From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V13 #694 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Sunday, December 28 2008 Volume 13 : Number 694 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Best of 2008 [Tim Jones-Yelvington ] Re: Favourite albums 2008 :-) ["Paul Jensen" ] Was Best of 2008...Now worst. [birdie ] lili haydn (was RE: Favourite albums 2008 :-) [JoAnn Whetsell ] Re: Best music of 2008 ["Jon Wesley Huff" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 09:10:05 -0800 (PST) From: Tim Jones-Yelvington Subject: Re: Best of 2008 I really love your description of "This Riot Life." Can't wait to hear that Kristin Hersh album. ...and if we're doing disappointments, need to talk about Sarah Slean. Oy. - ----- Original Message ---- From: "morayati@email.unc.edu" To: ecto@smoe.org Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 12:14:50 AM Subject: Best of 2008 2008 was a weird year for me. If I construct this list strictly by what I liked most in 2008, then Kristin Hersh's _Speedbath_ would take the first-place spot and probably second and third as well. Saying that I loved that album would be an understatement. It's grafted onto me. This isn't hyperbole. Kristin's mentioned in one of her blogs that she's out to make "sounds that enrich one's inner life," and I'll be damned if I don't have a lot of material for it. Speedbath, however, isn't going to be officially released until 2009. This also disqualifies Power and Light by 50 Foot Wave (but go listen to it anyway!) I've mentioned this before, of course, and the other albums from other years which I've loved. This, however, is a best-albums-of-2008 list. I did buy several albums from 2008, but I didn't completely love any of them. I did, however, like many of them a lot. Here they are. The Best Of What I've Heard Of 2008: Veda Hille - This Riot Life: I put off buying this for a long time. It hadn't hit Amazon yet, I rationalized, and besides, and besides... I suppose I had expected it to be too arty, too impenetrable, something I can admire at a distance but not quite love. In fact, it's the opposite. It even has a grenade of a pop song. At least one reviewer has panned "Ace Of The Nazarene" as "megachurchy", but if I ever ran across megachurch music with this much genuine drama and bombast, I may be convinced to reassess the whole concept. This may be the most accessible song on the album, but it isn't the one that grabbed me first. That would be "The Moon", with its dotty piano part that perfectly complements the lyrics (a poem by Shelley). I mentioned earlier, offhand, that Veda Hille isn't a Christian, but she does Christian music better than 90% of the musicians who are. Religion's a recurring theme in the album; several songs are covers of hymns, and even the ones which aren't tend to reference religious topics, albeit with added playfulness. "Book of Saints," for instance, begins with this somewhat flip but nevertheless dead-on accurate definition: "Lookie here, the book of saints / What they are is what you ain't." Even the secular songs are excellent. "Sleepers" is a lovely lilt of a modern love song ("I never cared much for metal hair / until the boy you were, Slayer") and "Soapland Serenade," composed for the show "Sexual Practices of the Japanese," walks a fine line between dreamlike and bleak, never quite settling on either. They, and the rest of the album, manage to be highly crafted and highly intelligent without sacrificing a bit of what makes them compelling. That's a tough feat to pull off. Emiliana Torrini - Me & Armini: Emiliana, where the hell did this come from? Your first albums weren't released outside Iceland and the debut isn't even on (the nevertheless amazing) Always On The Run. _Love In The Time Of Science_ was uneven, if excellent for a few songs - OK, mainly one song, "Telepathy". (That's "excellent" as contrasted with "just good", not "excellent" as contrasted with "crap". This is a best-of list, not a worst-of list.) And then with _Fisherman's Woman you took all that and turned it into placid acoustic guitar music that gets played on Grey's Anatomy. I wrote you off. So where the hell did this come from? This is exciting again. This is inventive again. This is something I'm excited to pull up on my shuffle and don't feel compelled to switch in the first 10 seconds. Songs like the title track and "Dead Duck" and "Ha Ha", to name a few, actually make impressions. The center of the album, in particular, has a three-song sequence which in itself would qualify it for best-of stautus. You