Following the massive rain storm of earlier in the day, a crowd flooded into the Crystal Ballroom on what turned out to be a warm and dry winter night to see Spoon in a sold-out show. The 94/7 FM December to Remember show also featured openers Future Islands and A Giant Dog.

There is a certain air of mystery around Spoon. An ominous song playing on the Crystal Ballroom speakers created a feeling of uncertainty and uneasiness as Spoon took the stage and transitioned smoothly into “Rainy Taxi” to begin its set. Touring in support of They Want My Soul, the set was heavy on new material and classics alike.

During the early parts of the set, after the luminous performance of “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” Daniel walked off stage. The band began to play “Don’t You Evah” with an extended introduction as Daniel wrapped on a Band-Aid around a finger. That’s right: frontman Britt Daniel literally cut his fingers on the way.

Songs such as “Don’t Make Me a Target” were energized and powered by Daniel’s guitar solo riddled with pauses that added extra tension. These pauses were just as important as the actual solo, proving that volume is as effective a tool as silence in rock music.

This led to “The Ghost of You Lingers,” which took on a new form entirely when performed live. Usually a dull moment on the album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, it was powered by an unmatched energy that transformed it into a highlight. This is something Spoon does well; the band takes a song that would otherwise be an album slump and generates something original and exciting.

Daniel is a representative of a dying breed of rock stars. With a legitimate nonchalance and carefree attitude, he exerts an aura of understated cool, something that is becoming increasingly rare as bands so often want to appear as everyday people, or hide behind computers on stage. He seems at once entirely likeable, but intimidating enough so as not fully approachable.

The band’s stage presence was untouchable. Guitarist Alex Fischel would play his instrument and walk around like Frankenstein’s monster who’d just stepped off the operating table. Keyboardist Eric Harvey broke a tambourine from beating it; he’d karate-chop the keyboard like it was a wood plank. Songs like “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case” or “Don’t You Evah” had interminable lead-ins that were perfect.

The beauty of this night’s lineup was that it canvassed the many different stages of modern music. To start, A Giant Dog, a five-piece punk band, sheepishly walked onto stage. The female lead singer sported pink panties and a tacky Minnesota Vikings sweater that was inevitably going to come off. The music was about as sparkless as the band’s presence. She danced around and sang with auburn bangs in her eyes like an ungroomed dog. She would have conversational exchanges with the audience, such as when  “You guys ever watch The Good Wife?” Some responded with some unenthusiastic “woops,” and she nodded and replied, “Rock ‘n’ roll” before the band burst into another track.

Future Islands lead singer Samuel T. Herring held down the fort with his reptilian stage presence. He feverishly fight-danced the night away while evidently exorcising a few demons out of his soul in the process. He’d scatter around the stage like an insect and crawl on his belly. In the same verse, he’d alternate his voice between Chris Isaak levels of earnestness to guttural, demonic howls. The band provided an energetic and entertaining set, even if it will most likely only be remembered for Herring’s stage act. It’s forced, but the band could perform an entire set of covers and the audience would have the same exact level of enjoyment.

A Giant Dog is the aspiring indie rock band who thinks it can succeed by having an edgy lead singer backed by a punk band. Future Islands was the current buzz band with a need to see it to believe it lead singer who is waiting to be forgotten. Spoon is the group of seasoned veterans who have been rocking since many of us were toddlers. It’s delivered one of the finest live shows of any active band that is worth a thousand of Orson Welles’ standing ovations. It’s eminently exciting to see a band perform during its prime after releasing one of its best albums to date. Sometimes the oldest guys around still can have the freshest sound.

The War on Drugs kickstarted 94.7 FM’s 10th annual December to Remember concert series in calm fashion on Wednesday night.

Taking the stage with no walkout music, the show began much like how a great professor begins class: without notice, and with the expectation that once it begins, everyone will focus. The crowd did just that.

The force of the opening bass drum beat was startling. “Burning,” a track off this year’s album Lost in the Dream had the glass window panes shaking and made my hair feel as if it were being blown around in a wind tunnel.

