Re: First half of 2014

Against Me - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
The Coathangers - Suck My Shirt
Fucked Up - Glass Boys
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Cheatahs - Cheatahs
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness
The Horrors - Luminous
I Break Horses - Chiaroscuro
Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Midnight Sun
Future Islands - Singles
La Sera - Hour of the Dawn
First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
Eagulls - Eagulls
Dum Dum Girls - Too True
Damien Jurado - Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son
Wild Cub - Youth
Brody Dalle - Diploid Love
Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Haven't really warmed up to the newest Warpaint album, or Phantogram. Or Blondie. Surprisingly liking the "new" Michael Jackson album an awful lot - it's much more in the vein of Off the Wall than his later stuff.

A few I LOVED off your list: Against Me!, Future Islands, Angel Olsen and The War on Drugs.

Some more I've liked/loved:
The Rifles - None The Wiser (its a mash up of every Britpop type there is but it is very infectious. I was surprised how much I listened to this this year. Almost a guilty pleasure.)
Sun Kil Moon - Benji
LanaDel Rey - Ultraviolence (I was sorta looking forward to this one. The production and arrangements are fantastic. There are too many songs, but some decent disposable pop to be found.)
Tycho - Awake (he's transitioned into more of a guitar, drum, bass sound but hasn't suffered at all. Great stuff.)
Woods - With Light and With Love
The Men - Tomorrow's Hits (These guys, Deer Tick and Titus Andronicus are become more like the Allman's with each release.)
Real Estate - Atlas (a marginal step back for these guys.)

The Space Project compilation

There's alot of stuff I need to check on your list Breno. This has been a really good year it seems.

Syd Arthur (prog a la the old Cantebury bands)
Wovenhand
Judas Priest (yes, really)
Eno - Hyde (the newest one, High Life)
Peter Murphy

Pleasantly surprised with:
- The Hotelier's 'Home, Like No Place'
- Creative Adult 'Psychic Mess'
- Say Anything's "Hebrews" (is that a concept album or what?)
- Miranda Lambert's "Platinum"
- Bob Mould, 'Beauty and Ruin' (his best yet)

Of course, Christmas will be early for me as soon as I get the new Alt-J.

Parquet Courts
Jack White (most of it anyway)
Bob Mould
The Black Lips (some of it anyway)

Looking forward to the new Spoon.............Ike Reilly at some point in 2014

Eno's High Life is very interesting. I love a few of the songs, but I am not sure the thing as a whole works. Its almost post-rock or something. The album cover is an all time great though.

Only familiar with 2 things on your list. Parquet Courts would definitely make my top 10 and the new Fucked Up has firmly sent me into the "never need to hear them again" camp.

I must be missing something with that War On Drugs platter.

Who would have guessed that an Indie band influenced by John Waite, Don Henley and Dire Straits would have its fans.

BEST

Against Me - Transgender
saw them premiere some of the material a year ago and you could see this was going to be a monster

Malkmus - Wig Out
best post-pavement LP, but back half better

Pixies - Indie Cindy
The 3rd EP combined with the others to form an LP. Plenty of great tracks. Non-fans and the under-30s don't get it. But then, I owned Doolittle for many years before I "got it"
RIYL - Pixies, man.

Real Estate - Atlas
their best tracks probably; slightly less consistent overall

Gruff Rhys - The American Interior
album concept in my wheelhouse with arrangements to back it. A real grower. Second half flags a bit, sounds like Julian Cope writing for 70s Kinks

War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
4 amazing tracks, and good overall; maybe better than last one

Wussy - Attica!
wussy finally get it way right on Besnard Lakes-informed 5th LP. Was powerful live

GOOD

Echo & Bunnymen - Meteorites
I've loved the latter-day Echo, probably cuz I admit they never were consistent and cuz I love Sargent's approach; need another spin but twist my arm and I'll admit it's probably better than Fountain or Siberia, but not Flowers. "Constantinople" 's a helluva track

Gold Bears - Dalliance
not the equal of the incredible Are You Falling but still plenty of good tracks

Fucked Up - Glass Boys
not as immediate as previous efforts, but having experimented with their template adds appeal. will suit fans but maybe not newcomers. I concede Breno may know something I don't yet.

GBV - Motivational AND Cool Planet
1st one has no standouts yet is consistently above average; latter (the 7th release in their 2 1/2 years back) is average with a couple standouts. I've said before: for every three Bob belches there's one banger, culled

Mould - Beauty & Ruin
Silver Age was his best since Hubcap, this being ostensible leftovers, portends probably plenty to please punters

Peter Murphy - Lion
I think this may be his best, actually, though I'm not a fan. Have heard them all repeatedly though, so, tentatively valid claim

Off! - Wasted Years
Best so far. Plenty of in-your-face anthems from Morris and crew.

PAWS - Youth Culture Forever
the potential that was always there realized

Jack White - Lazaretto
With Blunderbuss the album of his career, this will be stepkidded. I got the vinyl with the backwards play, different mix, double groove, hologram, and all that stuff which was fun, content not-withstanding. But thankfully this is, say, better than half the White Stripes catalog. There IS a lot of honky tonk-ballad type stuff compared to the usual.

