nodep5 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Well I think we are almost halfway there and I have listened to around 10 records this year, most of which are not overly blowing my mind, but here are my thoughts so far. In no order and doesn't include Wilco (The Album) since it hasn't been officially released. Of course I can change my mind at any time. Ben Kweller "Changing Horses" B+ I love the old LP concept/sequencing and I think this is a strong country pop record M. Ward "Hold Time" B Nothing wrong with this record, but at this point I think "Transfiguration" and "Transistor Radio" were his peak and "Hold Time" makes me wonder if I really need more M. Ward records (in a bad way) Great Lake Swimmers "Lost Channels" C- Never a hardcore fan, but the first single made me excited, but this one falls real flat for me, especially lyrically at times Gary Louris & Marc Olson "Ready For The Flood" B+ A pleasant surprise with some outstanding songs. A little long winded and samey, but nice Dan Auerbach "Keep It Hid" B Once again nothing wrong here, and I like the diversity. A little dark sounding at times for my taste? and why isn't this a Black Keys record? Sounds the same to me Vetiver "Tight Knit" B I dig this on most levels, but am ultimately left not being moved in any great way. Smooth, psych/folk. Bonnie "Prince" Billy "Beware" C I want to appreciate this and I like the direction he went musically, but this one is off lyrically for me Phosphorescent "To Willie" B+ Cool concept and great execution. Any fan of good country music would love this. Justin Townes Earle "Midnight At The Movies" A Really nice record with a few of my favorite moments of this year ("Mama's Eyes"/"Midnight At The Movies") This one catches me at times on an strong emotional level Hayden "The Place Where We Lived" B Ok, I'm a diehard fan and I give Hayden the benefit of the doubt up from a B-. Nothing new here and I would pay 10 bucks for "Never Lonely" by itself. I think he is content and found his safe zone, of course that can be limiting Iron & Wine "Around The Well" A+ Ok, not sure if I can count this due to it being a Bsides/rarities thing. But this should blow people's minds at how good his cast off or forgotten songs are. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sky blue bats Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 2009 - no order yet, but these are in my top plays: Justin Townes Earle - Midnight At The Movies Phoniex - Wolfgang Amedeus Phoniex A C Newman - Get Guilty Telekinesis - Telekinesis Wilco - The Album Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career Doves - Kingdom Of Rust Sonic Youth - The Eternal M. Ward - Hold Time Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse/David Lynch - Dark Night Of The Soul St. Vincent - Actor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jc4prez Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I on the other hand have thought this year has been great for music. These are all great Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion Allen Toussaint- The Bright Mississippi Bob Dylan - Together Through LIfe Elvis Costtelo - The Secert Profane and The Sugarcane Grizzly Bear - Veckamest M. Ward - Hold Time Mos Sciocious- Ibble Dabble PJ Harvey and John Parish - A Woman And A Man Walked By Ramblin Jack Elliot- A Stranger Here Sonic Youth - The Eternal Tortoise - Beacons Of Ancestorship Wilco - Wilco (The Album) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Wilco - Wilco (The Album) Bob Dylan - Together Through Life Heartless Bastards - The Mountain Elvis Costello- Secert, Profane and The Sugarcane M. Ward - Hold Time Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid Ramblin Jack Elliot- A Stranger Here William Elliott Whitmore - Animals in the Dark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gobias Industries Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 My tops, in some sort of order, with some sort of grading: Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (96/100)Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (93/100)Grizzly Bear - Vecaktimest (88/100)Wilco - Wilco (the Album) (87/100)Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (84/100)Bob Dylan - Together Through Life (84/10) It's been a stellar year thus far in music. These are the ones I've heard thus far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lizish Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 1) Rock Plaza Central - In the Hour of our.... Fuck, just look at the reference to the source material: Do you write the music and lyrics at the same time? CE: Yeah. I mean for the most part. They normally come together like one or two of the lines of lyrics, with a [musical] phrase and then the rest would probably come later. Like actually finishing the lyrics and stuff. Like “Oh I can” that just came out of a show one night, uhh, on that tour while we were reading the Faulkner book. And it had come out just in another song, I just started singing “Oh I can” and we did it together, and just the harmonies sounded so good that we just kept doing it. And then one night, the last night of that tour, there was a part in Light in August where this one character he’s forgotten something and he has to go back and tell somebody something, but it’s uphill. And he knows that doing it is really going to ruin his life, but he decides to do it. He’s like “I can bear a hill; a man can bear a hill.” That sort of thing. And the end of that too, “I can give down and cry,” I think that’s a direct lift from the novel, “I can bear down and try, but I won’t bear down and cry.” I just happened to have read that that day, and so then all of the sudden at the show I started singing those things, and it sounded good. So that’s how the song came about, and we were in the studio the next week, so . . . 