even a touch of reggae – and I find it a little more subtle than his other efforts. Don’t get me wrong, I love those too, but I this is my favorite Devendra release by far. I honestly have no idea what the rest of the music geek world thought of it, I haven’t read a single review of it. So for what it’s worth, I think it’s absolutely stunning – Devendra has always made beautiful and unique music but Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon shows off his amazing talents in a way I don’t feel his other albums have. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t end up on my Best Of 2007 list in a couple months.

   Devendra Banhart – So Long Old Bean
   Devendra Banhart – Shabop Shalom

Architecture In Helsinki is pretty much the exact opposite of Devendra Banhart. Much more Talking Heads and not so much hippy lovechild. I have to admit, I know absolutely nothing about Architecture In Helsinki other than that I really enjoyed In Case We Die. Sadly, it’s another one I always forget about, so I don’t listen to it that often, but their latest album, Places Like This may make a more long-lasting impression. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I just popped it in my stereo and waited to see what would happen. Oh, boy, it knocked my socks right off my feet. Do you like old-school hip-hop? Or the B-52s? Or, um, Justin Timberlake? The only way I can describe Architecture In Helsinki is as a badass mix of all kinds of funky electronic-ish genres that would be great to dance to but is actually quite odd in the most pleasurable poppy kind of way. So there you go. Check them out if you haven’t already, you’ll love them.

   Architecture In Helsinki – Like It Or Not
   Architecture In Helsinki – Same Old Innocence

Fellow emusic subscribers who want instant gratification: Download Devendra’s Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon here, and Architecture In Helsinki’s Places Like This here.