have "Jungle Drum," which starts out as a gleeful, if pastiche-y love song, but with undertones of mania: the key, the electronic flourishes that scribble in and out of the background. It doesn't take long for the undertones to become overtones, then to take over the song entirely. The lyrics, which sound a bit twee on paper, make perfect sense taken in the context of the song: infatuation, at double speed, and gloriously trying. And then the very next words after that song are "Hold, heart, don't beat so loud." Maybe I shouldn't pull it up on shuffle after all. But that song's a leadup, really, to "Gun". What can I say about this? It's a slow burner, a builder, but one that creeps slowly from 1 to 3 without - crucially, without - reaching a climax. You expect it to explode. She's done explosions. Every so often there's a yelp or snap after some lyrics to remind the listener of the prospect. But the absolutely genius thing here is that all the elements that'd normally come roaring in stay muted: the wailing guitars, the synths, the rest of it - are barely audible, in the background. Everything's gloriously understated, and then you remember that this is a song about murder. The lyrics, unlike the music, do build; the dissonance between their nastiness (example: "Your kids keep telling jokes that ain't that funny, and you've failed in everything comes to mind") and the restrained music makes the track. Thea Gilmore - Liejacker: This album is solid. From the first line - "I'm looking for an old soul" - it knows what it's about, and delivers: finely crafted, rustic folk-pop, all sung in Thea's rich voice. It's the perfect respite from the parade of 80's synth revival that doesn't seem to have an end in sight (not that some of it isn't good, but at some point, someone's got to say enough already). Best Debuts: Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim: I live in the United States. Word has it that she has quite a bit of hype across the pond. I haven't seen any of it, though. If the music press here pays attention to anyone, it's Lily Allen or Duffy. It's a shame, though, because this is a much better album than anything they've released, and much more likely to stand up to the test of time. These would be well-constructed and mature songs just on a debut, but the fact that she's only 18 makes it downright shocking. Hype be damned; this is excellent. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew: I stumbled across this in a rather unorthodox way; she sang at Cathy Davey's "Songs that Scare Children" festival (to this day, I regret not being able to attend it, but I've already logged my share of concert-travel miles this year). The album cover alone (she knitted it. Yes, knitted it. It's gorgeous.) alone gets it praise, but the songs are lovely too. Very pleasant listening. I Also Enjoyed: Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree: Parts of this are beautiful, even if I've neglected it a bit in the past few months. Kay Hanley - Weaponize: Fun, pop music. "I'm so shallow, but you can't sing!" is one of the best lines of the year. Still Getting To The Party (albums from this year I haven't heard yet, but have high hopes for) Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer: The whole Rebellyon thing inspired me to purchase this with my end-of-year Amazon certificate. I'll have thoughts in a week or two. Autamata - Colours Of Sound: I still have not found this yet. Two of my favorite musicians sing on it. See, the Internet isn't perfect yet. Juliana Hatfield - How To Walk Away: I was this close to buying this with the certificate, too. It's on the priority list, at any rate. Disappointment: Sarah Brightman - Symphony: She promised to make a gothic metal album that'd piss off her record company, and her and Frank come out instead with this bland Il Divo-like potboiler. Out of all the genuinely interesting albums you've done - the weird and wonderful Fly, the lush Eden, the fragile and beautiful La Luna - hell, even the Enigmafied pop of Dive - you choose to emulate your most boring one? