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Topic: The Albums of the Year so Far . . .
Sheeptastic
Posts: 11,705
Join Date: Apr '03
So we're pretty much half way through the year and as always it's a good year for music (I seriously doubt any year will be a bad year - there's just so much stuff out there that there's always enough great stuff to keep a music lover going!) So without further ado (hopefully I don't forget anything obvious!):

Album of the Year So Far

Tio Bitar - Dungen: The follow up to the excellent Ta Det Lugnt is almost as good. Which ranks it in the realms of absolutely bloody fantastic. Swedish psychedelic rock with elements of folk crafted wonderfully by Gustav Ejstes who plays most of the instruments himself ably assisted by his superb lead guitarist Reine Fiske. It's an album that grabs you from the start and never lets go, with a superb array of sounds. Just phenomenal.

Best of the Rest

In no particular order,

Boxer - The National: This album is the definition of a "grower." The first time I heard it a thought it was OK and it was only because of one or two songs I rather liked I gave it another listen. Then I listened again. Then I though, "this is bloody great really." Ada (on which Sufjan Stevens plays piano) is one of my favourite songs of the year). It's just a compelling album and has some of the best lyrics of the year, such as "oh you wouldn’t want an angel watching over you; surprise, surprise they wouldn’t wannna watch" are the kind of lyrics that grab me.

Bore Da - Euros Childs: Ex member of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci has released a perfect pop album. OK it's short at 30 minutes and entirely sung in Welsh (which is a bloody stupid language) but that doesn't make it any less great. Cwtsh (which means hug) is a perfect pop rock song and the almost nursery rhyme sound of Ar Lan Y Mor appeals directly to the child in me!

Octopus - The Bees: Like something from a 60s timewarp the Bees have produced yet another great album. Striking a middle ground between the laid back vibes of Sunshine Hit Me and the more Hammond driven rock of Free the Bees they've created a great album. While it's the more upbeat numbers like Hot One! that initially grab it's the growers like current single Listening Man that make this the genre defying album this is.

Neon Bible - The Arcade Fire: Need I really say anything? A quality follow up to funeral from one of the best live bands around.

Icky Thump - The White Stripes: Again, no description required. Not really sure if they pulled the bagpipes off though!

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse: In my opinion second only among their albums to The Moon and Antarctica. Dashboard is one of the best songs of the year and with songs like Florida and Spitting Venom to back it up this album was never going to fail.

Wincing The Night Away - The Shins:I bet Chad thought I was going to forget it! It's not as good as Chutes Too Narrow but it's still bloody excellent.

New Moon - Elliot Smith: Many singers would kill for the stuff that he decided not to release or left at the demo stage. A wonderful collection of songs.

Boys and Girls in America - The Hold Steady: Yes it was released in America last year, but this years UK release date means I can include it and boy does it deserve it. It's the kind of fun rock album that I needed to hear. Just enjoyable stuff. I promise I wont moan if anyone from another country mentions albums released in the UK last year!

The Crane Wife - The Decemberists: See above for release date comments! Easily my favourite Decemberists album of the ones I own. Who can resist a brilliant bit of singing in Canon like in Sons and Daughters.

Also Worth Buying

Weapons of Grass Destruction - Hayseed Dixie
The Deep Blue - Charlotte Hatherley
If the Ocean Gets Rough - Willy Mason
Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys
Cryptograms - Deer Hunter
Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Of Montreal
Candylion - Gruff Rhys
Make A New World - Idlewild
Cassadaga - Bright Eyes

Biggest Disappointments

A Weekend In the City - Bloc Party: Dull, dull, dull. I held of buying because of the negative reviews then I saw it for cheap. Wish I hadn't bothered.

Some Loud Thunder - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Was my love for this band just a flash in the pan? I don't know but this album just didn't manage to get me excited like their debut did.

I've held of buying the Maximo Park and Kings of Leon albums because I'm scared of similar disappointment. If anyone could tell me whether they are worth it I'd appreciate it!

Albums I'm Looking Forward To

I've still to get round to buying the albums released by Panda Bear, K-Os and Sondre Lerche but they're on my to buy list. As for forthcoming albums I'm looking forward to (some of which probably wont make it out this year):

Of Stars and Other Somebodies - The Silent League
Roots And Echoes - The Coral
Untitled British Sea Power album
An End Has a Start - Editors
Untitled Radiohead album?
Untitled Doves album
Challengers - The New Pornographers
Untitled Euros Childs album (yup a second in one year)
Untitled Brendan Benson album
Twilight of the Innocents - Ash (their final album as they are only releasing singles after it)
Untitled Elbow album

There's probably a bunch more I've either forgotten or are as yet unaware of.

