Gar Veteran Member Posts:1676  
| 5/24/2005 12:34 AM |
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Just about at the halfway stage of the year. What do people reckon are some of the albums of the year so far? I'll throw a few out first....
Bloc Party 'Silent Alarm'
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals 'Cold Roses'
The Coral 'The Invisible Invasion'
Eels 'Blinking Lights And Other Revelations'
Martha Wainwright 'Martha Wainwright'
British Sea Power 'Open Season'
Wallmark 'Everything, Something, Anything'
Beck 'Guero'
Weezer 'Make Believe'
Kaiser Chiefs 'Employment'
Doves 'Some Cities'
Aimee Mann 'The Forgotten Arm'
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 'B-Sides & Rarities'
66e 'Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight'
Teenage Fanclub 'Man Made'
Mountain Goats 'The Sunset Tree'
Heartless Bastards 'Stairs And Elevators'
Great Lake Swimmers 'Bodies And Minds'
Bruce Springsteen 'Devils And Dust'
Hal 'Hal'
Spoon 'Gimme Fiction'
(No wonder I'm always broke, with those being just some that I've bought this year)
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Daragh Advanced Member Posts:666
| 5/24/2005 6:38 AM |
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is The Coral album out yet? I thought it was 26th May, must get it if it is.
M83 'Before The Dawn Heals Us' is a great record too, that would be top of my list for 2005 so far.
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Ruby Basic Member Posts:107
| 5/24/2005 7:55 AM |
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Album of the year : The Others
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spurtacusBasic Member Posts:229
| 5/24/2005 9:06 AM |
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The M83 album is good, thought the last album was better though, 'Satans Circus" by Death in Vegas gets my vote
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ishrinkBasic Member Posts:195
| 5/24/2005 9:40 AM |
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Weezer?
You've *got* to be kidding.
edit: Oh, and err, my favourites so far:
Redjetson - New General Catalogue
Hood - Outside Closer
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Of Montreal - Sunlandic Twins
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
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aidanAdvanced Member Posts:638
| 5/24/2005 10:56 AM |
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as you may have guessed from my review on the site, for me 'want two' by rufus wainwright is the best I've heard so far in 2005: great tunes, clever lyrics, thoughtful songs, playing around with styles, plenty of confidence and attitude and a sense of humour too - after a few years it will be seen as being a very influential record.
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John DoeBasic Member Posts:338
| 5/24/2005 11:26 AM |
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Joe Chester - A Murder of Crows
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UnicronVeteran Member Posts:1696
| 5/24/2005 1:27 PM |
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Very little has really blown me away this year, The Bloc Party and Wainwright siblings' albums stand out but I'd hardly say that they are destined to be classics.
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PilchardAdvanced Member Posts:699
| 5/24/2005 1:52 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by John Doe
Joe Chester - A Murder of Crows
Oh yes - great album
Also
Antony & The Johnsons "I'm Like A Bird"
Arcade Fire "Funeral"
Konono No 1 "Congotronics"
Gorillaz "Demon Days" (fantastic album!)
MIA “Arular”
Bruce Springsteen "Devils & Dust"
Seu Jorge "Seu Jorge"
Amos Lee "Amos Lee"
Glimmers "DJ Kicks"
Various "Soul Gospel"
Husky Rescue "County Falls"
And i hope that the forthcoming Sons & Daughters, White Stripes, Magic Numbers, Kanye West, Cane 141 and Brian Eno albums will be as good as I think/expect them to be!
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DaraghAdvanced Member Posts:666
| 5/24/2005 1:56 PM |
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That Konono No 1 album is very good, I dont think it really comes across that well on the recording though. I would imagine they are amazing to hear live, (and the album is still very good) but I get the feeling that there is an awful lot was lost in the translation.
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Rev JulesVeteran Member Posts:1041
| 5/24/2005 2:09 PM |
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I am probably going to get hung for this but I don't think that Bruce Springsteen's "Devils & Dust" is comparable in quality to either 'Nebraska' or 'Ghost of Tom Joad'. Yes, it is a very fine album but there is something missing, prehaps it is intent. Bruce never meant 'Nebraska' to be released, it started out as a series of private demos for the 'Born' sessions and yet, there alone in his house we saw Bruce at his most raw. This one sounds too finished.
