50 CDs in 2011

[Juliana]

So the Girls CD is ...okay?
They were talking about it on NPR, and it sounded interesting, so I was going to see if I could hear the whole thing.

[rva]

Yeah.  It's quite good.

It's just not the mind-blowing never-heard-anything-like-this affair you might be expecting based on the critical reviews and stories about dude growing up in a cult.

I think it sounds kind of like The Elected, if you like them.

[Butter]

Mates of State--  You know, I used to think it was impossible to have too much Mates of State.  But now I guess, I'm approaching the MoS limit.

Which is kind of unfair as they haven't really been that prolific recently.  And they've also expanded their style and grown as songwriters.  In fact, I'd say this is easily the best Mates of State record ever, which is nice considering I thought Re-Arrange Us was disappointing and Bring It Back was not one of their better efforts either.

I don't know.  I still really, really like this.  MoS have done nothing wrong here.  I think this is about as good a record as MoS could have made, and they are (or were) one of my favorite bands.  I'm just not as enthused about this as I would have been three years ago and that surprises me. 

I guess I'm the same with REM.  I really try to get enthusiastic about their new stuff, and some of it is even good.  But I have a really hard time caring about it at all.

Although I would rank Mates of State's new stuff higher than theirs.

[Juliana]

I haven't fallen in love with anything in awhile (other than Ted Danson...I mean, The Avett Brothers cds)
I don't know if it's that I'm getting older or don't have much time to listen to music, or what, but I just have a hard time.
Like, most of the time, I'd rather just listen to NPR when I'm in the car, and in the car is one of the few places I can listen to stuff.
Either that or when I'm in the kitchen.
We don't even have a cd player in the house except in the kitchen or our bedroom (only because my alarm clock has a cd player).

[Kwyjibo]

She's even hated the last couple of Better than Ezra CDs, if you can believe it.

I'm getting this way about The Pernice Brothers... loved those guys but, enough is enough.

Toad the Wet Sprocket is recording a new album.  Why?

[rva]

I skipped the last Mates of State album that was mostly covers and I didn't even buy Re-Arrange Us, so I was pretty much at that point. 

But this album is really good.  And also, indie took like a big left turn so where 3-4 years ago there were tons of bands like this, suddenly there are no.  Plus there was the introduction of the bizarro-Mates of State Matt & Kim where the chick plays the drums and the dude sings, and instead of being good they suck ass.

[Butter]

But this album is really good.  And also, indie took like a big left turn so where 3-4 years ago there were tons of bands like this, suddenly there are no.  Plus there was the introduction of the bizarro-Mates of State Matt & Kim where the chick plays the drums and the dude sings, and instead of being good they suck ass.

I swear to you at one point, there was a song where I had that exact thought.  "This almost sounds like Matt & Kim... but good."  "Basement Money" was the song.

I liked Matt & Kim ok for a few weeks.  But man that shit got old fast.  The last album I didn't even bother with.  The first single grated so bad I just turned the radio as quickly as I could whenever I heard it.

[rva]

Neon Indian - Era Extrana

I'm extra pissed off at Neon Indian for being so boring in a week of what is otherwise tremendously exciting music.  And for falling below even my more modest expectations for this when just about everything exceed my much higher expectations.  I'm only finishing this album out of a grudging sense of duty to try and stay current with music. 

It's eerie how close Butter's recently played tracks and mine have been the last few days.  If someone logged in at the right time, I think there's a few times this week where they might have seen the exact same 5 tracks on both our sigs.

[Butter]

She's even hated the last couple of Better than Ezra CDs, if you can believe it.

Does not compute.  Does not compute.

You might as well just punch me in the face as tell me that.  It's like the death of my 20's.  Even though I'm 36.

[Butter]

Neon Indian.  We agree again.  I found it pretty boring... a song or two that caught my ear, but mostly it was blah.

St. Vincent?  I really like this album.  It falls a little short of great, but there are some really good songs on it.  I think I will be listening to this one for a while... she just has such an interesting sound with all of the synths, the varying drumbeats, the different guitar sounds, and her vocals.  The songs switch back and forth pretty effortlessly from up-tempo to down.  This is a really good evolution from her last album too.

[rva]

St. Vincent is almost too good.  She can throw her voice around like nobody's business, but she does it so easily it almost seems like she's not trying... it sort of takes away from the emotional impact.  There's a ton of different stuff going on in this album.  It's one that needs repeated listenings before you can get a sense of how it all fits together.

So far, I dislike "Chloe in the Afternoon."  I wasn't that enamored of "Surgeon" when I heard it as a single, but I like the way it fits in with the two songs before it.  That little trilogy of songs 2-4 is pretty good sequence.  "Northern Lights" is pants.  "Strange Mercy" is fantastic.   Then I haven't really been able to pay enough attention through the rest. 

