So truthfully, I've had a busy year and have not kept up on music. If not for the inimitable Tyson Schenk found at Keep Your Face Radical, I would not have known about much. So lately I've been boning up on music but I may have missed a few. Here's my list. I'll post what songs I can find for download.
New Artists (To Me at Least)
Grizzly Bear -- the artist I couldn't get enough of, I've been obsessed ever since his performance on Letterman
While You Wait for the Others
Two Weeks
Fleet Foxes - my favorite album of the year, these hairy dudes make you want to romp through the backwoods
Ragged Wood
White Winter Hymnal
Blue Ridge Mountains
Bon Iver - I forgot to put this up due to some confusion about the release date, but I loved this album. No single on this list grabbed me as fast as "Skinny Love". Allen put up link to "For Emma", go get that as well.
Skinny Love
The Wolves (Act I and II)
Artists I Gave Another Chance This Year
Blitzen Trapper - I wasn't into their previous album, Wild Mountain Nation, but I'm sold with "Furr"Furr
Black River Killer
The Black Keys - didn't dig a lot of their previous stuff, sounded too much like the Rolling Stones (whom I don't like, with a few song exceptions), but this one song revived my interest. I recommend listening to it in a parked car on a rainy Brooklyn night
Psychotic Girl
Old Favorites with the New Madness
Almost Crimes(Acoustic) - Broken Social Scene -- not sure if this is new, but it's new to me and it's my new fave Broken Social Scene song, and it's not easy to take the crown with me
Gamma Ray - Beck -- I love me some Beck and I'm loving this
Lost! - Coldplay -- I tell myself every year I'm over Coldplay and every year I reconsider
Gobbledigook - Sigur Ros -- just lovely
Grounds for Divorce - Elbow -- this is Elbow like I've never heard them and I'm surprised and blown away
Creeper - The Islands -- Tyson showed me the magic of this band when they were The Unicorns and now this new project is still spectacular
Joe's Waltz - The Dodos -- I love The Dodos, I mean I love them and want to have baby Dodos with them
Fools - The Dodos -- again, I want to procreate
Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River -- my friend Aaron is a big fan of these guys, and I gave them a listen past their first album which I was only slightly acquainted with, this song is bad-ical
An Animal in Your Care - Wolf Parade -- didn't love these two songs enough until I saw them liveKissing the Beehive - Wolf Parade
Newly Introduced and Still Spinning in my Earspace
Taking the Farm - The War on Drugs -- never heard of them, took a chance on some blog's recommendation, and I'm hooked. If you like Clap Your Hands, you'll dig em.
Sorry James - Whitsundays -- Allen turned me onto this and it has my name in it and I'm a narcissist and I can't see how I wouldn't like it, and moreover, Allen's taste in music is impeccable
Sold! To the Nice Rich Man - The Welcome Wagon -- Sufjan Steven's friend, even if you don't like Sufjan (I'm squinting at two of you, you know who you are) I'd say give it a try, it's very old religious folk music with an upbeat sentiment
L.E.S. Artistes - Santogold -- didn't hear it until recently and it hasn't really had enough plays to cement its goodness but so far I'm into it.
Amplifier - The dBs -- couldn't find a link. I'll figure out how to make a zip file for download. This song makes me laugh. But then suicide isn't funny to everyone.
Gossip in the Grain - Ray LaMontagne -- I only found a live version to link that I haven't listened to. But the studio version haunts me with it's breathy story.
Jackson Leftfield - Boxer the Horse -- it was #1 catchiest song on some dude's blog and I thought I'd peep it. Oh, it'll catch ya.
Gila - Beach House -- Gillz introduced me to this band and I've been digging them ever since. It's so spare and beautiful.
Songs that Rule and Made Me Laugh
The Nun's Litany - Magnetic Fields -- such a funny song, explicit, but really creative detailing the secret wishes of a nun who wants to be something elseToo Drunk to Dream - Magnetic Fields -- if I drank, this would be my drinking song, and I would teach it to everyone in the bar. In fact, the reason I don't drink is because there's no more drinking songs. Except for "Free Bird" and I hate that song.
Robocop - Kanye West -- I have a fascination with Kanye and he's a guilty pleasure for me. This new album had some tracks I dug but I freaking love a chorus comparing a girl to Robocop. It doesn't even really make sense.
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23 comments:
I listened to Grizzly Bear just for the name--they stole that name from the band I would have made if I was the type to make a band. Luckily they do make good music.
My girls at the boarding school wanted me to get into The Black Keys, but I wasn't entirely sold. You make me want to go back and give them another chance. In a rainy car.
