The title is pretty self-explanatory, right? Let's get this thing started...
Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche - Holy hell! An avalanche is right! Sufjan continues his onslaught of music with yet another loooooooong-ass album about Illinois. You may remember that I was very much a fan of Illinois, but this is what we call overkill. I don't need or want another three versions of "Chicago," and every time I hear Sufjan work his "Stereolab-via-Chicago (the band, not the song, but the song too)" magic, it starts sounding a little more formulaic. Ditto for the historic-observation-via-family-story songs. Illinois was long enough as it is. This is just too much for me to stay interested in.
The Futureheads - News and Tributes - I guess these guys liked XTC's Drums and Wires so much that they decided to record a sly tribute album to it. I didn't hear the first Futureheads record, so I can't say whether or not their, um... "homage" is a new thing. I also haven't listened to it enough to really get a strong impression of anything on more than a superficial level, so if I'm missing some mind-blowing lyrics or something, forgive me.
Six Organs of Admittance - Sun Awakens - Ok, NOW we're talking. I wouldn't recommend this to everybody, but if you have the patience for a 23 minute drone of a song, check it out immediately, because it's worth every second. Side A is good too, if a little scattershot.
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country - I wanted to be the first person ever to write about Camera Obscura without mentioning Belle and Sebastian, but what's the point? Besides, if I did that, I wouldn't be able to point out that Camera Obscura actually made a better album this year than Belle and Sebastian did. The apprentice has become the master! Or something like that.
Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast - I like Matmos. They look like NASA technicians from the 1960s. They're pals with Bjork. (On the Bjork live DVD I have, she performs in outlandish outfits while they sit at computers onstage in white suits looking somewhat bored.) Plus there was that infamous thing where they recorded sounds from a liposuction to use in their music. And now here comes the weirdest concept album of the year (step aside, Liars!), audio portraits of gay and lesbian figures, from Ludwig II to Joe Meek. It's occasionally unsettling (the sound of "shit" is interpreted rather literally), but always fascinating. Plus, Bjork makes a brief appearance, which means a million bonus points for Matmos. It's mostly music to be appreciated on an intellectual level, but I have no problem with that.
Lily Allen - Alright, Still - I didn't want to listen to Lily Allen at first because her MySpace page described her genre as "Pop/Hyphy/Ska." I don't know what "hyphy" means, but "ska" is about as big a red flag as I could ask for. Plus, why should I care about the music of a spoiled daughter of an actor/comedian and a film producer? Well, I'm going to grudgingly admit that she's actually pretty good. Her album drags toward the end despite being only 36 minutes or so long, but considering that she's my younger brother's age, it's still pretty damned impressive. There's enough there to warrant repeated listens, especially to songs like "Smile" (which was apparently a #1 hit in England) and "Everything's Just Wonderful."
3 comments:
i still love poor sufjan and his banjo. how else would i know that ADLAI was pronounced "ad-e-lay?" that's right, you heard it here first...i didn't know how to pronounce ADLAI.
YO TOM
what about cut chemist!
the thing's amazing, although I'm not sure if it's your thing.
although i guess it hasn't really been legitimately released yet, so I guess that's why you don't have it.
WOHHHH
no your not allowd to pass judgement on the futureheads unless you have heard their first record!
its........ just..... better than news and tributes.
i will let you have a listen when i see you.
word up.
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