From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #9 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, January 14 2011 Volume 16 : Number 009 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- 2010 in review, part 1 [JoAnn Whetsell ] 2010 in review, part 2 [JoAnn Whetsell ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:54:15 -0500 From: JoAnn Whetsell Subject: 2010 in review, part 1 An overview of my year in music and some of the 50 albums I acquired. BEST DISCOVERIES Broken Bells Beach House Kate Nash: Sort of like Regina Spektor, but more rock, more party-girl (and more potty-mouthed). Apparently she draws comparisons to Katy Perry. Can't say. Haven't heard KP, don't want to. BEST CONCERT Balkan Beat Box, Lincoln Center Plaza The most energetic, the most fun, and the most tiring (because of all the jumping the lead vocalist had us do!) BIGGEST SURPRISES Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back Tracey Thorn - Love and Its Opposite I didn't expect to like these albums at all based on the 30-second clips I'd heard. Part of the reason I'm so glad iTunes now offers 90-second samples. M.I.A. - Maya First there was noise over the NY Times Magazine profile and the "Born Free" video; then there was lukewarm consumer and critical response when the album actually dropped. So I was happily surprised to find I like the album much more than expected. HEAD SCRATCHERS Natalie Merchant - Leave Your Sleep I still don't know what to make of this album. It definitely needs more listening to get to know it, but it inspires little motivation to make the effort. Natacha Atlas - Mounqaliba Parts of this album are exquisitely beautiful, Natacha's lovely voice and instrumental parts that feature Western classical music and traditional Arabic instruments. Then there are these spoken word interludes in which a man philosophizes about money, free will, government... These parts lose me. They seem in stark contrast to the songs. Which I guess is the point? But not understanding the lyrics, I have no idea if this social consciousness runs through the whole album or not. Maybe it will make more sense when I get a copy with liner notes. DISAPPOINTMENTS the bird and the bee - Interpreting The Masters Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates Not so much because I had high expectations for Hall and Oates covers but because I have high expectations for the bird and the bee. And this time they didn't deliver. Mostly because the album fails to live up to its title, interpreting the songs. I do like the first track, the original "Heard It On the Radio". David Gray - Foundling Just not very interesting. Bonus disc is better than the album. Angelique Kidjo - Oyo One of the year's "back to her roots" albums that doesn't do much for me. KT Tunstall - Tiger Suit Love her first album, not so much her successive work, and this album, with its electro-glam beats, just loses me altogether. Funny, because I enjoy a lot of electronic, beat-driven music. Somehow the fusion with her offbeat rock style doesn't work, at least not for me. I do give her props for trying different sounds, even if I don't care for it. And her voice still sounds great. Shakira - Sale El Sol An album that doesn't really know what it wants to be, the alt-rock of Donde Estan Los Ladrones or the fun globe-trotting club-pop of more recent years. It's telling that my favorite tracks are the two versions of "Waka Waka," the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup (rather than any of the songs written for the album). JoAnn ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:27:26 -0500 From: JoAnn Whetsell Subject: 2010 in review, part 2 In alphabetical order, my top 12 albums of the year: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Beach House - Teen Dream Broken Bells - Broken Bells David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love At the beginning of the year I'd never heard of David Byrne, had no idea why the crowd was so excited when St. Vincent brought him out to perform with her at Lincoln Center. Now I know him as the main talent behind one of the most interesting albums of the year, Here Lies Love, 22 tracks spread over 2 discs, a Latin-infused disco-pop soundtrack to a theater piece that has yet to be performed (though Wikipedia says a film also came out this year). The songs tell the story of Imelda Marcos - from childhood to power to downfall - and Estrella, a servant in her family's home. Detailed liner notes explain how the project came to be and the story of each song, which is very helpful even though the lyrics do a good job of telling the story. Star vocalists including Sia, Camille, St. Vincent, Tori Amos, Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Merchant, Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond), Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine), Martha Wainwright, Nellie McKay, and Nicole Atkins lend their individuality, making this more than a soundtrack. Favorites include Theresa Andersson's "Ladies in Blue," Sia's "Never So Big," and Nicole Atkins' "Solano Avenue. Jonsi - Go Mostly upbeat electronic pop front Sigur Ros's frontman. This one has grown on me a lot. Junip - Fields Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can Laura Veirs - July Flame Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire Tracey Thorn - Love and Its Opposite I'm pretty bad at articulating why I like music or why I think an album is good. So I hope other people will pipe up and explain why this album is brilliant. The Weepies - Be My Thrill My favorite album of the year. It's just catchy, fun, folk-pop goodness. And it makes me smile. Even the videos for "Be My Thrill" and "Be My Honeypie" make me smile. Other albums that deserve more attention (I guess these are honorable mentions): Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk Cowboy Junkies - Renmin Park Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz what the hell, I'll throw in Sia's We Are Born too, just because it's so much fun (except for the last two tracks) JoAnn ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #9 *************************