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off the postBasic Member Posts:284
| 5/24/2005 2:53 PM |
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My fav of the year so far has to be Mercury Rev - Secret Migration. A real slow burner. They also have a new bass player who has a real meandearing type of beat which gives a kinda jazzy feel to the album.
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GarVeteran Member Posts:1676
| 5/24/2005 3:13 PM |
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Rev Jules - I totally agree. If 'Devils & Dust' was Bruce's first record we might we here discussing the talent of this fine songwriter but with such great albums already behind him, this simply does not hold enough punch to tackle either 'Nebraska' or 'Ghost Of Tom Joad'.
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EricBasic Member Posts:179
| 5/24/2005 3:30 PM |
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For me so far:
Jack Johnson 'In between dreams'
Arcade Fire 'Funeral
Lou Barlow 'Emoh'
Go Team 'thunder lightening strike'
Joe Chester 'Murder of Crows'
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strollerAdvanced Member Posts:576
| 5/24/2005 5:27 PM |
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I know I'm repeating myself but the following albums were all actually released last year;
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Go! Team - Thunder Lightening Strike
Husky Rescue - County Falls
Anthony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
They're all class records though, and in all fairness the music scene does seem to have an awful sense of Déjà Vu about it these days so it's easy to get confused. What with Jerk It Out by The Caesars, Banquet by Bloc Party, Decent Days and Nights by The Futureheads and Oh My God by the Kaiser Chiefs all getting re-released this year. And apparently Riot Radio by the Dead 60's, I Predict A Riot by the Kaiser Chiefs, The Greatest Hit by Annie, All These Things That I've Done by the Killers and even Freak Scene by Dinosaur Jr are all set for a second release before the end of the summer. Oh well I suppose it's all just a little bit of history repeating. Is that Joe Chester fella worth a look? Does he have a website or is there anywhere online where you can check his stuff out?
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klootfanAdvanced Member Posts:851
| 5/24/2005 5:30 PM |
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you can check out samples of his tunes, joe chester that is,at www.joechester.com
And im my humble opinion, he is he peeertty darn good
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PilchardAdvanced Member Posts:699
| 5/24/2005 5:31 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by stroller
I know I'm repeating myself but the following albums were all actually released last year;
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Go! Team - Thunder Lightening Strike
Husky Rescue - County Falls
Anthony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
well, both arcade fire and antony & the johnsons were released in europe (which is where we are the last time i checked) for the first time this year. the others were 2004 releases over here.
it kinda makes me think that we have too much of a hang-up about release dates, i remember hearing wilco's "yankee hotel foxtrot" for the first time in 2003, a full year after its release, and falling head over heels for it. its music, after all - if its good, it will always find its way to u |
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strollerAdvanced Member Posts:576
| 5/24/2005 5:46 PM |
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Fair enough. I know everyone and their uncle is mad about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but am I only person who actually prefers Summerteeth?
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PilchardAdvanced Member Posts:699
| 5/24/2005 6:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by stroller
Fair enough. I know everyone and their uncle is mad about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but am I only person who actually prefers Summerteeth?
jesus no, u are not alone- i had a huge row with my brother about that one a few weeks ago. be assured stroller, there are many people who prefer Summerteeth - and some even prefer Being There. |
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EoinBasic Member Posts:174
| 5/24/2005 9:10 PM |
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some of mine...
Mercury Rev - Secret Migration
Josh Rouse - Nashville
Great Lake Swimmers - Bodies & Minds
Ryan Adams - Cold Roses
that Joe Chester record is good, must give it another few listens.
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mickBasic Member Posts:411
| 5/24/2005 11:14 PM |
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best albums... bloc party 'silent alarm' (really didnt want to like it because of the hype but its fantastic)
66e's one... its brilliant
worst album... or maybe most disappointing is idlewilds warnings/promises, although i thought their recent ambassador gig was brilliant. the songs from the album sounded great live too.
