sureshot

Highest rated album of the year so far on Metacritic:

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/tv...dio/dearscience

Anyone else going? Hard to believe the day is almost here. Watching video from the NY show, its hard for me not to get absolutely giddy....

Sun Kil Moon- Ghosts of the Great Highway/ April (which is totally a misnomer)

Beck- Mutations

Smog- Red Apple Falls

U2- Achtung Baby

American Analog Set- From Our Living Room to Yours

Owen- No Good for No One now

Mark Hollis- S/T

Archer Prewitt- White Sky

George Winston- Autumn

Fleet Foxes- S/T

The Cliente- Strange geometry

My Morning Jacket- It Still Moves

Elbow- Asleep in the Back

Pretty much any strummy/folky stuff.

but there's still a handful of potentially great albums to be released (Doves possibly for one)

yea, the new Mogwai is really wowing me right not too.

personally, i thought RTCM was wildly overrated. It wasnt bad, but it was really unfocused, and i didnt like the production. To me Dear Science is a quantum leap above RTCM. It is more 'accessible", but I dont think thats necessarily a bad thing...its not like we're in Lite FM territory. the mix has been improved so that you can actually hear individual instruments and place where they're coming from. I dunno, to my ears it sounds absolutely brilliant. It took me 2-3 listens to really grasp. Right now Love Dog and DLZ are blowing my mind, but I dont think theres a single weak chain in the entire work.

So, this has leaked. Um...album of the year, anyone?

sucks for the people who had automatic sells on their shares. yikes!

I think Mulholland Drive is brilliant. There so many indelible images in that film..and this one still gives me nightmares

I generally think Bono is full of shit when talking about upcoming albums.

I would agree. But then again artists usually arent their best critics, and certainly not when they're still in the creative stage. I mean, whens the last time you read an interview about an upcoming album where the lead singer said "Whoo boy, this ones gonna suck even worse than our last! We really failed to live up to every single one of our expectations in this session."

Not sure I agree there. I haven't had an urge to listen to that album since it came out. Really, really, weak album in an otherwise pretty sweet catalog.

False! In fact, I think its one of my favs. "What Would You Have Me Do?" is the definition of epic.

I gained a much greater appreciation for that album after seeing it performed front to back at the Beat Kitchen shows. It does not relent for a second.

Anyone see Bubbas speech? Damn is that guy slick (you sometimes forget what it was like after 8 years of...whatever it was we just went through).

Orson Wells in "F for Fake":

"Now this has been standing here for centuries. The premier work of man perhaps in the whole western world and it's without a signature. Chartres. A celebration to God

Underrated? October? I just listened to it for the first time in 20+ years the other day and still found it to be a steamy pile. Most U2 sounds dated to me, very little of iit transcends the era it was made in, but for my ears October was bad then and was not ahead of it's time. It was just plain stinky.

If we're going to go with underrated U2, I would pick Zooropa (the title track is one of their best songs, period. Not to mention Numb, The Wanderer, Dirty Day, and Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car).

Even Pop was really unfairly maligned.

The Flaming Lips- Satellite of You

The Velvet Underground- I'll Be Your Mirror

Goldfrapp- Number 1

Weird video, great song.

"Walk out into velvet/ Nothing more to say/ You're my favorite moment/ You're my Saturday"

Steve Reich- Music for 18 Musicians.

Do it. Do it. Do it. Possibly my all time favorite album. Theres a few versions: Ensemble Modern version; the Nonesuch version, played by Reich and musicians along with new musicians; the Amadinda Percussion Group version, a live concert recording; and the most recent, by the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble. Personally (and perhaps surprisingly), my favorite is the GVSU version..I like the acoustic dynamics of it the best. But yea, seriously..go out and buy this now. A sample of what its all about:

Supposedly one of the most difficult pieces of music to perform ever written. The GVSU ensemble trained intensively for over a year before attempting a live performance.

Also, Reichs other stuff is good too. Some of my favs:

Electric Counterpoint-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwxKtr5nF7Y

Different Trains-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJPyOh__zXw

And if you find yourself liking that, you should probably delve into Philip Glass as well.

Also, are you interested in ambient? If so, stuff like Stars of the Lid, Fennesz, William Basinski, Tim Hecker, Eluvium, Ulrich Schnauss...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3CoihmU1ok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go4ZZ3Ozc84

In terms of sheer good songs from beginning to end, Radiohead has faded like Wilco post YHF.

Huh? In Rainbows is arguably one of the best albums of the decade...I think its their best work, period.

In regards to Portishead, I dont think they make music to be "enjoyed", at least in the traditional sense. I know they completely despised what "Dummy" morphed into..here you have Beth Gibbons baring her soul, singing about the absurdness of everyday modern life, and its being used as a soundtrack for yuppie cocktail parties, the very crowd they were rallying against. So it makes sense that this time around it would sound rougher, and more in tune with the despair of the lyrics. I dont think they feel comfortable having any sort of popular appeal. And I think this album was a very conscious attempt to de-construct their sound and alienate the superficial population who latched onto their music the first time around.

The critics (and hipsters) cream all over themselves over these albums.

How are these underrated?

I guess its more under-appreciated. Its a niche population that even knows they exist (and can we also ditch the tired "hipster" cliche?).