Must Hear Random Tracks
Albarn - Mr. Tembo
Ex Hex - Hot and Cold
Frankie Cosmos - Owen
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Until the Sun Explodes
Perfect Pussy - Big Stars
Plague Vendor - Black Sap Scriptures
St. Vincent - Birth in Reverse
Temples - Mesmerise
Dean Wareham - Holding Pattern
White Lung - Down it Goes

Disappointed to some Extent

Pains of Being Pure at Haiku>
Rather than usual Slumberland MBV leanings
Veered into Belle & Sebastian territory
Did them no favors.

Parquet Courts>
Can't fault them for not having another Light Up Gold in the wings, this sounds like the B-sides, more like their first album. I'm guessing they can toss these off in their sleep.



Post Edited (09-04-14 19:14)

I've mostly been listening to Phantogram, Magic Man, Merchandise (not officially out yet), Damon Albarn, Lower, and Future Islands.

Paganizer, Totally agree on Wussy. They've been my (second) favorite band for a new years, and Attica! is very strong. Don't hear the Besnard Lakes influence though. Can you clarify?

Nose

nose

I'm not aware the band named them as an influence, but there were elements that sounded informed by BL, to use a current ref.point. Also a lot of Radar Bros. I noticed it live as well.

guitar treatment/atmosphere, production notes, the M/F vox;
the way that "Bring You Home" track is positioned as penultimate, is the track progression that BL has been using [actually, the lyric content of that track as well].
"Halloween" is almost Neko and Kelly.
And, live anyway, the Neil end of Thurston and Lee was obvious in Chuck's guitar work
----------------------------
Others I enjoyed after a spin, post-OP:
Alvvays
Merchandise
Morrissey

Titles that have grown after first impression:
Echo
Jack White



Post Edited (08-20-14 19:42)

Flowers – Do What You Want To, It’s What You Should Do (2014)

[www.youtube.com]

What an appropriately named band. This whole album is flawless, really reminds me of the debuts from then-new bands like The Sundays and The Primitives. Definitely a throwback to the C86 era.

HITS - Hikikomori
Total Control - Typical System
Afghan Whigs - Do To The Beast
Dan Bains III & The Glory Fires - Dereconstructed
Mogwai - Rave Tapes

And looking forward to the third Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions platter, Axels & Sockets.

There's a new Langford release? Excellent

Aitch wrote:

> There's a new Langford release? Excellent

Here Be Monsters is the title.

And it took til now for me to notice I added an "h." Sorry, Jon.

Aitch, you shoulda put this one in bold type. Excellent album.

It came out after Brad's initial post, but I'm warming to the new Raveonettes . . . but then again, I'm always a sucker for their charm:
[www.npr.org]

I really like the new:
James
Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
John Langford & Skull Orchard
Chrissie Hynde

The jury's still out on:
Morrissey
Roddy Frame
Manic Street Preachers

Haven't heard yet:
Bunnymen

Favorite reissue:
The Sound (4cdbox)

Sorry, I know this is lame answer, but the new Weird Al gave me and my son a lot of goofy smiles listening to it on a long car ride. It's thus far given me more pleasure than, say, the new Bob Mould.

Weird Al being at the top of the charts in 2014 is a sign that we aren't completely *%&%^&-ed as a culture. I find it incredibly reassuring.

Nosepail, there is absolutely nothing lame about enjoying Weird Al.

Agreed. I saw him play Fun Fun Fun Fest a few years ago. Great, great show. He's a very clever man - there's a ton of smart songcraft that goes into his work, even when he's covering other people. And I'm always amazed at his ability to mimic popular singers while still sounding like himself.

I agree with Reno. Whether on record, in videos or on stage, Weird Al is nothing but fun.

Maybe some of us discovered Weird Al through his early appearances on Dr. Demento's show, while others first heard him later when he broke with "Eat It." But really, did anyone ever think back then that he'd still be going strong thirty-plus years later? Or that artists would come to consider a Weird Al parody of one of their songs more than just a compliment, but a sign that they've truly arrived?

I still have a 45 of "Another One Rides the Bus" (and its immortal B-side "Gotta Boogie" - how I wish he'd played that when I saw him). Not sure how I got turned onto it, because I didn't listen to Dr. Demento as a kid, but I bought it when it came out. My sister bought the actual albums, which I often borrowed.

I'd've never imagined I'd be seeing the guy who recorded "Another Rides the Bus" in his college dorm bathroom playing a big-production show 30-odd years later at a festival devoted to punk, metal, indie rock and hip-hop. Though given that Fun Fun also has a comedy stage, it makes sense.

I heard "My Bologna" and "Another One Rides the Bus" in Weird Al's early days, but didn't realize until "Eat It" became a hit that those early songs had been recorded by the same guy.

I finally got around to seeing one of Al's concerts in the late '90s. His show sure was a hoot! Clever, unpretentious comedy, all topped off with a polka-style medley of about a dozen big current hits. The audience (about 2,000 strong) ate it up.