THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Akeboshi on 16 Apr 2009, 10:56
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Alright gals/guys I really liked the Top Albums of 2008 thread we had from like July - December of last year. What I want here is for people to post a top ten list, or however many you can muster (it is only a few months into 2009 afterall), and some things you're looking forward to. Then towards the end of the year, we can make another thread and see what has moved up/been bumped off our lists.
I want this to be a, "Hey maybe I should try some of these albums out" thread. Not a, "HURR MY TASTE IS BETTER!" thread.
READY GO!
1. Oren Lavie - "The Opposite Side of the Sea"
I don't think anything will top this album this year, IMHO. For me it has everything. Brilliant lyrics, haunting and thought-provoking. Extraordinary music demonstrated through vibrant string accompaniment and chilling use of interwoven minor key tonality. Awesome vocalist with intelligent things to say. Truly the beginning of a great artist. CHECK IT OUT.
2. The Decemberists - "The Hazards of Love"
Duh, you either like these guys by now or you were turned off when you first heard "Leslie Anne Levine".
3. K'naan - "Troubaour"
A quite fantastic young Nigerian rapper who raps about Somalia and his upbringing. His song "Wavin' Flag" might have you in tears by the end, and if it doesn't then go and listen to NPR's recording of this song from SXSW. The extra acapella verses WILL make you cry.
4. Umphrey's McGee - "Mantis"
Somewhat prog rock, somewhat electronica, somewhat jam-band. A hell of a lot of fun if you're a fan of metal; nothing really heavy, but quite enjoyable.
Lookin' forward to...
Iron & Wine - "Around the Well"
Dream Theater - "Black Clouds & Silver Linings"
Barenaked Ladies - ?? (I miss you already Steven Page!)
Cake - ?? Whenever John McCrae decides to quit being his lazy, whiny ass......ok, so probably 2010
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so far the only 2009 albums that i've heard (that i'm aware of) are Black Moth Super Rainbow's new one Eating Us and A Hawk and a Hacksaw's Delivrance (not a typo).
both are excellent but i'm little disappointed in Delivrance; it's not as accordion-centric as their older work which is what attracted me to them in the first place. Eating Us, however, is fucking fantastic. it seemed a little lackluster at first but that's just the first two tracks or so, it gets much better as it plays and some of the best tracks are at the end.
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So far of the new albums I've heard this year The Crying Light and Fever Ray stick out the most, although that album by Sholi was pretty good too. I like Actor, the new St. Vincent but I'm not sure if it's best of 2009 material, or at least I haven't had enough time for it to grow on me that way. Same with The Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca. I liked the s/t by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but I don't know if it really has much staying power. It's fun and it's nice but I can't really conjure any of the song names to mind without help.
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that album by Sholi was pretty good too.
This. I saw them last Saturday and they were on fire.
I don't think I've heard anything else released this year.
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this:
Black Moth Super Rainbow's new one Eating Us
Mono - Hymn to the Eternal Wind is also mind blowingly good.
And the new Dan Deacon Bromst is pretty good as well.
As an aside, the Lonely Island's cd has provided with some time spent amused.
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Looks like I'm gonna have to check out these Sholi dicks.
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So far this year i have heard quite a few new albums and am looking forward to others. I didn't expect it to be such a bumper year but it has turned out for the best.
Notable albums so far:
1. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
2. The Thermals - Now We Can See
3. The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules (Another Erlend Øye group)
4. Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone
5. Röyksopp - Junior
Albums i am looking forward to:
Iron & Wine - Around The Well
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (Already heard and very good but technically not yet released)
Steve Earle - Townes
A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Delivrance
Brand New (Whenever Jesse gets himself back with the band and finishes recording the new album)
Kevin DeVine - Brother's Blood
Albums that let me down:
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Very mediocre effort in my opinion from a usually reliable band.
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I don't want to make a solid list so I'll just post albums I've liked so far.
The Thermals - Now We Can See
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - S/T
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
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Albums I've enjoyed so far (not in order):
The Alps - A Path Through the Sun
The Alps - A Path Through the Moon
The above are two cd-rs released by Root Strata and are culled from the same recording session that produced 'III'. They're gorgeous, hazy albums with heavy kraut-rock influence. Very cool stuff.
MONO - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
The best album I've heard this year. It's breathtaking. An immense, epic, soaring piece of work. Can't recommend it enough.
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Vs. Children
A great album about bank robbers. Oh, and also sometimes about parents and being a parent and being afraid of being a parent. Owen finally has a band working with him now and the extra instrumentation, while certainly fairly minimal, add a lot of depth to these poignant little songs.
Tarentel - You Can't Hide Your Love Forever Volume 3: Space Junk
A 7" with two tracks, both awesome. Tribal drumming, billowing waves of distortion, screeching, careening noise. Basically standard Tarentel at this point (which means it's great!)
Hildur Gudnadottir - Without Sinking
A beautiful album from avant-garde cellist Hildur Gudnadottir. A sad yet luminous album, Gudnadottir is joined by various other musicians contributing violin, viola, acoustic guitar and more to her droning, looping, mournful cello.
Seaworthy - 1897
A series of ambient guitar pieces mixed, matched, paired and complemented with field recordings taken in and around an old ammunition depot. Seaworthy is like a less distorted version of Eluvium (sort of) in that he uses primarily a guitar and some simple looping techniques to produce complex and wonderful songs.
Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Lost in Reflection
A haunting, droning piece of ambient brilliance. Minimal and dreamy and dark. Very cool stuff!
If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below the Sky
These guys are one of the best new post-rock bands out there. This is their first full length and it's surprisingly mature and compelling. It's what you might expect from a very good post-rock band with heavy, epic, quiet-loud dynamics but they do have a recognizable sound. Probably better than the latest This Will Destroy You album and a very good holdover until the next Explosions in the Sky albums finds its way out.
Last Days - The Safety of the North
A conflation of story and music, this amazing album has bits of vocals, dialog and narrative throughout. It's a beautiful album, another very quiet, often ambient, restrained piece of work. Simple, elegant guitar manipulations, field recordings, electoacoustics and more make this a really gorgeous listen.
Looking forward to new albums by:
Eluvium
Do Make Say Think
Sunset Rubdown
Iron and Wine
Grizzly Bear
Isis
Arcade Fire (maybe??)
65daysofstatic
Tarentel/Seaworthy split (and anything else Tarentel cares to release)
Things that have let me down a bit:
Tim Hecker - In an Imaginary Country
This one didn't do much for me. I love Hecker but I felt not connection with this album. Maybe I should revisit it...
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
This was a very mediocre album. I dunno, I found myself a bit disinterested with it almost all the way through. Yes, there are some cool songs but the whole 'rock opera' concept kinda failed and resulted, mostly, in unnecessary and often irritating refrains from older songs more than anything else. I was let down by this.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
What the fuck happened? This is an absolutely boring album at best. None of the angry energy of their earlier work, the band seems content here to make dismally bland synth pop in what seems to be a sad attempt to jump on the popular bandwagon. Quite sad indeed!
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I really love that Royksopp album that jeph was going on about.
I also want to see whatever Los Campesinos is gonna come up with next.
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my favourites so far this year, (in alphabetical order, as i can't be arsed ranking them) are:
...and you will know us by the trail of dead - "the century of self"
architects - "hollow crown"
the arteries - "blood, sweat and beers" (technically a compilation but whatever...)
brides - "ocular.unveil"
chris wollard and the ship thieves - "chris wollard and the ship thieves"
in the red - "volume 2"
kylesa - "static tensions"
lamb of god - "wrath"
obits - "i blame you"
propagandhi - "supporting caste"
stereotyperider - "songs in the keys of f and u"
strung out - "prototypes and painkillers" (another compilation...)
therapy? - "crooked timber"
thursday - "common existance"
i'm also looking forward to (either because they're yet to be released or i haven't got round to hearing them yet...)
isis - "wavering radiant"
riverboat gamblers - "underneath the owl"
new strung out studio album
new nofx album
new fugazi album (hey, a man can dream!)
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new fugazi album (hey, a man can dream!)
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah c'mon if this doesn't actually happen I will mutilate your body and do other bad things to it.
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If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below the Sky
These guys are one of the best new post-rock bands out there. This is their first full length and it's surprisingly mature and compelling. It's what you might expect from a very good post-rock band with heavy, epic, quiet-loud dynamics but they do have a recognizable sound. Probably better than the latest This Will Destroy You album and a very good holdover until the next Explosions in the Sky albums finds its way out.
It has never occurred to me to compare If These Trees Could Talk and This Will Destroy You. They are both great bands, but I like them for entirely different reasons. I like ITTCT for their densely packed no-bullshit approach. These dudes just seem to be more focused on bringin' on the rock action. On the other hand, I listen to TWDY for their more expansive compositions. The songs don't seem like they are in a rush to get anywhere, but at the same time they don't lack direction; you can tell where they are going and when they arrive. Their songs also seem to have a certain melancholic aspect to them that I quite enjoy as well.
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Oh, they definitely have different approaches to making music. I guess I made the comparison b/c TWDY is like The Next Big Thing in post-rock and IFTCT are getting more recognition now with this release and I feel like they're good enough to warrant more attention.
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Good albums so far:
Kreator - Hordes of Chaos
???
Looking forward to
Atheist
Porcupine Tree
The Flaming Lips
Heaven & Hell (leaked though already)
Agalloch
3
Gavin Harrison & O5ric
Karl Sanders
Obituary
Pestilence
Slayer
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2009 isn't over, but i'm going to go ahead and give grizzly bear's veckatimest, swan lake's enemy mine and cymbals eat guitars' why there are mountains reserved spots.
don't know which rankings yet, i'll have to see by the end of the year, but i just can't see 8+ albums i like more than these coming out in the next 8 months.
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The Thermals - Now We Can See and Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca are most definitely my #1-#2 punch right now.
Other notably awesome releases: Wavves - Wavvves, Woods - Songs of Shame, Matt & Kim - Grand, The Phantom Band - Checkmate Savage, Dan Deacon - Bromst, and The Felice Brothers - Yonder is the Clock
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my friend Gwilym Charles released his debut on itunes and such the beginning of this year. might be biased but its actually been one of the better releases of the year so far.
Bucketheads album is a lot of fun, but a little too formulaic for him. Scrambles by BTMI! is really good, a lot more diverse than his other stuff. Atomic Skunk, and Asobi Seksu were great as well.
best so far id say is the new Black Moth Super Rianbow album. only just got it but im loving ever minute of it.
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Fuck I have not listened to much music from this year yet. I still need to spin the new Isis and the new If These Trees Could Talk. Their last album was absolutely wonderful. All I know about music this year is the new Mono album was pretty good and the Age Sixteen "full length" was pretty excellent as well.
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Karl Sanders
Saurian Exorcisms is already, uhm... 'available.'
'tis amazing. 'twil be up in mf!re shortly.
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I've been getting so dang lazy at keeping up with new releases for the past six to eight months... I don't really mind.
But this year I really really love The Thermals, Metric, Andrew Bird, Peter Bjorn and John, and Malajube.
and Johnny C's band! No really I have listened to that thing too much it is so addictive
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The Pains of Being Pure At Heart self-titled is the only 2009 album I've bought thus far. I really need to get on the ball. I absolutely love POBPAH though.
I'm really looking forward to Farm by Dinosaur Jr., Around the Well by Iron and Wine, and The Eternal by Sonic Youth. Hell yes.
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Scarred's 2009 Faptastic Elite:
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - S/T
Starfucker - Jupiter
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
...And You will know Us by the Trail of Dead - The Century of Self
Marissa Nadler - Little Hells
The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground
Upcoming Faptastic Anticipations:
Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
Laura Veirs - July Flame
Honorable Mentions:
Metric - Fantasies
Telekinesis! - Telekinesis!
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
PJ Harvey - A Woman A Man Walked By
Oceans - Nothing Collapses
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
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So far it's really only been Sholi and Animal Collective who've actually got me real excited. There's been a fair number of good albums this year but none of them great - Andrew Bird, Carl Newman, Julie Doiron (her new one is pretty much like something from her old band, Eric's Trip), Decemberists, Wavves (I swear this actually came out last year) - and whole lotr of other one's that I've been told to give a rat's about but I just cbf to.
I'm pretty excited for new Arcade Fire, Blonde Redhead (no, really), Sunset Rubdown and hopefully, 'cause these guys are loathe to announce their recording plans, Frog Eyes.
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Stealing Peter Bjorn And John and adding it to my list. I almost forgot Living Thing came out in '09.
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PB&J, imo, succumbed to the current major trend in pop music of over reliance on drum machines to show unrest, paranoia and uncertainty. Which, quite frankly, is rather trite and unimaginative now. Some of the singles were decent pop songs though.
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Noble Beast is great, it's not Armchair, but it's fantastic.
It's Blitz is also amazing. (Psst, a band doesn't have to remake the same album over and over to keep sounding good)
I'm now very excited in knowing a Laura Veirs albums is coming out this year. Woo thread.
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Man, way too early for me to even begin to form an opinion here. I feel like a person can only really start saying this sort of thing with any true sincerity after the middle of the year.
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Been listening to these albums quite a lot:
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Thermals - Now we can see
Doves - Kingdom of rust
The pains of being pure at heart - s/t
Fever Ray - s/t
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oh man so i downloaded 65daysofstatic's new one Escape From New York almost a week ago and totally forgot to listen to it until this morning.
it's good
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The album I'm actually looking forward to the most at this point: The debut Riceboy Sleeps album. RS is Jonsi from Sigur Ros and his boyfriend Alex Somers along with string quartet Amiina (playing on the album, not technically part of the core band which I suppose is just the duo). Anyway two tracks have been released and they're brilliant and really wonderful. I can really see this making my top 5 at the end of the year (call me premature but I have a really good feeling about this one). Watch yourself new Eluvium album, you have competition!
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Concerning Peter Bjorn and John, whenever I listen to it I end up skipping all the odd numbered tracks and making it into a six-song EP and it's a lot better that way.
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and Johnny C's band! No really I have listened to that thing too much it is so addictive
scanned thread for this, at least one person has some taste you PLEBS
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also glad to see everyone is enjoying the new thermals as much as i am
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Do Make Say Think
how do you know they're releasing anything new this year?
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I've heard it mentioned a few times in various places (including some semi-reliable (I think) sources). It makes sense. It's been a few years since 'You, You're a History in Rust.' I mean, it hasn't been officially announced so I guess it's largely wishful thinking but I really think it might happen.
EDIT: Scratch that, I forgot that that album came out so recently (2007). I'm probably wrong afterall.
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So far I am liking These Estates' debut and Black Moth Super Rainbow's new one. Mono is great and all, but they're not really my preferred brand of post-rock.
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I dunno Wombat, I seem to remember seeing stuff about a new Do Make Say Think album this year too.
It could happen! (really they just need to tour again)
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Yeah, a tour would be terrific. They're one of my favorite bands to see live. Lets hope!
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EDIT: Scratch that, I forgot that that album came out so recently (2007). I'm probably wrong afterall.
That's not really "recent," it's a two year-old record.
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I guess I was just thinking about the break between their last two records. It took them 4 years to get out 'You, You're a History in Rust.' I suppose all their other albums came out within two years of one another though.
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currently the top 3 are
3. lifted brow volume 4
2. thermals - now we can see
1. mountain goats and john vanderslice - mooncolony blood bath
moon colony blood bath ain't going to be bumped in this half of the year as far as i know everything else i've heard was ho hum really
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1. mountain goats and john vanderslice - mooncolony blood bath
How did I not know about this? Is it out? And is it available in Australia? I know the Mountain Goats' Kaki King collaboration didn't get released here. I hope I can get my hands on it.
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This isn't for sale yet but I think Beggars Group will have copies online. This was recorded for the Darnielle/Vanderslice tour a little while back and was only sold at the shows. I guess they have left over copies though.
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i think it might end up as a tour only EP similar to come come to the sunset tree
you can either get a copy off ebay for $100 or so or *COUGH* (http://www.mediafire.com/?qcimtri2naz) ...what was that (not my link)
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Eventually that's how it will be but in the meantime I'm pretty positive they're going to be selling some copies at least online. Those'll sell really fast though so it's pretty irrelevant. A year from now it will be racking up triple digits on ebay to be sure.
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Mono's Hymn To The Immortal Wind has already made it into my top ten thus far, and will probably stay in the top spot unless something utterly life changing comes along.
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Aah, so it's not going to be readily available. I guess I'll have to track it down *cough* (http://"thanks!") and wait and see if they bring any goodies with them next time they come through Perth.
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Bruce Springsteen-Working on a Dream and Steven Wilson's Insurgentes are really the only releases of 2009 I've heard so far that I enjoyed. I've heard good things about the new Decemberists, though I haven't heard them before.
Releases I'm looking forward to:
Dream Theater-Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Riverside-Anno Domini High Definition
Porcupine Tree-not-yet-titled
Transatlantic-new one
Mars Volta-Octahedron
Co&Ca are supposed to be coming out with a new one sometime this year, so are Muse
Its going to be a good year, I think.
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I heard Porcupine Tree are going to pull a Dan Swano and make the entire album one single track.
Oh yeah and....
NEW FLAMING LIPS WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU TROGLODYTES MORE EXCITED??!?!
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Satanist
OMG OMG OMG.
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I heard Porcupine Tree are going to pull a Dan Swano and make the entire album one single track.
Well, thats supposed to be the FIRST disc. :-D
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I heard Porcupine Tree are going to pull a Dan Swano and make the entire album one single track.
Oh yeah and....
NEW FLAMING LIPS WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU TROGLODYTES MORE EXCITED??!?!
well christmas on mars soundtrack was last year and that wasn't actually that good
as far as i know the album for this year is out in july and i don't belive it's leaked yet
i will have listened to it several times before i go and see them though *has tickets*
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I think I remember seeing somewhere (maybe even on this forum?) that Tortoise are going to release a new album this year. That might become a strong contender for album of the year, next to Mono of course!
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Oh yeah, Tortoise are putting out a new album. That is pretty cool!