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:31:28 -0600 From: "Paul Jensen" Subject: Re: Favourite albums 2008 :-) Lenora listed:"8. Hello Saferide: More Modern Short Stories: http://www.myspace.com/saferide Swedish. Folksy guitar-playing singer/songwriter, very confessional lyrics." Oh, wow.. Just checking her out now. Wonderful! Great voice, and yes, poetic and confessional lyrics. Thanks for the great list of music!!! Paul - -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This is the time. And this is the record of the time." -Laurie Anderson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:15:08 -0800 From: birdie Subject: Was Best of 2008...Now worst. Tim Jones-Yelvington wrote: > >...and if we're doing disappointments, need to talk about Sarah Slean. Oy. > > > > > Let's go for it! Adrienne Pierce (former Sheeba worker and opener for Jane Siberry) - her last CD, produced by Nettwerk (back before it fell) and the talented Jeff Trott & Thom Russo - Faultline - had a crack crew of some of the best hired studio guns in town (players known to work with Beck and others)... But the new "Winter" EP recycled two old xmas songs (delightfully crafted and produced) and added 4 new ones, produced DIY in a cabin with a generic copycat meets sunset blvd rocker wanna be, Ari Shine (think Tommy Lee wanna be clone). Somehow Adrienne Pierce seems to have taken off with the hollywood sucking up to Paris Hilton crowd, but producing things low-fi & rinky dink!! Talk about career suicide. The production, with instrumentation by Ari Shine, leaves the listener thinking they've been handed a teenagers home demo. Rough demo's had a purpose, they were used to pitch songs to performers and producers, who could actually make something wonderful out of them....but they were never meant for the public to hear or be sold. There are a number of songwriters who don't have the chops to be performers and carry a band or live shows, successfully....but they do fine. banging out low-fi demo's and collecting co-writer credits for pitching in alongside other more talented writers. Let's just say, they do well in the smooze dept. Adrienne writes great songs but requires support that, at least, compliments her style! This is like if someone put Hope Sandoval (mazzy star) together with Tommy Lee (pamela andersen et al) and for a xmas CD, Um. This one might take the cake for people formerly known as Artist's making bad choices to sell out and go commerical. Very sad situation. Available only at Borders. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:03:23 -0500 From: JoAnn Whetsell Subject: lili haydn (was RE: Favourite albums 2008 :-) it really is a fabulous album, much better than her previous stuff (which was pretty darn good). i've been meaning to post about it but hadn't gotten around to it. > Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:34:34 -0500 > From: jeffw@smoe.org > To: christina_skov@hotmail.com > CC: ecto@smoe.org > Subject: Re: Favourite albums 2008 :-) > > On Sun, Dec 21, 2008 at 03:51:38PM +0100, Leonora Christina Skov wrote: > > 11. Lily Haydn: Place between Places: http://www.myspace.com/lilihaydn > > "Soaring, postmodern pop" with lots of violin. I keep returning to this disc. > > I was just listening to Lily's older stuff wondering what she was up to! > I need to order that! > > -j _________________________________________________________________ Send e-mail faster without improving your typing skills. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_speed_122 008 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:38:01 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: Re: Favourite albums 2008 :-) Good stuff! I love how she describes herself on MySpace: "Annoying at times, but I make you want to dance." :) neal On Dec 27, 2008, at 12:31 PM, Paul Jensen wrote: > Lenora listed:"8. Hello Saferide: More Modern Short Stories: > http://www.myspace.com/saferide > Swedish. Folksy guitar-playing singer/songwriter, very confessional > lyrics." > > Oh, wow.. Just checking her out now. Wonderful! Great voice, and > yes, poetic > and confessional lyrics. Thanks for the great list of music!!! > > Paul > > -- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > "This is the time. > And this is the record of the time." > -Laurie Anderson > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:02:09 -0600 From: "Jon Wesley Huff" Subject: Re: Best music of 2008 I hear what you're saying about Charlotte Martin. I still like her music but it's not QUITE the same as it used to be. Everything has felt a little unfocused, but I'm waiting to see what her next full album is like since sometimes EP's don't always have the strongest material. Jon On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 9:55 AM, Paul Jensen wrote: > It's not quite the end of 2008 yet, but looking ahead I don't see any > releases looming that will probably make my best of list, so I'm ready to > call it now and hopefully get some discussion on people's favorites > started. > WOW, what a year for