This has been an exceedingly weak year for new music, and has been a year where, more than any other previous year, I’ve devoted the vast majority of my listening to older records.
If I had to make a top-10 at knifepoint, it would look something like:
Club 8 - “the boy who couldn’t stop dreaming”
Jens Lekman - “night falls on kortedala”
Robert Wyatt - “Comicopera”
Ghostface Killah - “The Big Doe Rehab”
Britney Spears - “Blackout” (truly the insane surprise of the year)
Kurt Wagner - “Kurt”
White Rainbow - “prism of eternal now”
Adrian Orange and her band - self-titled
Mount Eerie - “Mount Eerie Pts. 6 and 7”
Radiohead - “in rainbows” (comeback record of the decade)
bonus points to the Thanksgiving “Welcome Nowhere” double vinyl re-release with the new songs. That album is literally reborn and brand new as a result.
Seriously? I couldn’t have had a more opposite experience - I literally broke down in tears in the middle of the first song. As for why I like it so, I think the songwriting (the most important thing in music, period, unless you’re listening to Stockhausen) is absolutely through-the-roof great, I love the woman’s voice, and I love the album’s production, with sounds both contemporary (the little electronic touches) and retro (spring reverb, etc.).
Props to you, VCO3, for starting that thread, because that’s how I found out about the Pipettes in the first place! When they came to Atlanta last month, my wife was out of town and I didn’t have anything to do, so I immersed myself in the full Pipette experience. Not only did I see them in a club with 300 other folks, I saw them in a record store earlier that evening (youtube link here ) with 25 or 30 other people. What a gas!
When I got home that evening, I almost sat down at the computer to start a thread titled “I’m a 56 year old man and went to see the Pipettes tonight!”
I got to spend a fair amount of time after the show chatting with the ladies. They were charming as could be, and seemed rather fascinated that a dinosaur like me, who was alive when the Shangri-La’s and Ronettes were current hitmakers, was a fan!
Damnit, you made me miss Atlanta for the 8th time this… day. Have you ever seen Deerhunter, Coathangers, Juju B Solomon, Black Lips, or Of Montreal? They are all local talent that a) now is getting national attention and b) all released albums I’d put on my top 50 albums, except for maybe Juju B. I think his was released last year, but whenever it was released it would be top 5.
Unlike VCO3, I’ve thought this year was uncommonly great for new music. My top 5 from this year, in no particular order as I haven’t ranked them yet:
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
Art Brut - It’s A Bit Complicated
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Spoon - Gimme Fiction
M.I.A. - Kala
OK, so that’s a top 8. See what I mean? I’ve also greatly enjoyed releases by Amy Winehouse, The Broken West, The Good The Bad & The Queen, Maximo Park and Kaiser Chiefs, though the last two took a while to grow on me.
Why is Miami by The Go Find on this list? It came out in 2004.
The OP and I have very different tastes, it seems. Though I’m familiar with half the artists I don’t own any of these cds, and the only ones I’d be interested in owning would be by Okkervil River and Novelle Vague, maybe Low and Stars. Different strokes, I guess.
Since I discovered a handful of new bands right before Christmas last year (Bullet For My Valentine, Red, A Kiss Could Be Deadly etc), I think I’ll wait until right before new years to ask people who they discovered and loved this year
Already mentioned
The Shins
The Arcade Fire
Silverchair
Sarah Blasko also the compilations She Will Have Her Way - the Finns music and Standing On The Outside Cold Chisel’s music both of which feature a great Blasko vocal.
Andrew Bird if it was this year and not last??
Patty Griffin
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss
Others: From Here We Go Sublime by The Field A Place To Bury Strangers by A Place To Bury Strangers The Flying Club Cup by Beirut better than the first album Washington Square Serenade by Steve Earle The Swing Sessions by David Campbell Memories and Dust by Josh Pyke Grand National by The John Butler Trio Stolen Apples by Paul Kelly
and I think that’s all I could be bothered buying.
The New Pornographers – Challengers
These are the only groups I’ve heard of, and I only have heard albums 1 and 31, which are pretty good. I assume the rest is that emo or indie stuff the kids listen to.
I might throw in Linkin Parks Minutes to Midnight
I’ll also second Hippy Hollow with Modest Mouses album.
