It's not like I've heard a bunch, but I like Miike Snow's self-titled album. I think it came out this year. It's great
It's not like I've heard a bunch, but I like Miike Snow's self-titled album. I think it came out this year. It's great
best release this year was the Beatles remastered catalog woooooord
(-o-)
-tie fighter
Your favorite album of the year
Favorite songs are in parenthesis.
Top Three:
1. Bomb in a Birdcage - A Fine Frenzy (What I Wouldn't Do)
2. Wait for Me - Moby
3. The Fall - Norah Jones
Others (Some I just haven't listened to enough):
Two Suns - Bat For Lashes (Daniel)
Ellipse - Imogen Heap (Canvas)
Radiolarians II - Medeski, Martin, and Wood
Radiolarians III - Medeski, Martin, and Wood
Fantasies - Metric (Help I'm Alive)
Found Songs - Ólafur Arnalds
East of Eden - Taken By Trees
Inland Territory - Vienna Teng (St. Stephen's Cross)
What about you ?
Hey gameorgamer, since we already had a thread on the subject, I merged your thread into this one. Take care! -Rantzien
Two Suns had waaaaaaay better songs than Daniel. Travelling Woman; Good Love; Siren Song; Glass; Sleep Alone; Moon and Moon ... le sigh, such a good piece of tuneage.
Alicia Keys' new album, The Element of Freedom, that came out the other day is one my favorite albums ever. Definitely my favorite from this year.
chances of something new that's awesome in the next ten days are slim so here
2009
Bolded are my top choices.
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
You're sitting alone by an empty highway on the hood of your car watching birds fly over prairie fields and dusk is falling and this is what it sounds like.
YouTube - Bill Callahan - Eid Ma Clack Shaw
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
This is late 70's early 80's echo based effects ballads about the summer turning to fall and your high-school crush moving away and your first job which sucks but you stomach all this because you know you'll be able to get that new record player after you're done working there. I want to say this is what Polaris would be if 'Pete & Pete' were 'Jenny & Jenny', but that's just my view of things.
YouTube - Camera Obscura - Forests & Sands
Bishop Allen - Grrr
This is just pleasant. It doesn't ask for action from you and provides it on its own.
YouTube - "Dimmer" by Bishop Allen
White Rabbits - It's Frightening
The energy here is superb. I want to make love to their drummers. It's like old-timey Franz Ferdinand got the energy of InterpolXArctic Monkeys. The album is structured like a book; it has the catch, the climax, the denouement, and the epilogue. It's not very long but what is there is good enough to listen to over and over.
YouTube - White Rabbits "Percussion Gun" Official Video
Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Pretty great. If you don't know who the Doves are, this is a good intro. I just feel that they placed their best first and kind of skimped the ending. The link below is the best song on the album and a really good video though so click it.
YouTube - Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
Japandroids - Post-Nothing
A guitar and drums but they sound like an orchestra that loves to dirtbike. Put on a crazy live show too.
YouTube - Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
Morrissey - Years of Refusal
Starts hard and impressive and continues like this.
YouTube - Morrissey - 14 I'm OK By Myself (BBC Radio 2)
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
This is so much better than the last one. It's very classic rock, and is an album-length experience. There's no real one song that stands out, because it's a giant trip that works the best when all of it is present. Kind of makes up for the last album. On the other hand, maybe my expectations were really low so I was pleasantly surprised?
YouTube - the Decemberists - the hazards of love 1 - (2 of 17)
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
It is like they tried to go back in time and play rock shows in the Victorian ages and then got thrown out and started a revolution. A sexy revolution.
YouTube - Phoenix - Lisztomania Official Video (Best Quality + Lyrics)
Clues - Clues
These are guys from Unicorns and Arcade Fire, I guess? I've never heard much Unicorns but if it's anything like this, I may have to go back and check that out. This album is active and does a whole lot of golden-ratio note patterns (what I mean by this is that it's just pleasant to listen to, cause the golden ratio is what people use in architecture to make things pleasant to look at). Also, has a full-on Canadian feel to it (song titles like 'Ledmonton' add to that). It feels like a winter CD for winter people which Canadians are so you should all enjoy it. I got no idea what a golden-ratio note pattern is, I'm BS'ing.
YouTube - Clues - "Haarp"
Dirty Projectors - Bite Orca
There are people whose voices are useless in songs. They're either intentionally staying in the background or are just not that great and so everything else becomes more important. And then on the other hand there's people whose voices are the instruments. These people are Dirty Projectors, and I think they're gonna be big eventually. This isn't like Bjork's all-voice project from a few years back, this isn't just voices, but it all complements each other pretty well. Llamas and huskies in this video, fair warning to some of you.