I would say so far, "Dilettante" kinda captures this album for me.  First it sounds like it's going to be a cool funk number and I'm like "yeaaaaah."  But then it goes into some kind of annoying skronk-jazz crap... and then at the end it finally delivers on its promise with a super-cool funk/blues wah guitar solo.

The person she kind of reminds me of is Joan as Policewoman.  But the Joan as Policewoman album always kept a strong groove and general sorta funk presence which kept you interested enough to listen to it enough times for the album to open itself up to you.  This just seems too scattershot to me.  The artistry and technique that went into this is impressive as hell but you have to really like interesting noise and sounds for their own sake though, and I kind of don't.  If you like say, Kate Bush you'll like this.  I personally can't stand Kate Bush.

I'm gonna give this a fair chance, but I don't think that ultimately I'm gonna be very into it as a whole.  I don't begrudge it any of the plaudits it is getting, though.

[Butter]

The Ladytron album is one of the few semi-disappointments in this excellent crop of new releases.  It's not that it's bad.  It's just kind of chill-wave-y downer.  I wouldn't say they were ever like a super-pop danceband, but there was sort of a... I dunno... like a bit of a sophisticated arch humor vibe to it.  It was LIGHT.  This is heavy, heavy, heavy. 

It's still a good album.  It might be more impressive artistically than anything they've done but it's not as enjoyable.

I'm enjoying it a lot more than I did "Velocifero".  Maybe a little too dancey with the beats and everything, but overall it's solid.

[rva]

This weeks listens:

Dominant Legs- Invitation  It was okay, kind of catchy, but nothing really grabbed me.

Gem Club- Breakers  Boring, boring, boring drowned in fuzz and reverb 2010 style "shoegaze."  Didn't make it through

Twin Sister- In Heaven  Electronic indie-pop.  Also found this kind of boring.

The City and Horses- We Will Never Be Discovered  This was actually surprisingly good.  It's kind of like Girls.  It's got a definite indiepop core but lots of different sounds/styles around.  Just sort of anything pop goes.  But where Girls aims big, this one aims small.  There's none of the melodramatics or lengthy songs.  I like it. 

Wilco- The Whole Love  There are some moments where Wilco breaks out the guitars and rocks a little bit, but they are just fleeting moments.  It's enough for Wilco lovers to jizz all over themselves and proclaim this a return to form, but it really isn't.  It just doesn't suck quite as bad as their other recent stuff.  Boring.  Did not make it through.

The Bangles- Sweetheart of the Sun.  Susanna Hoffs looks like she's had some Botox done.  She's definitely fading, BUT she still looks pretty good for 50.  And if you catch her in the right picture, she's still hot as hell.  That pretty much describes this album.  The cracks are starting to show, but they still sound a lot like they used to and they're sticking with the same formula, making this a fun power/jangle pop listen. 

Extra Classic- Your Light Like White Lightning, Your Light Like A Laserbeam.  This was surprisingly good.  It's reggae, but weird.  They went back and recorded this on like 8 tracks or something with vintage equipment and all to make it sound like a classic reggae album.  Except they're all from San Francisco.  So the line between gimmick and good is pretty thin.  They end up on the good side.  I think because while they are playing reggae beats and all, they don't go so far as to fake up Jamaican accents or sing about rastafarian stuff so it's not cheesy.  The singer is Adrianne Verhoeven from The Anniversary who has some decent pipes and obviously sounds nothing like Bob Marley.  The best two tracks are probably the last two where they go and do some gospel-y blues soul tunes that are not reggae at all.  I'd say both songs are equal to or better than Cults' "You Know What I Mean."

Dum Dum Girls-- Only in Dreams I was surprised by this one as well.  They took out the massive reverb/underwater effect that annoys me so much on these kinds of records.  And lo and behold, Dee Dee Dum Dum or whatever the fuck her name is has a good voice.  Actually sounds a bit like Chrissie Hynde.  It's a lot less beholden to 50's music, a bit more polished in the production, and the songwriting is stronger.  It's not like genius-fantastic, but it's pretty darn good.

Youth Lagoon- Year of Hibernation  Yet another pleasant surprise.  I kinda thought this was going to be another one of those ambient-y chillfolkwave albums that just washes over without making an impression.  But it's a little deeper.  It has kind of calm-but-happy mood on top, like Sigur Ros.  But also a melancholy thing underneath, like... Sigur Ros.  You'd never confuse this album for Sigur Ros, just saying it has the same kinda vibe.  Something here grabbed me. 

Spank Rock- Everything is Boring and Everyone is a Fucking Liar.  I don't know why I bothered.  I don't like Spank Rock.   I still don't like Spank Rock.  But if you like Spank Rock, you'll probably like this.