This was one of the loudest concerts I have ever been to (and I’ve seen The Who), but the noise was not a detractor from the set. Instead, it forced transfixion with an unstated force and elegance. Sure, a few people covered their ears as the band crescendoed to near ear-splitting decibel levels during the encore, but no one was able to look away from the stage.

Frontman Adam Granduciel never ventured further than a few steps away from his microphone stand, but the guitar virtuoso delivered an unexpected onslaught of guitar solos. Surrounded by three effects pedal boards that lit up like the control panel of a NASA spaceship, he was able to unleash his guitar in ways that would not work on the album.

“Under the Pressure,” the opening track on Lost In the Dream, was stretched to nearly ten minutes, and the long, droning fade out in the end was replaced by an eyebrow-raising guitar solo backed by the full six-piece band.

“An Ocean in Between The Waves” was similarly improved upon in concert. While the enhanced guitar solos and extended jams aided the songs overall, others that remained faithful to the album were also great.

With his eyes shut tight, Granduciel sang with ease and comfort, similar to Paul Simon’s voice, but also with snarl and enunciation, similar to Bob Dylan. Many songs have the dark and uncertain feeling of Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen, with a twinge of Bon Iver instrumentation.

The six-piece band brings the songs to life with a high intensity delivery of what could very easily become a passive and boring performance. While the band itself mostly remained stationary in its arc form around Granduciel, the music and light show provided everything that was needed for a great concert experience.

One of the most important moments of the show came before the lights even went out. Following the opening band, Summer Cannibals, who far exceeded expectations, Granduciel and The War on Drugs all set up their own instruments alongside the road crew. As he tested his pedal board, Granduciel simply closed his eyes and began playing beautiful guitar melodies while the chaotic inferno that is “White Light/White Heat” blasted over the PA system.

Granduciel actually appeared to be lost in time. It never mattered what was going on in the background. During the actual show, he expressed the same emotions as he did during the soundcheck – he was content and right at home, lost in the dream with a guitar in hand.

I have a troubled relationship with Parquet Courts.

I feel as if I’m watching the world’s funniest comedian and everyone around me is laughing. I awkwardly acknowledge to myself that the jokes are funny – I’m just not laughing and I don’t know why. Inadvertently, I alternate between obsession and denial of the band’s greatness. The band is great and I respect all of its work, but I am standing at the threshold of determining whether I love this band or if I despise them. It is making me crazy.

Sunbathing Animal, the band’s first album of 2014, was critically adored by seemingly everyone for its gruff guitar work and wise-cracking lyrics. Releasing one potential Album of the Year candidate was simply not enough for Parquet Courts though.

For an encore, the band released Content Nausea, its fourth full-length album and second of the year. Recording under the pseudonym Parkay Quarts because of the temporary absence of two members, guitarists Andrew Savage and Austin Brown churned this album out in a period of less than 14 days on a four track recorder.

The overwhelming, but aptly titled “Content Nausea” begins with a blast of guitar, snare drum and vocals and as the title implies, the lyrics are never-ending; almost nauseating. Savage references everything from World War IV to a time before the Internet, when it was still possible to meet with friends, write letters and release art or poetry without facing the scrutiny of comment boards.

This monotone talk/rap at first seems like an innocent song about frustration, but after a close listen, it feels more as if this song is a therapeutic purge of all that he hates about the overly invasive Internet.

A no-nonsense cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking” evolves from the straight-up classic into a feedback filled guitar solo. Instead of being a woman walking out on her man, Savage uses his version of the song to signal that he and his boots are walking out on society and technology. With the guitar buildup and horn line supporting the desperation in his voice, it serves as a highlight of the album.

On “Pretty Machines,” Savage admits that “Punk songs, I thought that they were different/ I thought that they could end it, but no, no, it was a deception.” Punk used to give Savage a feeling of uniqueness, yet as he ages and the band grows more successful, he still struggles to find his place in the world. No matter what he tries, there is always the feeling of being overloaded in our technologically commanded world.