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Hacride's Lazarus has just been released, and I've come to one conclusion: it's one of the strongest releases any French metal band has put out in a long time. *coughgojiracough* Catchier, stronger songwriting, much more dynamic, more technical while still retaining a high amount of coherence throughout. A possible contender for my top albums of this year.
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Go ahead and add in Patrick Wolf's "The Bachelor" to my top albums of '09. It took a full listen or two for it to really sink in its teeth, but good God. Has it ever.
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Andrew Bird's Noble Beast is probably the only thing I've heard enough of and loved enough of to have a pretty certain spot on my list.
(Sorry DOOM, Batty Boys was a dealbreaker)
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Seaworthy - 1897
A series of ambient guitar pieces mixed, matched, paired and complemented with field recordings taken in and around an old ammunition depot. Seaworthy is like a less distorted version of Eluvium (sort of) in that he uses primarily a guitar and some simple looping techniques to produce complex and wonderful songs.
Have you heard his first album? If so, how does it compare?
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And only albums I've heard released this year that I thought were good were Junior Boys and that collection of DJ Koze remixes.
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Really? I thought the latest Junior Boys was pretty uninspired. Then again I've never been a big fan of theirs.
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I'm enjoying the new Bat For Lashes.
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Seaworthy - 1897
A series of ambient guitar pieces mixed, matched, paired and complemented with field recordings taken in and around an old ammunition depot. Seaworthy is like a less distorted version of Eluvium (sort of) in that he uses primarily a guitar and some simple looping techniques to produce complex and wonderful songs.
Have you heard his first album? If so, how does it compare?
The earliest album of his I've heard is 'Map in Hand.' I've never heard 'It's Humbling When Two Saints Meet' or 'Backwoods Architecture' so I can't comment on those. As far as '1897' vs.' 'Map in Hand,' however, I'd definitely go for the former. There's more of an emphasis of electronics in the new one, along with field recordings and more clear guitar work. It's a bit more minimal overall and more melancholy. As beautiful as 'Map in Hand' was, this new one is more interesting and dynamic.
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Guys that Phoenix Album really is fucking incredible. Like, probably the best record I've heard this year, and definitely the most instantly amazing. So many perfect tracks, such good pop music.
Look, here's a mediafire link to it. Listen to this dang album, y'all, if you haven't already. Then go buy their albums, and see them live, and support them so they keep making awesome records like this.
hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?dw2otkoji5z
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The earliest album of his I've heard is 'Map in Hand.' I've never heard 'It's Humbling When Two Saints Meet' or 'Backwoods Architecture' so I can't comment on those. As far as '1897' vs.' 'Map in Hand,' however, I'd definitely go for the former. There's more of an emphasis of electronics in the new one, along with field recordings and more clear guitar work. It's a bit more minimal overall and more melancholy. As beautiful as 'Map in Hand' was, this new one is more interesting and dynamic.
Haha, whoops, 'Map In Hand' was his first album as far as I knew. ;) Thanks for the comments - I picked up 'Map In Hand' basically because I'm a huge fanboy for the label it was on and was a bit disappointed. I'll definitely look into the new one, though.
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Really? I thought the latest Junior Boys was pretty uninspired. Then again I've never been a big fan of theirs.
Took about 5 listens to really start enjoying it, which is probably 4 more chances than most non-fanboys would give it.
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I'm still really enjoying the new AC Newman album.
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So far this year I've really enjoyed quite a few albums.
The new Decemberists has been a bit disappointing, but I need to give that another listen. Otherwise it doesn't belong on my list.
Out of nowhere, I've really been enjoying the new Thermals album.
Otherwise, here's a list of my own recommendations.
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (This album has one of the best opening few tracks I've heard in a while.)
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I don't know if I just haven't listened to many good things this year but the only albums I'm really loving (and by that I mean at least one listen per day) are Sholi's debut and the These Estates EP.
Seriously. Both of those are absolutely terrific. Good on you Johnny!
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I think the album that's made me want to be 16 and thinking that music is the most important thing in the world ever again so far this year is "Hey Everyone" by Dananananaykroyd. It's a collision of so much stuff all thrown together in such an amazingly energetic and downright fun way I can't help but want to dance like a big idiot to it every time I hear it, even though I haven't been a teenager for the best part of a decade now. Like Los Campesinos, they're almost so fashionable it hurts, but also like Los Campesinos they're also so fucking good with it I can't hold their stupid modern hair and skinny jeans and baggy 80s t-shirts against them.
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I like the new God dethroned album (Passiondale) and the new Eluveitie.
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I think the album that's made me want to be 16 and thinking that music is the most important thing in the world ever again so far this year is "Hey Everyone" by Dananananaykroyd
this basically sounds like los campesinos making a mclusky record and it's really highly recommended
as is the new future of the left record, holy goddamn shit
(darkavenger thanks!! thanks)
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the new future of the left record, holy goddamn shit
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the new future of the left record, holy goddamn shit
Holy FUCK this is amazing.
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In addition to re-iterating the HOLY SHIT NEW FUTURE OF THE LEFT..I'd like to add.
HOLY SHIT NEW SONIC YOUTH!! The Eternal is hilariously good.
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More like Sonic Yuck, amiright?!?
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I've only had a chance to listen to it once, but I really enjoyed Sleepdrunk Season by Hjaltalín. Sure, it's probably hopelessly derivative of other Icelandic bands (particularly Múm), but it's really well done with some interesting and unusual instrumentation. I've only listened to it through speakers so far, but I bet it sounds gorgeous through headphones.
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More like Sonic Yuck, amiright?!?
Absolutely right.
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Holy FUCK this is amazing.
record of the year material as per usual, thanks again andy falkous
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HOLY SHIT NEW SONIC YOUTH!! The Eternal is hilariously good.
YAYYYYY!
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I've only had a chance to listen to it once, but I really enjoyed Sleepdrunk Season by Hjaltalín. Sure, it's probably hopelessly derivative of other Icelandic bands (particularly Múm), but it's really well done with some interesting and unusual instrumentation. I've only listened to it through speakers so far, but I bet it sounds gorgeous through headphones.
LOVED them at a local festival a few weeks ago.
Going by the promo blurb I was expecting Efterklang playing indie pop/twee, which wasn't too far off the mark. Hjaltalín also have 7 or 8 people on stage playing all sorts of instruments with some odd choices like the bassoon. And while their usual fare is a bit more subdued then Efterklang's they can play the grandiose as well.
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Here's some that I've enjoyed so far in rough order. Fairly generic list, bit oh well:
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright
The Antlers - Hospice
IAMX - Kingdom of the Welcome Addiction
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimist (is there a quality leak of this yet?)
Antony & the Johnsons - The Crying Light
Giuseppe Ielasi - Aix
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
Nels Cline - Coward
The Dream - Love vs Money
Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free
Balmorhea - All Is Wild, All Is Silent
Sholi - Sholi
M. Ward - Hold Time
Paper Route - Absence
St. Vincent - Actor
Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future
Joker's Daughter - The Last Laugh
Yagya - Rigning
P.O.S. - Never Better
Radio Moscow - Brain Cycles
Metric - Fantasies
Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Old Money
Zu - Carboniferous
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Oh also, again I've only listened to it once (I've done a bejiggerload of C.D. shopping the last week) but I really loved the new Casiotone For the Painfully Alone album. The actual album of new songs that's just come out, not the rarities compilation or the soundtrack C.D. that came out earlier in the year. Owen Ashworth seems to have strengthened his story-telling even more so than on Etiquette (which I think is a superb album) and increased the scope of his writing, too. Great stuff!
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DANANANANAYKROYD IS FUCKING INSANE I LOVE IT
Also the Phoenix album is wonderful. And Röyksopp is currently my number one.
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Holy FUCK this is amazing.
record of the year material as per usual, thanks again andy falkous
I'm seriously considering Travels With Myself as maybe the best thing Falkous has done. Real tawk.
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I would also like to throw my hat into the "OH MAN TRAVELS WITH MYSELF LATEST IS SO FUCKING GOOD" circle.
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So guys, The Eternal is pretty awesome.
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I really really like Passion Pit - Manners
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So, Agalloch should have an album out this year. They said that they were working on it, and should be recording once they got back from their spring tour. That ended in march, so it should be in progress now.
of course, in case it doesn't, none of you know where I live, so I should be good.
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I actually enjoyed Thursday's "Common Existence" a hell of a lot more than I expected to. I loved Full Collapse and then pretty much ignored everything that came after it, and now I think that Common Existence is way better than anything they've ever done.
Also - my list of records I have purchased so far:
William Elliot Whitmore - Animals In The Dark
Dalek - Gutter Tactics
Buried Inside - Spoils Of Failure
Tombs - Winter Hours
Thursday - Common Existence
The new Isis should be pretty rad, Converge has a new one coming out, B Dolan is putting out an all hip-hop record, and freaking Coalesce!!! Holy shit yes!
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Bob Dylan is putting out an all hip-hop record
This is what I saw.
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Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella.
GET THIS ALBUM IF YOU HAVE ANY SENSE! IT'S INCREDIBLE!
Sorry, I'm musicgasming over this currently.
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Things I'm looking forward to:
King Midas Sound - the 12" from last year was absolutely fantastic, admittedly at least in part by having Dabrye and Flying Lotus remixing...
David Sylvian - this time he's collabing with members of AMM. Should be insane.
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The new Clues album is superbly good. One of the most frantic, fun, exuberant albums I've heard in a while. Clues is a bunch of Canadian musicians including that guy Brendan who used to be in Arcade Fire and Alden Ginger aka one of the singers from The Unicorns. I was fortunate enough to book them on their first show of their first actual tour outside on Montreal and they're really great people and put on an amazing live show. Seriously, it was one of the best I saw last year. Anyway, their new album is brilliant and they're on tour so go see them!
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New Mute Math (August) and Mew (June?) are what I'm most intrigued to see, and to a lesser extent The Mars Volta (June) and Muse (September).
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Looking forward to:
Eluvium
Is there a new album confirmed that I didn't hear about?
edit: ack, double post. my boarding skills are nowhere to be seen today
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Yes. Yes there is.
On another note, I heard a track off the new Tortoise album. It's....awful. Absolutely god awful. That makes me sad.
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I really really like Passion Pit - Manners
Oh yeah. Definitely.
I just downloaded a leak of the new Black Moth Super Rainbow, "Eating Us". Hoping it's good, but I won't get a chance to listen to listen to it until tonight. FINGERS CROSSED.
ETA: going through as much as I can at the bus station. So far, so awesome.
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I will definitely have to agree that Travels With Myself and Another has been the best thing I've heard so far this year. I'm really looking forward to Hockey's debut album Mind Chaos. If you haven't heard these guys, check them out now.
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Passion Pit - Manners
Oh yessssssssssssss
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Amadou & Mariam - Welcome to Mali, and Hecq - Steeltongue have both recently entered my top ten, and from the sound of it so far, The Field may have a shot. Dredg and Passion Pit are both sounding pretty good too.
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The following albums/artists/compilations are ones I expect to wind up in my year end top 50 list along with others and in no order:
Clues, MONO, Mirrored Silver Sea, Grizzly Bear, Fanfarlo, The Alps, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Last Days, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, If These Trees Could Talk, Seaworthy, Hildur Gudnasdottir, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, 65daysofstatic, Jasper TX, Eluvium, Riceboy Sleeps, Ilyas Ahmed, Elfin Saddle, Do Make Say Think, Anonymeye, Sunset Rubdown, Deer Tick, Rock Plaza Central, Iron and Wine, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Isis, Wilco, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Klimt 1918, Concern, Dan Deacon, Eluder, Library Tapes, Passeridae Subscription Series, Grouper 7"s
It's been/going to continue being a good year for music methinks.
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So the first single (http://hypem.com/track/813728/Sarah+Blasko+-+All+I+Want) from Sarah Blasko's new album is pretty good. I'll definitely be picking it up when it's out.
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(http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/wilcothealbum.gif)
No, seriously. That's the cover for "Wilco (The Album)". GOD I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS THING.
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The new Tortoise album just leaked (in 320kbps), and GODDAMN does it rule. It's going to take a few more listens for it to totally sink in, but I can already tell it's up there on the list for this year.
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WILCO
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WILCO
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the new Riverboat Gamblers album ("Underneath the Owl"), is pretty awesome. i picked it up today, was pretty dissappointed on first listen, and after three more listens, it's really REALLY grown on me. the whole slowing-down thing takes some getting used to, but aside from "Sleepless" (a bit of a stinker if i'm being honest), it's a pretty solid album.
EDIT: a few more listens, and even "Sleepless" has grown on me! Still the worst track on there, but still not one I'd want to skip.
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WILCO
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The new Riceboy Sleeps album leaked. Although it's apparently an unmastered version, it's still really beautiful. It's very ambient but in a really warm, organic kind of way. Will most likely find its way into my top ten at year's end.
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I was hoping it would leak.
(for those of you who don't know, it's Jonsi from Sigur Ros and his boyfriend Alex, who plays with Parachutes (who put out one of my favorite EPs of 2008)
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CAM'RON
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I said no such fucking thing, you lying sack of Mod shit.
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WILCO!
(THE ALBUM)
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I might actually like it even more if they had an exclamation in there.
that said, "One Wing" is my favorite song ever, pretty much.
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I have new favorite Top Album of 2009.
(http://threeimaginarygirls.com/files/imagecache/review_images/files/policeteeth09-04.jpg)
It's by a band called Police Teeth and it is called Real Size Monster Series. If the band name and song names ("I Made Out With You Before You Were Cool", "Bob Stinson Will Have His Revenge on Ferndale") don't hook you in, the music certainly will. They describe themselves as "If you're over 25: The Wipers meets Superchunk. If you're under 25: Hot Snakes meets The Thermals" or as their review in Three Imaginary Girls says, "post-working class-punk".
They are also really awesome live.
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I really really like Passion Pit - Manners
Hell yes. This plus Royksopp's Junior are my two favourites at the moment. I have Fever Ray and Tiga's Ciao Ciao, but on first listen neither grabbed me. I am gonna give them some more time over the next couple weeks.
I'm also grabbing a bunch of other stuff people have said sound good. Haven't been keeping up with new releases lately.
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Police Teeth Album
i'm intrigued... would you be so awesome as to up that in the m-fire thread?
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I'd like to, but honestly I don't think it'd be appreciated by the band members--they are on tour after all and could use the dough (plus they have "Unauthorized duplication makes Baby Jesus cry" on the back cover).
I mean maybe I could up it for a few days and then take it off, but even then I would feel uneasy.
I will, however, put up a link to their Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/policeteeth).
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"If you're over 25: The Wipers meets Superchunk. If you're under 25: Hot Snakes meets The Thermals" or as their review in Three Imaginary Girls says, "post-working class-punk".
I'm sold! Where can I find this?
EDIT: Was ninja'ed, thanks for the MySpace link.
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God damnit that Pheonix album is good. Same with Passion Pit. Especially if you enjoy fun or dancing.
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Tommy and I are enthralled by Black Cock (http://blackcock.bandcamp.com/). Theirs is one of the best records this year.
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Tommy and I are enthralled by Black Cock (http://blackcock.bandcamp.com/). Theirs is one of the best records this year.
Heh, was surprised to read the two of you enthusing about a duo who do edits of 70s disco... but I see this is a different Black Cock. :) Weirdly, they have a song called 'Harvey's Machine' and DJ Harvey is one half of the Black Cock I was thinking of.
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I like the other Black Cock too, but this album is incredible.
Sorry to do a poop on everyone's favourite album apparently but I don't think the new Wilco record is album of the year! It's pretty good and a lot less boring than Sky Blue Sky but it still has the same problem which is that Wilco have become too comfortable as a six-piece live band and therefore aren't as interested in pushing their own envelope in the studio, instead just kind of hoping that Cline and some electric piano will fill out their sound. The only difference is that Cline isn't being lazy on this record, so it sounds up to scratch.
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My choice as of now would either go to :
Passion Pit : Manners
Japandroids : Post-Nothing
Dan Deacon : Bromst
Even though we all know that everyone major is going to say Merriwether Post Pavilion or Veckatimest.
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A few days ago I grabbed some new stuff from Phoenix, Wilco, Whitest Boy Alive, Antony and the Johnsons, Metric, Animal Collective, Junior Boys and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
I have since deleted Wilco, Whitest Boy Alive, Antony and the Johnsons and the Junior Boys because they are all boring as hell.
Phoenix is a lot of fun and is getting a lot of play. Animal Collective is impressive but not something I am gonna listen to all the time. Metric is ok and I still haven't listened to it enough, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs album is really patchy and I'm still trying to make up my mind about it.
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I really like the Whitest Boy Alive album! It is a "mood album" because it is so chilled and loungey but it is absolutely perfect for that mood.
Est have you heard the Yuksek album? I think you would really enjoy it.
God damnit that Pheonix album is good. Same with Passion Pit. Especially if you enjoy fun or dancing.
I posted about liking the Passion Pit record on Facebook and one of my friends expressed surprise that I would like music like that. I like fun, honest!
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i would say the new mono except it seems like too much of a gimme. best-of lists tend to get very long and i suspect a lot of them are basically "this is a list of every single album that came out this year that i would give higher than a 7 on the pitchfork scale".
so with that in mind, the pains of being pure at heart. they're not original, yet they are. it is an album i can't stop listening to.
same with the horrors. first album was okay, but primary colours does a fantastic job, being as self-consciously dark and haircut as the cure but without irony or a sense of "we're doing this just to go over the last 30 years of british post-punk". their hearts are in the right places.
i am happy to report that i like the new eminem as much as his classic stuff (marshall mathers, eminem show). though he lacks lyrical diversity (the whole album is pretty much about valium/benzos with the occasional lindsay lohan reference) he's proven that he can still flow well, though i hate the weird accent he uses on a couple tracks. the one about being molested by his stepfather is amazing, very dark.
still catching up on '08 albums so that's all i can think of offhand.
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I've been given new records by The Mars Volta, Billy Talent and Sonic Youth to review. In a word, in order, they are awesome, meh and decent.