music. Incredible. This was an epic list to create, > but > there were just so many to include!! A few disappointments, too, sadly.. > So... to the list!!: > > 1.) Scarlett Johansson: "Anywhere I Lay My Head"For me, this is THE album > of > 2008. None other this year were more surprising, fulfilling, rewarding, > beautiful or original. It may also be one of the worst-reviewed albums of > the year. Unfairly so, I think. But even ecto-folks had a hard time > digesting it. Well, I stand by this album with confidence, and would ask it > be given a second chance amongst many who disregarded it at first. > Scarlett's voice, husky-yet-delicate, is a refreshing change of pace from > what we'd expect of a Hollywood starlet. The vocals are a little low in the > mix on some songs, but this just adds to the mood of the album.. the songs > are very airy - shoegazery, ethereal - why should loud vocals overtake the > songs? It's a perfect mix, I'd say. I hope we hear more from her, and hope > more people put aside expectations and give her a chance. > > 2.) Aimee Mann: "#!@*& Smilers!" > I'm ready for another declaration: This is Aimee Mann's masterpiece. Who > knew?! I've always loved Aimee, but had gotten to the point where I wasn't > necessarily anticipating new releases.. and out of the blue came this > album, > and I casually bought it and thought "Oh, how nice, new Aimee Mann.." But > then after a few spins, I started to realize that this batch of songs were > some of the smartest and catchiest she's ever written. The songs feel warm, > comforting. I love the keyboards. Her voice, while sometimes too nasally > and > monotone, is a little more full of life here. None of the songs feel > repetitive or too long - they're all just-right. I can't think of a single > complaint I have about this album, and now I AM anticipating new releases > from her! > > 3.) Donna Lewis: "In the Pink" > Maybe you remember Donna Lewis.. it was 1996 and her song "I Love You, > Always Forever" was playing everywhere you went..? It still is, to some > extent! Well, after a 10-year break, she's come back to the music scene - > seemingly from nowhere - with a wonderful album. I've always loved her > voice > - delicate and breathy - softly whispered lyrics.. In this album, that soft > voice is (at times) accompanied by some interesting electronics, creating a > pretty unique dynamic. (check: "Ireland" and "Shut the Sun Out", for > examples).. other songs are just quiet and lovely - "Don't Ever" is one of > the most beautiful songs she's ever done. This album is a really exciting > comeback. > > 4.) Stoa: "Silmand" > In 16 years, Stoa has released just four albums. Composer Olaf Parusel does > not rush the creative process. His vision is creating music that will be > "timeless". Hearing music from this group was a revelation to my young ears > the first time I experienced them. I was probably 18, and it was a whole > new > kind of music.. ethereal, heavenly voices, neo-classical. There's not much > music out there similar to what they do. So of course their newest release, > "Silmand", is in my Best Of list. This is probably not as cohesive of an > album as their others (I have a hard time capturing the mood of the album) > - > but there's a great blend of instrumental and vocal tracks. Vocals here are > done by Louise John-Krol, whom I have never liked but is actually very good > on this album, Mandy Bernhardts provides soaring operatic vocals, and Peter > Nooten & Ralf Jehnert add male vocals. In the U.S., you can get the album > from Projekt, though it's pricey. It's finally available on i-Tunes, > though, > for just $9.99. Definitely worth checking out if you want something > different, soothing, elegant.. > > 5.) Sigur Ros: "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" > The band continues to push the envelope of what they can do. "Takk.." is a > classic - I hope others here would agree - and I doubted the boys could > outdo themselves. But they did. This is a joyful, exciting album. Complex > songs filled with beautiful layers of sound. Jonsi's voice continues to > evolve. I love the way he's embracing the soaring heights he can take it > to. > And I love the variety of songs, ranging from completely stripped down > ("All > Alright"), to beautifully full ("Godan daggin"), to ridiculously > over-the-top ("Ara batur"). They can do it all. > > 6.) Alanis Morissette: "Flavors of Entanglement" > Similar to my thoughts on Aimee Mann, I had become jaded with Alanis. > Nothing she had done since "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" had