With the basis of disappointment and more importantly, admiration of punk, this album is musically driven beyond the familiar guitar rock formula, and evolves into a hybrid of part Minutemen punk, part Pavement, Bob Dylan and The Velvet Underground. It is the rare breed of album that makes you want to grab a guitar and a copy of Leaves of Grass simultaneously.

Screw it – I love this band.

It takes courage to sing in front of others; it takes even more courage to knowingly sing the wrong lyrics while masterfully swinging like one of the “wild and crazy” Festrunk brothers to a song by the Eagles. This was my friend Jake Stoneking, who was never afraid to have fun, no matter what the circumstances were.

He was the rare breed of friend who transcends friendship and felt as much like a member of my family as any blood relative.

With a truly magnetic personality, an infectious smile and the ability to make pre-ghost-of-Christmas-future Ebenezer Scrooge belly laugh about nothing much at all, Jake passed away about a month ago following a five-year battle with Medulloblastoma, a rare form of childhood brain cancer. He had celebrated his 20th birthday six days prior. He was diagnosed at the age of 14 during orientation week of high school.

Jake managed to defeat the cancer once and graduate from West Linn High School, where he received a standing ovation at the graduation ceremony.

During his senior year, however, the cancer returned, more aggressive than before. Given only two months to live, Jake created a bucket list that earned him international notice and inspired close friends and strangers alike to be the best possible version of themselves while passing along his mantra of “Carry on.”

With an unending effort to outlast the cancer, he fought the debilitating disease for eight months — four times longer than what doctors believed was possible.

After the tears began to slow, stories of the past began cascading out of everyone who knew him. A personal favorite of mine was Jake dancing with all the swagger in the world to “Heartache Tonight” by Eagles, except Jake always changed the words to “Party tonight.”

I had corrected him multiple times, but he did not care because as he put it, “‘Party tonight’ is way more fun!”

What follows is a list of songs with lyrics that are commonly misheard, followed by the correct lyric in honor of Jake’s idea that sometimes fun is more important than accuracy.

Eagles – “Heartache Tonight,” The Long Run (1979)

What Jake heard: “There’s gonna be a party tonight”

The real lyrics: “There’s gonna be a heartache tonight”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Purple Haze,” Are You Experienced? (1967)

Misheard lyric: “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy”

Correct lyric: “‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky”

After hearing about the confusion, Hendrix would often sing the incorrect lyric in concert to create further uncertainty of which is the correct lyric.

The Beatles – “Strawberry Fields Forever,” Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Misheard lyric: “Living is easy with nice clothes”

Correct lyric: “Living is easy with eyes closed”

The Magical Mystery Tour outfits weren’t necessarily the most fashionable pieces ever assembled, but it’s possible they may have made life easier.

The Beatles – “I Want to Hold your Hand,” Meet the Beatles (1964)

Misheard lyric: “I get high”

Correct lyric: “I can’t hide”

At this point, during Beatlemania, hiding was impossible, yet they were still a few months away from the psychedelic drug-fueled portion of their history.

The Beatles – “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Misheard lyric: “The girl with colitis go by”

Correct lyric: “The girl with kaleidoscope eyes”

Colitis is an inflammation of the large intestine or colon, but in reality, what’s a stranger to see? A girl with an actual disease, or a girl with kaleidoscope eyes?

My Morning Jacket – “Highly Suspicious,” Evil Urges (2008)

Misheard Lyric: “Peanut butter pudding surprise”

Real lyric: “Peanut butter Pulitzer Prize”

Many of my friends have pointed to this lyric as the reason why they don’t like My Morning Jacket, all due to a typo in the lyric booklet. Writer Jim James himself had to clarify the lyric about his grandmother’s Pulitzer Prize-winning peanut butter.

Bob Dylan – “Blowin’ In the Wind,” The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)

Misheard lyric: “The ants are my friend, it’s blowin’ in the wind”

Correct Lyric: “The answer my friend, is blowin’ in the wind”

Apparently Dylan is not a friend to insects.