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The Eternal is a mindblower. The Crying Light is a really remarkable album even if it's not an urgent one, and Antony's songcraft hasn't been finer. That Japandroids record kicks a ton of ass. Merriweather Post Pavilion doesn't do anything for me. Okay these are my opinions about albums posted on this page.
EDIT: It's Blitz is really good, Fantasies basically wishes it was It's Blitz, and I can't get over Passion Pit guy's Mercury Rev impression, it just grates on me.
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what i've heard so far from the new manic street preachers album has been badass.
oh wait, i forgot, they're not an obscurer-than-thou shitty indie/disco/other-shite band, so i guess i shouldn't be talking about them on here...
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Jeez, most of the repeat names in this thread are listened to by a lot of people.
last.fm stats:
Manic Street Preachers: 534,528 listeners
Animal Collective: 482,249 listeners
Phoenix: 414,249 listeners
Mono: 261,375 listeners
Passion Pit: 103,078 listeners
Good on you for being honest about what you think even if you think it's unpopular here, but it'd be cooler without the snarky aside.
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If the new Ilyas Ahmed doesn't make my top ten this year, it'll be one of the best years for music that I can recall personally. It's a really, really good album.
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Good on you for being honest about what you think even if you think it's unpopular here, but it'd be cooler without the snarky aside.
Meh, sometimes it's easier to be a dick ahead of time.
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I am getting the Yuksek album now, Dovey, danke.
Also, I am kind of expecting a couple of tracks from Manners to get remixes, they just sound really prime for it. If I had any skill at all in that area it'd already be done.
edit: http://www.dailyrindblog.com/passionpit.html
That is one of the songs I was expecting, along with Folds in your Hands. So uh, woo?
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On the other hand, all those remixes are shit.
Booooo.
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Bell Orchestre's As seen through windows has been on repeat for the last couple of days. It's been a grower, but it's really good stuff for catching up on some reading, so there you go.
On that Yuksek album: I liked Tonight quite a bit but don't really remember anything else from it.
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A Top Ten so far might look something like this:
10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
9. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
8. Elfin Saddle -Ringing for the Begin Again
7. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
6. Mirrored Silver Sea - Continual Ascension
5. Concern - Truth and Distance
4. MONO - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
3. Riceboy Sleeps - S/T
2. Ilyas Ahmed - Goner
1. Clues - S/T
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The halfway through the 9th year of the 1st decade of the 21st Century Top 10:
10) Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
9) Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
8 ) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Self Titled
7) Matt & Kim - Grand
6) Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5) The Felice Brothers - Yonder is the Clock
4) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
3) Sonic Youth - The Eternal
2) Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
1) The Thermals - Now We Can See
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Also, I am kind of expecting a couple of tracks from Manners to get remixes, they just sound really prime for it. If I had any skill at all in that area it'd already be done.
edit: http://www.dailyrindblog.com/passionpit.html
That is one of the songs I was expecting, along with Folds in your Hands. So uh, woo?
There's some more stuff over here, legit free downloads etc. http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Passion_Pit/music
Don't like the band, so dunno what's new to you...
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And some more remixes here (http://hypem.com/#/search/passion%20pit%20remix/1/). Calvin Harris' is okay I guess.
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Passion Pit, Phoenix, God Help The Girl, Fever Ray, Junior Boys, are topping it off for me so far.
Wilco is good but not AOTY material.
Really it's the fuccin phoenix record.
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(http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8890/yesterdayxtodaythefield.jpg) (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=yesterdayxtodaythefield.jpg)
I don't know if anybody is into IDM, but The Field (Axel Willner) puts out some nice IDM. If you're not into ambient or repetitive music, this may not be for you, but I loved his first two albums (From Here We Go Sublime and Sound of Light EP). If you guys just want to put on some music to just chill out to, I would check out all of his albums, but his new album is a little different from what I expected. It has what I think to be a darker sound than it's predecessors, but this album seems more soothing to me overall, and I've really been digging this album now. My favorite album in 2009, right next to Telefon Tel Aviv's Immolate Yourself.
MSTRKRFT's Fist of God was pretty good too, but not quite as good as the first album (The Looks).
There's not many new albums I've been listening to, but once I do, there will hopefully be more than 3 albums on my list. I'm waiting for Jamiroquai to release their new album soon. I heard they're releasing that in late summer, so that'll defiantly be on the waiting list.
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Yeah, the dude actually figured out how to make his bass thump a bit more and it makes the last few songs on that album pretty pleasantly surprising.
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The Field- Yesterday and Today
So, this is out/leaked? Yay!
Fist of God was pretty freakin' mediocre except for a few tracks to me.
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I also had no idea that the Field album was out there. And it is awesome.
Fever Ray is still the album of the year decade ever though.
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Fist of God was pretty freakin' mediocre except for a few tracks to me.
Yeah it was basically just bloghouse with raps but neither element was particularly well-executed.
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I think it's too early to make a list, but the Wilco album certainly won't be there -- unless, it's a really bad year.
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Man, Veckatimest is really dull.
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Really? I'd rank it in my top 5 records this year. "Southern Point" is probabably my favorite opener so far on a Grizzly Bear album.
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Yeah, the spirit of the album feels half-baked but the arrangements seem over done. It's sprawling in a way that it washes over you, but doesn't envelop. Some great singles in there but then again that's what I thought of Yellow Room and now I love it. This is definitely going to be a grower.
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My top 10
Hatcham Social - You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil
DD/MM/YYYY - Black Square
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Morrissey - Years of Refusal
Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself
Fever Ray
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Vs. Children
This year is amazing so far.
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Reservoir by Fanfarlo. Best album I have heard in years. Seriously. Like, Beirut and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire and everything all rolled into one. But actually really as good as that ought to be, and not in an overhyped, media-ish way. "The Walls Are Coming Down" is as good a song as you'll ever hear. Really.
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Reservoir by Fanfarlo. Best album I have heard in years. Seriously. Like, Beirut and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire and everything all rolled into one. But actually really as good as that ought to be, and not in an overhyped, media-ish way. "The Walls Are Coming Down" is as good a song as you'll ever hear. Really.
Holy fuck. Why haven't I heard these guys before?
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Reservoir by Fanfarlo. Best album I have heard in years. Seriously. Like, Beirut and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire and everything all rolled into one. But actually really as good as that ought to be, and not in an overhyped, media-ish way. "The Walls Are Coming Down" is as good a song as you'll ever hear. Really.
Holy fuck. Why haven't I heard these guys before?
That was exactly my reaction too.
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I heard a free song from them on RCRDLBL.com earlier in the week and thought "Holy fuck. Has the singer from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah started a new band?" Further investigation proves me wrong...
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I just tracked down the fifth and final installment of the vinyl only limited edition remix series of Genghis Tron's 'Board Up the House.' This was a series where different labels put out a record containing a couple remixes each from various artists on the given label. The final one comes from Crucial Blast and has a remix by Tim Hecker and one by Nadja and one other band I haven't heard of. It's so, so good and chock full of awesome, heavy distortion. Cool stuff indeed and probably will end up on my list at year's end somewhere.
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i'm on my first proper listen of Devin Townsend's "Ki" and if the rest of the album holds up as well as these first few tracks, it could well be up with the best of this year!
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I just got the the new Mika Miko album, We be Xuxa. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
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My list updated:
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright
Hecq - Steeltongued
The Antlers - Hospice
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Amadou and Mariam - Welcome to Mali
Maudlin of the Well - Part the Second
James Blackshaw - The Glass Bead Game
IAMX - Kingdom of the Welcome Addiction
I might switch Decemberists and Mastodon, and IAMX, Grizzly Bear, Fever Ray and Antony are all really close.
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OK, now heard 4 albums from this year I think are good.
Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
DJ Koze - Reincarnations
Lawrence English - A Colour For Autumn
J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
If it gets to the end of the year and there haven't been 10 albums I like more than that Junior Boys one I'll be disappointed. It's not that good. Neither is the Dilla one, really, it's more a pleasant surprise that it's not quite shit. :)
Have a feeling that both the Seaworthy and Pillow Diver albums released this year will be pretty decent.
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Damn it! New Eluvium album was pushed back to early next year :-( There is an original film score that might get released by Matthew Cooper so that's something that might tide me over. Of course, I was a little worried about deciding if I liked the new Riceboy Sleeps album more than a new Eluvium album on my end of the year list and now I don't have to so that's sort of good.
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^ This year should be a good year for ambient.
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Already has been! Riceboy Sleeps, almost everything off Sound&Fury (Paseridae, Mirrored Silver Sea, Felicity Mangan, Pefkin ect. ect.), that new Concern album, an album by Barn Owl, a new 7" by Starving Weirdos, a new Metal Rouge album, a Taiga Remains/RV Paintings split LP, Belong's 'October Language' on vinyl, that awesome Glass Armonica album by Zach Wallace, a new Ilyas Ahmed album, a new Sylvain Chaveau album...oh yeah and new albums by Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Hildur Gudnasdottir, Library Tapes, Seaworthy, Eluder, Jasper TX, The Alps...probably a whole lot more too I'm just not thinking of/aware of.
Point is, you're right. But I still wanted a new Eluvium album.
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My first few favorite albums this year:
Dredg-The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Dream Theater-Black Clouds & Silver Linings
The Mars Volta-Octahedron
Bruce Springsteen-Working on a Dream
Gonna be checking out Chickenfoot and a few others and see how those fare.
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Belong's 'October Language' on vinyl
Where where where I want this.
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Guys, the new Dirty Projectors album is ace. Bitte Orca guys, Bitte Orca.
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Bitte Orca guys, Orca Bitte.
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Belong's 'October Language' on vinyl
Where where where I want this.
http://www.geographic-north.com/
180g vinyl, only $13. Sure to be packaged nicely too if the handful of previous GN releases are any indication.
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why even start this thread now? the new Rammstein album is coming out in october...
Yes, I am a R+ fan and a convicted arson
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The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Steve Carter - Signal Fire
The Beach Boys - Summer Love Songs (yes, it's a compilation but it includes new remixes)
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why even start this thread now? the new Rammstein album is coming out in october...
Yes, I am a R+ fan and a convicted arson
...wow
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Some new considerations, in no particular order:
IQ - "Frequency"
British prog rockers who do not focus so much on technical skill. Instead, their INCREDIBLE vocalist and very talented musicians build a symphonic, emotional wall of sound. It's pretty intesne, so check it out. Great stuff.
Jessie Kilguss - "Nocturnal Drifter"
A truly wonderful cabaret-style singer/songwriter who no one has listened to yet. Her lyrics are pointed and powerful, and her entire album is a strange smattering of MANY genres all which seem to blend well to her beautiful, passionate voice.
Grant Campbell - "Expecting Great Things"
Grant Cambell has a rich and beautiful baritone voice. It's not often you find a baritone singing folk/acoustic-rock songs, but MAN does this guy nail it perfectly. In addition to a fabulous singing voice, his lyrics and songs are great. "Fingerpicked acoustic guitar underscores his expressive, Waits-like gravelly vocals in songs of emotional catharsis, fear of loneliness, spiritual bravery, adult responsibility and, of course, the sought-after redemption of love." This is truly the beginning of a fantastic artist, CHECK HIM OUT.
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Belong's 'October Language' on vinyl
Where where where I want this.
http://www.geographic-north.com/
180g vinyl, only $13. Sure to be packaged nicely too if the handful of previous GN releases are any indication.
Thanks! Will order one ASAP.
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Guys, the new Dirty Projectors album is ace. Bitte Orca guys, Bitte Orca.
You should listen to this guy.
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How does the latest Dirty Projectors compare to their other albums? Had strong recommendations circa The Getty Address but didn't enjoy that one much. Same kind of sound?
Also, didn't that Belong album come out in 2007?
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The two most recent Dirty Projectors records have been more full-band affairs, and they've also been more concerned with actual songs - the interesting textures remain but the melodies and structures are a lot more accessible.
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^ Full-band sounds like a point against, but actual songs are always a plus. :)
Just read an interview where the main guy was raving about Mariah Carey and Beyonce, which for me is definitely several points in the Dirty Projectors' favour. Will investigate...
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KEXP gave me a track off of the new Eels record. It's actually really good.
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^ Full-band sounds like a point against
Weird opinion, man. They excel as a live act, so why wouldn't they try to replicate that on record?
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Basically, when it comes to albums, I tend to enjoy almost anything over recordings of a (typical line-up) band playing.
Tend to.
But, reading back, you wrote nothing about what the "full band" line up is, what the arrangements are like, etc. so I'm probably off leaping to assumptions that they've taken out what I did find interesting about The Getty Address.
Either way, I'll go listen to the damn thing and stop writing purely academic stuff about my theoretical chances of liking a record. :wink:
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I don't know what the general consensus about this band is but if Alexisonfire's Old Crows/Young Cardinals was a a bit more consistent it would definitely be top 5 material. As it is the first half is pretty unmemorable, and the second half kicks out the jams.
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I used to like AOF a lot but Crisis was severely disappointing. If you're looking for a more consistent record, try either the self-titled or Watch Out!
The "full band" lineup on Bitte Orca runs the gamut from like three guitars, bass and drums to acoustic guitar and string section.
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Listening to Pestilence's Resurrection Macabre, so far it's satisfying my need for fast brutal technical death metal nicely. A little formulaic however. Definitely not going to be one of my favourites.
Next on my list to check out: Atheist.
Should be mindblowingly good. If only they would hurry up and finish the fucker.
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EELS
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Just a guess: The new Black Heart Procession album will be awesome.
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Guys guys we can give up this silly search.
Regina Spektor.
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so far
Les Trucs - Schönen Gruß vom Getriebe
Gtuk - Illusions to the Max
Crystal Antlers - Tentacles
Artefacts For Space Travel - S/T
Americans In France - Pretzelvania
Neils Children - X.ENC
Intelligence - Fake Surfers
Wavves - Wavvves
hopefully soon
The Fuck Hornisschen Orchestra - Von Fohlen und Wäldern
The Ruling Class - ?
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not in any particular order
Ida Maria - Fortress round my heart
how has no one mentioned this yet? this is such a great album. such a great debut album, I really hope she goes somewhere
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
I thought this was their best offering in a long time, not that the other stuff was bad, I just thought this was better
Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
I love this guy, and I played this album for days when it came out.
Morrissey - Years of Refusal
I love Morrissey... that's all there really is to this one haha.
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Definitely Wavering Radiant, and probably Crack the Skye, unless a lot of mind-blowing music is released between now and 2010. Which wouldn't suck.
I keep coming back to the Amesoeurs album, so that just might end up being one.
The new Wolves in the Throne Room album will almost certainly earn the coveted Made Me Cry award.
And both Pelican and Agalloch might release records later this year. And I mean, if you're going to put something on a list, it might as well be an album by one of these guys.
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That Amesoeurs record is pretty good.
The new Dino Jr. record is ace, it's like choice cut after choice cut.
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I've been giving these the most spins, especially the first two.
1. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs
2. maudlin of the Well - Part the Second
3. Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country
4. Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
5. Kylesa - Static Tensions
New Kylesa takes the cake for best sludge metal so far, shit's punk.
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...Elfin Saddle, Do Make Say Think, Anonymeye, Sunset Rubdown,...
Holy shit, I got so excited when I saw that I signed into this account after like a year away to look for info but it looks like nothing's been released/confirmed yet?
They're pretty much my favourite band ever.
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Yeah, no confirmations but I did hear a reliable rumor a while back. Forget the source but I know it was legit...doesn't mean this'll happen for sure but it would be nice! Although I'd honestly rather have a new album by The Drift.
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Maybe people were talking about Ohad's solo album that came out under the name Years?
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No, it was DMST. And it wasn't just people but someone involved with Constellation or something. Like I said, may have been he was mistaken or it got delayed or whatever.
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I used to like AOF a lot but Crisis was severely disappointing. If you're looking for a more consistent record, try either the self-titled or Watch Out!
i don't get this line of thinking at all. the first one was too immature - just fairly lame screamo with a few odd highlights. watch out was too dallas-heavy and a bit directionless. crisis was where they hit a balance between the two, and hit their stride.
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the first one was unflinchingly aggressive and the second one had an extremely broad sonic canvas. crisis was really restrictive and outside of the first two tracks, the title track and "boiled frogs" was really rickety songwriting and chock full of outright embarrassing things to be listening to. everything wade does on crisis is basically super similar to his side project which wasn't very good at all. on both crisis and what i've heard of the new one dallas is almost completely uninterested in what the rest of the band is doing, whereas on the first two records his vocals were complements to the others'.
i'd rather have a directionless album that is nevertheless filled with killer tunes and full of momentum - that's a record i can come back to. sorry!
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Why are we all not rejoicing over Black Cock >:|
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wat
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tommy and i did earlier in the thread!
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In Melbourne there are two brothers named Oliver Mann and Paddy Mann. They are both singer-songwriters. Oliver Mann sings dramatic songs that take in elements of folk, rock, classical chamber music, and opera, all performed in an incredible and rich voice that is usually a baritone but sometimes rises up to a beautiful tenor falsetto. He has released two excellent albums.
Paddy Mann records under the name Grand Salvo and while his music is more traditionally folky-singer-songwriterish than his brother's, it's no less beautiful and affecting. He's just released a new album, his fifth, entitled Soil Creatures, and it's absolutely beautiful. Delicate, restrained, and superbly crafted low-key folk-pop-with-strings.
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You guys really all need to listen to the Smith Westerns self titled record.
In fact, fucc it, here it is.
hxxp://www.mediafire.com/?24mwjtwromm
This is probably top 10 for me, currently, maybe top 5, maybe top 3 with Phoenix and Dirty Projectors.
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Oh my god you fools download and listen to that record, fucc.
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I will in about an hour or so.
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I'm obviously the odd man out here but good lord is that Dirty Projectors album borderline unlistenable. Honestly, I can't really think of any redeeming qualities for it.
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You guys really all need to listen to the Smith Westerns self titled record.
I gave it a listen. Didn't wow me immediately.
I'll give it more time later on in the day.
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Mid-year Top Albums List - In no particular order, just the ten best records I've purchased this year.
*dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
*Buried Inside - Spoils Of Failure
*Dalek - Gutter Tactics
*William Elliot Whitmore - Animals In The Dark
*Kylesa - Static Tensions
*mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright
*Thursday - Common Existence
*ISIS - Wavering Radient
*Zao - Awake?
*Narrows - New Distances
The new mewithoutYou record currently holds top pick as my album of the year, although with a new Converge record out later this fall, that's likely to change. Unless Converge fails HARD for me, I'm expecting them as my top pick. Gotta grab the new Coalesce yet, and a couple others are expected out later, so I have no idea how this list will ultimately end.
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That Smith Western album is ace. Go download it.
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I'm obviously the odd man out here but good lord is that Dirty Projectors album borderline unlistenable. Honestly, I can't really think of any redeeming qualities for it.
I don't think it's unlistenable but damn if I find it annoying as hell.
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liking a lot of different stuff
placebo: battle for the sun
kasabian: the long-named one
and more recently new mos def and wilco albums
mainly though i've been discovering 'oldies'
new muse album though :-o
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Man, you had me thinking the Muse album had leaked >:(
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LISTY LIST
Albums:
Regina Spektor- Far
Eleventh He Reaches London- Hollow Be My Name
Future of the Left- Travels With Myself and Another
Yuksek- Away From the Sea
Passion Pit- Manners
Alexisonfire- Old Crows/Young Cardinals
The Whitest Boy Alive- Rules
Neil Young- Fork in the Road
Mastodon- Crack The Skye
Karnivool- Sound Awake
Lonely Island- Incredibad
The Field- Yesterday and Today
A Death in the Family- Small Town Stories
The Decemberists- The Hazards of Love
Amosouers- Amosouers
The Devil & Abbe May- Hoodoo You Do
Isis- Wavering Radiant
Kylesa- Static Tensions
MSTRKRFT- Fist of God
EPs:
Toehider- Not Much of a Man
Sleepmakeswaves & Tangled Thoughts of Leaving- Split
Pelican- Ephemeral
Stuff that I haven't heard yet.:
Heirs- Alchera
Devin Townsend- Ki
Gallows- Grey Britain
Lamb of God- Wrath
Pure Reason Revolution- Amor Vincit Omnia (I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THIS EXISTED UNTIL JUST NOW FFFFFFF)
Darkest Hour- The Eternal Return
Killswitch Engage- Killswitch Engage
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Looking forward to new OM in september.
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Probably generic as fuck, but here goes:
"Merriweather Post Pavillion" - Animal Collective
"Swoon" - Silversun Pickups
"It's Blitz" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
s/t - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
"Veckatimest" - Grizzly Bear
"Incredibad" - The Lonely Island
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Yeah, no confirmations but I did hear a reliable rumor a while back. Forget the source but I know it was legit...doesn't mean this'll happen for sure but it would be nice! Although I'd honestly rather have a new album by The Drift.
A new DMST would really be awesome, but I second your statement about The Drift, given how great Memory Drawings is and that I find You, You're A History in Rust the weakest album by DMST by far.
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West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is my favourite this year, without a doubt. :mrgreen:
Then again....Editors, Muse and Paramore are still to come... :evil:
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Liiiiist
Neils Children - X.Enc.
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Morrissey - Years of Refusal
Matt and Kim - Grand
Venetian Snares - Filth
Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself
HEALTH - Get Color (potentially)
DD/MM/YYYY - Black Square
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Hatcham Social - You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Wavves - Wavvves
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Kap Bambino - Blacklist
Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Vs. Children
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*snip*
Pure Reason Revolution- Amor Vincit Omnia (I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THIS EXISTED UNTIL JUST NOW FFFFFFF)
*snip*
Oh yeah, that album is pretty awesome. Nothing like the Dark Third, but in this case its not necessarily a bad thing. TDT IS a million times better though. Still awesome in my book.
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Forgot "Post-Nothing"...what a fun album
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Okay seriously though guys I just can't stop listening to this new Grand Salvo album. Go have a listen to "Needles" and "Flowers" if you like acousticy stuff:
http://www.myspace.com/grandsalvo (http://www.myspace.com/grandsalvo)
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Guys. New Mew just leaked. It's incredible.
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The new Noah and the Whale just made my list.
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The debut Dead Weather album will probably be on my Top 10 or 15 list. It's a damn sexy sounding album. In the world of independent rock, so beset with copycats of copycats of already generic sounds, this album stands out as something distinct. That alone is impressive in my book.
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More evidence that a new Do Make Say Think album is coming this year: The r5 productions website lists a DMST show for November 30 in the Sanctuary of the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. Sounds to me like part of a tour to promote new material!
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The debut Dead Weather album will probably be on my Top 10 or 15 list. It's a damn sexy sounding album. In the world of independent rock, so beset with copycats of copycats of already generic sounds, this album stands out as something distinct. That alone is impressive in my book.
have you heard a record by the kills cause the dead weather record basically sounds like if that band was a full band
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Maybe it's because they have the same lead singer.
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Hey, Victor Villarreal's record Alive is pretty awesome.
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After much thought, I'd have to go with Within the Ruins' Creature.
Creature is WTR's first full length, and its brutal as all hell. Technical and deedly with sick... everything.
Suicide Silence's No Time to Bleed gets second.
Another deathcore band. Insane breakdowns. Great album.
Honorable mention goes to:
Job For A Cowboy - Ruination: The vocals are tight, but the drumming is all blastbeat. Better than Genesis but is not in the same universe as Doom.
The Crimson Armada - Guardians: I really have nothing negative to say about this album. Its great, but not face-shattering. Hopefully they get better with time.
AleStorm - Black Sails at Midnight: Pirate metal?!?!?!
Mastodon - Crack the Skye: It was good, but if I'm going to listen to Mastodon, I'm putting in Leviathan or Blood Mountain.
ABACABB - Survivalist: Out of all the band names I can never remember, this one is my favorite.
The Lonely Island - Incredibad: Yeah.
Albums I will have by the end of the year that will be super fun times:
Ensiferum - From Afar: Their bassist has LEDs in his headstock. LEDs!
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion: I did not even know a new album dropped. I need to grasp it with hands.
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have you heard a record by the kills cause the dead weather record basically sounds like if that band was a full band
crazy-ass conjecture ITT
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yeah it's sure a stretch to imagine that if the kills had a drummer and a bassist they'd sound like scuzzy dark blues-rock
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Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion: I did not even know a new album dropped.
Mmhmm, okay. :P
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I am really excited about Tim Hecker's An Imaginary Country thus far. Could very well make its way onto my year's end list.
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I gave more albums a listen. I'd say my top 5 are Merriweather Post Pavillion, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Eternal, Farm, and Post-Nothing, as good as Swoon and It's Blitz! are. Just too many good albums this year.
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I have a playlist of albums I thought worthy of listening to that have been released this year.
As of this moment, there are 89.
It is called "2009: HOLY SHIT!"
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I've yet to hear anything that tops the new Julie Doiron album. It is awesome. There are even rock songs on it.
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Oh I think I neglected to mention that We Were Promised Jetpacks' "These Four Walls" is fucking brilliant.
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I've yet to hear anything that tops the new Julie Doiron album. It is awesome. There are even rock songs on it.
She's been inching that way ever since Shotgun & Jaybird, except her rock songs still sound like Julie Doiron songs!
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My top ten, in no particular order, would have to be:
1 - Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another
2 - Owl City - Ocean Eyes
3 - The Thermals - Now We Can See
4 - Telekinesis - Telekinesis
5 - The Temper Trap - Conditions
6 - Passion Pit - Manners
7 - Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today. . .
8 - Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
9 - Montt Mardie - Skaizerkite
10 - Discovery - LP (It's trivial, but I can't help but like it)
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2 - Owl City - Ocean Eyes
i liked most of it but i dont see the point in reproducing those old songs because they really didnt improve at all from the 2nd album.
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It was his major label debut. Therefore, they probably wanted him to include all his hits for proper distribution.
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true. i guess i'm just not a fan of hearing old songs reproduced by any band in any genre since it's weird when you have listened to the original for months.
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Yeah I agree.
But the new songs are ace. "Cave In" and "Umbrella Beach" are worth the record alone.
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yeah some of the lyrics do annoy me though. dental care for instance. i feel like more people would take him seriously if he improved the lyrical department of his stuff..although i guess the childlike feel to them is sort of the point but still, it's hard to listen to a song with these lyrics:
I've been to the dentist
A thousand times, so I know the drill
I smooth my hair, sit back in the chair
but somehow I still get the chills
Have a seat
He says pleasantly
As he shakes my hand
And practically laughs at me
Open up nice and wide
He says, peering in
And with a smirk he says,
"Don't have a fit, this'll just pinch a bit"
As he tries not to grin
When hygienists leave on long vacations
That's when dentists scream and lose their patience
Golf and alcohol don't mix
And that's why I don't drink and drive
Because, good grief, I'd knock out my teeth
And hafta kiss my smile goodbye
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Not out yet but I've heard a excerpt from the new John Twells (aka Xela) and Matt Christensen (from Zelienople) collaboration on Digitalis and man is it good! Cannot wait for that to arrive. I don't see how it won't be on my Top 20 list and I wouldn't be surprised if it found its way into my top 10.
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Every time I listen to Owl City I wish I were listening to the Postal Service, and then I listen to the Postal Service.
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Anybody else an Owen fan and awaiting his new album? I pre-ordered today and I'm hoping it's going to be something awesome. Probably not an AOTY, but maybe special in its own way.
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BARONESS: Unveil Track Listing
From Baroness
Today at 06:51
BARONESS have unveiled the track listing from their forthcoming album. The complete listing for the 12 song effort is as follows: “Bullhead’s Psalm”, “The Sweetest Curse”, “Jake Leg”, “Steel That Sleeps the Eye”, “Swollen and Halo”, “Ogeechee Hymnal”, “A Horse Called Golgotha”, “O’er Hell And Hide”, “War, Wisdom and Rhyme”, “Blackpowder Orchard”, “The Gnashing”, and “Bullhead’s Lament”.
Their second full-length and follow-up to 2007’s Red Album was recorded in Dallas, TX with producer / engineer John Congleton (EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, THE POLYPHONIC SPREE, BLACK MOUNTAIN) and will see an October 2009 international release date
I haven't heard any music from this yet but Oh My God Fuck Yeah.
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Anybody else an Owen fan and awaiting his new album? I pre-ordered today and I'm hoping it's going to be something awesome. Probably not an AOTY, but maybe special in its own way.
Holy Shit, I didn't know he was putting another record out this year. Thank you, it's great news.
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BARONESS: Unveil Track Listing
From Baroness
Today at 06:51
BARONESS have unveiled the track listing from their forthcoming album. The complete listing for the 12 song effort is as follows: “Bullhead’s Psalm”, “The Sweetest Curse”, “Jake Leg”, “Steel That Sleeps the Eye”, “Swollen and Halo”, “Ogeechee Hymnal”, “A Horse Called Golgotha”, “O’er Hell And Hide”, “War, Wisdom and Rhyme”, “Blackpowder Orchard”, “The Gnashing”, and “Bullhead’s Lament”.
Their second full-length and follow-up to 2007’s Red Album was recorded in Dallas, TX with producer / engineer John Congleton (EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, THE POLYPHONIC SPREE, BLACK MOUNTAIN) and will see an October 2009 international release date
I haven't heard any music from this yet but Oh My God Fuck Yeah.
I'm interested to hear what the dude from the pAperchAse does with a metal band...his remix on the last EITS record was really good, and he's a competent producer' i'm hoping he actively adds to their sound, rather than just documenting it.
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I've yet to hear anything that tops the new Julie Doiron album. It is awesome. There are even rock songs on it.
She's been inching that way ever since Shotgun & Jaybird, except her rock songs still sound like Julie Doiron songs!
Exactly; it is so so so wonderful. Those Shotgun & Jaybird records were pretty great aswell, though.
Did you hear the Shotgun Jimmy album that came out this year? I've only gotten a chance to give it a quick listen through, but it sounded pretty good. The band is also really great live. Saw them in a cramped record store basement and they covered 'That's When I Reach For My Revolver' and it was loud and rocking and everything you want out of a Mission of Burma cover.
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Yeah, The Onlys is really great. Actually I saw them with Ladyhawk and Attack In Black on Hallowe'en and it was incredible - Shotgun Jimmie did his full set and then like five Neil Young covers and his band included Woolly Leaves (the guy from Constantines whose name I forget). Then Attack In Black did a bunch of Ramones covers. Then Duffy took his guitar off and sang at us while Attack In Black guy played his guitar. oh my god what a good concert
P.S. Joseph did you ever listen to Horses? I can't be bothered to find their Myspace but I think as a rock-n-roll CanCon bro you'd dig 'em.
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Woolly Leaves is Will, the keyboard and sometimes guitar dude.
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Yes! Him.
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Oh man the Constantines are so damn good. I'm not sure if Will was with Shotgun Jimmy when I saw them, but Steve playing as Baby Eagle was the first person to perform (Julie Doiron closed the afternoon). The only person I remember distincly recognizing was a girl who works at the record shop a lot.
I haven't heard Horses. The only Canadian band with a name about horses I can think of is They Shoot Horses Don't They, who are sadly now defunct. I'll check them out when I get a chance (no speakers on this computer).
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I cannot stop listening to the new Delorean EP.
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I retrospectively declare 'Kensington Heights' to be one of the best records of 2008.
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1 - Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another
so far this is my absolute favorite album released in 2009.
i also like the eternal and it's blitz but i dunno if i like them enough to put on any sort of top ten list.
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I am pretty jazzed about the new Teenage Cool Kids album that came out a couple months ago.
Also, new Kidcrash drops today. Also, new Look Mexico slated for later this year hopefully.
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1 - Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another
so far this is my absolute favorite album released in 2009.
Totally agree. I've got to see these guys live.
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Also, new Kidcrash drops today.
So I guess I was wrong about this. They are going to be putting up songs on their myspace for the next 7 weeks until the album is actually out. The new song up now called "Wound Eraser" is real good and if it is any indication of the general quality of the album it will definitely be one of my favourites of the year.
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Damn, that new Postmarks album feels like it's been around forever. I refuse to believe it came out before 1977.
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Damn, that new Postmarks album feels like it's been around forever. I refuse to believe it came out before 1977.
haha, no kidding! I'll have to amend my best-of list for that one.
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Lately I have been really enjoying Josephine by the Magnolia Electric Co.
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Well, we can all scratch Finall Fantasy's Heartland off our lists. It's not coming up until Early 2010.
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alright,
so far ive gotta say these are my top 5 albums of the year so far.
5. Hush- Asobi Seksu
4. Repo- Black Dice
3. Slaughterhouse On The Prairie- Buckethead
2. Battle For The Sun- Placebo
1. Other! Others!- Bomb The Music Industry!
the BTMI!, im fairly certain, will be the most important album this whole year for me. EVERY SINGLE SONG is absolutely golden, and its a really cool thing for him to have done, putting all these rarities up as another free download.
i like the new Placebo a surprising amount, i thought theyre last efforts have not been too great, and now with new members i had pretty low hopes for Battle For The Sun to be any good. boy was i wrong.
the other 3 havent exactly blown me away but theyre just generally interesting albums.
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Lately I have been really enjoying Josephine by the Magnolia Electric Co.
I got the new Mum just prior to Josephine in early July. I was extremely disappointed with Mum, within forty minutes I knew it was nothing particularly memorable. I've spent at least two hours with Josephine thus far, which may very well among the best records of the year - and if nothing else it's definitely among the best work of Molina & Co.
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A City Safe From Sea's debut, Throw Me Through Walls (http://www.gimmesound.com/ACitySafeFromSea/), is out now on CD and vinyl soon, and if you click that link you can here the whole thing. It's very, very, very good.
(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/774/throwmethroughwalls.jpg) (http://img11.imageshack.us/i/throwmethroughwalls.jpg/)
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I'm adding The Strange Boys - And Girls Club, to my list. It's really fuccin' good, guys.
Also, someone should up that Molina for me.
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I'm adding Owl City - Ocean Eyes to my Top 10.
This may be because of my current situation. Either way, it's helping a lot. And I cannot stop playing it.
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I don't know if anyone's mentioned this album yet but Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue is fucking fantastic. Every song's different, going from ranging from like folk to "experimental electro" to almost Dilla-esque producing. Audibly, it's the pretty delicious.
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There is a new Fuck Buttons coming in October and I am very excited for this.
Get Color will probably be in my top 15 or so this year.
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That aim and ignite album is excellent. In the top 20, at least.
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I don't know if anyone's mentioned this album yet but Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue is fucking fantastic. Every song's different, going from ranging from like folk to "experimental electro" to almost Dilla-esque producing. Audibly, it's the pretty delicious.
Yeah this is pretty damn cool, if slightly confusing going from Simon & Garfunkel type tracks straight into dodgy house in the space of 30 seconds.
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That aim and ignite album is excellent. In the top 20, at least.
I agree.
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So I just discovered Closure in Moscow, and their new album First Temple is totally incredible. One of few musical epiphanies I have experienced in a while. Sound like The Mars Volta playing post-hardcore with a touch of Thrice-y bits thrown in for good measure. So yeah, definitely a top ten (or even five) for me so far this year.
There are still a couple months left with a couple bands on the verge of releasing late 2009 albums, so we'll see what happens. :mrgreen:
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I know it's not an album, but Dan Bejar's Bay of Pigs is hella legit. I'm glad he's taken a break from the full band thing.
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There is a new Fuck Buttons coming in October and I am very excited for this.
Me too!
