2008: The Year in Music

[Smartly Pretty 0]

I did eventually pick it up, and I won't disagree with you.

 

Briefly back to Vampire Weekend, I just found out that Wes Miles from Ra Ra Riot does backup vocals on one of the songs, and I really like Ra Ra Riot a bunch, so that's a positive. Ra Ra Riot's debut LP in April is my most anticipated album of the year I think.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

A friend of mine made me listen to Vampire Weekend yesterday and while better than most bands who've been getting similar hype as of late, it's still nothing I'd listen to very much.

[Guest Michael Myers Resplendent]

I'm avoiding Vampire Weekend as long as I can.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

My life has not been enriched by hearing them, so I'd suggest staying the course.

[The Man in Blak 0]

I want to talk about that new Mountain Goats album, someone, anyone.

 

I finally got around to this one, but I wasn't exactly blown away. I liked "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" and the driving pizzicato (what?) on "San Bernadino", but I'm not a fan of the vocals and the rest of the songs were very business-as-usual, even with the Andrew Bird imitation throughout. I'll concur that "Michael Myers Resplendent" has a lot of room to grow into something, so long as that growth clips out the weak falsetto near the end of the song. Ultimately, though, didn't do much for me.

[cbacon 0]

This Zooey and M. Ward album is one of my early favorites so far.

[Skywarp! 0]

I don't care if I am the biggest nerd on the block; I'm stoked for the Presidents of the United States of America's fifth full-length: These are the Good Times People.

 

Sign me up for that one too!

 

Fair warning though: I don't know what to expect, since Dederer, the original guitarist, was for all intents and purposes replaced by the touring guitarist, who was promoted to a full-fledged member. Luckily, the frontman, Ballew, was always the principal songwriter, but lineup shifts usually spell disaster for groups I previously enjoyed.

 

Bump just to note that it's release day for this particular album. You can hear the single, "Mixed-Up SOB" on www.presidentsrock.com (along with other new tracks "Deleter," "Truckstop Butterfly" and "Ghosts are Everywhere" - and none of which I've listened to). The single is, disappointingly, pop-punk (although Ballew for some reason calls it "Cars-y"). Though I remember the lead single for Love Everybody, "Some Postman," was annoyingly radio ready, the rest of the album was solid.

[Henry Spencer 0]

Has anybody heard the new Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album? I'm waiting for the American release date to listen, but I'm curious about initial impressions.

 

I think I'm gonna download that Rhys Chatham box set that just came out. Opinions forthcoming.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

I'm avoiding Vampire Weekend as long as I can.

 

It's all I've been listening to over the last week, but Graceland is one of my favorite albums, so...

[Henry Spencer 0]

The new Silver Jews album has leaked. I fear I may be too excited to wait until the release date, although I desperately want to maintain my patience.

[At Home 0]

Ain't my thing so far. I don't think I can do an entire album of this.

 

I want to talk about that new Mountain Goats album, someone, anyone.

 

I didn't think it was anything to write home about. I mean, his basement recording days were much better. There's not really a lot of charm anymore. Not to say that it's not good music, it is, but there's something missing. The lyrics are still awesome though.

[Guest Beastalentier]

I refuse to romanticize the boombox stuff. I mean, the songwriting is good, but I've just never been one to hold lo-fi dear.

 

Why? - Alopecia: have we talked about this yet? This is my first foray into Why?, and I think this is fairly good. Spoken-word vocals, but I'm not sure I'd call it rap. It's closer to sprechstimme than rapping. It reminds me a little of Street Hassle in that regard.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

 

Sounds like a concept album about a tumultuous relationship between a bi-polar girl and an Atari soundchip. It's pretty amazing. Listen to it.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

I refuse to romanticize the boombox stuff. I mean, the songwriting is good, but I've just never been one to hold lo-fi dear.

 

Why? - Alopecia: have we talked about this yet? This is my first foray into Why?, and I think this is fairly good. Spoken-word vocals, but I'm not sure I'd call it rap. It's closer to sprechstimme than rapping. It reminds me a little of Street Hassle in that regard.

 

Why? is alright. Just alright, as far as I'm concerned. "Woman Eye, No" is my favorite track by them.

[Gary Floyd 0]

Has anybody heard the new Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album?

I've heard a few songs off of it, and I like what I've heard so far.

 

Anyways, I'm liking the score Mike Patton did for "A Perfect Place." It really makes me look forward to the Mondo Cane project.

[Guest Bullshiterica]

Anyone else heard the new Portishead? It's a bit of a deviation from the '90s trip-hop stuff, to be sure. It's almost folksy chanteuse-y in spots. While still lo-fi (or maybe it's just a shitty rip) and slightly jazzy, this is as stripped down as they've been to date. One song is a goddamn ukelele feature.* (Perhaps Beth Gibbons is somehow trying to obliquely emulate Leslie Feist?) "The Rip" starts off with sparse guitar and then cresecendoes into more familiar synthesizer/jazz drumming figures, but familiar as in Autobahn and Computer World, because this sounds friendly and curious, not dark and sinister, like Dummy. In a nutshell, the guitar is used more, and the electronics take on almost a more bubbly quality. I suppose "Hunter" comes the closest to the first two albums. Oh, and I forgot, there's a dance track, boom-psh-boom-psh-boom-psh-boom-psh and everything. I appreciated that.

