Heavy Sun will not be to everyone’s liking to be sure. It is heavy on the gospel and thick in places where the sound probably didn’t need to always be. But this is great stuff, rendered by a modern master.

Daniel Lanois is certainly the real deal.

“Exploding Boy” shows Benjamins’ full range perfectly, a tune built on a razor’s edge of slow building, starting with a single echo note, strings coming up and then roiling percussion, all smashing down into piano and harmony “ahhs” once again for the end. “We Used To Live” has got hand claps against the piano and a gospel-ly sounding Benjamins, making it probably the biggest commercial tune here, a good dance track with key counter lines and a heavy beat that gets going on the choruses.

The plinky plaintive “Later On” ends, a quick tune with rising strings and a full in your face vocal.

Neon Trees Pop Psychology (Island Def Jam) Neon Trees’ third studio release, Pop Psychology, is exactly the new wave, synth pop-inspired dance-rock […]