Immanu El - They'll Come, They Come (320) (2007)

In terms of 'gorgeous albums,' this one is top 5 in my entire collection. This is one of those records where the cover gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect within the music (and if you think I'm implying that this is the sonic equivalent of a ghost horse soaring above the clouds, I am). This is Swedish post-rock, with some beautiful ambient sections but also some very stirring crescendos. On the surface, this album is pretty simple. The vocals seem to float above the rest of the musical fray, always there but never drawing attention to themselves. The piano work is simple but very cathartic, especially on tracks like White Seraphs Wild and ...In Valleys. The lyrics, too, are fairly minimalist, but also incredibly powerful. And yet it all comes together so brilliantly and seemingly effortlessly. Maybe because of this, I really have a hard time describing this one, but I always wind up coming back to the adjective 'warm.' It thaws away the ice that builds up from the outside world and exposes the emotions within (that sounds really emo, but so be it, it's the best imagery I can come up with). Bottom line, I dare you to listen to this album and not have it affect you, because I don't think it can be done.

I will stand tall when the winter gets to us if you stay with me