 

The standout track here, in that it's both divergent from the prevailing mood and really really awesome, is "Machine Gun." Yeah, like the really oppressive Peter Brotzmann album, but more industrial than chaotic. The song's based around two bars of a "1,2,3e&a4e&a" drum machine figure, and after the first half of the song with Beth vaguely moaning something or other over the drums and intermittent typical Portishead instrumental conceits, the first bar of the drum figure keeps changing up from a distorted clicking to more of a record scratch/oil drum combo, to a low sawtooth/snare, until a good old VCS3 (or is that a Moog? I've been known to get tripped up on my vintage synths) comes in and makes the whole thing sound like an update to "Welcome to the Machine," but just like Wilco's "Impossible Germany," the climax of the song doesn't last nearly as long as it ought to, given the build. Frowns. Possibly one of the four or five best Portishead songs, however, and it makes me want to finally dive into more industrial music than just Cabaret Voltaire.

 

*: EDIT: oh duh, "Deep Water" : "Faust Arp" :: "Machine Gun" : "Reckoner." Same transition between acoustic tossoff interlude and the most intensely rhythmic moment of the album. Great 'heads think alike.

[Guest Paul E.]

Album That Should Be Good:

Prodigy (of Mobb Deep) H.N.I.C: Pt. 2

Bizzy Bone's - A Song For You

The Game - Los Angeles Times

T.I. - Paper Trail

G-Unit - Lock and Load

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

Papoose - The Nacirema Dream

Method Man - Crystal Method

Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Slim Thug - Boss of all Bosses

50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct

Alchemist - The Cutting Room Floor Vol 2

Tech N9ne - Killer

Just to name a feWii

 

 

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

to any rap fans I recommend checking out Crooked I's Hip Hop Weekly series. 53 songs over 53 weeks. Some of it is really really nice if you like rap. It's free and it's pretty damn easy to find, I really, really recommend checking it out to anyone who hasn't heard it and might even be slightly interested in something new.

[Annabelle 0]

i liked both the vampire weekends and crystal castles albums. the zooey album is a novelty. it runs out of steam faaaast.

[Guest (Loggins Name)]

Oh I was just gonna talk about Zooey at otherboard and upload it. I got really excited because the third track sounds like something from Being There but then she starts singing and ruins it. Her voice doesn't hold up well over the course of an album; I was under the impression that it'd be duets or alternating with M. Ward, but he's just producing and arranging, I guess. I like "Sentimental Heart" a lot, but the whole Californian AM pop thing that she and him seem to be going for wears thin because I never really liked what they're paying tribute to much in the first place. I feel roughly the same way about The Autumn Defense, for what it's worth.

 

 

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Album That Should Be Good:

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II

Papoose - The Nacirema Dream

 

These two entries should be on a list called "Albums That Will Probably Never Come Out." Papoose's debut album has been "coming soon" since my freshman year of college.

 

The Game - Los Angeles Times

 

Game has a knack for snatching up all the big-time producers for his albums and he's capable of a sporadic good verse, but his constant name-dropping and homo love for Dre cool me on the dude.

 

Method Man - Crystal Method

 

I'll be the first to tell you Meth is one of the highlights for both Ghostface's last abum and the latest Wu release, but he's a good example of guys better used in moderation. He hasn't shown an ability to carry an entire solo joint on his back. And yes, I'm including Tical.

 

Mos Def - The Ecstatic

 

Mos disappoints me. He dropped one of the modern rap classics almost a decade back, but his last two albums weren't at all fulfilling. Plus, he seems more interested in crooning than rapping these days.

 

Slim Thug - Boss of all Bosses

 

I can't believe this cat's still around. He's another one who's just fine if utilized correctly (see: Clipse's "Wamp, Wamp"). But he's too flimsy lyrically to warrant a solo album.

 

50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct

 

Is this confirmed? He should catch a nice amount of flack if he proceeds with a solo album less than a year after losing his little retirement contest.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Oh, and hey, Big Boi's solo album slated for a 2008 release has me interested. I like what I heard with "Royal Flush." Dre's sure making an ass groove in the jaded emcee chair.

[Annabelle 0]

the game kicks so much ass. i used to hate his ass. but he rules hard. even will.i.am sounds hard as fuck on his tracks. sure, he's a phoney balogne. but he's my phoney balogne. i'll be checking his shit.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Disagreed. I don't even mind his phony persona. I'm not the type of listener that demands complete authenticity. If you've got a flow and can structure a song, I'll listen to you. I don't care if you've been shot, slanged narcotics or killed anyone. It's that he's only occasionally impressive lyrically. That he employs the biggest producers in rap today, subsequently masking his lyrical shortcomings, is what I don't like about the guy. Not to mention the aforementioned name-dropping habit and Dre fixation.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

The new Be Your Own Pet jawn is pretty

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Nick Cave was good but didn't really blow me away. Just downloaded Yeasayer, thoughts forthcoming.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

They're playing a show here tomorrow night for $10 (Yeasayer, not Nick Cave). Thinking about giving it a shot. The songs I've heard are pretty neat for a TV on the Radio/Grizzly Bear mood.

[The Man in Blak 0]

That Yeasayer album is really, really, really busy. Reverbed bongos, quadruple-tracked vocals, and synth-sitars flying everywhere like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. "Sunrise" has a nice pulse to it, but the rest of the album is too much of a sonic mishmash for me, personally. (And it came out last year too, didn't it?)

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

It did.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Ah, quite right. I notice St. Vincent's Marry Me was 2007 as well, that was going to be my next pick. Ah well.