Some time back, I asked people to pimp me new tunes, and got a wealth of recommendations. I put in a big iTunes order not long after, and now I’ve had a chance to listen to most of those tracks, so I thought I should post a follow-up summary of what I bought and what I think of it (below the fold):
- Andrew Bird, The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Very strange album, with odd song structures, strange lyrics, and some vocals barely above a whisper. Good, though. Key tracks: “Sovay,” “Masterfade.”
- Chris Knight, Enough Rope. Bought after a plug on jefitoblog. Pretty much straight-up country, with some sharp songwriting. Key tracks: “Saved By Love,” “Jack Blue.”
- Editors, The Back Room. It turns out I had already heard a few of these songs, and just assumed it was Interpol. Very good, if you like Interpol. Key tracks: “Munich,” “Blood,” “Bullets.”
- Futureheads, News and Tributes. Solid alterna-pop. Key tracks: “Back to the Sea,” “Skip to the End.”
- Howe Gelb, ‘Sno Angel Like You Odd album, with sort of Leonard Cohen-esque vocals backed up by a full gospel choir. Very weird, very good. Key tracks: “Robes of Bible Black,” “Neon Filler.”
- Jonathan Coulton, Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow. Jokey dork-pop, but sort of charming all the same– if They Might Be Giants were only one guy, he’d be the guy. He’d win the nerd-off, hands down. Key tracks: “Skullcrusher Mountain,” “The Future Soon.”
- Midlake, The Trials of Van Occupanther. “Roscoe” is a great track, but the rest is kind of vague. Key track: “Roscoe.”
- Richard Thompson, 1000 Years of Popular Music. His show of songs from the last millennium, recorded live, but with all the patter cut out. Which is a pity, because I bet that’s the best part of the show. Key tracks: “1985,” “I Live in Trafalgar Square.”
- Silversun Pickups, Carnavas. Sort of crunchy guitar driven spacey alternative music. Think Ride, without the harmonies. Key tracks: “Future Foe Scenarios,” “Lazy Eye.”
- Tom Petty, Highway Companion. Not as good as I had hoped, to be honest. You pretty much know what you’re getting, sound-wise. Key tracks: “Saving Grace,” “Down South.”
- We Are Scientists, With Love and Squalor. On the ragged side of pop-punk. Good stuff. Key tracks: “Inaction,” “This Scene Is Dead.”
Have you forgotten what anniversary September 8 is? I haven’t.
Have you forgotten what anniversary September 8 is?
Of course not. My birthday is a very important day. Although it is possible the reference was to the premiere of the original Star Trek series… 🙂
If you liked the Chris Knight, the first two albums are even better IMHO.
Have you heard the first Futureheads album? It’s just so much better than the new one. Love the Andrew Bird.