Mid Year Bests

Originally posted by Jaguär:
My Bloody Valentine (or was that end of last year?)

what was re-released? loveless? expanded?

I have/hate to admit it, but I'm thinking that The Woods is my favorite of this year's releases so far. Sorry Jaguar! You've always had my back on disliking this band, and I still think they're annoying and the most overrated band around. But I decided to give the new one a fair shot, and whattya know?! It's really good and I've been compelled to listen to it all the way through numerous times. Her vocals are pretty dumb on around half of them, but the sound/production is so good, the songs are catchy and interesting, and Janet just positively beats the fuck out of the drums, which I've always acknowledged. And to make sure that I hadn't missed out on something, I re-checked out Call the Doctor and some of Dig Me Out and indeed they both blow.

Still, for every one time I've spun this (or my #2, which is LCD, #3 is The Tears, #4 is the Do Me Bad Things comp, and #5 is Maximo), I've played a 70s Bowie album ten times. My re-release of the year is Bowie's Stage album, but I just happen to be really feeling him lately.

Originally posted by Relaxer:

Still, for every one time I've spun this (or my #2, which is LCD, #3 is The Tears, #4 is the Do Me Bad Things comp, and #5 is Maximo), I've played a 70s Bowie album ten times. My re-release of the year is Bowie's Stage album, but I just happen to be really feeling him lately.

Do Me Bad Things Comp? Is a a prerelease US thing or an import. I broke down and paid the big bucks for the import of "Yes", while overall a bit uneven, I can't wait for this 9 piece group to hit these shores. Me thinks some of the songs work better live. Flawd might even appreciate the fact that on some songs the band makes the "most" of their instruments

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:

Originally posted by Relaxer:

Still, for every one time I've spun this (or my #2, which is LCD, #3 is The Tears, #4 is the Do Me Bad Things comp, and #5 is Maximo), I've played a 70s Bowie album ten times. My re-release of the year is Bowie's Stage album, but I just happen to be really feeling him lately.

Do Me Bad Things Comp? Is a a prerelease US thing or an import. I broke down and paid the big bucks for the import of "Yes", while overall a bit uneven, I can't wait for this 9 piece group to hit these shores. Me thinks some of the songs work better live. Flawd might even appreciate the fact that on some songs the band makes the "most" of their instruments

I wasn't exactly sure how to characterize this. Let's call it The "12 songs I've downloaded but I still plan to buy the album when it comes out" Compilation. They sound too polished, practiced, well-produced and talented to not make some kind of splash. I don't like all of it, but I like some of it a lot.

ah… ya the really slow numbers don't do much for me.

I'm going to have to work on the best of 2005 (so far), but I'm pretty sure the Shout Out Louds will be at the top of that list, followed closely by The Mountain Goats.

As for compilations, my sister brought me back Indie Anthems from the UK, and it's quite fun to listen to, depsite the fact that none of it is 2005:

Disc: 1
1. Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol
2. Pulp - Common People
3. Suede - Animal Nitrate
4. Radiohead - Street Spirit
5. Manic Street Preachers - La Tristesse Durera
6. Ash - Girl From Mars
7. Reef - Place Your Hands
8. Dodgy - Staying Out For The Summer
9. Boo Radleys - Wake Up Boo
10. Cardigans - Love Fool
11. Cast - Fine Time
12. Gene - Olympian
13. Longpigs - on and on
14. Wannadies - You And Me Song
15. Echobelly - Great Things
16. Catatonia - Road Rage
17. Mansun - Wide Open Space
18. Placebo - Pure Morning
19. Shed Seven - Getting Better
20. Supergrass - Going Out

Disc: 2
1. Stone Roses - Love Spreads
2. Charlatans - The Only One I Know
3. Primal Scream - Rocks
4. The Farm - Altogether Now
5. Inspiral Carpets - This Is How It Feels To Be Lonely
6. Soup Dragons - I'm Free
7. Jesus Jones - International Bright Young Things
8. Kula Shaker - Tatva
9. Sleeper - Inbetweener
10. Paul Weller - Changing Man
11. Ocean Colour Scene - Riverboat Song
12. Carter USM - Only Living Boy In New Cross
13. Pop Will Eat Itself - Def-Con One
14. Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Happy
15. The Wonder Stuff - Circlesquare
16. Levellers - One Way
17. Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven
18. House Of Love - Shine On
19. Happy Mondays - Kinky Afro
20. James - Sit Down

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:

Originally posted by definitivedoodle:
QUASIMOTO-"THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LORD�

yeah, i've heard really good things about this … i've spent most of my hip-hop buying this year on filling in gaps in my collection, not really getting much new stuff

this is a must for your collection.

