OT: New Music?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 2:36 am

Add "The Visitor" by former Sonic Youth member and current producer extraordinaire Jim O'Rourke to my Best of 2009 list. Snagged it tonight.

The album is comprised of one 38-minute song, and it's beautiful and compelling as hell.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:45 pm

ScoopBrady wrote:My top 10 of 2009 in alphabetical order:

Blakroc - Blakroc
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious
El Grupo Nuevo De Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Cryptomnesia
the Mars Volta - Octahedron
Muse - Absolution
Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us
The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
Weezer - Raditude
Zoroaster - Voice of Saturn

Scoop:

Did you listen to Mastodon's 2009 release, "Crack the Skye?" I think you would dig it. Very good metal with hints of prog rock thrown in.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:49 pm

F308GTB wrote:Something completely different from the music being discussed here is Renee Olstead's 2009 release Skylark (reached #2 on the jazz charts). Pretty much a jazz vocals release. This girl has some pipes, and she's only 20. If you watched the CBS comedy Still Standing a few years ago, you'll remember her as the older daughter. Her first album came out when she was 14 or 15, and if you haven't heard her voice, you'll be blown away.

She has a nice voice, but it lacks depth. It's pretty damn shallow when compared to a stronger jazz vocalist such as the late Dinah Washington, Jane Monheit or even Diana Krall.

Olstead is the female version of Michael Buble. A nice voice with certain presence, but it can't really stand up to those she is trying to imitate. At least not yet.

Take care,
PK

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 1:41 pm

pk500 wrote:
ScoopBrady wrote:My top 10 of 2009 in alphabetical order:

Blakroc - Blakroc
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious
El Grupo Nuevo De Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Cryptomnesia
the Mars Volta - Octahedron
Muse - Absolution
Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us
The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
Weezer - Raditude
Zoroaster - Voice of Saturn
Scoop:

Did you listen to Mastodon's 2009 release, "Crack the Skye?" I think you would dig it. Very good metal with hints of prog rock thrown in.

Take care,
PK

But of course. I liked Crack the Skye a lot but in the end Paradise Lost nudged it out of my top-10 putting it at number 11. I really dig Mastodon.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 1:44 pm

What does Paradise Lost sound like nowadays? I really liked a few tracks from Draconian Times, but after that I lost track of them. I heard they changed styles, but that was a while back and they may have changed again since then.

Also, if you like prog-rock/metal, I highly reccommend the band Redemption. Ex-Fates Warning singer Ray Alder is in it. Snowfall On Judgement Day is easily my #1 for 2009.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 2:02 pm

matthewk wrote:What does Paradise Lost sound like nowadays? I really liked a few tracks from Draconian Times, but after that I lost track of them. I heard they changed styles, but that was a while back and they may have changed again since then.

Also, if you like prog-rock/metal, I highly reccommend the band Redemption. Ex-Fates Warning singer Ray Alder is in it. Snowfall On Judgement Day is easily my #1 for 2009.

They're still goth/metal but now they seem to have incorporated their earlier doom metal sound to it. I had lost touch with them after Draconian Times as well and was surprised to see a new album from them.

Thanks for the tip on Redemption. I hadn't heard of them and I love Fates. Alder's voice is awesome. Check out John Arch's solo album Twist of Fate.

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 10:52 am

OK, call me a homo but for some reason I really enjoy Lily Allen's music. Her second album, It's Not Me It's You, is a nice work. Once you actually listen to the music, you realize she's a pretty good lyricist. And who can't listed to "F@ck You" without a smile on their face

Also am enjoying the 2009 albums

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Son Volt - American Central Dust
REM - Live at the Olympia (great live set)
Pink Martini - Splendor in the Grass (relaxing fun tunes)
Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Night
Damon and Naomi - The Sub Pop Years (ex-Galaxie 500 folks)

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:20 pm

Guess I'm a homo, too, James. I also like Lily Allen's stuff. Fun listen!

Agree on the Son Volt and R.E.M. records, too. The new Son Volt record might be the band's best since its masterpiece debut, "Trace," and I think the R.E.M. live set rips because there are so many songs from older albums like "Reckoning," "Life's Rich Pageant," etc.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:47 pm

pk500 wrote:Guess I'm a homo, too, James. I also like Lily Allen's stuff. Fun listen!

Agree on the Son Volt and R.E.M. records, too. The new Son Volt record might be the band's best since its masterpiece debut, "Trace," and I think the R.E.M. live set rips because there are so many songs from older albums like "Reckoning," "Life's Rich Pageant," etc.

Yikes, as a long time Farrar geek, I found 'Rust' to just be lifeless and tired sounding. It really bummed me out to listen to it. Jay's voice sounded like it aged 20 years between The Search (2007) and Rust. Every song was mid-tempo, etc... I even skipped seeing him live in LA this year out fear of it being too depressing to take.

RE:Lilly Allen. She's a hoot. As long as she sticks with smart producers & co-writers, I'll always look forward to her albums. One of the best of the year, no doubt.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:21 pm

greggsand wrote:
pk500 wrote:Guess I'm a homo, too, James. I also like Lily Allen's stuff. Fun listen!

