(Umm...preemptively, sorry KW. A shout out to all my ABBA loving friends first)
The music thing (as referenced in the above post), and reverting back to guilty American identities (as referenced in the above post). I made a concerted effort to buy less music this past year. I’ve been making up for that mistake in the past two months. To help catch up, and to continue an annual ritual, I’ve been perusing the year-end best of lists; a couple of agreements, a couple of finds. For quite a while, Spoon’s ‘Gimme Fiction’ was my shoo-in for the best rock album of the year (but that’s a bias), then I got over my anti-hype and picked up the Arcade Fire a year late (actually a 2004 album, but it was their amazing cover, released in 2005, of one of my all time favs, the Heads’ “This Must be the Place (Naïve Melody).” That made me buckle—David Byrne on vocals to boot.). It took a while, but eventually fell head over heals for them, they even got me to stop listening to “Clap Your Hands...”
Then I picked up The Wolf Parade....finally (my fanboydom of everything Isaac Brock would have made me pick it up immediately, one would think...btw, Mr. D.I. Mouth/Anon. Anon., I want that album back), that took the spot solid.
Until I found a new ‘new to me’ band. The National. Right up my alley. They’ll likely be ‘that band’ for me for quite a while. Got the free download off of salon.com recently, their best MP3s of 2005. Go get it, it’s free, the track is ‘All The Wine’, it’s where I pulled the title for the above post from. Immediately bought the album ‘Alligator’. They’ve been on constant rotation. And now I get the pleasure of back cataloging, I hope they hold up. This album album alone suffices though. So well orchestrated and composed, so well balanced, and a baritone voice. Adlibbing what one review said, Coldplay if they could convey emotion authentically, Stellastar* if they wrote better songs. And I’ll add Archers of Loaf if they were still together and Eric Bachman’s forays were forced through the band.
Others:
The Jaime Lidell album, though truly a modern album, will have me listening to soul & RnB again and may be my favorite for RnB, even giving Chocolate Genius Inc. a run for the money, despite my biases. For hip-hop, it was Common, then fully supplanted by Kanye, but I’m settling on Common. But for that genre, well rather, for emcees, my glaring absence for the year, eventually I’ll start listening to M.I.A., especially since I really enjoy Diplo’s solo work. And there are a few that albums that remain to be picked up, most obviously the new The New Pornographers and the new Okkerville River, and {insert name drop here}, and {insert name drop of something no one liked here, preferably Japanese avant-noise rock}.
Again: A shout-out to nights at the Folger Theater, bar trivia Tuesdays (and Fridays), and fake ABBA concerts.
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8 comments:
Sometimes the male vocalist from the Arcade Fire is a bit too whiney for me (There's one track on Funeral that I just can't listen to), but I haven't heard the Talking Heads cover yet ...Wolf Parade rocks...and now you're making me want to dust off ye olde Archers of Loaf.
Just wonderin', though, where's the Pussycat Dolls' "Doncha?" I totally thought you'd be all over that.
No, I really was joking.
Happy New Year.
I can see the voice thing, though it doesn't bother me. The falsetto and vibratto are a bit forced, but not nearly as annoying as the convulsion inducing older bright eyes stuff.
But you must track down the Heads track. They use a steel drum. It's brilliant, and they catch the mood of the original while making it their own. But the heads are one of my all time faves...way way up there. The track should be on iTunes.
And did you mean Nashville Pussy? Though I only know them by name and at best a song or two. Otherwise, I'm not familiar with the band you mentioned.
Perhaps thankfully.
Q.A., Whatever you, do not take my Pussycat Dolls comment seriously.
Phew. Thanks for the forewarning. I was just about to dowloade their entire backcatalog on iTunes.
Do take my Nashville Pussy comment seriously. I don't just drop the band's name so that I can say Nashville Pussy as much as possible. That would be a diservice to something so phenomenal as Nashville Pussy. How I love Nashville Pussy.
One for the money two is for the Ebeneezer
We used to stick these cats for all they masses and they pieces
An we do it on our leisure
I keep away we seize her
I used to rock a bubblegoose wild child into the fever
Now we in the Estee Lauder
And Nina rich in sage
The microphone kimono with tequilla for my tempest
I said it once before and I'm sayin it all over
We make it Hollywood cuz diamond cooks is takin' over.
Word.
Also, have you listened to DangerDoom: The Mouse and the Mask? Sykes sent it my way. Excellent.
Rosie,
If you typed that from memory, i'll induct you as an honorary member of Camp-Lo. The rest of the world be damned.
But thank you for the Ebeneezer fever.
Got the dangerdoom. I like it a lot. but i was picking only one album, though it does deserve a mention is a slow year for hip-hop. It'll always be a slow year in hip-hop till Camp Lo drops fresh shit, no?
Word.
Diamond Cooks Takin' Over!
Speaking of dropping new shit, check this out!
Before you get too excited though, read the whole thing. Still though, a boy can dream.
You are ordered (or politely requested) to send me a copy when/if that shit drops.
Come to think of it, maybe I should actually own a Camp Lo joint before i claim i'm a fan. Eh...
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