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Top 10
1. Penpal - Penpal
2. Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself and Another
3. There Will Be Fireworks - There Will Be Fireworks
4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. Grammatics - Grammatics
6. Touche Amore - To The Beat of a Dead Horse
7. Fanfarlo - Reservoir
8. Wintermute - Robot Works
9. Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose
10. The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha
Other enjoyable albums:
Cougar - Patriot
Discovery - LP
If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below The Sky
Irepress - Sol Eye Sea I
La Dispute - Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair
Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine
Navvy - Idyll Intangible
New Roman Times - On The Sleeve
Pianos Become The Teeth - Old Pride
Squares On Both Sides - Indication
Pony Pony Run Run - You Need Pony Pony Run Run
Stuff still to come that could crack the top ten list:
Young Galaxy - Invisible Republic (August 25th)
Stars of Track and Field - A Time For Lions (September 15th)
Brand New - Daisy (September 21st)
Owen - New Leaves (September 22nd)
The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead (September 22nd)
Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom (September 22nd)
Islands - Vapours (September 22nd)
Empire! Empire! (i was a lonely estate) - What It Takes to Move Forward (September)
Vampire Weekend - Contra (September)
Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence (October 20th)
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Something just clicked with me and jj's jj n° 2. I can't fucking get enough.
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Yay new Lightning Bolt and Raveonettes albums in October :-D
Heard stuff off of each one, sounds like they will rule.
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I'm gonna add Frankmusic-Complete Me to my list.
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I didn't have enough time to listen to anything close to 10 albums that came out so far, but I'll throw out some really good ones that I did hear.
Animals as Leaders - "Animals as Leaders"
I like it a lot more than pretty much every other progressive instrumental album. I think I like it because when approached by the record company, the guitarist (who did everything on the album, except program the drums, which sound great) initially said that it would be "egotistical and unnecessary." I think more prog musicians need to think that way about most of their music. It's certainly worth a listen if you can locate it.
The Bad Plus - "For All I Care" (2009 in North America)
Their first album with a singer and their first all-cover album. The songs are extremely well-done and they do some really interesting bits with them (I think their version of "Comfortably Numb" is better than Pink Floyd's, which is incredible). However, the best thing about it is the way the album is organized. It's a very well-constructed track list. If you find this album, definitely listen to it straight through a couple of times rather than chopping it up into individual tracks and feeding it into your iTunes or whatever you cool kids are using these days.
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My Personal Top 5 So Far:
1) The Thermals - Now We Can See
2) St. Vincent - Actor
3) Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
4) Matt & Kim - Grand
5) Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong
Also to the poster above, I love that album. That version of Feeling Yourself Disintegrate gets me every time.
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So beautiful. Every album ever made should end like that. The chimes, and the background vocals just destroy everything.
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I'm adding Owl City - Ocean Eyes to my Top 10.
This may be because of my current situation. Either way, it's helping a lot. And I cannot stop playing it.
I love this record, it's been in my Top10 since I first heard it. Someone mentioned earlier in this thread that his lyrics were too puerile, but strangely that's exactly what I love about them, that they're so accessible to children. I think my six year old listens to it more than I do.
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The Antlers - Hospice.
The greatest album I've heard in a LONG time.
Should be #1 everywhere ever.
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Updated top ten. Really torn with the order of Mew and mewithoutYou. Also am thinking about dropping Decemberists in favor of Maudlin of the Well.
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
2. Kormorany - La Musica Teatrale
3. mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alrigh
4. Mew - No More Stories
5. The Antlers - Hospice
6. Arve Henriksen - Cartography
7. Hecq - Steeltongued
8. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
9. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
10. Ametsub - The Nothings of the North
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I can't get behind The Antlers.
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You're not alone there...
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It makes me sleepy, and I like the National.
-
UPDATE.
MUSE - THE RESISTANCE
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I really want to like Muse. Black Holes and Revelations was pretty much the only thing I listened to my sophomore year of high school. But good lord, is most of that album awful. I liked "Uprising" ok until they started yelling "Oi!" at least, but the rest of it sounds like they're trying as much as possible to piss all over Freddie Mercury's grave.
EDIT: I just reread this and it might be unclear that by "that" album, I'm referring to Resistance, not Black Holes.
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The new A Sunny Day in Glasgow album is fucking EPIC. I never even listened to this band before hearing Ashes Grammar and it will definitely crack my Top 10.
-
The new Muse album makes me pretty sad. Admittedly I've only listened through it once, but I am not that eager to do it again
-
It kind of amuses me no end the way Muse have basically had this career trajectory where at first they were basically a big Radiohead rip-off with a little bit of Queen thrown in (massive generalisations ITT) and then as they have gone on one has receded and the other increased, so right in the middle there they made some pretty good albums where they struck the balance right (Origin of Symmetry, Absolution) and now they've gone way overboard and I can only imagine they'll either end up just playing all Queen covers all the time and/or Matt Bellamy will deliberately catch AIDS. You know, to be authentic.
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The new A Sunny Day in Glasgow album is fucking EPIC. I never even listened to this band before hearing Ashes Grammar and it will definitely crack my Top 10.
Get thee Scribble Mural Comic Journal right now.
Also, OH MAN NEW FRANK TURNER ALBUM. Yesssssss.
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OM
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I really like the new Sea Wolf.
-
Man, has this been a fantastic year for metal. You've got new albums from Mastodon, Isis, Blut Aus Nord, Sunn0))), Kylesa...
And there's still Baroness, Converge, Krallice, and Swallow the Sun to look forward to. Holy headbanging, Batman!
Edit: also Katatonia, apparently. I'm not usually much into them, but Mikael Akerfeldt gave it a glowing recommendation, which is good enough for me.
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Edit: also Katatonia, apparently. I'm not usually much into them, but Mikael Akerfeldt gave it a glowing recommendation, which is good enough for me.
I think the guitarist of Katatonia is a good friend of Mikael's (oh and also Mikael sang on one of their earlier albums, Brave Murder Day), so it's not entirely surprising that he would recommend it.
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I am adding the debut album from Montreal indie pop band Silver Starling to my list. It is self titled, and it absolutely blew me away when I first heard it. It has quickly become my number 1 album of the year so far. I am currently uploading to mediaf!re thread. Check it out fr yourselves.
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The new Engineers album just made my list. Damn that is great album.
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Woah, that band's still around?
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I for one believe this has been a very rich year for music, so it was very hard to narrow it down to just ten. After much back-and-forth:
10. Oren Lavie - The Opposite Side Of The Sea
9. Dent May - The Good Feeling Music Of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
8. Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand
7. God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl
6. Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band - Outer South
5. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
4. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
3. The Horrors - Primary Colours
2. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
1. Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light
A bunch who just missed the mark: Sunset Rubdown, Tiny Masters Of Today, Jay Reatard, M. Ward, Kurt Vile, Richard Swift, Pissed Jeans, Japandroids, The XX, Cortney Tidwell, Why?, The Thermals, J. Tillman, Mew, Datarock, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Crocodiles (HOMETOWN REPRESENT!), Morrissey, Black Joe Lewis, Nickel Eye, Beirut, Cats On Fire, Flaming Lips...I'll just stop there, lest go on all day.
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Woah, that band's still around?
Yes! And their new effort "Three Fact Fader" is fucking awesome.
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In no particular order;
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
Engineers - Three Fact Fader
Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead
Also have high hopes for the new albums by Autolux, A Place to Bury Strangers and AIR.
Then next year there's possibly new albums from Telepopmusik, Serena Maneesh, Pinback, The Radio Dept., Sigur Ros, Dropkick Murphys, Amusement Parks on Fire, hopfully Autumn's Grey Solace and Glasvegas...
'Tis a good time to love music.
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I haven't ranked anything yet, but here's my 25-contender shortlist for album of the year. I should have a top 10 in the next week or so.
The American Analog Set - Hard to Find: Singles and Unreleased 2000-2005
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - The Century of Self
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Delorean - Ayrton Senna
Discovery - LP
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Engineers - Three Fact Fader
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight:
Grand Hallway - Promenade
Iron & Wine - Around the Well
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
jj - jj nº 2
Metric - Fantasies
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
Owl City - Ocean Eyes
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Press on Randy - Moths & Butterflies
Regina Spektor - Far
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Slow Club - Yeah So
Starfucker - Jupiter
The xx - xx
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
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Giuseppe Ottaviani - Go
Darren Tate - Horizons:02
Worthwhile trance full-lengths are rare enough. Two trance full-length albums of such astounding quality dropping within a month of each other is winning-the-lottery levels of unlikely. 2009 is freakin' awesome.
The new Engineers album just made my list. Damn that is great album.
Shit, I knew nothing of this. Thanks for the heads-up! I fuckin' loved their debut to bits.
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Geez am I the only one that thinks that Silversun Pickups album is not very good
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Nope.
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Definitely not alone there, Prof. In a similar vein of questioning, am I the only one who thinks the new Slaraffenland is at least top five for this year?
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Oooh ooh that is a plus one for "The Silversun Pickups record is not OK" here.
Excessive fuzz does not make boring/amateurish guitar pop music interesting guys, sorry?
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No order, dunno if I'm at ten yet, but:
Mayer Hawthorne and the County - Strange Arrangement
Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns
Cass McCombs - Catacombs
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Glossary - Better Angles of our Nature
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
The Strange Boys - And Girls Club
Miranda Lambert - Revolution
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A possible, as of yet unordered top 10:
Ilyas Ahmed - Goner
Wildbirds & Peacedrums - The Snake
MONO - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
Concern - Truth and Distance
Hanging Thief - S/T
Good Stuff House - Endless Bummer
William Fowler Collins - Perdition Hill Radio
The Alps - A Path Through the Sun/A Path Through the Moon
Clues - S/T
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Vs. Children
Very tentative though...
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Wolfgang.
Amadeus.
Phoenix.
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My list in no particular order
Royksopp-Junior
MeWithoutYou-It's All Crazy...
King of Jeans- Pissed Jeans
Mastadon-Crack The Skye
Smith Westerns-Smith Westerns
Polly Scattergood-Polly Scattergood
Japandroids-Post Nothing
The Protomen- Act II: Father Of Death
The Longcut-Open Hearts
Press On Randy-Moths and Butterflies
Moderat-Moderat
Monsters of Folk-Monsters of Folk
MuteMath-Armistice
Mumford and Sons-Sigh No More
Metric-Fantasies
Black Cock-A Robot Child With A God Complex
Can't get behind Phoenix though
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I liked that Phoenix album a lot when it initially came out, but it did not age well. You know something's wrong when you're bored with an album the same year it came out.
-
New Raveonettes is brilliant IMHO
-
Holy shit new Memory Tapes you guys. HOLY SHIT.
-
I liked that Phoenix album a lot when it initially came out, but it did not age well. You know something's wrong when you're bored with an album the same year it came out.
Conversely, I listened to it again today and sang and danced like a dork
-
I still adore "Love Like a Sunset" but honestly aside from "1901" and "Girlfriend" and sometimes "Lisztomania" and "Fences" it's meh. Which I guess leaves like 4 songs. Maybe I'm being too hard on it.
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I never said it was bad, I just don't think it's best album of the year material.
-
I came in here to check if anyone had mentioned that Antlers record and caught three people dissing it! What is with you kids?
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I find it boring.
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Yeah, I can't get into it.
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These albums have all taken my fancy this year, now to decide on the best ones. Hmm.
Do Make Say Think - The other truths
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
Worriedaboutsatan - Arrivals
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Moderat - s/t
HEALTH - Get color
Fuck Buttons - Tarot sport
Fever Ray - s/t
The Thermals - Now we can see
Doves - Kingdom of rust
Jon Hopkins - Insides
The Raveonettes - In and out of control
Nosaj Thing - Drift
Valerie and Friends
Camera Obscura - My maudlin career
Yo La Tengo - Popular songs
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I can say Pelican are soaring up my list right now, no pun intended.
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Oh shit, is that out already?
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Mediafire thread is your friend.
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> Personal Favorites
Dead Man's Bones - s/t
Builders and the Butchers - Salvation in the Deep Dark Well
Jone Rae-Fletcher - Oh, Maria
Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Phoenix - Wolfang Amadeus Phoeniex
Fun - Aim and Ignite
Birdy Nam Nam - Manual for Successfull Rioting
Bowerbirds - Upper Air
The Cave Singers - Welcome Joy
Le Loup - Family
Fever Ray - s/t
Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights
Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
Casitone for the Painfully Alone - vs. Children
J Tillman - Year in the Kingdom
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
William Elliot Whitmore - Animals in the Dark
Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
Monsters of Folk - s/t
meWithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream It's Alright
> Honorable Mention / Pleasent Surprise *:
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Breakup *
Kid, You'll Move Mountains - Loomings *
Röyksopp - Junior *
Totally Michael - s/t *
Telekinesis! - s/t *
Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine (as much as I love Albini, not my favorite work of theirs)
Dengue Fever - Sleepwalking Through the Mekong
A.A Bondy - When the Devil's Loose
James Yorkston & The Big Eyes Family Players - Folk Songs
Architechts - Hollow Crown
Florence + The Machine - Lungs (a few tracks I really liked. Overall not sure)
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I find it boring.
It's a subtle record. I can see how you'd make that mistake.
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mediaf!re thread is your friend.
Fuuuuuuuck yes.
In other news, I was first unimpressed with Behemoth's "Evangelion," but its really starting to grow on me. I've been listening to it almost nonstop for the past couple days. Will it end up in my obligatory year-end list? More news at ten.
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Man, has this been a fantastic year for metal. You've got new albums from Mastodon, Isis, Blut Aus Nord, Sunn0))), Kylesa...
And there's still Baroness, Converge, Krallice, and Swallow the Sun to look forward to. Holy headbanging, Batman!
Edit: also Katatonia, apparently. I'm not usually much into them, but Mikael Akerfeldt gave it a glowing recommendation, which is good enough for me.
And for industrial/NDH, new Rammstein drops next Friday in Europe. U.S. has to wait until the following Monday. =/
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Everybody make sure you get the special edition of the Rammstein record:
(http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/rammsteinspecialed.jpg)
(this is not a joke)
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Ones I've really liked so far:
Bat For Lashes- Two Suns
Dinosaur Jr.- Farm
DOOM- Born Like This
Future Of The Left – Travels With Myself And Another
The Horrors- Primary Colours
Mastodon- Crack The Skye
Mew – No More Stories
Mos Def- The Ecstatic
Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
St. Vincent – Actor
And Deerhunter's "Rainwater Cassette Exchange" EP.
The new Raekwon and Flaming Lips will probably wind up on there once I've had bit more time with them.
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OK, tentative top 10 of '09 list...
10. Owl City - Ocean Eyes
9. Discovery - LP
8. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
7. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - The Century of Self
6. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
5. Starfucker - Jupiter
4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
3. jj - jj nº2
2. Engineers - Three Fact Fader
1. Doves - Kingdom of Rust
edit: edited already.
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Starfucker - Jupiter
Islands - Vapours
Monotonix - Where were you when it happened?
Mos def - the ecstatic
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Jamie T's new album is fan-fucking-tastic. 'Castro Dies' might be my song of the year if it gets released as a single.
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The new Editors album is pretty sweet.... :-P
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New Raveonettes is brilliant IMHO
I agree with this statement
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Starfucker
ahem (http://www.myspace.com/starfuckerss)
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Aw, I liked Starfucker
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Me too. They've got several reasons for changing it though, all of which are valid:
- They were booked to tour as the opener for Animal Collective, but dropped because of their name (which must have been huge)
- Several bigger labels have rejected their bids to get signed because of the name
- They want to do European tours, and there's a Danish (or something) metal band called Starfucker that is actually pretty big over there
Don't worry, there's no change in band members or style. Just a name overhaul. PYRAMID might not have been the best choice, but it's actually kind of growing on me.
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They should have re arranged the letters or something
Fear Struck would be a good name
Edit: or maybe Fart Suckers?
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Here's a list of their favorite fan-submitted names. (http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=118432771&blogId=514555000)
My personal favorites are Master Control, Gravity Tractor, and Ohh Ohh Radio.
Although I feel like a band named Ohh Ohh Radio would need some pretentious exclamation points in there somewhere. Ohh! Ohh! Radio! or Ohh Ohh! Radio! would fit.
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The Inconsequentials from here (http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2009/09/starfucker_-_ch.html#comments) would've been nice
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Whorecandy? Splintercourse?
Yes please.
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did starfuckers take their name from that nine inch nails song cause That's Embarrassing
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So's the fact that according to their MySpace, their new name is going to be Pyramid. What an dull, dull, dull, awful and painfully unmemorable name.
I have no idea who Starfucker are or what that Nine Inch Nails song is, but there's a Gregory Corso poem the concluding line of which is either "be a star fucker" or "be a star screwer".
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there is also a mixed drink called a "Starfucker". It's actually really delicious, if you like girly mix drinks.
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I think no matter what happens, Agoraphobic Nosebleed's latest effort ranks as the best record this year. If not that, then at least the most demented, whacked-out ride of the year.
How can you NOT love a record that features a song called "Druggernaut Jug Fuck"!?
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Ok I am late to the party with this one, but if you like hiphop you've gotta hear Raekwon's new one. It's like Fishscale good.
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Fuck Buttons - TAROT SPORT TAROT SPORT TAROT SPORT TAROT SPORT TAROT SPORT TAROT SPORT TAROT SPORT
MOTHERFUCKING TAROT SPORT YOU CUNTS.
This is the greatest and best album.
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McTaggart's right, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II is absolutely killer. there is a song where redman suggests putting out your joint in ODB's urn, so his ashes can get high
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I am still very much uneducated in hip-hop, but I agree that that album is fantastic.
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PYRAMID just changed their name to PYRAMIDDD, apparently. Now I think they're all just hella wasted.
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McTaggart's right, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II is absolutely killer. there is a song where M-E-T-H-O-D Man suggests putting out your joint in ODB's urn, so his ashes can get high
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In all honesty, i am finding this a disappointing year for great albums. There are maybe a handful i would consider so and then a lot of average ones.
Possible top 10 contenders so far:
Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Röyksopp - Junior
The Thermals - Now We Can See
The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules
Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
Starfucker - Jupiter
The Antlers - Hospice
Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another
Mayer Hawthorne and the County - A Strange Arrangement
Seasick Steve - Man From Another Time
Fun. - Aim and Ignite
EDIT: Edited because I am an idiot and didn't pay attention when typing this.
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the last 36 hours of my life have been nightmare calibre so you'll have to excuse me for messin up the vocal qualities of the two gravel-throated stars of How High
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A top ten so far...