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jmc105Basic Member Posts:188
| 5/24/2005 11:38 PM |
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think i mentioned these somewhere else...
tom mcrae - all maps welcome (more in common with 'tom mcrae' than 'just like blood', excellent)
jose gonzalez - veneer (for those who like to keep things simple. reminds me of gravenhurst, kinda...)
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Johan Doobay New Member Posts:22
| 5/25/2005 8:57 PM |
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Best album so far......
.....Edan - Beauty & The beat.
Worthy also ran horses include Beck, Lcd Soundsystem, Tom Vek, Bloc Party.
But the release date of an album shouldn't even be an issue. Its a silly way to categorise music, you don't see books being rated half as much in a similiar fashion.
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strollerAdvanced Member Posts:576
| 5/25/2005 9:03 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Johan Doobay
Best album so far......
.....Edan - Beauty & The beat.
Worthy also ran horses include Beck, Lcd Soundsystem, Tom Vek, Bloc Party.
They're all quality albums. I reckon it's between Edan, Quasimoto and Common for hip hop album of the year so far. |
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Johan DoobayNew Member Posts:22
| 5/25/2005 11:36 PM |
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Wasn't feeling the Common album that much, he never really got back to reality after the Electric Circus - too much time hanging out with Eryka Badu would mess anyone up...
Some nice bits and pieces on the album, but nothing that really stands out. My advice to Common is to find himself a Delorean, and go back to a time when he made decent albums like the Resurrection.
Haven't heard the Lord Quas stuff yet, the singles were medicore, but then Madlib is the kind of bloke who excels when creating albums rather than songs.
Ghostface and Doom dropping this year......I smell trouble.
I reckon Edan is safe with the "Twisted Genius of HipHop" title for the time being anyhow.
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strollerAdvanced Member Posts:576
| 5/26/2005 2:54 AM |
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I don't know man. I think the Common album is a real return to form. There's a couple of Syrupy choruses on there but it's still miles ahead of Electic Circus. It hasn't got anything as good as I Used To Love Her on it but then what does.
Also hanging around with Eryka Badu didn't too Andre 3000 too much harm.
You got to hear the MF Doom tune "Closer" on the Quasimoto album, it's quality. Is that Ghostface/Doom collaboration really going to happen? The only place I heard about it is HCC and I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.
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LooseFirNew Member Posts:45
| 5/26/2005 8:38 AM |
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DJ Format - If You Cant Join Em....Beat Em!
Quality old skool hip hop with fantastic rapping by Abdominal and amazingly funky tunes that puts other so called hip hop stars to shame.
Exactly the same "format" as his first album, Music For The Mature B-Boy, but im not complaining. Sublime
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Johan DoobayNew Member Posts:22
| 5/26/2005 1:13 PM |
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The Format album is good - maybe even great, but it definately isn't the hiphop album of the year. Format kinda shows himself as a one-trick-pony, same production techniques, same emcees, even the way the album is arranged is pretty much the same as Music For the Mature B-Boy. For me, its gonna have to be a wee bit more creative & original to warrant a place in the album of the year awards.
Actually, scrap that - The award for the album most likely to sound exactly like the one he made 2 years earlier goes to.....DJ Format.
Outkast - w**k juice. Making something different doesn't mean that its any good.
Ghostface/Doom album is going ahead, or so he said when he dropped over to borrow teabags last week.
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LooseFirNew Member Posts:45
| 5/26/2005 1:32 PM |
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I dont know about you, but after listening to Abdominal rap on them two albums i feel sorry for other artists in that genre, does he have any solo albums/other collaborations available? Anyone know?
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strollerAdvanced Member Posts:576
| 5/26/2005 1:43 PM |
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I have to say I like Format's production but he's hardly pushing new ground now is he. Plus Abdominal is a MC who's best enjoyed in small doses, over the course of a full album he can become a bit tiresome. Also D-Sisive doesn't sound like the same MC who did Popped with DJ Serious. Don't get me wrong it's still a good album, but it's nowhere near as cohesive or innovative as Edan.
