On first blush, Atlas sounded like Real Estate’s sighing pastorals softening past the point of impressionism and into sentimental mush. But the more I peered into those pools of reverb, the clearer I saw my own reflection. My wife and I bought a house this year, and whatever domestic tasks we undertook — painting the living room, weeding the garden, chilling on the deck with friends — this album’s gorgeous nuances proved to be the ideal soundtrack. Is that lame? Maybe. Bourgeois? Almost certainly. It was also beautiful. Anybody paying attention to this fucked-up world has to feel at least a little uncomfortable with a life of peaceful contentment, and it’s definitely an asshole move to wall yourself off from the world’s suffering rather than doing something about it. But let’s not forget that the goal is to help more people feel the bliss that courses through “Navigator,” not less. –Chris [LISTEN]