Deftones - Gore
Dare I say that this is the best album they have released since White Pony? FINALLY, the Deftones are showing some of that pop sensibility they showed on that album. Still plenty heavy for the Deftones fans who like that (Stephen is clearly into doom metal), but there's so much more texture and nuance than their past 3 or 4 albums. Don't get me wrong, I've like all of their albums on some level - it's just been a tad disappointing when with each new release, it seems they just want to crank up the gain and pound your head in while I know they have some real songwriting chops in them. Very pleasantly surprised with this.
M83 - Junk
With that first single "Do it, Try it", I did NOT have high hopes for this album. Turns out that song was a fluke, and the rest of the album is really damn good. Hell, "Do it, Try it" has even grown on me. It's unlike any past M83 albums, which is good considering there's not much difference between the vibes you get on Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. This is much more R&B inflected...so I guess it's R&B shoegaze? Whatever it is, it's good.