Agree on the Son Volt and R.E.M. records, too. The new Son Volt record might be the band's best since its masterpiece debut, "Trace," and I think the R.E.M. live set rips because there are so many songs from older albums like "Reckoning," "Life's Rich Pageant," etc.
Yikes, as a long time Farrar geek, I found 'Rust' to just be lifeless and tired sounding. It really bummed me out to listen to it. Jay's voice sounded like it aged 20 years between The Search (2007) and Rust. Every song was mid-tempo, etc... I even skipped seeing him live in LA this year out fear of it being too depressing to take.

RE:Lilly Allen. She's a hoot. As long as she sticks with smart producers & co-writers, I'll always look forward to her albums. One of the best of the year, no doubt.

Apparently this ugly, talentless mock-cockney is giving up music next year....although linguistically speaking one can only give up something that one has already started.

Best new album of the year for me was Tortoise's "Beacons of Ancestorship", barring that I seemed to buy mainly reissues...must be my age

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 1:32 pm

Not new music, but I'm really, really enjoying Etta James' Tell Mama: The Complete Muscles Shoals Sessions. Great voice and fantastic energy on the album.

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 7:45 pm

Just read on rolling stone that Soundgarden is officially getting back together after a 12 year break. Hope it doesn't mean Matt Cameron will be leaving the mighty Pearl Jam. Otherwise, it's great news to start off the new year. They've been one of my favorite rock bands since I first heard Loud Love all the way back in 1989.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:17 pm

The xx is really growing on me a lot and has entered heavy rotation. Definitely one of those albums that takes a few listens because it's so subdued, but the songs pack so much punch despite being mostly quiet and sparse in the arrangements.

I also downloaded Living Colour's best of -- what a nice blast from the past. I had the first two albums on cassette(!) and played them a lot when I was in college, but hadn't really listened to anything other than "Cult of Personality" for years. Vernon Reid's guitar is as amazing as I remember, but I forgot how good Corey Glover was as a singer and how tight the rhythm section was.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:31 pm

Living Colour have become so overlooked. I think it has much to do that in their heyday they were very much of their time...meaning they haven't aged well in a fashion sense. Musically speaking they were (and are) monstrously great...especially live.

I've argued with more than my share of music nerds over the years about the fact that I'm 100% convinced that their second album was better than their first. But that's splitting hairs to some extent because they're both great records.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:49 pm

RobVarak wrote:Living Colour have become so overlooked. I think it has much to do that in their heyday they were very much of their time...meaning they haven't aged well in a fashion sense. Musically speaking they were (and are) monstrously great...especially live.

I've argued with more than my share of music nerds over the years about the fact that I'm 100% convinced that their second album was better than their first. But that's splitting hairs to some extent because they're both great records.

Agree 100 percent with every word. Guys who attend guitar tech seminars for fun know about Vernon Reid's brilliance. Sadly most regular rock fans have forgotten. Dude is phenomenal.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:10 pm

I still listen to Living Colour every now and again. I also agree that the Time's Up was better than Vivid but it never had a hit single so people easily dismiss it. Vernon Reid is outstanding and Corey Glover has great pipes. I haven't checked out The Chair in the Doorway yet but now I'm definitely gonna check it out. I still love Elvis is Dead.

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:24 pm

Time's Up was definitely better, though they never had a full-on dud. Their release this year was solid.

Absolutely killer live. The best show of theirs I saw was in a small club with Urban Dance Squad opening; between the two, they played for 3 1/2 hours and the crowd was on their knees by the end. Incredibly tight while being incredibly fluid.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:57 pm

"Open Letter to a Landlord" off vivid is still one of the angriest, nastiest protest tunes I've ever heard. Simply insane.

"Love Rears Its Ugly Head" was my favorite off "Time's Up." Funky as sh*t.

It says a lot about the quality of a band that we're all picking different songs as our favorites from certain albums.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:07 am

Saw them in the early 90's at the Cubby Bear. Only show that ever left me deaf for longer than 48hrs. I'll be paying for that one someday.

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:49 am

All the Living Colour talk made me dig out my cassette of the Biscuits EP. The live version of "Memories Can't Wait" is so amazing; a fine reminder of how damn good they were in concert.

Did any of you ever pick up the Live at CBGB's Tuesday 12/19/89 album? Just wondering if it was a good document of them at their peak; the 2007 live in Paris dvd was good, but didn't quite hit the spot.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 10:28 am

"Time's Up" was definitely the better Living Colour album. They covered so much ground on that one: thrash, metal, funk, calypso! They also managed to pack so much bite to their lyrics without ever seeming preachy. It's great that eMusic added them to their catalog.

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:25 pm

Enjoying the album from Batuko Tabanka - Djunta Mo. Some great Cape Verde rhythms and vocals with a Spanish influence. Can't understand a word they're saying but it's some good music.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:10 pm

Didn't know where else to put this but felt the need to share it.

Guess who.

Edit: Last one didn't work. Let's try this one.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 1:48 am

Axl? Damn, is the "Chinese Democracy" tour sponsored by Old Country Buffet?

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 2:26 am