2) Brakes - Touchdown 3) Jon Rae Fletcher - Oh Maria 4) Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours 5) Woodpigeon - Treasury Library Canada 6) AC Newman - Get Guilty top three are interchangeably good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 at the moment: Handsome Furs - Face ControlObits - I Blame YouMegafaun - Gather, Form, & FlyThe Antlers - HospiceRed Cortez - Hands To The Wall EPPhoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus PhoenixAkron/Family - Set 'em Wild, Set 'em FreeCymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are MountainsStrand of Oaks - Leave RuinThe Pains of Being Pure at Heart - S/TFanfarlo - ReservoirThe Wooden Birds - MagnoliaGrizzly Bear - VeckatimestThe Dirty Projectors - Bitte OrcaBrakes - TouchdownP.O.S. - Never BetterScreaming Females - Power MoveDinosaur Jr. - FarmSonic Youth - The EternalAnimal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 There are a few albums I've been wanting to check out that I haven't gotten a chance to yet, but so far these are my favorites of the year: Sonic Youth--The EternalNels Cline--CowardAndrew Bird--Useless Creatures (the bonus disc for the deluxe edition of Noble Beast, which I think is a lot better than the album itself)Neko Case--Middle CycloneWilco--W(TA)M. Ward--Hold Time Things I've liked but haven't loved:U2--No Line on the HorizonThe Hold Steady--A Positive RageAlex Cline--ContinuationBobb Bruno--Dreamt On I got that Ben Kweller album from Amazon as one of their daily deals. I can't get into it. It's not horrible, but I think it's far from his best. It's Ben Kweller trying to sound like Bob Dylan, and I can't get past that. I give him credit for the big departure from his usual style, though. Carla Bozulich's Evangelista has an album coming out sometime this fall. Considering how much their first album rearranged my universe, I have high hopes for this one, too, and expect it will be in my top three, along with The Eternal and Coward. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 yay! someone else who agrees Useless Creatures is WAY better than Noble Beast too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brianjeremy Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Here are some of my favorites in no particular order, so far, in my opinion: Boston Spaceships - The Planets are BlastedThe Thermals - Now we can seeAnimal Collective - Merriweather...Phoenix - W.A.P.Wilco - The AlbumSon Volt - American Central DustMorrissey - Years of RefussalWavves - WavvesSonic Youth - The EternalThe Pains of Being Pure at Heart - S/TJason Lytle - Yours...Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - S/THandsome Furs - Face Control There are so many more records that I just haven't had time to listen to them all or had enough time top spend with them. Lots of new stuff coming out before the end of the year: new Boston Spaceships, Band of Horses, Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow, and some I can't even think of. 2009 is turning out to be pretty good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 oh damn forgot about the latest Thermals... not my fave of theirs but still totally killer. that Lytle album is sweet too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thecanuck Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I'm quite suprised at how many good to great records that have been released so far this year. Usually it's difficult to come up with a halfway decent list until the fall records start pouring in. Here's my favourites so far this year in no particular order: Dark Was The Night - Various(I know it was a compilation, but COME ON!)Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - PhoenixVeckatimest - Grizzly BearWhy There Are Mountains - Cymbals Eat GuitarsMerriweather Post Pavillion - Animal CollectiveTonight! - Franz FerdinandIt's Frightening - White RabbitsKeep It Hid - Dan AuerbachTogether Through Life - Bob Dylan Still need to listen to:Wilco (The Album) - Wilco (No Spoilers!)Post-Nothing - JapandroidsThe Mountain - Heartless Bastards Upcoming releases:Band of HorsesBlitzen TrapperThe Dead Weather Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Iron & Wine "Around The Well" A+ Ok, not sure if I can count this due to it being a Bsides/rarities thing. But this should blow people's minds at how good his cast off or forgotten songs are. Of all the records I've heard this year, this one is head and shoulders above the others (IMHO). I know, I know - collection of rarities, et. al., but this is just so friggin' sweet. Again, I know its a cover, but I gotta nominate "Love Vigilantes" for the song of the year (so far). Just beautiful (and sad, too.). