Cheer up, Charlie

These are some of the albums I tend to listen to when I'm feeling down, or even just to go with my good mood.

Deerhunter - Microcastle (2008)

The beautiful shoegaze moments and the huge atmospheres created on this album always make me feel heaps better. Every song is solid and enjoyable, making one listen all the way through enough to cheer up anyone.

The Audition - Controversy Loves Company (2005)

Pop punk/Pop rock at it's finest. It's basic, repetitive and really not that well written. But the songs are so catchy and ridiculously fun that it's hard not to smile when listening to it. It will always be a guilty pleasure of mine.

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (2001)

Some of the best Indie tunes are on this album. As soon as Caring is Creepy starts, I always am instantly put in a good mood. Really cruise-y, chilled out songs that will get inside your head and force you to feel good.

mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister (2005)

Their next album It's All Crazy... is clearly a happier record, but this album cheers me up more just because of the sheer amazingness of it. It's passionate and beautiful, and reminds me just how capable and creative the human mind can be.

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

If you've heard this album then you love it, if you haven't then you will download it right now and then love it. This album pretty much created the Shoegaze genre and is possibly the closest music form to the word Love, which is ironic considering the album title.

Portal - Swarth (2009)

I know it's cheesy and a bit over the top in the happiness department, but this feel good album really could cheer up anyone. The overuse of the major scale and the serenity of the vocals make this one of the happiest albums I've ever heard.

Well there you go, these albums always put a smile on my face. Mostly Indie stuff for some reason, but I think just lush sounds and chilled out atmospheres are what turn my moods.

I don't want someone who's depressed to take the Portal album as serious advice and listen to it, because it will probably just cause you to kill yourself and everyone within a 50 mile radius.

mewithoutYou

They make me want to believe in God.

Over a period of time these guys have become one of my favourite bands of all time. Musically, they began as a Post Hardcore band a cut above the rest. Strong, powerful and angry, as clear through singer Aaron Weiss's lyrics and vocals on their first album [A→B] Life. 
Their next album Catch For Us the Foxes showed them progress to a more experimental stage, combining elements of Alternative Rock and Indie with overall better and more creative instrumentation. Although it was less 'Hardcore' it still retained much fury behind the lyrics and vocal style, however there were spots of a more mellow (and also a more Christian) Aaron. 
Then came the peak of their career in my opinion. Brother, Sister is and always will be one of my favourite albums. More experimental than Catch For Us the Foxes, but also more passionate and intelligent. Mostly an Indie album, it created a beautiful atmosphere with peaks of brilliance in songs such as Wolf Am I! (And Shadow) and O, Porcupine. They also used more instruments such as Trumpets, Accordion and Harps. 
Their latest album It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright in my opinion is their worst, but it's still miles ahead of most other Indie bands of today. This time they practically threw out any anger and instead made a happy-go-lucky Folk/Indie album. Still enjoyable, but for me it's lost a bit of their spark.

All in all, a top band for any fans of Indie or more experimental types of Post Hardcore. I'd recommend listening to their discography in order, as seeing their progression will give you a whole lot of respect for them as musicians.

[A→B] Life (2002)
Catch For Us the Foxes (2004)
Brother, Sister (2006)
It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright (2009)

I should have said more about the other musicians since they're all amazing, but I can't help it if I'm an Aaron Weiss fanboy.