really > struck me as great, yet I kept giving her a chance. And then, suddenly, > here > she is with a monumental, important release. This album doesn't quite reach > the same level as "Supposed Former.." in my book, but it's about as close > as > we'll get. There's finally some PASSION back in her music! The lyrics are > personal, raw, reflective - she's finally come back to her roots. The songs > themselves are great, full of energy, anger, and at times, joy. Bravo, > Alanis. It's nice to have you back! > > 7.) Owl City: "Maybe I'm Dreaming" and "Of June" EP > I rarely listen to male singers, but for some reason Owl City was > recommended to me and I fell in love. There's something strangely feminine > about his songs, and I think that's what draws me to his music. It's VERY > optimistic and feel-good. It's impossible to be in a bad mood while > listening to Owl City. His voice is very soothing, and I love his lyrics - > really unusual.. I feel like if everyone was listening to this and it were > playing in malls, I'd abhor it. But instead, it's this little cult indie > thing that really cool people know about.. so it's okay to enjoy his > music!! > At least that's what I keep telling myself. > > 8.) Amanda Palmer: "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" > So, The Dresden Dolls.. hmmm.. how to describe my feelings toward them? > Some > of their stuff I liked, but there was something off-putting about them, > too. > They seemed silly..? But I always remained intrigued.. When I heard Amanda > Palmer was going to release a solo album, I was really excited to see what > would come from more artistic freedom. And wow, what a force she is! This > album is a breakthrough for her. What a bizarre (in a good way!) mix of > songs. The album is all over the place! From the intense "Runs in the > Family" to the heartbreaking ballad "Ampersand" to the showtune "What's the > Use of Wondrin?" And don't forget about everyone's favorite doo-wop > abortion > song, "Oasis"! (brilliant!) I've always known Amanda could be intense, but > I > like her best on the quieter songs, where we hear her voice, at once > fierce, > now as cracked and raw as her emotions. > > 9.) Sarah Brightman: "Symphony" > Released way back in January, but definitely good enough to make it on the > list. I had some issues with the album at first. I'd love for the WHOLE > album to sound like "Fleurs du Mal", which is a brilliant song. Instead, > she > gets into it and then basically says "Oh, just kidding!" and goes about > doing typical songs you'd expect from her for the rest of the album. But it > DOES show potential.. I hope she lets her hair down and explores the > rock/goth/grunge style of music more. Anyway, once I accepted that the > whole > album would not sound like that track, I was able to listen to it for what > it is.. turns out, there's a lot this album offers. Listen to the > remarkable > "Sanvean", for example. WOW, just wow. Or the wonderful, powerful duet with > Paul Stanley, "I Will Be With You". "Let It Rain" is a great pop song, with > great vocals from Sarah. The one fatal flaw this album has?? The absolutely > SILLY "Sarai Qui" - which is Faith Hill's "There You'll Be" sung in another > language. *rolls eyes* > > 10.) Amethystium: "Isabliss" > Amethystium has been delivering beautiful and unique electro/new-age music > for a few years now, and each release keeps getting better. "Isabliss" is > their most satisfying from start to finish. It also features some of the > best female vocals of any of their releases. Check out the soaring, layered > vocals on "La Pluite" or "Strangely Beautiful". How to describe the music? > Lite-electronic mixed with warmer, organic instruments like violin, cello.. > It's an interesting mix, and throwing those beautiful heavenly voices on > top > just sweetens the deal. A fantastic album, and it makes me optimistic to > see > what the future holds for Amethystium. > > 11.) Maria Taylor & Andy LeMaster: "Savannah Drive" > This is a beautiful 7-track EP, and I'll listen to anything Maria Taylor > (of > Azure Ray) does. In fact, I'd like to go on record as saying I've been > giving her "Lynn Teeter Flower" more listens, and I think it's a great > album. Last year, I found it to be disappointing, but after revisiting it, > I > think it's a great album that shows a lot of maturity and growth from Maria > as a songwriter. "Savannah Drive" features some stripped-down, acoustic > versions of her solo work ("Song Beneath the Song", "Leap Year", for > example..) and a few new ones - the charming "Ladyluck" and the emotional, > honest "Tell Me". > > 12.) Goldfrapp: "Seventh Tree" > Oh my. I've never really listened to Goldfrapp, but I thought this looked > interesting. I was hooked from the unusual, kinda-creepy opener "Clowns", > and found the whole album to be fantastic. Great vocals, lyrics, melodies. > A > wonderful album. I think many of you here already know that, though. > > 13.) Jack Johnson: "Sleep Through the Static" > I've always been weak-in-the-knees for Jack Johnson's beautiful, > silky-smooth voice. *melts* There's more "oompf!" to these songs, which is > great. The songs are catchy, feel-great (how can you not bob your head to a > song like "Hope"?) and incredibly sunny and optimistic. This is one of his > strongest releases, and a great place to start if you've not given him a > try > before. > > 14.) Enya: "And Winter Came" > I won't say "Enya can do no wrong", because I do think she's pretty > repetitive sometimes, but this album is fantastic from start to finish. > Some > Christmas classics, and some originals. This album soothes me, and I'm > getting as much playtime in as I can, since people will look at me weird if > I listen to it during the summer. :-) > > 15.) Dido: "Safe Trip Home" > At first listen, I thought "This is nice..", but this is one of those > albums > that grows on you. It may not appeal to the mainstream - many seem to think > it's too sad, gloomy, emotional.. but sophisticated music-folk like us on > ecto WANT that kind of music. So there may be a lot to offer here. I > certainly think so. Dido's voice hasn't changed a bit - still soothing and > beautiful. "Grafton Street" and "The Day Before the Day" are definite > highlights for me. Not sure how successful this album might be on the > charts, but it proves she is a thoughtful, mature songwriter and it's good > to have her back! > > 16.) El Perro del Mar: "From the Valley to the Stars" > Oh, I hated this album at first. After loving her first album, with it's > bright doo-wop music set against very sad vocals/lyrics, this album was a > bore. *yawn* HOWEVER, I gave it another shot, and am so glad I did. This > one > is a grower. She's exploring different musical territory, and once I > accepted that, I was on board for a great ride. This is a really solid set > of songs. She creates such a mood! > > 17.) The Battle of Land And Sea: self-titled (2007) > Technically released last year, but discovered this year.. Wow, I think > this > artist has huge ecto-potential. She reminds me a lot of Marissa Nadler. > Spooky acoustic songs, whispery vocals. It's very intimate. Check out > "Saltwater Queen" and "You Are A Sailor" for great examples. > > > This is pretty nice!!!: > > I guess you could think of these as honorable mentions.. > > 1.) Hammock: "Maybe They Will Sing for us Tomorrow" > Hammock came into my world a few years ago with their amazing shoegazer > album "Raising Your Voice.." which I HIGHLY recommend. Here, they take us > down a new path. These are songs to meditate by, to fall asleep by.. very > ambient, quiet.. It's lovely stuff - just not the kind of thing you'll want > to listen to all the time. > > 2.) Nicole Atkins: "Nicole Atkins Digs Other People's Music!" > This little 4-track covers EP is a nice treat. Nicole Atkins has one > amazing > voice! If you never got her debut "Neptune City", you're missing out. This > was released to hold fans over until her follow-up album comes out. > > 3.) The B-52's: "Funplex" > It's great to see The B-52's can still release a funky, fun album after all > these years! This is a great summer album. "Juliet of Spirits", "Funplex", > "Hot Corner" and "Deviant Ingredient" are highlights, but the whole album > is > a fun ride. > > 4.) M83: "Saturdays = Youth" > Wow, this album gets off to an amazing start. "You, Appearing", "Kim & > Jessie" and "Skin of the Night" are incredible songs. Not quite like > anything I've heard before. "Graveyard Girl" is pretty good, too (would fit > right in on a Sofia Coppola film) - but then the album just loses me. What > a > shame.. those first few tracks, though? Amazing. > > 5.) Juliana Hatfield: "How to Walk Away" > Is this the year of the comeback, or what? Have been a fan of Juliana > Hatfield (and her work with the Blake Babies) since the mid 90's, but > haven't cared for much of her stuff since "Bed". This is a surprisingly > good > batch of songs from her. Great music, lyrics, production. Worth checking > out! > > 6.) Autumn's Grey Solace: "Ablaze" > That first track, "Endlessly", is great on so many levels. I