11.04.2006

Recent Acquisitions, aka Super Duper Dance Party Exclamation Mark Go!

Have been getting a lot of music lately. And all legally, too (Shon). I've already talked about Beck's the Information. It's been rocking my socks off. Also rocking me lately are the following albums:

Robert Pollard's Normal Happiness, which is good, but sadly, not great. At least not yet. There are some really good songs on here - "Supernatural Car Lover," comes to mind immediately - but it never quite makes it, as a whole, into the "great" slot for me.

Ben Kweller's Ben Kweller, which is, again, good but not as great as his first two albums. Can I just state publicly that I really can't stand his slow songs. They all sound the same. Like exactly the same. The rockers here sound a bit too polished, but it's a decent album.

Centro-Matic's Fort Recovery is one of those albums that, on paper, I should love, but instead just don't take hold of too tightly at first listen. Very Red House Painters-y/Goldrush-y, which can be either a good or bad thing, depending on my mood.

Sparklehorse returns with Dreamt For Light Years In the Belly Of A Mountain. I got this for Can-can for her birthday. I'm quite "in like" with this album right now. It had been so long since Mark Linkous' last album I hadn't realized how much I missed the guy.

Of Montreal's Satanic Panic In the Attic is a keeper. Not as tight or as consistent as the Sunlandic Twins - which is a five star album all the way - but there are some real good songs on this.

The Futureheads' News & Tributes is, yes, a lot more "grown up," but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Still, I fell in love with the manic energy of their debut - another five star album - and the couple of more introspective songs don't thrill me as much as their more bouncy ones do.

I also got Spoon's first album and EP, Telephono/Soft Effects, which is, yeah, a recording made by a Pixies tribute band, essentially. I also got their Loveways EP which is amazing. Recorded between A Series Of Sneaks and Girls Can Tell (both of whic are gold... I love me some Spoon) but released after the latter, it's really good.

Hmmm, I can't think of anything else, so that'll do for now.

What am I listening to now? Party shuffle, baby! Why? Cuz we're having a party! Not really. We just finished watching disc five of Gilmore Girls season six and Candace is agonizing over a scrapbook page. What's playing on Party Shuffle? The Flaming Lips' "It Overtakes Me," followed by Whiskeytown's "Don't Be Sad." See? PARTY!

Okay, goodnight.

1 comment:

Jesse said...

Hey Dyl,
Just took a look at what you're listening to lately. Good stuff. Yes Beck's The Information is amazing. But isn't sticking with me for some reason. I liked the new Pollard more than any other Pollard album I've heard so far: it was just more accessible to my tastes. Never been a big fan of Ben Kweller although I have tried...

Here are a couple you should give a listen to, if you haven't already:

Cannibal Sea, by Essex Green. Being such a huge Of Montreal fan I'm sure you're also fully aware of this other Elephant 6 offshoot. I have to say this is the best of the bunch and this album is absolutely phenomenal. From the first note to the last this album just keeps on giving. It's like a steady-release energy bar. That tastes really good.

Songbird by Willie Nelson. It really could be called "Ryan Adams featuring Willie Nelson" -- although its almost all covers, it's definitely a Ryan Adams records. But putting Willie at the mike instead of himself allows Ryan to focus more on the productio and arrangements, and has there been a better interpreter than Willie in the last 50 years? The good thing is we're getting the Whiskeytown Ryan Adams not the "I can release more albums than Clive Davis" Ryan Adams. When you're in the mood for some solid alt-country, look no further.

Get Yr Blood Sucked Out by Viva Voce. Awesome album. I think I already told you about it. Slightly gothic (it's kind of a concept album about visiting hell run by vampires and living to tell about it) but the upbeat melodies and catchy hooks disguise the lyrics, without overburdoning them. It's cool.

That's about it. Enjoy!
Jesse