I went out on a limb and bought the Quasimoto disc and… really dislike it. It seems like more and more hiphop discs carry a ratio of three actual songs to every one skit. The Quasimoto disc seems more like three skits to every one song. Music that tries to be funny usually isn't.

Albums:
The Kills - No Wow
Louis XIV - Best Little Secrets are Kept
White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Ben Lee - Awake is the New Sleep
Josh Rouse - Nashville
Eels - Blinking Lights

Shows:
Crooked Fingers @ Black Cat
Rilo Kiley @ Cat's Cradle
Pixies/Bellrays @ Merriweather

Question for the people who like the Mountain Goats:

How can you stand the guys voice? Like the Decemberists and Clem Snide, they play decent music, but the vocals are just awful (more so for MG than the other two, imo). Do you really like this guys singing voice, or do you just tolerate it because you like his lyrics and music?

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Do you really like this guys singing voice, or do you just tolerate it because you like his lyrics and music?

its part of the charm of the music, most of the songs just wouldnt be the same with somebody who has a classic voice singing them

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
Question for the people who like the Mountain Goats:

How can you stand the guys voice? Like the Decemberists and Clem Snide, they play decent music, but the vocals are just awful (more so for MG than the other two, imo). Do you really like this guys singing voice, or do you just tolerate it because you like his lyrics and music?

I don't care for the Mountain Goats, but how can you stand the boring, stagnant, Josh Rouse? I don't want your input, but it's asking the same question. It's just a matter of who-likes-what.

as someone who likes both josh rouse and the mountain goats, i'll just say that certain voices work for certain music … i love neutral milk hotel, and that's another one that could be considered grating by many

The Bob Dylan argument all over again…..

Originally posted by vansmack:
The Bob Dylan argument all over again…..

of The Same Argument Rhett Started Earlier all over again…..

Originally posted by The Artist Formerly Known As grotty:

Originally posted by Creepy Crawler:

Originally posted by amnesiac:

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
What about this Clap Your Hands Say Yeah band?

Loving their cd. Some people may be turned off by the vocals though

Second best thing I've bought this year.

Hmmm…opening for The National @ The Bowery Ballroom in September

Anyone else interested can hear tunes here:
web page

some serious David Byrne sounding vocals on Over & Over Again

Barcelona should get this immediately

This clap your hands say yeah band is so good that I had to go to the Insound website and buy it. Bought Stephen Malkmus' last album and the two Essex Green albums as well.

Originally posted by The Artist Formerly Known As grotty:

Originally posted by Creepy Crawler:

Originally posted by amnesiac:

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
What about this Clap Your Hands Say Yeah band?

Loving their cd. Some people may be turned off by the vocals though

Second best thing I've bought this year.

Hmmm…opening for The National @ The Bowery Ballroom in September

Apparently, already sold out :eek:

However, they're opening for Magnolia Electric Co. in Philly

Top 30, according to Metacritic:

1 Illinois by Sufjan Stevens - 91
2 I Am A Bird Now by Antony And The Johnsons - 88
3 Arular by M.I.A. - 87
4 Multiply by Jamie Lidell - 87
5 The Woods by Sleater-Kinney - 87
6 Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River - 87
7 Beauty And The Beat by Edan - 86
8 1988 by Blueprint - 86
9 Oceans Apart by The Go-Betweens - 86
10 The Magic Numbers by The Magic Numbers - 86
11 The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird - 85
12 Mezmerize by System Of A Down - 85
13 Gimme Fiction by Spoon - 85
14 LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem - 85
15 I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes - 85
16 Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder - 84
17 Blinking Lights And Other Revelations by Eels - 84
18 This Right Here Is Buck 65 by Buck 65 - 84
19 Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady - 83
20 School Of The Flower by Six Organs Of Admittance - 83
21 Engineers by Engineers - 83
22 Minimum-Maximum [Live] by Kraftwerk - 83
23 Picaresque by The Decemberists - 83
24 The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats - 82
25 Set Yourself On Fire by Stars - 82
26 Be by Common - 82
27 Lost And Safe by The Books - 81
28 Humming By The Flowered Vine by Laura Cantrell - 81
29 The Great Destroyer by Low - 81
30 Silent Alarm by Bloc Party - 81

Originally posted by vansmack:
I'm going to have to work on the best of 2005 (so far), but I'm pretty sure the Shout Out Louds will be at the top of that list, followed closely by The Mountain Goats.

As for compilations, my sister brought me back Indie Anthems from the UK, and it's quite fun to listen to

Wow. Quite the pickings..similar to a Kosmomix.

Originally posted by vansmack:
I'm going to have to work on the best of 2005 (so far), but I'm pretty sure the Shout Out Louds will be at the top of that list,

They were on both Leno and Letterman last night.