Also, I'm glad you are still listening to Gila! I loved that song, too, but never heard anyone agree with me on that one--I enjoy quite a bit of Beach House. Tokyo Witch is another song I occasionally play.
Hey, are we going to see you at AWP?
Great use of the word "inimitable" (one of my favorite words) and great choice in music... nicely done. Thanks for the music-according-to-James update!
Emma was asking for new music recommendations just the other night, and I was thinking, "Where's James when you need him?" Totally agree on Beck and LaMontagne, but something about my musical training won't let me love Coldplay even though it's good n crap. We'll be checking out your other recommendations for certain. I'll definitely never be able to thank you enough for introducing me to Ben. Emma as well.
good list jimmy...nice diligence on the hyperlinks. i will download some of these unknowns, and then maybe come back with some snark for old times sake (i hope you do the same when I post my stufffff). a few things that come to mind:
1) not even a bon iver nod--this surprises me.
2) i STILL claim that Gamma Ray is a COMPLETE RIPOFF of Aphrodite's Child's "The Four Horsemen." Can I get a huge Amen on that? Do you still have The Four Horsemen? I think I put it on an early Plunder Guild mix...contrast the two. Beck is clearly doing a genre study here, looking directly toward Aphrodite's Child. It's uncanny...without cann.
Thanks again Jimny. I'll be bright black.
but, i should also say that i love Beck's "Gamma Ray"...
Gillz,
I hope that one day you will take your rightful place in the band, Grizzly Bear, and the universe will finally be right and whole.
Black Keys is a weird thing for me. But I really did come to love this song in a parked car during a rainstorm at 3 am on a Brooklyn st.
I do like Beach House. Thanks for the original track.
I don't know about AWP yet. I'm still figuring it out.
Sarah,
I'm glad you like. I guess I don't know what you're into music-wise but thanks for digging. I hope you find something there for your tastes.
Ms. Lavender,
How coincidental. Hopefully, there's some good songs there. You should be able to download all of them by right clicking them. The two Magnetic Fields songs you might want to take a listen to first before you start blasting them around the house.
Enjoy. If you need some more I'll make you a few mixes and post em up. I'm all music happy these days.
Joe, Joe, Joe,
Here's my explanation on Bon Iver. I have a deep almost offensive love of Bon Iver but I was trying to be good about release dates this year and I think their album came out in 2007. But I may be wrong. If I am, my list will be amended right quick.
I've been listening to both tracks and I can dig what you're saying. You're right this album feels like a genre study. I might check out some interviews, see who he's claiming are influences for this. Maybe it's Danger Mouse's influence too.
Oh, don't worry about the snark. And I'm sure there's a few tracks I've posted that may need some bam bam.
jimssss
the release date on 'for emma' was interesting, now that i think of it...it leaked in 2007 (i know that's when i got it) but i think jagjaguwar's official release was early 2008...on paper, it is a last year's release, so i think its fair game. sort of the same situation right now with BI's EP (official release is next week, but let's face it, we've been spinning it for some time now).
also, i made a foolish fool of my fool self by corn-fusing "Gamma Ray" with "Chemtrails." If you listen to "Chemtrails" it is a dead ringer for Four Horsemen. anyway. enough blather from Joe.
and oh...come to AWP for sure. Joe Griffin will be there...we could have a Ferris B. moment at the Art Institute Museum...and by that, i don't want to indicate that we'd make-out in front of Chagall's stained glasswork, but you never know.
That's funny, I was really trying to hear it in Gamma Rays but now I'm giving you a big AMEN for Chemtrails. Uncanny. He had to be influenced by that Aphrodite's Child song. It's way too close.
Oh, leaked albums. I get confused. I have Andrew Bird's new one and Blood Bank and I feel like those need to be represented as well. I think I'll put up Bon Iver, I listened to him all 2008.
Sighhhhhh You steal all my thunder, but this is a good list brohan. Maybe you are only half gay, like Jeff Goldblum. Also, awesome work on the hyperlinks, nothing beats being able to click and listen to the song, because I didn't know some of them on the list.
Really good list. It's funny about the ColdPlay thing... it always happens. I found El Perro Del Mar this year, and that was a nice thing. Oh, and Jeff Goldblum is way more than half gay.
Elizabeth,
I forgot about El Perro del Mar. The song "God Knows" was a great find. That's what happens in a year. I lose track of all the goodness.
Oh, Coldplay, how my indie snobbery rejects you but my love for piano builds always lures me back in.
