Danielson

On the seventh Danielson LP, Daniel Smith begins by leading his crew with a crackling falsetto, almost whispering through “Ship the Majestic Suffix.” But he’s soon joined by a band with enough members to give the Polyphonic Spree a fair fight: myriad voices, drums, guitars, horns and strings jockey for position while the songs remain as catchy in chaos as they are in order. “Did I Step on Your Trumpet?” is the single of the year, from its flouncing call-and-response verses to its juggernaut of a chorus—and indeed most of the songs fluctuate between fragility and rock bravado. Ships is a celebration of what people can do, musically and otherwise, when they help each other, and the album radiates gratefulness; it’s no mistake that its final lyric is one word repeated 11 times: “Thanks.”