1. Porcupine Tree-The Incident. How many Porcupine Tree fans got excited when they announced that the centerpiece of the new album would be 55 minutes long. Don't lie, you were. And we had every reason to be, because this is absolutely amazing. It could overthrow Lightbulb Sun and In Absentia as my favorite PT album, but its still young. We'll see.
2. Dethklok-The Dethalbum II. Wait a minute, the number 2 album of the year is from a cartoon band? Yes. Yes it is. Its an album chock full of great melodic deth metal sounds. The change in style of Brendon Small's growls as Nathan Explosion really helps the songs become more memorable. Most death metal bands would kill for the actual popularity Dethklok has.
3. dredg-The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion. Wow. My second dredg album after El Cielo and this was not what I was expecting at all. Catchy hooks are everywhere on this album. Even the "Stamp of Origins" that are scattered throughout the album are great. There are a few unnecessary filler songs, but it doesn't subtract from the overall quality.
4. Dream Theater-Black Clouds & Silver Linings. What a comeback from the last crappy album, Systematic Chaos. There's not too much experimentation or style change on this album, except for the inclusion of an iPhone app Bebot in "A Rite of Passage." But DT knows what DT fans want, and what DT fans wanted was pretty much this album. Nothing groundbreaking by any means, but you can't argue with 5 great songs and 1 good song.
5. Mastodon-Crack the Skye. Another "wow" from me. I really prefer this style to Mastodon's older stuff. Psychadelic, progressive, and heavy makes for one awesome combination, especially on tracks like "Oblivion," "The Czar," and "Ghost of Karelia."
6. Bruce Springsteen-Working on a Dream
7. The Decemberists-The Hazards of Love
8. Pure Reason Revolution-Amor Vincit Omnia
9. Mew-No More Stories...
10. Umphrey's McGee-Mantis
Honorable Mentions: Muse, Marillion, Pearl Jam, Maudlin of the Well
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Frank Turner - Pains of the Deed
POETRY, Rob. Poetry of the Deed.
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Whoops, fixed. I knew that was right aswell but i must've been looking at something else at the time.
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9. Mew-No More Stories...
WE HAVE A WINNER
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9. Mew-No More Stories...
WE HAVE A WINNER
QFT
my list right now:
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
2. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
3. Kormorany - La Musica Teatrale
4. Mew - No More Stories
5. mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright
6. The Antlers - Hospice
7. Arve Henriksen - Cartography
8. Hecq - Steeltongued
9. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
10. Ametsub - The Nothings of the North
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5. mewithoutYou - It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright
wow that is terrible
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1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Well music, we had a good run...
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^two horrible posts
I would get used to AC placing high if I were you
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Yeah I wasn't thrilled with MPP but basically everyone in Seattle luuuurrrrvess it so if it tops out lots of end-of-year lists, I'll be disappointed but not surprised.
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^two horrible posts
man you cannot deny it is both a terrible band name and album name
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I've tried very hard to lurve MPP, but still only a few of the songs on it get me excited.
Which is a shame, because the songs that do get me excited are fantastic.
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1. "Merriweather Post Pavillion" - Animal Collective
2. "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
3. "Earthly Delights" - Lightning Bolt
4. "Post-Nothing" - Japandroids
5. "Exploding Head" - A Place to Bury Strangers
6. "XX" - The xx
7. "In and Out of Control" - The Raveonettes
8. "Wavvves" - Wavves
9. "Yesterday and Today" - The Field
10. "Horehound" - The Dead Weather
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Wavvves?
-
1. "Merriweather Post Pavillion" - Animal Collective
2. "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
8. "Wavvves" - Wavves
I hate to say it, but your ears are playing a very mean joke on your brain.
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I've tried very hard to lurve MPP, but still only a few of the songs on it get me excited.
Which is a shame, because the songs that do get me excited are fantastic.
I feel this way about basically every Animal Collective album, but MPP even more so.
Also say want you want about Animal Collective and Wavves but The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are awesome.
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Also say want you want about Animal Collective and Wavves but The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are awesome.
Yeah that is a correct statement
-
The pains of being boring at heart
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Yeah well they really aren't offensive to the ears though
-
that's kinda part of the problem there
-
So you are saying the problem with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart is that they need to sound more offensive to people's ears? I don't really follow
-
They could all just start yelling "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck" and slamming their guitars on the ground and it'd still be really cute.
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So you are saying the problem with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart is that they need to sound more offensive to people's ears? I don't really follow
By this logic Wavves is clearly the best new artist of the year.
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1. This is not Wavves' first year
2. That honor would probably go to another more deserving band (i.e. Brokencyde or Attack! Attack!)
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It is going to be difficult to pick just 10 albums from all the good stuff of this year.
I don't know whether I'm happier that this is the case, or sadder that I am taking making a list like this so seriously.
Mastodon- Crack the Skye
Isis- Wavering Radiant
Baroness- The Blue Record
Fever Ray- s/t
Blut Aus Nord- Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars
Cormorant- Metazoa
Infected Mushroom- Legend of the Black Shawarma
Converge- Axe to Fall
Do Make Say Think- Other Truths
Porcupine Tree- The Incident
The Flaming Lips- Embryonic
Memory Tapes- Seek Magic
Pelican- What We All Come to Need
Immortal- All Shall Fall
Hacride- Lazarus
Royksopp- Junior
Amesoeurs- s/t
Sunn0)))- Monoliths & Dimensions
Kylesa- Static Tensions
Mono- Hymn to the Immortal Wind
Yob- The Great Cessation
Jesu- Opiate Sun
Stupid musicians and their talent, making it difficult for me to subjectively rank their works in some dumb order.
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A tentative top 10 which may change before the end of the year:
1. Fun. - Aim and Ignite
2. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
3. Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another
4. The Thermals - Now We Can See
5. Seasick Steve - Man From Another Time
6. Röyksopp - Junior
7. The Antlers - Hospice
8. Mayer Hawthorne and the County - A Strange Arrangement
9. Starfucker - Jupiter
10. The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules
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1. "Merriweather Post Pavillion" - Animal Collective
2. "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
8. "Wavvves" - Wavves
I hate to say it, but Pitchfork are playing a very mean joke on your brain.
Eff Why Pee
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Hahahaha I know rite guys, anyone who likes THOSE bands are clearly hipster trash whose opinions are based solely on those of a certain web magazine that we are ALL superior to.
(seriously I don't care for pitchfork either but what a stupid attitude that is. People will like what they like, regardless of what Pitchfork says.)
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Sorry for being smarmy but it's just that it's the only way my brain can reconcile anyone actually liking any of those bands
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Oh my goodness! People like bands that you do not enjoy? Alert the internet police!
(oh wow I can be smarmy too)
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Koremora, you should probably stop getting pissy over the Pitchfork jokes. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not or whether anyone else has an opinion on it, the jokes are going to happen and it's better if they are just left there and chuckled or sighed at (whatever is applicable to anybody's opinion who is reading this).
What I am saying is that there is no need to get into a slanging match over good-natured humour so grow up people.
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Also saying I accuse anyone of being hipster trash is hilarious because I am absolutely hipster trash and about the only fucker ever who'll actually nut up and admit it.
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Yeah snide remarks are really the only way to go on this forum. I really dig POBPAH, they got #4 on my top 10 records of the year, but I'm not above making jokes about their faux British accents or cutesy attitude. If you can't laugh at yourself, what's the point?
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Oh right so the whole Top 10 thing. In the interest of fairness anything The Thermals release is basically Auto #1 for me, so really this is more of a Top 9, and in a non-Thermals year Actor would be my favorite album.
1) The Thermals - Now We Can See
2) St. Vincent - Actor
3) Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
4) A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
5) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
6) Japandroids - Post-Nothing
7) Matt & Kim - Grand
8.) Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong
9) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Self Titled/Higher Than the Stars EP
10) The Felice Brothers - Yonder is the Clock
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I probably over-reacted, but I guess I find the whole "Haha you like Animal Collective, you poor thing" pretty annoying. Oh well! Sorry if I acted like a dick for a second there.
-
I don't like Animal Collective but I'd never go so far as to pity their fans. I reserve that pleasure for brokenCYDE and Attack Attack!.
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My list is still a work in progress as I'm trying to catch up on the significant releases I've missed this year, but anyways...
1. Deastro - Moondagger
2. Ramona Falls - Intuit
3. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
4. The Antlers - Hospice
5. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
6. Flight Of The Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky
7. Music Go Music - Expressions
8. Dead Man's Bones
9. Port O'Brien - Threadbare
10. Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth
-
New Russian Circles is so good.
-
10. Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain Is A Mouth
Should bump that up 8 or 9 spots.
-
So you are saying the problem with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart is that they need to sound more offensive to people's ears? I don't really follow
No, they're just really boring and doing stuff that's been done for ages, now. I liked them when I heard a song or two off the album, then sat down and listened to the whole album. Yawn. Listen to Cruyff in the Bedroom is you want some decent 'gazey pop.
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Well yeah it's not like I didn't understand your opinion. Honestly, I just think they are very relaxing to listen to. I guess there's kind of a fine line between boring and relaxing though so I can understand why people don't like the album.
What I was really replying to in that post was more confusion at Tom's response:
that's kinda part of the problem there
-
St. Vincent's Actor was really good, yeah.
-
What I was really replying to in that post was more confusion at Tom's response:
that's kinda part of the problem there
Looks to me like everyone else is on the same page
-
^two horrible posts
man you cannot deny it is both a terrible band name and album name
The excellent cover art cancels those out, leaving the music as the sole reason for listening to the album! Woah!
edit: Hold it. Why is Decemberists #10 in my list and Fun excluded? I knew there was a problem with it.
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Looks to me like everyone else is on the same page
No, not really. I was trying to say TBOBPAH shouldn't draw quite as much ire as either Wavves or Animal Collective because the main reason people do not like them is that they are "boring" not because "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah this hurts my ears what the hell are you doing to those instruments", to which you replied that they should be more offensive to the ears to sound better. This is what did not make any sense.
-
the pains of being pure at heart are pretty good ~pop music~
-
Jesus, just because I said I liked Wavves and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I'm suddenly a Pitchfork-brainwashed little shit. Way to fucking go, people.
I just so happen to like stuff covered by Pitchfork. Major difference...
-
I think Pitchfork's given good reviews to almost all of my favourite records from this year.
-
I don't have a huge beef with Poopspork, but sometimes their reviews can be baffling - they literally had nothing bad to say about Doves' Kingdom of Rust but it still only merited a 7.8.
-
Rammstein - Liebe ist fur alle da.
Best album of 2009.
-
Yonder is the Clock
Oh wow at first I didn't see that little "l" in there and maybe it's just because I've been dancing to surf music for the last hour and a half, but damned if "Yonder is the
Cock" wouldn't be the best name for an album ever.
-
I think Pitchfork's given good reviews to almost all of my favourite records from this year.
Ditto, mostly, most stuff I like that they cover on that site, they seem to review well
I even got some stuff on the basis of reading some reviews on there, and liked that too. I fail at being indie
Then again Ferry Corsten's remix album is one of my CDs of the year so that's no great surprise
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Jesus, just because I said I liked Wavves and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I'm suddenly a Pitchfork-brainwashed little shit. Way to fucking go, people.
I just so happen to like stuff covered by Pitchfork. Major difference...
Welcome to the conversation we had about half a page back. Try reading the rest of the thread now.
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Yonder is the Clock
Oh wow at first I didn't see that little "l" in there and maybe it's just because I've been dancing to surf music for the last hour and a half, but damned if "Yonder is the
Cock" wouldn't be the best name for an album ever.
Sounds like it could be a perfectly acceptable Bill Callahan or Will Oldham record.
-
Yeah that's what I was thinking too.
-
A collaboration between the two is probably not far off.
-
Jesus, just because I said I liked Wavves and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I'm suddenly a Pitchfork-brainwashed little shit. Way to fucking go, people.
I just so happen to like stuff covered by Pitchfork. Major difference...
Welcome to the conversation we had about half a page back. Try reading the rest of the thread now.
Belated reply = fuuuuuck, my bad
-
Haven't felt the urge to go listen to Girls. Am I missing something?
-
I dunno, I gave them a listen and didn't really hear too much that was interesting to me. Plus, the dude's voice sounds like he's trying way too hard to give it that "duuuuuude" inflection. That's just me though, apparently a lot of people have really loved it, or utterly loathed it. I wasn't particularly moved one way or the other.
-
This is my pre-list list, hastily thrown together just then because my God I listen to a lot of music and I'm really not looking forward to doing the end of year list. So I thought I'd get a head-start and then try to slide the next two months' worth of stuff in as I go. Obviously this list is highly subject to my mood right now, and I could probably come back to it tomorrow and have no idea what I was thinking. Also it feels like more than a year even since I've listened to some of this stuff and I've barely listened to quite a lot of it.
I think I'm going to have to set aside a good week or maybe two for exclusively going through all of this year's music, one by one, before I do the end-of-year list. Yes, I take list-making that seriously, even though nobody will even read the damn thing. Anyway:
Albums:
Eleventh He Reaches London- Hollow Be My Name
Baroness- Blue Record
Pulling Teeth- Paranoid Delusions Paradise Illusions
Regina Spektor- Far
Future of the Left- Travels With Myself and Another
Om- God is Good
Converge- Axe To Fall
Frank Turner- Poetry of the Deed
Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Elvis Costello- Secret, Profane and Sugarcane
Calvin Harris- Ready For the Weekend
Between the Buried and Me- The Great Misdirect
Doomriders- Darkness Come Alive
Lewd Acts- Black Eyed Blues
Alexisonfire- Old Crows/Young Cardinals
Fuck Buttons- Tarot Sport
Russian Circles- Geneva
Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More
Yuksek- Away From the Sea
Pelican- What We All Come to Need
Mastodon- Crack The Skye
Passion Pit- Manners
Mountain Goats- The Life of the World to Come
Kowloon Walled City- Gambling on the Richter Scale
Porcupine Tree- The Incident
The Whitest Boy Alive- Rules
Neil Young- Fork in the Road
Karnivool- Sound Awake
Lonely Island- Incredibad
The Field- Yesterday and Today
A Death in the Family- Small Town Stories
Amosouers- Amosouers
The Devil & Abbe May- Hoodoo You Do
Arcane- Chronicles of the Waking Dream
Darkest Hour- The Eternal Return
Isis- Wavering Radiant
Killswitch Engage- Killswitch Engage
The Decemberists- The Hazards of Love
Kylesa- Static Tensions
Simian Mobile Disco- Temporary Pleasure
MSTRKRFT- Fist of God
A Place to Bury Strangers- Exploding Head
EPs:
Cave In- Planets of Old
Toehider- Not Much of a Man
Sleepmakeswaves & Tangled Thoughts of Leaving- Split
Boris/Torche- Chapter Ahead Being Fake
These Estates- I Can't Wait!
Pelican- Ephemeral
-
Actually that is a really solid top 10. Everything that deserves to be there, nothing that doesn't. Happy.
-
Haven't felt the urge to go listen to Girls. Am I missing something?
"Album" is good, but not as good as p4k make it out to be.
-
That NSFW version of their video where one of the dude's is singing into the other dude's dick is pretty hilarious.
But fuck a band for naming a song "Lust for Life" when there is already a perfectly good song already named "Lust for Life" 32 years ago.
-
But fuck a band for naming a song "Lust for Life" when there is already a perfectly good song already named "Lust for Life" 32 years ago.
Fixed Your Music Fail
-
But fuck a band for naming a song "Lust for Life" when there is already a mindblowingly dull song named "Lust for Life" 32 years ago.
Fixed Your Music Fail
Fixed Your Music Fail.
-
Nope, sorry, try again.
-
Nah, I'm happy with it, I'll let it stand.
-
Go see an ear doctor.
Right now.
-
Nah, I'm happy with being wrong about everything
-
Go see an ear doctor.
Right now.
-
opinion
-
wrong opinion
Fixed your opinion.
-
Nah, I'm happy with it, I'll let it stand.
Nah, I'm happy with it, I'll let it stand.
-
opinion
joke
-
I bought the new Weezer album today. As much as they are hit and miss these days I will ALWAYS buy a new Weezer album... Thoughts to follow.
-
On first listen, it's pretty average - I'm hoping I'll get a better impression as I listen more. But it seems to have a very strong sense of ridiculousness to it while still being very Weezerish.
-
That new Weezer is really terrible. Like, All-American Rejects bad. How did they go from "Only In Dreams" and "Across The Sea" to "The Girl Got Hot" and "I Can't Stop Partying"? Depressing.
-
I think Tiny Mix Tapes' review (http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Weezer,9940) summed it up pretty well.
-
That new Weezer is really terrible. Like, All-American Rejects bad. How did they go from "Only In Dreams" and "Across The Sea" to "The Girl Got Hot" and "I Can't Stop Partying"? Depressing.
Were you aware when you wrote that that Rivers actually collaborated with the All-American Rejects on this steaming shitpile of a record?
-
All this hullabaloo about "oh, if only Weezer could make an album that was as good as Blue/Pinkerton" is complete cock and is much like hoping your scumbag boyfriend isn't gonna cheat on you again when he does so repeatedly. Rivers sucks, the whole band sucks, AHHHH C'MON FUCK THIS BAND, let's just forget that they ever existed. If you don't believe in them they can't hurt you anymore!
-
Weezer = Edward Cullen
-
Weezer's next album cover:
(http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/pattinson-panties.jpg)
-
They look dirty. :-(
-
I keep trying to not listen to Embryonic so much and the muthafucker keeps finding it's way into my CD player.
-
But fuck a band for naming a song "Lust for Life" when there is already a perfectly good song already named "Lust for Life" 32 years ago.
this this this.
-
Blue + Pinkerton are the only records Weezer made. After this, they were hit by meteorites. What is this "new Weezer" you guys are talking about? Sounds like some hoax bullshit to me.