The Clash – “Rock the Casbah,” Combat Rock (1982)

Misheard lyric: “Lock the catbox,” or “Lock the cashbox”

Correct lyric: “Rock the Casbah”

Joe Strummer “might have been our only decent teacher,” as Craig Finn of The Hold Steady claims, but his pronunciation wasn’t always the most clear, as this commercial demonstrated.

The Police – “So Lonely,” Outlandos d’Amour (1978)

Misheard lyric: “Chipotle”

Real lyric: “So Lonely“

I may be the only one who hears this because I heard this song for the first time when I was ten years old and hungry.

Bruce Springsteen – “Blinded By the Light” Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ (1967)

Misheard/wrong lyric: “Cut loose like a douche”

Real lyric: “Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night.”

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band with a sad excuse of a cover changed the lyric to “revved up like a douche, another runner in the night,” forever causing unnecessary confusion. Somehow, Mann’s cover reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, giving Springsteen his only No. 1 single as a songwriter.

The Rolling Stones – “Beast of Burden,” Some Girls (1978)

Misheard lyric: “I’ll never leave your pizza burnin’”

Real lyric: “I’ll never be your beast of burden”

Mick Jagger is older now, though, so who knows if that promise still stands.

The Replacements – “Favorite Thing,” Let It Be (1984)

Misunderstood part: Everything that isn’t in the chorus.

To this day, singer Paul Westerberg still doesn’t know what he incoherently rambled about while recording. Something about dad either walking or rocking real bad and hip-a-young things? Maybe he just had hiccups and liked the sound. The world may never know.

Follow Craig Wright on Twitter: @wgwcraig

Kevin Hart stormed into Eugene as a part of his current college tour, premiering his new film The Wedding Ringer, before taking the stage at Matthew Knight Arena for an intimate arena show that never let up on the laughter. A strict no cell phone policy was in effect, as Hart was performing material that may appear on a new television special.

Joking about everything from his family, to a raccoon that threatens to kill him, to patient airport bathroom fans, Hart offered little down time for the audience to regain its breath from laughing so hard. With multiple already great comedy specials under his belt, Hart may be performing the best material of his career right now.

Multiple audience members, only those within earshot, could be heard during quiet moments saying variations of, “My stomach hurts from laughing.” The prospect of an arena comedy show seemed unnatural at first, but Hart won the crowd over immediately and it felt as if it was a show in a comedy club.

As always, Hart’s loud and cranky father played a central role in the show, threatening that if he refuses to discipline his children, they will turn to a life full of drugs and low-life pleasures. His son is being taught the hard way how to become a man. Braving the untamed wilderness of the suburbs, Hart watches from behind the safety of a sliding glass door as his son attempts to avoid whatever wildlife may be lurking in the dark driveway.

His daughter currently has an affinity for hiding around the house for hours on end and jumping out at Hart in an attempt to scare him to death. Her efforts are so dedicated that she now hides with a fanny pack full of snacks and a full canteen.

The night began with an excellent set by Joey Wells, dissecting the distinct phases of college life, beginning with the “freshman 15 and pregnant” phase before developing the swagger filled “senior walk.”

Na’im Lynn followed and his set also touched on aspects of college life and personal hygiene (or lack thereof among freshmen) before diving into jokes about life in general. A highlight was his description of the ideal body, which is to “look good from a car window.”

Earlier in the day, Hart previewed his new film The Wedding Ringer, which will be released in theaters on January 15. Valley River Center movie theater showed the film and approximately 200 people were on the premises just waiting for the opportunity to see Kevin Hart in person.

At the screening, Hart was given a green Fighting Duck Jersey. It was a medium-sized jersey. Hart and his little frame joked at the show that it was large enough that he could walk around the house with no pants on and no one would ever know.

Hart left the stage with a long and gracious thank you to the city of Eugene, the University of Oregon and the equally gracious crowd. Hart has found the perfect blend of unrelenting humor, mixed with patches of wisdom, leading to an unforgettable comedy show.

