Artifice

Yes!!!

 

 

I've been redisocvering all my 90s albums lately, and I'm really amazed at how well some of them hold up, this one included. I remember buying it new and several people panning it. I have no idea why - it's great. In particular, Break Me owns me. Been pairing that off with Confetti fropm It's A Shame About Ray...

This might stir up some more discussion. Figures that I already mentioned #1 & #2.

http://stereogum.com/1222701/the-50-most-anticipated-albums-of-2013/franchises/listomania/

Good to see Rhye on there. I would be more excited about Chris Owen's solo record but I'm kinda meh about the stylistic turn he has taken. It's not bad, just not my thing...

Dunno if this little gem got any run on here - but I really dig it when Im in certain moods:

Good lists - will add:

Arcade Fire

My Bloody Valentine

Am sure there are probably better records, but here's what I have actually been listening to:

• Grizzly Bear - Shields
• Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
• Tame Impala - Lonerism
• Shins - Port of Morrow
• Father John Misty - Fear Fun
• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Here  

Tramp is a good example of this year for me - It's a solid album but never completely satisfying. I do not think she is quite there yet as a songwriter, though she has moments. Shields is a very solid album with a couple of tracks that I love that would probably be lost in a stronger year. Lonerism is a fun listen but almost gimmicky. Shins record is not their best, but again some great songs. FJM - I never got over his freak out over pitchfork rating his album. ES & TMZ - My wife loves them too. But weren't they supposed to put out another record this year?

Then agin, I have no room to play the snob card. I have to profess that I have spent almost all year dusting off my early to mid 90s indie/alt collection, and in particular I absolutely love Lush (again). I have listened to Lush - Spooky this year 10 times more often than anything else this year. And really, I am loving the whole time period again - dozens and dozens of bands - too many to list. All my playlists are littered with that stuff. Am super geeked to hear that there's a new My Bloody Valentine record coming next year.

Couple more things:

First a couple of singles that I am unsure of the release dates for:

We Are Trees - I Don't Believe in Love - extremely listenable.

Purity Ring - Lofticries - pretty sure this came out in 2011, but didnt really seem to make a dent in consciousness til this year. '

Definitely 2012:

Rhye - The Fall - really solid single.

Also, I wanted to add the Bat For Lashes album, which I bought - but I haven't listened to it enough.      

Title track only so far. It is easily legally available for those who wanna listen. Total King Crimson or Dark Side era Floyd vibe. I liked their first album okay, but I am totally digging this. Cannot wait for the full release.

Has anyone checked this out yet? I am kinda curious based on one song (Brand New Kind of Blue):

Should I get it?

[edit] - I decided to acquire it based on the strength of this review from KEXP:

Chicago band Gold Motel return with their second album, which our Music Director, Don Yates, calls “more wistful and bittersweet than the sunny sounds that burst from their 2012 debut full-length, Summer House, though the hooks are just as potent and the band sounds more confident than ever.” The self-titled album is released on their own imprint, Good as Gold, in partnership with Thirty Tigers.

I probably sound like the band publiscist with this post, but nah.. Listening now. So far so good.

This kicks ass. Perfect music for the summer. Ex Lovvers frontman.

If you wanna hear some samples, Google "Gloria" and the title track "Coming Up with The Sun". Sooo good.

In the mid to late 90s and early '00s (pronounced "aughts"), my musical deities were Elliott and Jeff Buckley. Others came and went, but they were the backbone of my music fandom.

Elliott was not only one of the best songwriters of my generation, he was also a highly underrated musician, especially his guitar work. His vocals were harder to reproduce than most would expect. Yes, he doubletracked his vocals, but he also had a soft delivery style with a certain cadence that a lot of well known singers have tried to emulate, only to fail pretty badly.

Of his musicianship, he played what a song needed and not any more. Especially on drums. I loved that about him. His songs had deep and sometimes suprisingly complex subtlety, built on very simple strcutures, that gave them all a very timeless quality that still resonates with a lot of people.