listen to it > over and over. The whole album is pretty good - but I feel like it ventures > into some darker territory. I'd prefer it if the album stayed light and > ethereal. > > 7.) Portishead: "Third" > Gosh, I really feel guilty for not liking this album more. I like it, but > don't actively listen to it. In a way, I'm impressed that Portishead came > back after so many years with their sound still intact, but in a way that > disappointed me, too. Maybe I wanted more variety.. to hear something new.. > I love the track "The Rip", though, and listen to that frequently.. Maybe > Beth Gibbons will do another solo album soon.. > > > Do I care anymore???: > > A few releases this year left me wondering "Hmmmm, do I even like you > anymore?" Ani Difranco's "Red Letter Year" stands out the most. Ani has > released some important albums during her career - "Little Plastic Castle" > and "Dilate" probably being at the top. But while I was listening to this > album, I just threw up my arms and realized "Hmm, I don't think this music > is very good, these lyrics aren't very interesting.. I don't think I even > like you anymore.." Sorry, Ani. I will always cherish those two albums, > though.. > > While I loved "On Your Shore" and have seen an extraordinary performance of > her live, I just don't think I care much for Charlotte Martin anymore. > There > were a few good tracks on "Stromata", but I found much of it hard to get > into. And now we have another EP, "Orphans". I think her songs need to be > more fleshed-out. Each one sounds like piano with some "bloops and bleeps" > electronics.. I need more variation - more instruments.. and this might > sound like I'm nitpicking, but I wish she could edit her songs down the way > Aimee Mann does. Charlotte's songs often ramble/repeat on for 4 or 5+ > minutes.. I think she could benefit from making snappier, shorter songs, > but > that's just my opinion. Sorry, CharMar, but I think you've got a ways to go > to coax me back to your shore. :-( > > Mia Doi Todd had an excellent release with "The Golden State" in 2002, and > I'm afraid it may end there. With "Gea", I'm ready to call it quits. Maybe > with the right music her voice would sound better, but it's all so dreary! > Dreary music, and her heavy, monotone voice just drags me down. The songs > aren't melodic at all. For instance, I can't think for the life of me why I > would say "Oh, I want to listen to 'Kokoro'! That's such a great track!" > Sorry, Mia. > > > Disappointments > > Beach House: "Devotion" > Their self-titled debut was a revelation, yet their follow-up felt like a > step backward, somehow. It's missing the fragile innocence of their first.. > They still intrigue me and I'll still look forward to more music from them, > but "Devotion" left me wanting more. > > Qntal: "Translucida" > Another step in the wrong direction. This feels very Ren-Faire to me. The > first time Qntal has let me down. :-( > > The Weepies: "Hideaway" > How fantastic was "Say I Am You"? I guess I had huge expectations for > "Hideaway" after that release. There aren't as many catchy, memorable songs > on the new album, and it just lacks the charm of their previous release.. > "Old Coyote" is a great track, though. > > Cat Power: "Jukebox" > Why does Cat Power do these amazing covers for tv commercials, which are > never released, and then release a covers album with songs I don't like?? > C'mon, Cat Power. You can do better than this! > > Jenny Lewis: "Acid Tongue" > Am I the only one who was severely disappointed with this release?? > > Martha Wainwright: "I Know You're Married.." > Not very catchy, memorable, etc.. disappointed.. can do better.. etc... :-( > Poor Martha. > > Final Fantasy: "Spectrum, 14th Century" EP > Oh.. This is... weird.. I *almost* like it because it's so weird. Listen > how > off-key he sounds in "Oh, Spectrum". Is that intentional? Should I like it > BECAUSE it's bad? Listen to those annoying horns - surely they're supposed > to sound like that..??? I do like the way the songs meld into each other.. > I > like the steel drums.. the birds/forest animals noises that are present > throughout.. "The Butcher" is an interesting track - not bad necessarily. > I'm very on-the-fence on this EP. It evokes strong emotions/reactions from > me - I just don't know if that's good or bad. > > Paul > > -- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > "This is the time. > And this is the record of the time." > -Laurie Anderson > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V13 #694 ***************************