Forests - Spending Eternity in a Japanese Convenience Store

This marks two years in a row that one of the best albums of the year was dropped on January 1st. (Last year was Jeff Rosenstock's POST-) There are a LOT of bands in the "jangly indie math rock" arena these days but not a single damn one of them do it as well as Forests. They're fun, impossibly catchy, can effortlessly jump between being serious or tongue-in-cheek, and more than anything: they sound like they absolutely love playing these songs. This album can make you happy on the darkest winter days. One of my biggest dreams right now is getting to see these dudes play a show. Someone please get them on Fest or a short west coast run or something, please!