I don't listen to him as much these days. It makes me sad, and I tend to gravitate to less somber subjects to escape the drudgery of working dad-dom. But he's still awesome.

Delta Spirit, and this:

Funnily enough I was looking up just the other day what happened to Miki ( indeed) and the other surviving Lush members. Good band, too bad they didn't last too long.

Did the same last week. Seems she's become one of us - a junior copy editor or some such and rasing 2 kids. Said she doesnt think anyone wants to see her on stage, chubby and graying (so self depricating!). I hope she changes her mind at some point and re-dyes her hair. It seems Lush have somehow grown a sizable later generation following that only knows them from grainy youtube vids.

Got fired from my job for ditching work so I could see them at lolla '92, and they were the band I most wanted to see (all my friends wanted Pearl Jam, or the Chili Peppers, or even Ministry). All that candy red - the hair, the lipstick, and that Epiphone Riviera 12 string, and the ethereal sounds that came out of it. What she did to a hormone raged 19 year old college kid in love with that sound... :swoon:

Been in such a mood lately - missing 90's era Rock/Pop girls with little dresses and great big guitars.. where have they gone? (Miki! ) Really blows me away how well these hold up, especially Gala (1990). Is that because of or in spite of Robie Guthrie's (Cocteau Twins) production? I dunno. Even if you know some of their catalogue, please check out Emma Anderson's solo from Last Night (from the Lovelife album). One of my favorite "chick solos" of all time. It's not a shredder, it's just fantastic sounding and completely makes that song. I wanna learn how to play it.

I cant see those vids (yay work filters), so apologies if this is redundant:

1) I always have a hard time picking a single Elliott Smith song. I don't like the sad-sack label he gets nailed with. He had his demons, but to just say that dismisses the brilliance of his work. Many of his songs are so deeply affecting.

2) Call me cheesy - but Last Kiss made a little boy cry (parents played me the J Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers version). And despite the mountains of mediocre tripe they've put out since, Pearl Jam's cover in '99 made a grown man tear up again.

3) Daniel Rossen can slay me too. In Ear Park and his new one, Saint Nothing, both rip me to pieces.

4) How about this one... I have a hard time making it through this until I build up some immunity via frequent listens. The first time I hear it after a break it is so raw that it is difficult to get through:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijf8MN0-nEI

(Antlers - Kettering)

Figured this would get either panned or ignored, but was dusting off the college era collection and this was among the forgotten gems:

Kinda cheesy, but I was on a The Whole Love kick for the past week or so, and rediscovering my obsession with this album finally replaced it:

I defended the new record, but this one just blows it away. I see the new one got 4 grammy noms. Feels like a makeup call...

Yellowbirds - The Color

So glad someone mentioned that. My wife & kids absolutely love The Rest of My Life. I think they thought it was George Harrison. Anyway, I have that record too, and not to sound creepy, but it seems we have somewhat similar tastes. That's not the first time we've agreed.

IMO, there haven't been any all time greats this year. Nothing I am likely to dust off in 20 years. That said, I judge albums by how listenable they are front to back, and I don't really care about any pretense, just whether or not I enjoy them. So, with that in mind, in no particular order:

These I can put on & just listen. No filler. Heck, Yuck's non-album B-side (Milkshake) isnt half bad either.

Honorable Mention: Wilco - TWL; Bon Iver - S/T. Both of these have their moments (Calgary, One Sunday Morning), but I skip songs on them regularly. Ditto Washed Out - Within & Without. Also considered: Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low, and Devotchka - 100 Lovers.

Invariably, I have forgotten something great. I reserve the right to change my mind and include it.

Blitzen Trapper

How is that?

I'm in kind of a mood this weekend:

I've just listened to this and I love the version of Beth/Rest. I love the album version too and its interesting to hear Justin talk about his rationale for including this song on the record.

Album cut sounds like a Steve Winwood cover. I dont like it.

I blame HBO...