YouTube - Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move
St. Vincent - Actor
This is pretty hot. Walking in a park and then you have to fight an invading alien hive-brain army except you do it by playing checkers or something. And then they tell you all their troubles. And you listen because you're already playing checkers with them, and you kind of become empathetic to their cause and you suggest they settle on Venus. The music has got nothing to do with space or aliens though, so don't be turned off by my description.
YouTube - St Vincent - "Actor Out Of Work"
Mono - Hymn To The Immortal Wind
I'll be honest first up; I haven't been into post-rock since early GY!BE. I just couldn't get into Explosions in the Sky or anything. I guess I just really have to be in the mood for it. But I like this one. There's a theatrical element that Mono add in that I enjoy.
YouTube - MONO - Follow The Map
Grammatics - Grammatics
This was a really weird thing. I listened to it once and decided to ignore it forever, because I felt the songs weren't interesting or memorable. Then I randomly listened again and I realized that I knew most songs on the album. So it either got under my skin or I have an amazing memory (I don't). The main vocalist may require a specific time of day for a listen though in order to get something good out of it. This might be from 2008. You can sue me if you want, I'd understand.
YouTube - Grammatics - Shadow Committee
Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows
Sweeeeeet-assss. I don't know if I like more the fact that this sounds like 90's game music with non-synth instruments or the fact they remade Bucephalus Bouncing Ball with some horns and strings. Props. This is also further proof that I am a huge liar (about the post-rock thing I said above).
YouTube - Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows (Live 2009) High Quality
Passion Pit - Manners
This is the thing I would play at a house party where the living room was devoted to crazy drunk dancing which ends up on YouTube a week later. But I also listen to it alone, quite a bit. It's got these pieces of chill and happiness inside that really appeal to most audiences (my little brother likes it OK too). Lyrics you can easily connect with, and tunes you can appreciate long after the drive.
YouTube - Passion Pit - The Reeling
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
I didn't even listen to this at first because of their horrible name, but these guys are pretty good for a band from NY.
YouTube - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Ramona
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
Everyone is on this CD. Everyone from every band ever. Although I guess technically it's not really a CD cause it never got officially released because of the issues with the publisher? I don't know I better check the backstory before posting some random rumors. It's got people from Flaming Lips on it, and Julian Casablancas and others.
YouTube - Julian Casablancas - Little girl "Dark Night of the Soul"
BLK JKS - Mystery EP, After Robots LP
Some of the tightest bass I've heard in a while. These guys came out with two discs this year, and they're both great. The LP is more accessible and is more organized musically, but these guys are great and I will be following their exploits. They're from Johannesburg but they've been touring around here too.
YouTube - BLK JKS - Summertime
The Field - Yesterday and Today
Great lightweight electronica. Good as either background music or for some actual listening. I try the first but the second ends up happening.
YouTube - The Field - I have the moon, you have the internet [Track 1]
Slow Club - Yeah So?
Sleeper hit for me, I had no idea these guys existed. They're very cheerful. I like it. They remind me of Bright Eyes, except now that there's a girl singing too it sounds a lot less depressing (if that makes any sense).
YouTube - SLOW CLUB "It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful"
YACHT - See Mystery Lights
It seems throwaway at first, but this becomes weird in a special way. Reminds me of early Fiery Furnaces but with more electronic bits. I'm fighting with myself about whether or not to bold this title.
YouTube - YACHT - Psychic City (Voodoo City)
Flunk - This is What You Get
I have to write about this or this guy I know will get mad at me. Just kidding, it's actually pretty good. And yeah, a lot of it is subtle shout-outs to old-timey Radiohead, you can tell by the album title alone.
YouTube - Flunk - Down
Lacrosse - Bandages For The Heart
Yes, it sounds like this will be a very emotional and sad album but this is not the case. It's very happy. You might be disgusted by how happy this crap is. Wednesday afternoon house party stuff, where all you drink is lemonade made by your Mom and the only people that come are all friends with each other. Then they get into the heavy subject matter, and some of the lyrics seem like they belong in a totally different style of music. It's pretty solid though. I don't sing along to songs in the car but if I did I'd know how to sing along to all of this CD. Who are we kidding, I totally already do that. Constantly in my top 3 for this year.
YouTube - LACROSSE - WE ARE KIDS
As Tall as Lions - You Can't Take it With You
Layered and structured. These guys sound like they know what they're doing. The melodies stand out and are kind of memorable. They sing in maxims but they do it in a way that makes the maxims believable.
YouTube - As Tall As Lions - In Case of Rapture
Florence and the Machine - Lungs
Florence has a strong voice, and the Machine is a powerful support for it. I feel like if you've watched most of the videos for these songs you now think I'm a hippy.
YouTube - Florence & The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
The xx - xx
What an album. These guys groove real well together. There's all sorts of emotive brilliance hidden among the seemingly simple set-up, and the tracks just start to call out to you. I have not gotten bored of this thing in any way. I think this is my fave album of the year.