Follow Craig Wright on Twitter @wgwcraig

The youngest Jonas Brother has traded in his purity ring for a chance to live the life of a modern-day sex symbol with his new self-titled album. Clearly, he is struggling to find a stable relationship. It should come as no surprise with the lyric, “You got the key to my heart yeah / I got the key to your apartment/  Well you’ll let me in or we’re breaking in/ ‘cuz I ain’t gonna let you go.” The message: If you threaten to leave Nick Jonas, he will break into your home and force you to love him.

Maybe I’m crazy and over-analyzing the lyric, but that sounds like the threat of a blossoming serial rapist. If the song were called “I Love You,” it may seem less forceful, but the blunt title of “I Want You” casts a shady light of lust. Sure, Bob Dylan also has a lust-fueled song called “I Want You,” but Dylan’s most menacing threat is that he hopes to open the gate for a woman and possibly have a romantic encounter. Never once does he threaten to break into an apartment and have his way.

The ignorant path that Jonas aimlessly bounds down on this song is constant throughout the whole album. Not only are certain lyrics misogynistic, but the lack of creativity and originality is the major detractor.

Jonas wastes no time displaying his incapabilities of originality. Right from the start, he sings about a set of chains that love has him locked in. This would be an interesting metaphor, had it been original. The Beatles made a song of the same title, “Chains,” famous back in 1963 that deals with precisely the same problem. Maybe it is just a coincidence, but then the background vocals come in and they are eerily similar to the latter part of the chant in Kanye West’s “Power.”

The rest of the album seems to transition between lifting ideas from Kanye West or Prince. Almost every hip-hop beat can be traced directly to a Kanye song, while Jonas sings in a Prince-like falsetto for large portions of the album.

Perhaps it’s because of the swirling background vocals that fade in, combined with the fact that Jonas awkwardly and uncomfortably rides a motorcycle in the video for “Jealous,” but it screams to me that Jonas has a deep fascination with Yeezus and was “Bound 2″ borrow his fair share of ideas.

“Take Over” begins with a nearly identical riff to Kanye’s “I Am a God.” Also similar to Kanye, he shows little humility when he describes loving himself as a “crazy drug.” If loving Nick Jonas is a drug, users should begin searching for a treatment center before addiction ever sets in.

The loss of innocence has left Jonas struggling at the crossroads of former boy-band icon and future brooding badass where he is attempting to find his true self. After years of forced purity by Disney, he is now free to do whatever (or whoever, apparently) he wants. Much like Miley Cyrus, another Disney star has fallen into a life of overt sexuality, yet for Jonas, there are few critics speaking out against him.

Follow Craig Wright on Twitter @wgwcraig

The sprawling, rural farmlands of Lind, Washington found themselves projected on the quaint screen of the Bijou Metro Theater as a part of the Eugene International Film Festival Saturday evening. Filmed over a timespan of a decade, Dryland, directed by Sue Arbuthnot and Richard Wilhelm, focuses on the lives of two families who have been dryland farming wheat for multiple generations.

Dryland farming is a technique in which farmers grow crops in areas with minimal rain and moisture. The precision required for this farming technique is demanding and difficult. Early in the film, the father details his logbook of every rainfall since the seventies. In order to grow their crops, they must understand the weather and climate as precisely as possible.

The film serves not as a rallying cry for combatting climate change, but also provides an important look at how climate change is already beginning to affect the everyday citizen. This perspective allows a friendly glimpse into the community that the majority of people have not experienced firsthand, seeing as only one percent of the American population are farmers.

The movie is as much about family as it is about the future of farming and how family farming may be the most viable method of farming successfully, should the opportunity remain available in the future.

“I don’t know what it’s going to be like down the road,” Josh Knodel says in the film. “You know, nobody knows that, but, I hope that down the road, when my turn comes, that the opportunity is still there.”