-
That new Weezer is really terrible. Like, All-American Rejects bad. How did they go from "Only In Dreams" and "Across The Sea" to "The Girl Got Hot" and "I Can't Stop Partying"? Depressing.
a) The band that REALLY went TAAS this year was American Steel. So much so that they're now OPENING for the All American Rejects. Then again, "Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts" might just make my top 5 at the end of the year.
b) Can't Stop Partying was a great song when it was Rivers acoustic. Adding Lil Wayne fucked everything up.
-
Nah, the Jermaine Dupri production is really terrible, the dude phoned it in. it probably would have worked* if it was just a straight Weezer track. "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is a pretty rad song though! I don't have high hopes for the rest of the record but at least it's one of the best singles they've had in a while.
*Well, worked better.
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So some day we're gonna get to Part II of this thread, right?
Anyway, the more I think about it the more I'm convinced that the best two albums I've heard this year have been Casiotone for the Painfully Alone vs. Children and Grand Salvo's Soil Creatures. Neither differ greatly from anything the artists concerned have done in the past, but both represent the best thing that each artist has so far put out (in my opinion). The Casiotone album, in particular, is clearly the encapsulation of everything he's been working towards so far while also being an astonishing leap forwards in both the depth and quality of his songwriting.
-
Well, guys.. It's still "Agorapocalypse" for me.
-
TAAS
Cool Freudian Slip, Bro (http://www.thesearmsaresnakes.org/)
-
Were you aware when you wrote that that Rivers actually collaborated with the All-American Rejects on this steaming shitpile of a record?
Are you serious? Haaaahaha, wow. Suddenly it all makes sense.
All this hullabaloo about "oh, if only Weezer could make an album that was as good as Blue/Pinkerton" is complete cock and is much like hoping your scumbag boyfriend isn't gonna cheat on you again when he does so repeatedly. Rivers sucks, the whole band sucks, AHHHH C'MON FUCK THIS BAND, let's just forget that they ever existed. If you don't believe in them they can't hurt you anymore!
I don't expect any new albums from them to be as good as Pinkerton...in my opinion, few albums are. But I do expect them to not be embarrassing. First time I listened to Raditude I had to keep it the volume low because I was scared somebody would walk by and think I was listening to All-Time Low or something.
And for the record, I'm not one of those people who think Weezer's streak of good music ended with The Blue Album/Pinkerton. I think that The Green Album and especially Maladroit are criminally underrated records. Their past couple though...
-
I bought the new Weezer album today. As much as they are hit and miss these days I will ALWAYS buy a new Weezer album... Thoughts to follow.
Did you also get the snuggie with it? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXqHfHN9dJs)
-
My favourite part of the Snuggie commercials is when the mom is all swaddled up in the Snuggie keepin' "snuggly warm" while the baby is left to the elements in the apparently frigid living room.
-
TAAS
Cool Freudian Slip, Bro (http://www.thesearmsaresnakes.org/)
Whoops.
especially Maladroit are criminally underrated records. Their past couple though...
I have been saying this forever. I fucking LOVE Maladroit.
-
I've got the new Robbie Williams album and it's pretty fucking impressive.
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Rammstein - Liebe ist fur alle da.
Best album of 2009.
Trying to decide if this is serious.
-
(http://imagemacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/notsure-1.jpg)
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I actually liked the musical evolution displayed by that album, but I really don't know a lot of other people here that like Rammstein...
Also: Diablo Swing Orchestra's "Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious" is making a really good case for itself this year.
-
Personal favourites, no particular order:
Coalesce - OX
Converge - Axe To Fall
Baroness - Blue Record
Pulling Teeth - Paranoid Delusions Paradise Illusions
The Hope Conspiracy - True Nihilist (really an EP, but whatever)
The Arusha Accord - The Echo Verses
-
Finally got around to listening to the new Fuck Buttons.
whoa.
-
1 White Denim- Fits
2 Animal Collective - MPP
3 BLK JKS - After Robots
4 Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
5 Flaming Lips - Embryonic
6 Mos Def - The Ecstatic
7 St Vincent - Actor
8 Florence + The Machine - Lungs
9 Rodrigo & Gabriela - 11:11
10 Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
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Horse Feathers - House with No Home...ah that was last year but I'll wave my hand and none of you will notice....*waves hand*...did it work by any miniscule chance?
Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Fight / Quietly Now...again last year but I still love it.
The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead. God I love that album.
Datarock - Read. Im getting low on albums released this year Im a huge fan of so I'll stick that in.
MONO - Hymn To The Immortal Wind. Recent listen but getting into it well.
Utter Let-Downs:
Editors newest
Muse newest
Julian Casablancas newest
-
Album that should be on everybody's list: "Real Size Monster Series" - Police Teeth.
-
Album that should be on everybody's list: "Real Size Monster Series" - Police Teeth.
+1,000,000,000,000
-
Utter Let-Downs:
Editors newest
I totally agree with you on this. I'm not sure why, but the "indrustrial-ish" twist on their music doesn't work with me. Maybe I still need another listen or two.
-
Just sounds like god awful 80s synthy pop now. We already had to listen to the Eurythmics...why make us again!?
-
Yeah that was pretty much my experience. It basically sounds like it came straight from the '80s. I mean, it's an okay '80s record I guess, but that's hardly what I was looking for from a new Editors release.
I don't mind the Julian Casablancas album though. I mean, it's nothing special, but it's quite listenable.
-
Talking about solo stuff. Interpol's Paul Banks' Julian Plenti record is really good. I really liked it.
-
Ah I heard Plenti was bringing out a solo record recently, is it out yet?
-
It's already out actually. Since August 4th. I think it's in the Mediaf!re thread, but if it's not, PM me and I'll post it.
-
Jebus I'm behind on my Interpol chat, need to check that out cheers.
-
GIRLS - Album
-
From the top of my head:
Muse - The Resistance
The Engineers - Three Fact Fader
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Orenda Fink - Ask the Night
Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
-
Polvo - In Prism
-
Here's my list. I'm not bothering to number them beyond the top 10, they're all pretty good as far as I'm concerned.
1. Plaid - Heaven's Door: The Soundtrack
2. FaltyDL - Love Is a Liability / Bravery
3. Ramona Falls - Intuit
4. Few Nolder - New Folder
5. Silkie - City Limits Vol. 1
6. Baroness - Blue Record
7. Luke Vibert - We Hear You / Rhythm
8. The Black Dog - Further Vexations
9. Devin Townsend Project - Addicted
10. Moderat - Moderat
Runners-up:
The XX - XX
Harmonic 313 - When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence
Atlas Sound - Logos
CFCF - Continent
Helado Negro - Owe Awe
The Horrors - Primary Colors
Mew - Long-named album.
Sticklips - It is Like a Horse, it is Not Like Two Foxes
Oneohtrix Point Never - Rifts
Mapstation - The Africa Chamber
Yuuki Matthews - Music for Savage Tropical Imagery
Helios - Unreleased Vol. 1
Paul Baran - Panoptic
Sunken Foal - Fermented Condiments
Black Dice - Repo
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PORTICO'S NEW ALBUM, FIRST NEIGHBOURS, IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT AND ONE OF THE BEST RECORDS I'VE HEARD THIS YEAR HANDS DOWN. PLEASE VISIT http://www.myspace.com/porticonation FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND SLINT-Y MUSIC W/ A GIRL SINGER
-
For me :
The Engineers - Three Fact Fader
Passion Pit - Manners
Ramona Falls - Intuit
Fun. - Aim & Ignite
-
Crippled Black Phoenix - 200 Tons of Bad Luck
As expected from a "supergroup", it's all over the place in a good way. You've got a couple traditional post-rock epics, a few Matt Elliott-esque depressing ballads, some heavy stoner riffs, and all of it is executed with amazing production values and great little touches that become more apparent with each listen.
Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Album of the year, will probably end up in the running for album of the decade. Their best work since Clouds Taste Metallic, bar none. After Mystics I honestly thought I wasn't part of their target audience at all anymore, but this thing is a monster.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
Never has such unabashedly catchy retro-pop been so elegantly good. It's fucking scary how easy they make this shit sound. At times I've listened to this thing on repeat in excess of three times in a row on car rides.
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Not only an insane, eclectic, fun record but the live show was even better. If you have the chance, SEE THIS MAN IN ACTION.
The Horrors - Primary Colours
Largely abandoning their previous aping of Gun Club-era punk and embracing influences from Can to Spiritualized, this album is both truly derivative and truly brilliant. It's good to see a band that finally lived up to their hype.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I feel like this album does for me what The Shins do for their fans. There's a definite comparison, but these guys hit higher notes and have a tighter sense of songwriting, with just enough curveballs to keep it from being pure pop.
Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind
It's a Mono album, I think that's all that really needs to be said.
A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Not particularly different from their Jesus and Bloody Mary Division debut, but every bit as effective, if not moreso.
We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
The best of the New Scottish Sound, easy. Beating The Twilight Sad at their own game, though...
The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead
...is still an amazing, cathartic record.
The xx - s/t
I love this shit. So mellow, so natural, so beautiful, so retro, so futuristic.
-
Real talk that Phoenix record is unassailable.
-
I've really been trying to be open here, but I just can't get that goddamn ANb record out of the top spot.
Anyway, how is it possible NOT to love a record with a song called "Druggernaut Jug Fuck" and another song with the greatest Iron Maiden pun ever?
-
It's probably not dogg
(actually I've got some disease where grindcore doesn't click to me at all but don't hold against me please)
-
PORTICO'S NEW ALBUM, FIRST NEIGHBOURS, IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT AND ONE OF THE BEST RECORDS I'VE HEARD THIS YEAR HANDS DOWN. PLEASE VISIT http://www.myspace.com/porticonation FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND SLINT-Y MUSIC W/ A GIRL SINGER
WHO READ THIS POST, I'M SERIOUS
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(actually I've got some disease where grindcore doesn't click to me at all but don't hold against me please)
This is actually quite a common problem. The layman's term for it is 'ears'.
In all seriousness, this is a pretty good album, though it'll never get into my 'most listened' list on last.fm. It's diverse, interesting, and musical enough to justify the longer track lengths. The hidden track is actually very good, too (albeit not very grindcore).
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WHO READ THIS POST, I'M SERIOUS
I approve this message. Not the best of 2009, though. :)
-
if you don't think that album is one of the best album's you've heard this year then we've got words to have my friend, because there are so many parts that disagree with you: the crescendo of "my mother was born here, stoney indian" in "the battle of duck lake"; the sudden shift into an eerie major-key chiming guitar riff in "first neighbours" that totally belies the grimness of lines like "like a corpse we settle in"; the eruption of about seven measures of straight time into "i heard there's proof"; the way the drum line playfully mimics rhythm of the vocals in "unreunion" (or vice-versa, maybe); the way the intro cascades into three ringing melodies in "a year between the wars"; the absolutely amazing dissonance of the horns and strings in "frank slide," maybe the most effective use of those elements that i've heard in a few years, never mind the way that the song's rhythm suddenly changes from a strut to a weird, creepy shuffle; the surprisingly delicate nature of "bachelors, unite!" and the crisp lightness of the plucked guitar in that song; the sleater-kinneyish punk charge of "hallmark poultry limited" that's unexpected simply because of how brisk and straighforward it is; the "ooooos" that make "my teenage best friend's death in welland" more beautiful than it should be; the ghostly "we wait still" in "laura secord,"; the cinematic broadness of "louis riel leaves the college de montreal" that becomes terrible and awesome in the biblical sense during its horn-laden chorus; the martial rhythms of "spanish dance" that turn into a series of instrumental washes reminiscent of last year's excellent self-titled record by women.
i missed one song in there just cause i was thinking of all those parts off the top of my head. this is one of the most memorable records i've heard in a long time, and it's an album where absolutely no song, no section, no note is out of place. lean and cleverly-written and catchy, and some of the most incredible lyrics.
if that isn't enough for you, i'm perfectly willing to go through the last few pages and name the 2009 albums that don't hold a candle to this one.
-
seriously if you profess any love at all for guitars or the album spiderland you need to be all over first neighbours
-
PORTICO'S NEW ALBUM, FIRST NEIGHBOURS, IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT AND ONE OF THE BEST RECORDS I'VE HEARD THIS YEAR HANDS DOWN. PLEASE VISIT http://www.myspace.com/porticonation FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND SLINT-Y MUSIC W/ A GIRL SINGER
This is pretty awesome.
-
spiderland really isn't all that great though.
-
The general mood of that Portico album reminds me a lot of The Cape May upon the first few listens.
-
The general mood of that Portico album reminds me a lot of The Cape May upon the first few listens.
-spindly
-ominous
-visceral
yeah, that fits
-
I honestly no longer remember what albums I liked from the beginning of the year, and my computer died so I don't even have them anymore anyway, but I'm gonna come down on the side of The Dream - Love vs. Money being the best record of the year, and Gucci Mane - The State vs Radric Davis is in the top 10 somewhere. Also:
Smith Westerns - Self titled
Strange Boys - And Girls Club
Maxwell - Black Summers Night
Miranda Lambert - Revolutions
Mayer Hawthorne - Strange Arrangement
Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
And probably a bunch of other stuff I really liked at one point but forgot about.
-
Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
i was talking about that just last night, that album is like a reverse-grower. i like it less every time i listen to it. at first i thought it was 10/10 A+ but now i think it's just kind of ok.
-
I went through all this thread looking for starting points to assemble my own list and I've actually heard literally none of the albums herein mentioned, unless I skimmed some shit.
I don't think I have actually heard 10 albums released in 2009.
-
It kind of bugs me, that I haven't heard the new Portal yet.
-
TOP TEN OF 2009
10. Actor -- St. Vincent
9. Vs. Children -- Casiotone For the Painfully Alone
8. I Can't Wait -- These Estates
7. Strange Arrangement -- Mayer Hawthorne and the County
6. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart -- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
5. xx -- The xx
4. Veckatimest -- Grizzly Bear
3. March of the Zapotec/Holland -- Beirut
2. Far -- Regina Spektor
1. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand -- Franz Ferdinand
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Actor was really, really good, and so was that Mayer Hawthorne record. Tight!
-
Shit I guess I better do this seeing as I literally can not listen to anything else this year
-
BAM
Albums:
Baroness- Blue Record
Eleventh He Reaches London- Hollow Be My Name
Om- God is Good
Converge- Axe To Fall
Future of the Left- Travels With Myself and Another
Coalesce- Ox
Shrinebuilder- Shrinebuilder
Devin Townsend Project- Addicted
Pulling Teeth- Paranoid Delusions Paradise Illusions
Kowloon Walled City- Gambling on the Richter Scale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regina Spektor- Far
Doomriders- Darkness Come Alive
Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More
Frank Turner- Poetry of the Deed
Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Elvis Costello- Secret, Profane and Sugarcane
Lewd Acts- Black Eyed Blues
Karnivool- Sound Awake
Calvin Harris- Ready For the Weekend
Disappearer- The Clearing
Amosouers- Amosouers
Between the Buried and Me- The Great Misdirect
Fuck Buttons- Tarot Sport
Russian Circles- Geneva
Heirs- Alchera
Alexisonfire- Old Crows/Young Cardinals
A Death in the Family- Small Town Stories
Mastodon- Crack The Skye
Yuksek- Away From the Sea
Passion Pit- Manners
Pelican- What We All Come to Need
Porcupine Tree- The Incident
The Whitest Boy Alive- Rules
Neil Young- Fork in the Road
The Field- Yesterday and Today
Mountain Goats- The Life of the World to Come
Lonely Island- Incredibad
The Devil & Abbe May- Hoodoo You Do
Arcane- Chronicles of the Waking Dream
Katatonia- Night is the New Day
Darkest Hour- The Eternal Return
Isis- Wavering Radiant
Killswitch Engage- Killswitch Engage
The Decemberists- The Hazards of Love
Kylesa- Static Tensions
Simian Mobile Disco- Temporary Pleasure
MSTRKRFT- Fist of God
A Place to Bury Strangers- Exploding Head
EPs:
Cave In- Planets of Old
Jesu- Opiate Sun
Toehider- Not Much of a Man
Sleepmakeswaves & Tangled Thoughts of Leaving- Split
Gull- The Thin King
Boris/Torche- Chapter Ahead Being Fake
These Estates- I Can't Wait!
Pelican- Ephemeral
Fairly tweaked from the list I did in October, and a big rush of albums from just the past few weeks, including "Ox" by Coalesce which I absolutely am kicking myself over not hearing earlier. Also really weird seeing something like Regina Spektor's record outside of the Top 10, considering I didn't think anything could even touch it when I first listened to it. Ditto "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix". I think this just speaks to how deeply I am in to sludge+hardcore right now than a comment on the music's quality. Also this list is a huge reminder that I really needed to give quite a lot of records more time and attention, but just ended up listening to "The Blue Record" instead.
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Also, to comment on my top ten list, I had Franz Ferdinand's as my best album, not because it's a musical masterpiece or anything, but I just listened to it so many times, I couldn't not put it as my favourite album. And Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is one of my runner-ups, bu I recently gave another listen to Vs. Children and I realised it was better.
Oh and congrats Johnny for being in my top ten. I recently re-gave a listen to your band's EP and it's honestly incredibly fun.
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Just put my list up on my blog. Did a Top Ten, and then an honorable mention for anything below that.
http://mightyriogrande.blogspot.com/
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dude it looks like you forgot to put snacks on yr list.
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Snacks?
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Waaaaaiiiiitttt yoooouuuu guuuuyyyyyssssss
ALBUMS:
01. Future of The Left - Travels With Myself and Another [4AD]
02. Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights [Load]
03. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone [ANTI-]
04. Japandroids - Post-Nothing [Unfamiliar / Polyvinyl]
05. Mos Def - The Ecstatic [Downtown]
06. Sonic Youth - The Eternal [Matador]
07. Mission of Burma - The Sound The Speed The Light [Matador]
08. Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall [Matador]
09. The Mountain Goats - The Life of The World To Come [4AD]
10. Dinosaur Jr - Farm [Jagjaguwar]
11. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic [Warner Bros.]