We got about halfway through the list, and as much as I tried (without being too pushy ;-)) I couldn't get Em into Fleet Foxes. But we have a definite thumbs up on Grounds for Divorce, Creeper, Fools and Lost Coastlines...especially Lost Coastlines. Seriously, the kid wouldn't shut up about it. Oh, and her mum is in heaven over Dodo too. And then our retarded computer wouldn't download anymore, and so we'll just have to wait for the others. But when you get the chance Em and I will take you up on your offer of some more mixes. January is great for music and if you blessed CPG folk could influence my kid toward NOT Z103 music their mother will sing your praises for the eternities.
Lavender,
Well, good job on introducing her to good music. I never had an elder music guru to steer me through the crap storms of corporate music.
I remember my friend's older brother actually cried the day that Cobain killed himself and I thought that was the epitome of cool. That's how deep I wanted to feel about music.
From that statement, I almost could have been swayed towards all things emo.
Good list. motivating. way to figure out the hyperlinks! thanks for the downloads.
Is Keep Your Face Radical in any way a nod to Radical Face the band?
Two Weeks is pop gold. I owe you.
Good call on the Black Keys song. I hadn't heard it, but merikey. I like their sound. I am sad to hear you don't like the Stones until I remembered that they have some dusies, but man they have some damn-fineness to.
I copied you on some of these, The Dodos "Fools", Bon Iver, but it is nice to see overlap.
I am torn though on Fleet Foxes.
There's some really good Stones songs -- "I am Waiting", "Paint it Black", "She Smiled Sweetly" are all really great songs.
I hate "Satisfaction" and "Gimme Shelter" and a few other songs by them. I hate when people claim they were the great rock band of the 60's and not The Beatles. I think the Rolling Stones are a lot less influential on modern music than The Beatles, Zeppelin, or Floyd.
Joe, maybe you have an opinion on this as well. I may just have to listen to more Stones but I still will probably hate "Gimme Shelter" and how much Scorsese loves it.
I'm interested that you're torn on the Fleet Foxes, Darren. But then there is a place where we diverge in music taste. We should discuss that sometime.
There's a place where somehow you're into My Morning Jacket and I can't quite get into them but I can't get enough of Modest Mouse and you can't quite dig on them. I have a theory. We should discuss.
I think I need to clarify my position on F.F.: i am torn because though I like what i hear when i lsiten to Fleet of Foxes I don't think that all of their songs are good, nor do i think them worthy of nearly every blog's number one spot. They are good. I like these songs:
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
Mykonos
White Winter Hymnal
But I don't love the whole album, but a three or so song offering from any one band off any one album is no shabby showing in my rarely humble opinion; I just don't think they are deserving of all the praise they are getting.
I do like you though, so my taste isn't entirely skewed.
I hope i have been more clear.
As for the Stones, I totally agree. It is a conundrum i have pondered for a long time now. For a time, I thought that their more popular songs (Jumpin' Jack Flash, Satisfaction) were the ones that were weak, but then I heard Wild Horses and Paint it Black and knew I was way off.
I really can't figure it out, but i don't like any of the songs you listed as being bad, and all the ones you listed as good i would say that as well. In fact they have a large amount of AMAZING songs.
I would also side with you on the argument of Stones -V- Beatles. Even if there was going to be a brawl, I would back you on this issue (though, honestly, we would be the prissiest fighting team ever seen).
I would love to hear your theory one the divergent line that neither of us can cross. It is a fascinating conundrum because we are often quite aligned in our musical tastes. Curiouser and curiouser.
Seriously though, what is your theory?
I'm going to do a post about my theory actually. It's sort of a personal taste thing as I wouldn't presume to know and understand your taste in music. It's just a theory, just something I've been pondering about the genesis of my musical taste.
I'll post it and see what you think. Because part of it started when I was wondering at a disparity between music tastes of you and I.
The Fleet Foxes thing is funny because I didn't think I saw them enough on top lists. I mostly saw TV on the Radio taking top spot and thought it was ill deserved. Even Department of Eagles, whom I love, didn't really wow me totally and they took a lot of #1 spots.
It's weird, because you didn't include on this list what I KNOW to be your favorite song right now. I know this because, by your own admission, it's in your head all the time.
You know what I'm talking about:
And if you threw a party/invited everyone you knew/you would see the biggest gift would be from me/and the card attached would say/
THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND, duh duh, duh duh duuuuuuuuuuh.
i can't believe i missed all this stones blasphemy at the bottom. it's probably for the best...for the james best.
Wonderful!
I was sitting here thinking that I haven't found any new music in the last year (since your last "Best Songs..." post) so this is perfect. Thanks.
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