Providing respite from the gloomy future of farming is the annual Lind Combine Demolition Derby. This competition provides the town with its greatest source of entertainment, and the protagonists’ greatest source of pride. By bashing their tricked out tractors hell-bent on friendly destruction, Matt Miller and Josh Knodel learn that hard work yields great rewards­­­­ — a necessary trait for farming.

As Josh goes away to college at Washington State University and later lands a job with John Deere, he faces an uncertain future. He knows he wants to continue farming in the tradition of his family, but admits that it may simply not be an option and an alternative career may be the only option.

This film festival also featured three short films including Jasmine, directed by Steven J. Warren, about a man attempting to brighten a sick patient’s stay in the hospital with simple acts of kindness. The eight-minute Sam and Gus, directed by Josh David Gordon, tells the story of two brothers and how one learns to believe in life again following a tragic childhood event. Dryland was the third film, and Coffee and a Bagel closed the showing. This film follows a recently widowed elderly man as he garners unexpected results from online dating, directed by Gavin Brown.

Inside the quiet broadcast booths of campus radio station KWVA, University of Oregon senior Bryan Kalbrosky finds refuge from the EMU construction, which hammers on only a few yards away. Surrounded by a library of carefully organized CDs, overflowing boxes of vinyl and multiple computers loaded with music, Kalbrosky reaches for the studio’s ringing phone.

“Apparently that guy’s grandma has the same birthday as me,” he says while returning the corded phone to the cradle. After announcing that it was his half-birthday on last week’s show, a caller felt it necessary to share that Kalbrosky, in fact, shares a birthday with his grandmother.

As host of The Everything Bagel radio show on Thursdays from three to four p.m., Kalbrosky does not take many requests due to the premeditated format of the show, but does encourage listeners to call in and talk to him about music or life. As DJ Brosky (a nickname that has stuck in college), he factors in many intangibles before settling on a final playlist.

“The night before the show, I’ll look at the weather, see how I’m feeling and try to create a narrative, as lame as that sounds, based on the mood that I’m feeling. I like to have some sort of rhyme and reason to it,” Kalbrosky explains.

Kalbrosky has been working at KWVA for three or four years. He began after a former music director and philosophy classmate encouraged him to look into jobs at the radio station. Alongside his radio show, he also works as an office assistant.

“What I like about KWVA is it’s very relaxed. You don’t have many requirements. It’s an hour or two of you just having your space in a studio, a really creative space to broadcast things that you love and feel passionate about,” Kalbrosky says. “I like to call it organized chaos in a positive way. If you can understand and like what I play on the air, then you are probably going to like me as a person.”

A major portion of The Everything Bagel this year has been a focus on music released in 2014. This year’s show also features more remixes, but still maintains a generally calm and tranquil hour of music. With a wide-ranging playlist with everything from indie rock to electronic, punk to rap and everything in between, The Everything Bagel earns its name from its variety.

“I’m not sure if anyone listens, but it doesn’t actually matter to me very much,” he says. “It’s nice knowing that people would be listening, but I just love being in the studio.”

Clearly, Kalbrosky is not the only music lover on campus. After discussing music and comparing playlists, he met a former girlfriend through his show and many more friends.

“Maybe music actually does change people’s lives. Maybe college radio is important. Maybe it’s not, but either way it’s still a fun thing I do.”

While DJ positions are unpaid, the opportunity to share music is more important than money to DJ Brosky. He says using music to strengthen the community, however small the audience may be, is superior since he has the capability to share a passion with others who care about music as much as he does, even if only one person is listening.

“At least that one person digs it. At least that dude’s grandma has the same birthday as me.”

Somewhere in an alternate universe where the ’60s never ended and the “coconut wind” gently breezes by, Foxygen is contemplating the complexities of love and heartbreak with a space age sound fit for a ride in a UFO cruising at the speed of light. The result of this trip is …And Star Power, the latest release from Sam France and Jonathan Rado of Foxygen, this time joined by punk band Star Power, its fictional alter ego.

