gryffe
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Posts posted by gryffe
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This year (after a slow start) matured into the best year of the 2000's for new albums by a long, long way imo. From the 90's onwards the quality of new bands coming through, and the quality of album that these bands (and the old hands) were releasing seemed to decline year on year for me. I reckon that this year has blown the last 20 or so out of the water for the amount of terrific albums that were released. Just went through all the CD's I bought this year - good and bad, and I picked out 32 from a total of 70 or so that ranged from "very good" to "essential", as well as one out and out classic, and I have listed them below. If I remember corrrectly I struggled to name a dozen or so good albums last year.
Classic
Kendrick Lamarr - To Pimp a Butterfly
Essential
The Fall - Sub Lingual Tablet
Grimes - Art Angel
Blur - The Magic Whip
Hot Chip - Why Make Sense
Low - Ones and Sixes
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
Robert Forster - Songs To Play
Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
Mbongwana Star - From Kinshasa
Roots Manuva - Bleeds
New Order - Music Complete
Wilco - Star Wars
Future - DS2
Jamie xx - In Colour
Beach House - Depression Cherry
Very Good
Sleaford Mods - Key Markets
Songhoy Blues - Music In Exile
Will Johnson - Swan City Vampires
Protomartyr - The Agent Intellect
Public Image Ltd - What The World Needs Now
Kurt Vile - B'lieve I'm Going Down
Chemical Brothers - Born In The Echoes
Leftfield - Alternative Light Source
Alternative TV - Opposing Forces
Ought - Sun Coming Down
JLIN - Dark Energy
The Chills - Silver Bullets
Arca - Mutant
Richie Hawtin - From My Mind To Yours
Miguel - Wildheart
Floating Points - Elaenia
Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete
Below are some albums that I thought were vastly overated, but which gained massive plaudits either when released, or in the end of year polls.
Terrible
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love
Bjørk - Vulnicura
Joanna Newsom - Divers
Not bad, but what's all the fuss about
Courtney Barnet - Sometimes I Sit And Think…
Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
Tame Impala - Currents -
Got my Star Wars cd in the mail yesterday. Blown away by how great the actual disc sounds on a very nice cd player compared to the mp3 download I've been listening to through the same speakers. And great to have the actual disc and sleeve with an excellent photo of the entire band in the Loft, and all the lyrics and credits. I may be old school, i like my music on physical media-vinyl or cd.
Me too, although the 24 bit hi res download sounds easily as good as the CD. The back cover of the gatefold CD is pretty rubbish, just a massive barcode, with the tracklisting in tiny letters!
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The digital album is now available at the Kung Fu store,
http://starwars.kungfustore.com/
I am now downloading the hi res 24 bit album, only $14!!, which is a steal for us here in the UK. Equates to less than £10, over here his res is normally about £13 on avaerage.
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I get the feeling that the reviews that are just coming in are the ones that are (rightly)giving more praise than the earlier reviews gave out. It wasn't the case for all of them but the earlier reviews were less praiseworthy, probably because they were rushed out as for once even they hadn't heard the record before the rest of us, and the later reviewers have had a week or so to let the record sink in and reveal its greatness.
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And some collated reviews from the UK version of Metacritic
http://anydecentmusic.com/review/7383/Wilco-Star-Wars.aspx
The "review" from Spectrum Culture is a hoot, each to their own and all that mind you.
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Pitchfork is a staff aggregate so we're seeing a negotiated score with a designated writer who might have a differing opinion. If I remember correctly, it was similar for The Whole Love in terms of score vs written review.
I wonder if Allmusic use the same strategy? I have read reviews on there with 3/5 stars and it doesn't marry up with the written review, which in some cases reads like a 4.5 or a 5.
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Pitchfork review
Just read that. If I had read it without seeing the rating of 7.7 at the top I would think this guy would have rated it at a minimum of 8.3 (and yes, these "to the decimal point" ratings are absurd). The guy clearly knows his Wilco, and it's a thoughtful and fairly detailed review. He just hasn't played Star Wars enough to realise that in Pitchfork terms this album is at least a 9.3.
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Does anyone know why the vinyl is shipping three months after the CD is released?
That one is a grower, it's definitely my favorite so far!
Taste The Ceiling has stealth like qualities, a real slow burner. I've probably played Star Wars 20 plus times now and the last couple of times this song has really hit home.
Hope I'm not being too hyperbolic already, but this new LP is shaping up to be top 3 Wilco for me. There is not a wasted note or moment on it, the length is bang on, the playing magnificent and it sounds great even in mp3 form. Can only imagine how great it will sound on vinyl or CD.
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I like this album more on each listen. Still not sold on "The Joke Explained" and to some extent "King of You", but everything else keeps growing on me. Reminds me of Sky Blue Sky in that regard.
Being There, Summerteeth, and YHF all blew me away on the first listen - YHF in particular - but Sky Blue Sky I initially was disappointed in but now love. I doubt anything will ever top the Being There to A Ghost Is Born run for me - partly because those are fucking amazing records, partly the timing of when I heard them in my life - but I'm really, really happy Wilco released this record.