Still need to listen to:

Mastadon, Apparat, Dan Mangan

[Cockney Rebel]

1 ● Ultravox! - Ultravox!
2 ● Ultravox! - Ha! Ha! Ha!
3 ● Ultravox! - Systems of Romance
4 ● John Foxx - Glimmer
5 ● The Zombies - Oddesey & Oracle (30th Anniversary Edition)
6 ● Scott Walker - The Collection
7 ● Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll
8 ● Various - World Psychedelic Classics 3: Top Funky Fuzzy Sounds West Africa
9 ● Various - Ain't it Hard: Sunset Strip '60s Sound of Viva Records
10 ● Various - Dancehall '69: 40 Skinhead Reggae Rarities
11 ● Jonny Trunk - Jonny Trunk's Scrapbook
12 ● Jonny Trunk/Various - Dirty Fan Male: Genuine Letters Written to Porn Stars
13 ● Tommy Steele - The Very Best Of
14 ● Jim Dale - Meet Jim Dale/This is Me (2 on 1)
15 ● Robbie Robertson - How to become Clairvoyant
adding
16 ● Paul Simon - So Beautiful, So What?
17 ● The Stairs - Mexican R&B
18 ● Secret Affair - Time For Action: The Very Best Of
19 ● Creation - Our Music is Red with Purple Flashes
20 ● Chris Farlowe - Out of Time
21 ● Simon Dupree & The Big Sound - Part of my Past
22 ● Le Fleur De Lys - Reflections

- Love the Paul Simon - best work he's done since Graceland by 1000 miles
- The Stairs are very much the 'lost' Liverpool band. Retro sound released in the 90's that somehow got overlooked by the public, mainly as the result of a) a shitty album title and b) piss-poor record company promotion. I should know... my shop did all it could to break this band but most of the time we couldn't even get stocks from Polygram to sell it. Then it got deleted due to 'lack of sales'... WTF?!!
- #'s 18-22 merely solidifies my love for older music. Music was at its zenith in the 60's and 70s. Most everything today is but a mild reflection of - and owes everything to - what was created back then. Fact. I am also old & farty. Fact.
- Le Fleur De Lys were from... Southampton! "Reflections" - a compilation of their stuff - has finally been remastered. The original CD issue sounded like a bucket of shit without the bucket.

[Nate]

1. Pearl Jam - Dissident (3 CD set of a live show they did in 1994).  I had this at one time when it came out, but sold it in a tragic mistake where need for money outweighed the cool rare CDs in Nate's collection.  Thankfully, I spent only about $10 more than what I originally paid.
2. Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology (itunes)
3. Cowboy Junkies - Demons (website.  I know Vic Chesnutt is an acquired taste, but I can't think of a better way to get acquainted with the power of his music than this CD.  Margo Timmon's voice is PERFECT for his lyrics, and I loved this from beginning to end.  Highly highly highly recommended!
4. Pearl Jam - Live At Benaroya Hall (amazon).  I'm on a Pearl Jam kick as of late.  Sue me.
5. Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps (subpop.com)
6. Radiohead - The King Of Limbs (website)
7. Buffalo Tom - Skins (website).  I need to spend some time with this.  Didn't hit me on first listen.
8. Conan O' Brien And The Legally Prohibited Band - Live At Third Street (itunes)
9. James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning (itunes)  For fans of Bon Iver and Iron & Wine
10. Pearl Jam - Vs./Vitalogy Super Deluxe box set
11. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Here We Rest (itunes)
12. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (amazon)
13. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far (amazon)
14. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches (itunes)
15. David Bazan - Strange Negotiations (itunes)
16. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong (itunes)
17. The Book of Mormon original soundtrack (amazon)
18. Le Butcherettes - Sin Sin Sin (itunes)
19. Rave on Buddy Holly - Various Artists (amazon)
20. Tim Easton - Since 1966 Vol. 1 (itunes)
21. Live From Nowhere Near You Vol. 2
22. Bon Iver - s/t (amazon)
23. Joey Ryan & The Inks - Well, Here We Are (itunes)
24. Joey Ryan & The Inks - Dennis Lane (itunes) - If you like well-crafted pop songs, this is an artist you should check out.
25. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (deluxe edition - itunes)
26. Gary Clark, Jr - The Bright LIghts EP (itunes)
27. Archers Of Loaf - Icky Mettle (deluxe edition - amazon)
28. Bedtime With The Beatles (won't be long now...)

29. Prince - Emancipation*
30. Wilco - The Whole Love
31. Patches & Gretchen - I Steal Carrots
32. Pearl Jam - PJ20 soundtrack
33. Van Hunt - What Were You Hoping For (amazon)
34. Wild Flag - s.t (amazon)
35. Patton Oswalt - Finest Hour (amazon)
36. Still Corners - Creatures Of An Hour (amazon)