"In the five years since Gulag Orkestar became a surprise success, the dialog surrounding indie culture has drastically shifted away from flesh-and-blood odysseys like Condon's and toward synth textures and vague electronic sighs."

Is that really true, or is it just a Pitchfork thing?

Based on my personal experience, the biggest-impact albums of the year thus far are Burst Apart, David Comes To Life, and Let England Shake, and these are all pretty much 'flesh-and-blood odysseys'.

Also, DIALOG.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15715-the-rip-tide/