So looks like a year choc full of good music then!

 

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I've only liked 1 album that's been released this year so far.

Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet

And even it wasn't that good, but better than most crap that's released.

Other than that, I was only looking forward to one other album, and it was a massive disappointment.

 


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The every other day white meat
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I don't know if I've bought anything new yet this year...

 

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In Reply To #3
TheeGoatPig posted:

I don't know if I've bought anything new yet this year...


Me too

[added Jun 19 2007 5:48AM]

I've bought a Rise Against album, but thats a couple years old.

 


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Board Guest
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In Reply To #1
ew, it's ALL like... indie but not really because they are actually on record labels. POSERS

My Album of the year goes to..... Live by City and Colour

 

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Resident Nihilist
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I think the only thing I bought this year, that was actually released this year, is City of Echoes By Pelican. So my vote goes to that.

I think Dead Meadow is planning on releasing a new album in the fall. That might be a contender.

 


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Sheeptastic
Posts: 11,705
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IRT Nate

I don't like to get all pedantic (this means that sorry I'm about to be!) and so on about what defines indie and I practically ignore the term and just buy music I enjoy listening to but I feel I need to say that most acts classed as "indie" are on independant record labels; which basically accounts for every single record label apart from the big 5, which are; Universial, EMI, BMG, Warner and Sony (obviously the all have subsidiaries the most obvious example being that Virgin is part of EMI).

So out of my first section there only The Bees, The White Stripes and Modest Mouse are currently on major labels or their subsidiaries.

Somewhat ironically both the White Stripes and Modest Mouse would both be described by many (rather lazy people it has to be said!) to have an "indie sound" and The Bees are the very definition of independent spirits, entirely doing their own thing and sounding fantastic with it.

Which is why I don't like bandying about the term indie to describe either label status or sound; it means too many different things to too many different people.

Also you should listen to some Dungen - it's bloody great.

 

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Mum
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Turns out I haven't bought any 2007 albums. We'll see how Icky Thump goes.

 


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Perhaps...even learn to love him.
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The new Maximo Park is rather dull, doesn't really have the charm of their first one.

Decent albums this year:

The Good, The Bad And The Queen-The Good, The Bad And The Queen
Explosions In The Sky-All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Patrick Wolf-The Magic Position
Bjork-Volta
Travis-The Boy With No Name
Maroon 5-It Won't Be Soon Before Long
The White Stripes-Icky Thump

 

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Good Bad Guy or Bad Good Guy
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This thread should be renamed pussy music thus far... no offense.

 


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Sheeptastic
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In Reply To #9

The Travis one is another I haven't bought yet through fear of disappointment, good to hear that it's decent.

 

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Perhaps...even learn to love him.
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In Reply To #11

Yeah, it's a lot better than 12 Memories which I didn't really like.

 

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Llama
Posts: 530
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Definitely Icky Thump, got some version ripped off a radio station that played it, but plan to buy it when it comes out, aka... get it for my birthday grin

The new manson CD isn't looking too bad either.

 


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AKA Doom_Nyte
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Only new album I've bought this year United Abominations by Megadeth. I'm still waiting to hear the new Bad Religion, White Stripes, and Reel Big Fish albums, so I have no authority on this, so I'll just say UA rocks.

 


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In Reply To #10
Actually you should probably check out Pelican. If you like ISIS, Neurosis, Jesu...etc. Then you'll probably like them.

 


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Sega Saturn
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No particular order:

Battles - Mirrored
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Pelican - City of Echoes
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Justice - †
Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice
Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb
Jesu - Sun Down/Sun Rise
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Nadja - Thaumogenesis
Minsk - The Ritual Fires of Abandonment
Unfortunaut - Of Here and Now
Zozobra - Harmonic Tremors
Bloody Panda - Pheromone
Neurosis - Given to the Rising

Must say, those few non-metal albums I've listed have been played way more than anything remotely heavy. They're just outstanding. The Justice album is fucking sexy as hell. Panda Bear is just beautiful. The Battles album just completely takes the piss though. Fiercely complex yet obscenely catchy. Great stuff.

 

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