It feels like one work start to end, as many have noted. It also feels more natural than the past couple of records. They've been on a downward trend the past decade, and I still can't get into the Tweedy record at all, hard as I try. This is an upward spike, and that makes me happy, both because I love the music and because I love the band. They mean a shit ton to me, and I love when they succeed.
I must admit that I keep waiting for the ten minutes of ambient noise at the end of "Magnetized" that never comes.
Speaking of which, "Magnetized" is one of the best Tweedy songs in the past decade. Simply amazing. "Art of Almost" is the only recent offering I'd put in the same class. Also very happy to hear some lower register Tweedy vocals. I know all the comments he's made about them, but I love his lower register and wish he used it more often.
Here's hoping this release keeps climbing up my personal list.
Agree with that, pretty much word for word!
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Sounds even better when you stream the album on Spotify, with the High Quality Streaming option selected. Pisses all over the sound of the 256k download, picking up a lot more detail, especially with headphones on.
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Pickled Ginger is channeling Status Quo
Incredibly it doesn't suck!!
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REM - 1983-1986 = 100% The joint best best band of all time
The Fall - 1979-1988 =100% The joint best best band of all time (in the 90's = 50%, and from 2000- till present = 85%)
Radiohead - From Kid A till present = 90% (before that = 25%)
The Clash - 1977 - 1979 = 100%, from Sandanista onwards = 40%
The Go-Betweens - 1984-1987 = 98%
The Smiths all output = 99% (just slightly behind REM and The Fall)
Drive By Truckers - from Decoration Day till Brighter Than Creations Dark = 98%, all other output = 75%
David Bowie - From Hunky Dory to Scary Monsters = 99%
Bob Dylan - From Bringing It All Back Home to Blood On The Tracks - 98%, the rest is the biggest hit or miss catalogue ever.
Joy Division - All output = 98%
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Go for a pint with Mark E Smith
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Rules like this are nonsense - you said they are a band yourself - "which includes bands with" = to say Nick Cave is a solo artist is just plain wrong!
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Josh T Pearson strikes again - no1 album in the Rough Trade List
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/content.lasso?page=AOY_2011_page2.html
And for a more detailed breakdown of the Rough Trade top 10
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/content.lasso?page=AOY_2011_page1.html
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who the hell is Josh T Pearson?
and is Mogwai too unfashionable to land on any of these lists? their record this year is super-excellent-awesomeness. i listened to it again today.
Josh T Pearson is one scary mofo.
The album is perhaps best described as stripped down country blues, with just Pearsons voice, acc guitar and sparse piano (only on a couple of tracks).
Its a very intense listen, one of those "headphones late at night albums". I have seen it compared to albums like Tonights The Night and Big Star Third in terms of darkness/bleakness of subject matter.
If you know both Mojo and Uncut magazines well, you will know that this album is right up both magazines alleys, so it's no surprise it polled so high.
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Where can I find the full list?
In reply to your query, I'll post the same as I posted on the DBT website.
"That may be difficult, neither Uncut or Mojo are primarily "online" publications, although they do both have websites.
The Uncut website still has last months magazine cover displayed (the new issue has PJ Harvey on the cover) so its not up to date, I'm sure they will publish the list on there at some point. http://www.uncut.co.uk/
Mojos website does have the current issues cover displayed, but I can't see the album of the year list anywhere, although I haven't scoured the website
http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/
The website below is a fantastic source for album of the year polls, and both Mojo and Uncut listings for this year will appear at some point.
http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/
If I get time later I will type up some of the highlights from both magazines lists and post them here!!"
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PJ Harvey also got No1 Album of the year in Uncut magazine.
as for the rest....
Bill Callahan - no25
Drive By Truckers - no19
Wilco - no15
Tom Waits -no 13
Fleet Foxes - no12
Bon Iver - no9
Wild Beasts - no8
Radiohead - no7
Josh T Pearson - no5
White Denim - no4
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Yes its still November, but Mojo are first out the traps were their list. Why can't they wait till December, for one thing having it this early excludes The Fall album?
Anyways, the album of the year in Mojo was PJ Harvey, which I like but it's not the best record this year imo.
Other notables of interest to folks on here probably include
Fleet Foxes - no3
White Denim - no6
Josh T Pearson - no7
Tom Waits - no9
Bon Iver - no16
My Morning Jacket - no20
Bill Callahan - no23
Drive By Truckers - no26
Wilco - no29
Nick Lowe -no31
Radiohead - no47
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just listening to the new Fall record right now...i don't why i'm surprised it's so good, given the quality of last year's _Your Future, Our Clutter_. but damn. thirty-plus years on and still delivering the goods? not many people can claim that.
This is shaping up to be my album of the year, I've been playing it constantly for the last 10 days. Can't say that I thought YF,OC was that great tbh.
The latest ramblings from the Salford bard can be found here
http://thequietus.com/articles/07465-mark-e-smith-interview-the-fall
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PopTodd of 2015
in Someone Else's Song
Posted
Never liked them, could be my loss but I just don't get it.