YouTube - The xx - Crystalised
The Most Serene Republic - ...And the Ever Expanding Universe
Writing this up I'm learning about what my preferences are, and as I look down the list I think I really like orchestrations and classical music elements with modern instruments and sensibilities. And I'm a sucker for a random string section and a few trombones and crap.
YouTube - The Most Serene Republic - Patternicity - And the Ever Expanding Universe (2009)
Years - Years
This follows on the whole pseudo-orchestra thing I talk about above. Love that BS. And when you get electronics involved I just cream myself, really. This is like a more 'realistic' (if that makes any sense) Four Tet. There's less emphasis on the electronic beats, but when the emphasis is there it certainly makes a stand. It's more cohesive than The Books, but it's in the same vein. I'm really trying not to name-drop but I don't really know how to describe music anymore because I am stupid. Also I couldn't find youtube versions of any songs so:
http://www.seewhatyouhear.com/2009/03/1 ... ve-affair/
Lights - The Listening
All you haters can go away,
I'm listenin to what this girl gotta say,
She plays WoW and is a nerd,
But these are the cutest songs I ever heard.
YouTube - Lights - The Listening (Studio Version - HQ) /w Lyrics
Rodrigo Y Gabriela - 11:11
Y'all make wishes when the clock hits 11:11, right? Did everyone wish for a great guitar album? It worked guys.
YouTube - Rodrigo y Gabriela "Hanuman" live @ Eurockéennes
Stuff that I was interested in and liked OK that I didn't really feel like writing about:
K-OS - Yes! ( YouTube - K-Os - I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman - Yes! )
Metric - Fantasies ( YouTube - Gimme Sympathy [Official Music Video] )
Manic Street Preachers - Journal for Plauge Lovers ( YouTube - Manic Street Preachers - All Is Vanity )
Royal Treatment Plant - Hope Is Not Enough ( YouTube - Royal Treatment Plant )
Royskopp - Junior ( YouTube - Röyksopp 'Happy Up Here' )
Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left ( YouTube - kiss kiss - the best mistake )
The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground ( YouTube - Every Goliath Has Its David by The Boy Least Likely To )
Wilco - Wilco (The Album) ( YouTube - Wilco - Wilco (The Song) )
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone ( YouTube - Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You @ Letterman ) (this comes with half an hour of night sounds which is pretty amazing but I still didn't feel like writing about the whole album)
Sonic Youth - The Eternal ( YouTube - Sonic Youth - Anti-Orgasm )
Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends ( YouTube - Les Savy Fav - Patty Lee )
NOFX - Coaster ( YouTube - NOFX - We Called It America - Coaster )
Stuff you should absolutely not bother listening to: (seriously don't listen to this)
Broadcast and The Focus Group - 'Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age'
I seriously don't get why people thought Manners was so good. Sounded like one giant song to me tbh. The Reeling was one of the only songs off of it I liked. Chunk of Change was still way better imo~~~~
SHE WOLF.
SCORE!Originally Posted by Rye
starting to feel just a little abused, like a coffee machine in an office~~~~
That song is probably the guilty pleasure of the year
Another one I forgot about:
the Dirty Projectors album is really, really good. the new Sonic Youth album is quite good too. the Animal Collective album has some great parts but is weak in the middle.
1. The Hazards of Love (The Decemberists)
2. Primary Colours (The Horrors)
3. Actor (St. Vincent)
4. Bromst (Dan Deacon)
5. My Maudlin Career (Camera Obscura)
6. Popular Songs (Yo La Tengo)
7. Merriweather Post Pavilion (Animal Collective)
8. Hospice (The Antlers)
9. It's Blitz! (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
10. Hymn to the Immortal Wind (Mono)
11. Warm Heart of Africa (The Very Best)
12. Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (Bill Callahan)
13. New Worlds (Charlotte Hatherley)
14. Xx (The Xx)
15. Dark Days/Light Years (Super Furry Animals)
16. Two Dancers (Wild Beasts)
17. The Crying Light (Antony and the Johnsons)
18. Earthly Delights (Lightning Bolt)
19. Hombre Lobo (Eels)
20. Communion (The Soundtrack of Our Lives)
Bubbling under: Girls, Annie, Jason Lytle, Doves, The Low Anthem, The Field, Various Artists (Dark Was the Night), Do Make Say Think, The Thermals
"Excuse me Miss, do you like pineapple?"
The albums of '09 I´ve been listening the most are:
* Mastodon - Crack The Skye
* Paramore - Brand New Eyes
* Kylesa - Static Tensions
The best song of '09 must be Oblivion by Mastodon. I just can't get enough of it.
I haven't been paying much attention to new music at all. I like a few of the things I hear on the radio.
Sleeping With a Broken Heart - Alicia Keys
Knock you Down - Keri Hilson ft. Kanye West and Neyo
Death to Autotune - Jay Z
Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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