Oh and Outkast are complete legends. It's one thing to be revered by backpackers on message boards it's takes a completely different brand of artist to break new ground, win Grammys, have an amazing live show, sell millions of records, recieve critical acclaim and make amazing records at the same time.
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UnicronVeteran Member Posts:1696
| 5/27/2005 12:44 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by LooseFir
I dont know about you, but after listening to Abdominal rap on them two albums i feel sorry for other artists in that genre, does he have any solo albums/other collaborations available? Anyone know?
He's in Jurassic 5.
I kind of feel the same way as others on the Format album. A friend of mine sent me a copy of the last record a couple of weeks before the new one came out and I loved it. I picked up the new one and I thought that he was just rehashing the what he's done before. |
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LooseFirNew Member Posts:45
| 5/27/2005 1:05 PM |
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Gonna have to correct you on that one Unicron, i thought Jurassic 5 consisted of
DJ Nu-Mark
Cut Chemist
Chali 2na
Marc 7even
Akil
Zaakir
Unless he's changed his name or something
It will be interesting to see where he goes with his next long player, although i'd be happy with another album of funky tunes to listen to
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Johan DoobayNew Member Posts:22
| 5/27/2005 1:13 PM |
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"He's in Jurassic 5"
No he isn't, but he kinds has that vibe, doesn't he? He had an EP out with a Canadian producer by the name of DJ Fase a few years ago which is pretty slick. He's definatly one of the most technically amazing rappers around, though his lyrics will hardly move you emotionally.
Fair enough about Outkast, you like them - I don't. "Players Ball" was amazing, as was "Spottieottie..", but for me, tracks like "I Like the Way You Move" seriously tarnish their reputation. Just my opinion though.
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strollerAdvanced Member Posts:576
| 5/27/2005 1:19 PM |
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I think you're a bit confused Unicron. Chali 2Na & Akil from Jurassic 5 do pop up on the tune We Know Something You Dont Know Music For The Mature B Boy album, and they appear again on The Place on the new If You Can't Join Em, Beat Em LP. However Jurassic 5 hail from LA while Abdominal comes from Canada. If you want to check out Abdominal's earlier stuff pick up Flowtation Device by Abdominal & Fase.
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UnicronVeteran Member Posts:1696
| 5/27/2005 3:07 PM |
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I stand corrected, I knew someone on Music for the Mature B-boy was in J5 and Abdominal's rhymes reminded me of them (especially the "I'm so great" s**t).
Feeling quite foolish now as I inaccurately said he was in J5 when I plugged Format's Red Box/Crawdaddy show in the gig guide a while back.
Next time I'll do some real research and not just relay on my ears.
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stephenBasic Member Posts:201
| 5/27/2005 9:50 PM |
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The Gorillaz album is as good as any released so far this year...
As is Nashville by Josh Rouse and Blinking Lights by the Eels.
Am a big fan of Willy Mason's album - Oxygen being the best single of the year so far. Also loving Transistor by M Ward, Anniemal by Annie, and Queens of the Stone Age.
Some pretty interesting music this year but the English guitar band scene is shockingly poor this year - Kaiser Chiefs will be gone within a year, Bloc Party sound like a punky Cure (without the tunes) and Kasabian/Razorlight/whoever else are a yawn.
So thank the lord for the Americans! Antony and the JOhnsons, both the Wainwrights, Joshes Homme and Rouse...
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PilchardAdvanced Member Posts:699
| 5/29/2005 7:53 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by stephen
So thank the lord for the Americans! Antony and the JOhnsons, both the Wainwrights, Joshes Homme and Rouse...
hate to be so fecking pedantic BUT your man Antony is half-Irish (Hegarty from Donegal) half-English, no Yankee blood in him at all!
that said, with u on the Gorillaz album, amazing work altogether |
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UnaVeteran Member Posts:1721
| 5/30/2005 1:22 PM |
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Gorrilaz make me puke. And Razorlight and Kasabian were released last year, weren't they?
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palaceBasic Member Posts:392
| 6/15/2005 4:38 PM |
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low - the great destroyer
the evens - the evens
bonnie billy and matt sweeney - superwolf
martin finke - crown time
arcade fire - funeral (if this counts?)
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