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 My favorites thus far in no particular order: William Elliott Whitmore - Animals in the Dark (I think it's his best easy)Steve Earle - TownesWilco - WilcoSparklehorse - Dark Night of the SoulPatterson Hood - Murdering OscarSon Volt - American Central DustJustin Townes Earle - Midnight at the MoviesThe Evening Rig - Is Doin' StuffDexateens - Single WideCracker - Sunlight in the Land of Milk & HoneyDawes - Dawes Need to listen to the new Eels and Elvis Costello a bit more but like what I hear thus far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Dylan's Beard Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Tortoise- Beacons of AncestorshipTim Hecker- An Imaginary CountryThe Mars Volta- OctahedronDan Deacon- BromstCursive- Mama, I'm SwollenCasiotone For the painfully Alone- Vs ChildrenThe Bird And the Bee- Ray Guns are not Just for the FutureBeirut- Real People EPAntony & The Johnson- The Crying Light Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Only one single album that stands out for me this year, and which gets more than random listens: Morrissey - Years of Refusal I haven't really had time to check more stuff out, but what I did check out didn't really get me that much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Frank Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 * Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul* Various Artists - Dark Was The night* Jason Lyttle - Yours Truly, The Commuter* M. Ward - Hold Time* Wilco - Wilco (The Album)* The Decemberists - Hazards of Love* The Felice Brothers - Yonder Is The Clock* Eels - Hombre Lobo All good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bold99 Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Dan Auerbach "Keep It Hid" B Once again nothing wrong here, and I like the diversity. A little dark sounding at times for my taste? and why isn't this a Black Keys record? Sounds the same to me It amazes me when people say this. Saying it sounds like a BK album is like saying Wings sounds like the Beatles to me. Its a completely different thing. He's got a full backing band...most of the songs are in a completely different style. The voice is always going to be there but I don't think the Keys have done anything like "Trouble Weights a ton". This is my album of the year so far..others are M WardDylan Sonic YouthEilen JewellWilco Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 My 10 favorites so far:American Central Dust/Son VoltMurdering Oscar/Patterson HoodWilco (The Album)/WilcoMiddle Cyclone/Neko CaseSinglewide/The DexateensJason Isbell & The 400 Unit/Jason Isbell & The 400 UnitFarm/Dinosaur Jr.Keep It Hid/Dan AuerbachWritten in Chalk/Buddy & Julie MillerMidnight at the Movies/Justin Townes Earle Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjpuczko Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 It amazes me when people say this. Saying it sounds like a BK album is like saying Wings sounds like the Beatles to me. Its a completely different thing. He's got a full backing band...most of the songs are in a completely different style. The voice is always going to be there but I don't think the Keys have done anything like "Trouble Weights a ton". totally agree. i love the black keys but i don't think keep it hid sounds like a normal BK album. i actually prefer keep it hid to any BK album. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyjimmy Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 yay! someone else who agrees Useless Creatures is WAY better than Noble Beast too Umm...favs so far (Top 5, no order) Phoenix WAPDark Night of the SoulDan Auerbach's Keep it Hid Antlers HospiceGrizzly Bear's Veckatimest Really digging the Dirty Projectors Britte Orca too, but I just got around to it only last week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
people are leaving Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 01. son volt - american central dust02. el goodo - coyote03. tim easton - porcupine04. outrageous cherry - universal malcontents05. neko case - middle cyclone06. eels - hombre lobo07. telekinesis - telekinesis08. the milk & honey band - dog eared moonlight09. wilco - wilco (the album)10. m. ward - hold time11. vetiver - tight knit12. the heartless bastards - the mountain13. robert pollard - the crawling distance14. cheap star - speaking like an elephant15. dexateens - singlewide16. justin townes earle - midnight at the movies17. boston spaceships - planets are blasted18. dangermouse/sparklehorse - dark night of the soul19. hayden - the place where we lived20. roman candle - oh tall tree in the ear Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DAngerer09 Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 my favorites so far, in no order wilco- the albumphoenix- wolfgang amadeus phoenixpatrick watson- wooden arms --- tremendously underrated musician!passion pit- mannersbonnie prince billy- beware Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 i hope he releases more stuff like it... you know he probably has HOURS of stuff along those lines too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
explodo Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Circulatory System - Signal MorningPhoenix - WAPJapandroids - Post-Nothing Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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