5. SAINT CLOUD by Waxahatchee

This album has generated buzz as one of the best albums of the year so far. The band is called Waxahatchee and is, effectively, the brainchild of Katie Crutchfield. Her latest album, Saint Cloud, is written from the perspective of Crutchfield as someone who has kicked her alcohol addiction and become sober. I've already listened to it multiple times in just the past few days and agree that it's one of the best things I've heard this year. Additionally, it's in stark contrast to her previous record, Out in the Storm, which feels and sounds like a true rock album with heavy guitars, etc. The singles off Saint Cloud that were released in the weeks and months prior to the full album coming out include Can't Do Much, Fire and Lilacs, so those would serve as a good starting point. Other songs that I'd recommend (if you don't feel like listening to the whole album beginning to end from the get go) are Oxbow and St. Cloud (just a beautiful song and the perfect way to end the album). If you do get around to listening to this album, I'd suggest then listening to her previous effort (Out in the Storm mentioned above) just to get a sense of how different the two albums are.