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Is it just me, or is 2009 already the best year for music ever? We’ve got some serious gems headed our way very soon and February 17th is poised to be this year’s Indie Music Super Tuesday. Both M. Ward and The Deep Dark Woods are releasing albums and the fine folks at Black Hen Music were kind enough to give us a sneak peak at DDW’s latest effort, Winter Hours. It is phenomenal. It makes me want to cuss.

Oz and I have had access to it for a couple weeks now and we’ve both been listening to it nonstop and sending each other embarrassingly giddy emails talking about how much we like it. I honestly can’t get enough of Winter Hours. It’s gotten to the point where I’m starting to feel like Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain and poor Winter Hours is Jake Gyllenhaal. I wish I knew how to quit you, Deep Dark Woods.

Woody first introduced us to The Deep Dark Woods with a glowing review back in January of 2008 (occasionally Woody hits one just right), but I’d contend Winter Hours is even better. Twangy slow rollers like “All The Money I Had Is Gone” and “The Gallows” draw you in on the first listen. And the more you listen to the album as a whole, the more it starts to sound like a timeless, magical masterpiece. The arrangements are absolutely gorgeous – The DDW deftly blend acoustic guitars, pedal steel, some keys, and even toss in some banjo and strings for good measure. But what stands out most are the vocal harmonies. These guys will absolutely melt your face off.