12. Lucero - 1372 Overton Park [Universal Republic]
13. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle [Drag City]
14. Built To Spill - There is No Enemy [Warner Bros.]
15. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid [Nonesuch]
16. DOOM - Born Like This [Lex]
17. dälek - Gutter Tactics [Ipecac]
18. Obits - I Blame You [Sub Pop]
19. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! [Lost Highway]
20. Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx [Swami / Wichita]
EPs:
01. No Age - Losing Feeling [Sub Pop]
02. Fucked Up - Year of The Rat [What's Your Rupture?]
03. Paint It Black - Amnesia / Surrender [Bridge Nine / Fat Wreck]
04. Superchunk - Leaves in The Gutter [Merge]
05. Sleigh Bells - Demo [self-released]
COMEDY:
01. Paul F. Tompkins - Freak Wharf [A Special Thing]
02. Maria Bamford - Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome [Comedy Central]
Plus waaaaay too many honorable mentions.
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02. Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights [Load]
Finally someone else acknowledges this album's awesomeness. :-D
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I love that album. It might even be my favorite Lightning Bolt album, EVER.
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I love that album. It might even be my favorite Lightning Bolt album, EVER.
That's my thoughts too. It's certainly a close call between that one and Wonderful Rainbow for me.
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Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
Florence and the Machine - Lungs
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
A.A. Bondy - When the Devil's Loose
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - self-titled
The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead
Sky Larkin - The Golden Spike
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I've seen some Editors hatin' here.
I thought ITLAOTE was really good. Burn me.
:roll:
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I still haven't heard that Mariachi El Bronx album but I've heard really good things and I'm glad it was on your list, gives me faith.
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I've seen some Editors hatin' here.
I thought ITLAOTE was really good. Burn me.
don't hate them, but they're boring compared to other similar bands. that paul banks solo album this year tops anything they've done.
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I don't think I have actually heard 10 albums released in 2009.
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Since my list is a little similar to some other people's lists, I'm gonna spice it up!
Here is my list, sans vowels:
TP TN:
1. JPNDRDS - PST-NTHNG
2. FCK BTTNS - TRT SPRT
3. PSSN PT - MNNRS
4. PHNX - WLFGNG MDS PHNX
5. MMRY TPS - SK MGC
6. FVR RY - FVR RY
7. RL STT - RL STT
8. SLW CLB - YH S
9. CFCF - CNTNNT
10. BB - MBVLNC VN
HNRBL MNTN:
BLCK MTH SPR RNBW - TNG S
DN DCN - BRMST
GRLS - LBM
GRZZLY BR - VCKTMST
MDRT - MDRT
TH PNS F BNG PR T HRT - TH PNS F BNG PR T HRT
RYKSPP - JNR
SHPNGL - NFFBL MYSTRS FRM SHPNGLND
SMN MBL DSC - TMPRRY PLSRS
SBWY - SBWY
See if you can figure them out! (PROTIP: They are really easy)
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9. CFCF - CNTNNT
Huh, that was #9 on my list, too.
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I've seen some Editors hatin' here.
I thought ITLAOTE was really good. Burn me.
don't hate them, but they're boring compared to other similar bands. that paul banks solo album this year tops anything they've done.
Was that a diss towards Banks' solo album? Cause I really liked it, it was one of my runner-ups to the top 10. (I should do a top 15 actually.)
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er, no, i love that Banks album, way better than the last interpol. clearly he needs to write all their songs from now on.
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I've seen some Editors hatin' here.
I thought ITLAOTE was really good. Burn me.
don't hate them, but they're boring compared to other similar bands. that paul banks solo album this year tops anything they've done.
This is the incorrect answer. Their first two albums were good (I have a preference for the second one, but I'm the minority there) and the third one is just...boring '80s new wave? Like, I guess it does that okay, but who wants to listen to a middling album from the '80s?
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Things I really liked, sort of in order up to my favorite of the year but not really. If I were to make a definitive list, these would probably all be on it somewhere in any case:
William Fowler Collins – Perdition Hill Radio
Hildur Gudnasdottir - Without Sinking
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Vs. Children
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Elm - Nemcatacoa
Xela – The Divine
Hanging Thief – S/T
Scott Tuma and Mike Weiss – Taradiddle
Evan Caminiti – Psychic Mud Shrine
Concern – Truth and Distance
MONO – Hymn to the Immortal Wind
Good Stuff House – Endless Bummer
Do Make Say Think – Other Truths
Wildbirds and Peacedrums – The Snake
Ilyas Ahmed – Goner (definitely album of the year for me, no doubt in my mind. It’s brilliant!)
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I've seen some Editors hatin' here.
I thought ITLAOTE was really good. Burn me.
don't hate them, but they're boring compared to other similar bands. that paul banks solo album this year tops anything they've done.
This is the incorrect answer. Their first two albums were good (I have a preference for the second one, but I'm the minority there) and the third one is just...boring '80s new wave? Like, I guess it does that okay, but who wants to listen to a middling album from the '80s?
i honestly don't know which band you're talking about. if you're talking about Editors, your response makes no sense. if you're talking about Interpol, i agree that Antics is their best album but Our Love To Admire doesn't sound anything like 80s new wave. it is, however, not great.
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I went through all this thread looking for starting points to assemble my own list and I've actually heard literally none of the albums herein mentioned, unless I skimmed some shit.
I don't think I have actually heard 10 albums released in 2009.
Did I never mention Aleph at Hallucinitory Mountain?
Anyhow, as far as what I heard (which admittedly wasn't a ton):
Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware
Chain and the Gang - Down With Liberty... Up With Chains!
Current 93 - Aleph
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Julie Doiron - I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day
Joan of Arc - Flowers
Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine
Mt. Eerie - Wind's Poem
The New Year - The New Year
Listened to Future Of the Left, Bill Callahan, Immaculate Machine, These Estates, Yo La Tengo, Neko Case, and Handsome Furs a bunch as well.
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Oh, I forgot to mention my absolute least favorite album of the year, Bitte Orca. What a fucking disastrous mess of an album. Irritating beyond belief, completely mishmashed, illogically constructed, jarringly composed in the worst possible sense of the word, rife with totally superfluous instrumentation and generally godawful songwriting, I cannot for one single second of this aural trainwreck fathom in the slightest why anyone might like this. And no, I'm really not being hyperbolic here, I do think it's that bad.
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Holy shit I did not realize other people had this opinion.
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Since my list is a little similar to some other people's lists, I'm gonna spice it up!
Here is my list, sans vowels:
TP TN:
1. JÆPÆNIDIRIDÆS - POST-ANYTHONG
2. FUCK BUTTINOS - TART SAPART
3. PISSIN PET - MINNORS
4. PHANXIIIIIIIII - WÜLFGONG MADES PHANXIIIIIIIIII
5. MAMARY TIPS - SUK MAGOC
6. FAVOR ROY - FAVOR ROY
7. ROLE SITATA - ROLE SITATA
8. SLEW CLUB - YOOHOO ASE
9. CUFCUF - CUNTANANAT
10. BOOBIE - MOBOVILNIAC VAN
HNRBL MNTN:
BLOCK MATH SOUPER RENIBAW - TONG SI
DAN DICIN - BROOMSTY
GRILS - LABIUM
GRIZZLY BEER - VICKYTIMYSTEI
MADRETI - MADRETI
THE PUNS OF BONG PORE IT HURT - THE PUNS OF BONG PORE IT HURT
RAYKISPAPE - JENOR
SHAPANGLY - INEFFABLE MYSTERIES FROM SHIPINGLAND
How'd I do?
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Holy shit I did not realize other people had this opinion.
o/
I would bet money that there's more of us than you know. People are just afraid to speak out against something that's so inexplicably revered. Come on guys, none of you actually like this, right?
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I've seen some Editors hatin' here.
I thought ITLAOTE was really good. Burn me.
don't hate them, but they're boring compared to other similar bands. that paul banks solo album this year tops anything they've done.
This is the incorrect answer. Their first two albums were good (I have a preference for the second one, but I'm the minority there) and the third one is just...boring '80s new wave? Like, I guess it does that okay, but who wants to listen to a middling album from the '80s?
i honestly don't know which band you're talking about. if you're talking about Editors, your response makes no sense. if you're talking about Interpol, i agree that Antics is their best album but Our Love To Admire doesn't sound anything like 80s new wave. it is, however, not great.
He is talking about The Editors and it does make sense. Their first albums were (relatively) good and their third album really sound like boring 80s new wave music. But meh, I've always been more of an Interpol fan.
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o/
\o
I actually heard someone state that the lead singer is the best singer he's ever heard. (That statement is ridiculous)
How'd I do?
You missed two, but otherwise it was terrible
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I actually thought the exact same thing the first time I listened to it. But then, somehow, over several listens, I grew to love the ridiculousness of it. *shrug* Oh well.
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3. PISSIN PET - MINNORS
5. MAMARY TIPS - SUK MAGOC
9. CUFCUF - CUNTANANAT
I dunno, I was kind of snickering at these. I'd listen to CUNTANANAT
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Well, it's a good thing you can laugh at yourself
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I actually heard someone state that the lead singer is the best singer he's ever heard. (That statement is ridiculous)
I love this band so much yet I don't know how anyone could think that of Longstreth.
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Yeah he is pretty awful, especially in his high range
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his voice is an elastic marvel, as much an instrument as tom waits' or the dude from wild beasts
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what's superfluous about "two doves," which is just voice, strings and guitar
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Oh shit guys watch out someone wrote something about music that Johnny disagrees with take coverrrrrr
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:police: <<<< That's me. I'm an officer on the Taste Police Force.
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I think you guys are missing the point. What really makes that album so great are Amber, Angel and Haley's vocals. For the most part listening to any Dirty Projectors albums from before their time in the band is an exercise in frustration for me. I mean Longstreth voice is obviously not meant to be some sort of vocal revelation.
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Comparing Longstreth to Tom Waits is about as close to blasphemous as you can get when talking about music.
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I would bet money that there's more of us than you know. People are just afraid to speak out against something that's so inexplicably revered. Come on guys, none of you actually like this, right?
i have never liked the dirty projectors and make fun of my friend that does. i'm not going to make much of a comparison between bitte orca and dan deacon's Bromst, but i will say that i like the latter for all the reasons that i hate the former, if that makes any sense.
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I think you guys are missing the point. What really makes that album so great are Amber, Angel and Haley's vocals. For the most part listening to any Dirty Projectors albums from before their time in the band is an exercise in frustration for me.
See I don't really see how people can like bands because of one element of the band. That is is like saying you should listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers because Flea is an excellent bass guitarist.
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Isn't it equally odd to dislike a band because of one element like Longstreth's vocals? Anyway my point wasn't that I like the album only because of the other vocals.
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No, it's why I think Deerhoof are terrible.
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Isn't it equally odd to dislike a band because of one element like Longstreth's vocals? Anyway my point wasn't that I like the album only because of the other vocals.
Now I didn't say that was the only thing I didn't like about Dirty Projectors. I pretty much agreed with everything Mr. Wombat said about the band.
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I've seen some Editors hatin' here.
I thought ITLAOTE was really good. Burn me.
don't hate them, but they're boring compared to other similar bands. that paul banks solo album this year tops anything they've done.
This is the incorrect answer. Their first two albums were good (I have a preference for the second one, but I'm the minority there) and the third one is just...boring '80s new wave? Like, I guess it does that okay, but who wants to listen to a middling album from the '80s?
i honestly don't know which band you're talking about. if you're talking about Editors, your response makes no sense. if you're talking about Interpol, i agree that Antics is their best album but Our Love To Admire doesn't sound anything like 80s new wave. it is, however, not great.
I guess you're a bit slow then? I was obviously talking about the Editors. You know, the band that put out an eighties album this year.
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Settle down, no need to get personal about it.
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I honestly think "Crack The Skye" by Mastodon should get a mention here too.
I've not kept up very well with what came out this year.
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The Ichthyologist is fantastic
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The Ichthyologist is fantastic
I need to buy that album, pretty dang soon. As well as a squillion others, but yeah.
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I'm going to mention Goi, Rode, Goi by Arkona. Because it's wonderful and if there is a reason to mention nice folk metal it should be mentioned. So, Goi, Rode, Goi is a good album.
It also has some dutch lyrics on there which, coming unexpectedly on a russian language album, may have been the biggest WTF!-Did-I-Just-Hear-That-Correctly?-moment of 2009 for me.
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Less words, more lists.
1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The one album that kept it's shine all year long. The perfect soundtrack to the past summer and brilliantly cheerful during these cold winter days.
2. Moderat - Moderat
The perfect blend of Apparat's dreamy synths and Modeselektor's beats. Could've been number one if it wasn't for the awful vocals on track 7. Oh well. Absolutely astonishing live btw.
3. Nosaj Thing - Drift
What do you even call this? Atmospheric hip-hop? IDM? Actually decent dubstep? Amazing.
4. Worriedaboutsatan - Arrivals
Some of the most beautiful ambient techno in years.
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - s/t
Fuzzy pop at it's best. Amazingly catchy.
6. Health - Get color
Clearly influenced by the tracks on Disco. Still noisy but melodious when they want it to be.
7. The Raveonettes - In and out of control
I fell in love with their first album late this summer, yet their other LP's lack a certain something. Not this one though. A fine return to form.
8. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
One of the best live performances I saw this year. This would've been higher up a few months ago.
9. Fuck Buttons - Tarot sport
An acid house take on their debut. Very good if not quite spectacular.
10. Yo La Tengo - Popular songs
More of the same yes, but that's good enough for me. Although the last half is superfluous.
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I guess you're a bit slow then? I was obviously talking about the Editors. You know, the band that put out an eighties album this year.
you said "80s new wave".
"80s new wave" = talking heads, the cars, the b-52s, yaz, flock of seagulls, and a bunch of other things that this last editors album doesn't sound like.
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OK, so here's a more (sort of) concrete top 6 list:
6. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
With their newest album, Grizzly Bear continues to prove why they're one of the most engaging and innovative bands in the world of popular indie-rock. A lush, gorgeously arranged albums that manages to be catchy and addictive without being trite or ultimately boring like so many of its counterparts.
5. MONO – Hymn to the Immortal Wind
Well, it's MONO so you should all know what that means by now: massive, shamelessly epic post-rock, this time complete with a full orchestra. It's a rock and roll Beethoven album and it totally fucking rules.
4.Good Stuff House – Endless Bummer
Good Stuff House is Matt Christensen and Mike Weis from Zelienople teaming up with Scott Tuma and the results are just what you might expect from such a collaboration: a massively dense, cavernous, haze filled mass of ghostly feedback and distortion, distant voices swallowed in a void of faded, clattering percussion and almost tribal instrumentation (guitars and wailing saxophone and eastern sounding strings to name just a few). Something about this album feels very primal and ancient and it's all exceptionally beautiful.
3. Do Make Say Think – Other Truths
Not much to say about this. It's a true return to form from one of the best bands in the genre (not to mention one of the best live acts you'll find). A really well imagined album, it's engaging and just plain cool, brimming with all the good stuff you expect from a DMST album in spades.
2. Wildbirds and Peacedrums – The Snake
OK, where the hell did this come from? I had never heard of this duo until I saw them open for Fanfarlo at The Bell House in Brooklyn but man did they put on one of the most utterly enthralling and powerful live performances I've ever seen. Although this group is just a guy on drums and a girl who sings and occasionally bangs on a pan steel drum or a zither, they make a ton of noise and they do it brilliantly. Although this album lacks a bit of the raw emotional intensity of the live shows, it's still terrific and pretty much guaranteed to be unlike anything you've heard before.
1. Ilyas Ahmed – Goner
By far the best thing I heard this year. Totally haunting and gorgeous rock and roll, smeared in distortion and fuzz like it was recorded by ghosts in the Marianas Trench that constantly revealing new layers with each listen. Ahmed has been pretty accurately described as a male counterpart to Grouper (who even makes an unexpected but brilliantly executed appearance on the album's final track) but his music is heavier, more intense, more driving. That is, these songs are more distinctly song-like in their structure and arc. In any case, this album is way too good to ignore.
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I guess you're a bit slow then? I was obviously talking about the Editors. You know, the band that put out an eighties album this year.
you said "80s new wave".
"80s new wave" = talking heads, the cars, the b-52s, yaz, flock of seagulls, and a bunch of other things that this last editors album doesn't sound like.
Man, trying to nail new wave down to a specific couple of bands or even a specific sound is never going to succeed - it's partly why I chose the term in the first place (to avoid random bullshittery regarding genre classifications). A couple of apropos quotes from the ever-reliable Wikipedia...
"Later still, "New Wave" came to imply a less noisy, often synthesizer-based, pop sound."
"The term fell out of favour in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s because its usage had become too general."
It's really not a classification you want to get into a semantic argument about, frankly, which is why I'm not going to! I'm not going to post on this subject again, to let everyone keep posting the far more interesting album lists, but I don't appreciate the combative approach you've taken. My response did make sense, and trying to pretend it doesn't just because I disagree with your opinion on music is...well, I'll avoid summing it up in one word to not continue being combative.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled 2009 album posts :)
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It's really not a classification you want to get into a semantic argument about
"genre" is not "semantics". people should not use genre labels unless they have something to back them up with. otherwise you get people saying "oh, you like industrial music? check out Stabbing Westward then."
i'm not being "combative" i'm trying to keep a common frame of reference.
on-topic: one of my housemate's played Bitte Orca yesterday while i was trying to sleep off a hangover and i can confidently say that not only do i dislike it, i think it's one of the worst albums i heard all year. yes including that weezer abortion. and it's not because of the voice. it's the absolutely annoying arrangements.
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I am totally apathetic towards Bitte Orca's existence. It's far from the worst album I've heard this year, but it certainly isn't the best.
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fuck, I forgot that I need to fit in Zelienople's "Give it Up" and Black to Comm's "Alphabet 1968" onto my list. Those were both really excellent.
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[...]
on-topic: one of my housemate's played Bitte Orca yesterday while i was trying to sleep off a hangover and i can confidently say that not only do i dislike it, i think it's one of the worst albums i heard all year [...]
Is there any music that's great when you're trying to sleep off a hangover?
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Is there any music that's great when you're trying to sleep off a hangover?
labradford usually works wonders for me.
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Stars of the Lid works every time.