One of the most impressive parts of …And Star Power is how well the band draws from a myriad of influences and carefully crafts them into a mixed sound that feels at once familiar and entirely new. It feels as if the songs have always been with you, but you can’t remember when, where or how you heard them.

With a carefully constructed formula of heartbreak, UFOs and probably a few narcotics, Foxygen crafted an 82-minute double album of 24 songs. Much of the first half feels like a coping mechanism for a harsh breakup and produces the best songs on the album. “Star Power Airlines” begins the journey with what appears to be the sound of a broken plane, as if warning the audience that the only suitable device for this ride is a spaceship.

“How Can You Really” begins as a smooth piano groove with a story about a promising relationship that turned sour. As the chorus approaches, the tempo effortlessly increases, leading to a fast-paced sing-along perfect for an angry dance, suggesting the only way to crush the heartbreak is by dancing it off. A twangy, twin guitar solo glides through three tempos before leading into the final chorus.

Nestled in the middle of the album is the “Star Power” mini rock opera. It’s a four part series without much clarity or connective tissue other than the titles and the feeling that this breakup was worse than originally imagined. This portion is where the album pivots and turns from being about a failed relationship, and it takes off into another dimension filled with aliens and moody jams.

Disc two begins with “Hot Summer,” which feels like a sunny day at a boardwalk carnival. Following “Hot Summer” is the song’s foil, “Cold Winter/Freedom.” This is the soundtrack to a joyless trudge through black snow during wartime. It is uncomfortable, intimidating and haunting — as if someone is being followed — when all of a sudden, laser blasts mimic an alien abduction and the song is teleported to another place where guitar and piano clashes into a Velvet Underground-style jam. This is the “Freedom” portion, and freedom for Foxygen translates into chaos and loss of control.

After about two-thirds of the album, many of the songs begin to run together. But for the most part, this is a strong double album, with an array of styles and themes to capture the listener’s imagination and attention. The diverse sounds prove that Foxygen is capable of being more than simply a buzz band of recent memory, but rather a band that demands attention on and off the stage.

A new slew of fall albums will raise the inevitable question: which ones do you actually need? While the trade-off may be eating ramen for a week, here are four albums arriving soon that are certainly worth the purchase:

Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright In The End (9/30)

Weezer left us with nothing to listen to for a four-year recording hiatus. The band top-loaded 2010 with two albums (including one named after a Lost character) and has just released its ninth studio album. Everything Will Be Alright In The End will attempt to return to the band’s classic sound that launched its career twenty years ago with the Blue Album. Frontman Rivers Cuomo apologizes to fans for making mistakes in order to find himself. As usual, his personal thoughts are transparent and to the point. On “Back to the Shack,” he declares: “I’m letting all of these feelings out even if it means I fail / ‘Cause this is what I was meant to do and you can’t put that on sale.” Expect a much more polished album than the most recent few, and hopefully a return to the signature sound that once made ratty sweaters and looking like Buddy Holly fashionable.

Foo Fighters Sonic Highways (11/10)

An eight-city trek across Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington D.C. led Foo Fighters through a national journey that helped create the new album. Enlisting the help of famed musicians and/or producers in each city, Foo Fighters have created an HBO miniseries  of the same name to accompany each track on the album. The experience of each city has informed each song, which showcases the unique musical style of each locale. Sonic Highways is a celebration of the band’s twentieth anniversary and eighth studio. The album will be released Nov. 10 and the HBO series will air on Oct. 17.

Various Artists – The New Basement Tapes: Lost on the River (11/11)

Newly released Bob Dylan recordings on the famed Basement Tapes  with The Band have been unearthed. Dylan wrote these songs 47 years ago while recovering from a near-fatal motorcycle crash in upstate New York. Produced by T. Bone Burnett, this double-album features original takes on previously unreleased material from various artists including Elvis Costello, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons, Rhiannon Giddens of Carolina Chocolate Drops and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes. The songs take on a new life with some of today’s best honoring Dylan with their interpretations of these songs.