The same could be said for Mark Hollis' solo album, which is on par with the later-era Talk Talk.

"Golden Age" is streaming on their website

http://www.tvontheradio.com/

Im officially really excited about this album.

the National is on the Blue Room right now

Pete Rock & CL Smooth- When They Reminisce Over You

I reminisce for a spell, or shall i say think back

22 years ago to keep it on track

The birth of a child on the 8th of october

A toast but my granddaddy came sober

Countin all the fingers and the toes

Now i suppose, you hope the little black boy grows, huh

18 years younger than my mama

But i really got beatings cause the girl loved drama

In single parenthood there i stood

By the time she was 21, had another one

This one's a girl, let's name her pam

Same father as the first but you don't give a damn

Irresponsible, plain not thinking

Papa said chill but the brother keep winking

Still he won't down you or tear out your hide

On your side while the baby maker slide

But mama got wise to the game

The youngest of five kids, hon here it is

After 10 years without no spouse

Momma's gettin married in the house

Listen, positive over negative for the women and master

Mother queen's risin a chapter

Deja vu, tell you what i'm gonna do

When they reminisce over you, my god

[pete rock]

My god

It's so...

Yeah, so lovely

That's how we like to do it in the 90's

Pete rock & cl smooth comin' atcha...

Verse two:

[cl]

When i date back i recall a man off the family tree

My right hand poppa doc i see

Took me from a boy to a man so i always had a father

When my biological didn't bother

Taking care of this so who am i to bicker

Not a bad ticker but i'm clocking pop's liver

But you can never say that his life is through

5 kids at 21 believe he got a right too

Here we go while i check the scene

With the portugese lover at the age of 14

The same age, front page, no fuss

But i bet you all your dough, they live longer than us

Never been senile, that's where you're wrong

But give the man a taste and he's gone

Noddin off, sleep to a jazz tune

I can hear his head banging on the wall in the next room

I get the pillow and hope i don't wake him

For this man do cuss, hear it all in verbatim

Telling me how to raise my boy unless he's taking over

I said pop maybe when you're older

We laughed all night about the hookers at the party

My old man standing yelling good god, almighty

Use your condom, take sips of the brew

When they reminisce over you, for real

[pete rock]

For real, baby

Like that

We for real

Comin' atcha...

In '92

Pete rock & cl smooth

Yeah, c'mon, hit me!

Verse three:

[cl]

I reminisce so you never forget this

The days of wayback, so many bear witness the fitness

Take the first letter out of each word in this joint

Listen close as i prove my point

T to the r-uh-o-y, how did you and i meet?

In front of big lou's, fighting in the street

But only you saw what took many time to see

I dedicate this to you for believing in me

Rain or shine, yes in any weather

My grandmom pam holds the family together

My uncle doc's the greatest better yet the latest

If we're talking about a car, uncle sterling got the latest

I strive to be live 'cause i got no choice

And run my own business like my aunt joyce

So pete rock hit me, nuff respect due

When they reminisce over you, listen

[pete rock]

Listen, just listen

To the funky song as i rock on

And that's word is bond

I'm not playin

Everybody, just coolin

This song we dedicate

To the one and only

Never be another

He was my brother

Trouble t-roy

It's like that y'all

And you don't stop

Pete rock and cl smooth for '92

And we out, later

Blackalicious- Make You Feel That Way

[Verse One]

Up an early for the hope of a brand new day

See a homie you ain't seen since back in the day

Fresh haircut fitted wit a fat ass fade

End of work, we chilling on a Saturday

How you felt when you first heard the data came

Rakim KRS hey I had that tape

Cooling out with ol girl on a fat ass date

Find a hundred dollar bill wow man that's great

Get promoted at your job up to management

Plot a long time finally a plan has made it

Time I feel I wanna shout, man its real that way

Wanna think of things that make you feel that way

[Verse Two]

Christmas day when your mamma got your first bike

Type of feeling when you went and when your first fight

How your team felt winning championship games

Celebrate in a huddle dancing in this rain

Have a thought see a shooting star cross your screen

Put in hard work finally your living your dream

Deaf man get his hearing now in come vibes

Blind man get sight see his first sunrise

Dumb man speaking out, now he's load and clear

Earth through your chout smile so proud ya wear

Going in your third eye for the styles ya hear

Making music that'll bump for a thousand years

Eating right feeling conscience like health is first

Said a prayer that's sincere and you felt it work

Times I feel I wanna shout, man it's real that way

When I'm thinking things that make you feel that way

[Verse Three]

All up in her vibe something coming over me

Summer days more likely that you notice breezes

Winter days more likely that you notice heat

When I'm warm more likely that you notice me

In the dark it's more likely that you notice light

In the light more likely that you notice night

Hungry more appreciation for that meal

Dead broke more appreciation for that grill

A bad day'll make you really notice ones that's good

And that'll make things a little better understood

Times I feel I wanna shout, man it's real that way

When I think of things that make you feel that way

Make you feel that way...

(Ya know its like ahh like the most greatest feeling you could ever feel

you like just total illation. Sunny day, just that day.

You know its just like you know just the most joyous feeling

you could ever comprehend. You know, chilling with your family.

You know just you know just really really feeling,

feeling the moment, with the folks. Ya know really really really just chilling.

It's love. It's love. It's love)