As Tall as Lions

One of last year's most overlooked albums is full of soulful lullabies about the fleeting nature of life and love. Ghosts and faded lovers populate the dreamy and haunting melodies of As Tall as Lions' self-titled Triple Crown Records release.

With frontman Daniel Nigro's vocals hovering often in the upper registers, the music evokes the spirit of Jeff Buckley—gloomy but sweet. "And even when you find the love, it's fake/And everything you try to touch will break," Nigro sings on "Stab City." His pessimism invades even the album's most feel-good track, "Love, Love, Love, Love." But you can't argue with the simple logic of a line like "Don't get too attached to the living, even every single memory's fleeting."