From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #1602 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Tuesday, January 19 2016 Volume 16 : Number 1602 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Favorites of 2015 [Jason Gordon ] Re: Favorites of 2015 [Sue Trowbridge ] Re: Favorites of 2015 [Neile Graham ] Re: Favorites of 2015 [Tim Jones-Yelvington ] Re: Favorites of 2015 [Jon Wesley Huff ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:35:17 -0500 From: Jason Gordon Subject: Re: Favorites of 2015 Here's my belated list: 1. Florence and the Machine - How big, how blue, how beautiful 2. The DC8 - Shake Shook Shaken 3. Alyx Dennison - s/t 4. Jenny Hval - Apocalypse, Girl 5. Astrid Williamson - We go to dream 6. Emilie Nicolas - like I'm a warrior 7. Soley - ask the deep 8. Ibeyi - s/t 9. Purity ring - another eternity 10. Nova Heart - s/t Best concerts: 1 Florence and the Machine 2 the DC8 3 fka twigs Cheers Jason Ps Joni in the moon would have been my number one but their debut was actually from 2014 On Monday, January 18, 2016, Jeffrey Hanson wrote: > Here are mine - pathetically Ib m finding myself listening to very few new > artists and a lot of old favorites. > > 1. Jewel - Picking up the Pieces > > This is the album Ib d always hoped Jewel would make. One of the few > albums I listened to in full and back to back this year. > > 2. Adele - 25 > > Continuing in the surprising pop vein, this album is just so solidb not a > bad song on it and she sounds better than ever. > > 3. Tom McRae & The Standing Band- Did I Sleep and Miss the Border > > Tom continues to put out great albumsb this is a bit more rockin' than > some of his solo albums , but still filled with great songs. > > 4. Casey Stratton - Solus and Paper Ships > > The ever prolific Casey Stratton continues to put out interesting musicb > these albums are a bit more world music flavored and adventurous than his > earlier work. He also put out a hoilday album full of great choral > arrangements (Lb amour infiini). > > 5. Eliza Rickman - Footnotes from the Spring > > Elizab s second album doesnb t disappoint. Her voice is so pure and the > songs here range from fun and quirky to downright beautiful. My only > complaint - she Includes her songs she contributed to Margaret - was hoping > for more original material, but her covers album is due out soon. > > 6. Dar Williams - Emerald > > Dar continues to write great songsb especially like the song Empty Planes > - very atmospheric and reminiscent of Mortal City. > > 7. Eivor - Bridges/Slor - Eivor put out two sister albums - one in > Faroese, the other Englishb both helping fix her firmly in my ecto pantheon > of great female vocalists. > > 8. Seth Glier - If I Could Change One Thing > > Love his voice and his songwritingb continues to put solid albums-this one > features a nice duet with Crystal Bowersox > > 9. Vox Viddorra - This album is simply delightful. A bit more > traditional rock, but the song Web re So Lonely is just so infectious and > happy (in juxtaposition with the lyrics)b the whole album is solid though. > > 10. David Berkeley - Cardboard Boat > > David Berkeley really clicked with me this year. Heb s done a number of > charming albums of quiet understated folk, but this album really resonated > with meb a bit reminiscent of Damien Rice. > It is also the companion album to a book of short storiesb each song told > from the point of view of one of the characters. > > > Honorable mentions - > > Shannon Hayden - Solid State Cello (2012) > Just discovered Shannon and this album this year, but its atmospheric > cello looping and great vocals made it a standoutb saw her opening and > performing with Lily and Madeleineb which made them much more interesting > > Appreciated albums by Joni In The Moon, Lydia Ainsworth and Christine and > the Queens, but didnb t listen to any of them enough to really feel I knew > them. > > Best Singles > Under the Ivy - Tracey Thorn - love her version of this classic Kate Bush > songb didnb t think sheb d do it justice but really love her version > Siouxsie - Love Crime - Siouxsie comes of out of retirement to pen a song > for the 2nd season finale of Hannibal - perfect fit and made me want to > catch up on the show which Ib m totally enjoying (halfway through Season 2) > > > Disappointments - > > Iris DeMentb s The Trackless Woods - a collection of songs based on Anna > Akhmatovab s poems should be right up my alley as I like Iris and Akmatova > is one of my favorite poets, this album just didntb resonate > > Darlingside - Albsolute great surprise live (saw them opening for Patty > Griffin and they were phenomenal)- their albums just didnb t live up the > charm and great harmonies present in the live show though. Prefer the > stripped down folk arrangements over the more complex recorded arrangements. > > Jeff Hanson ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2016 13:39:29 -0800 From: Sue Trowbridge Subject: Re: Favorites of 2015 Shearwater's new album is fantastic and it's also streaming on NPR. http://www.npr.org/2016/01/13/462845383/first-listen-shearwater-jet-plane-and-oxbow - --Sue On Sun, Jan 17, 2016 at 1:31 PM, JoAnn Whetsell wrote: > Wondering now what will be the first "notable" of 2016! > Might I suggest Daughter's second album, Not to Disappear, just released on > Friday, and Eleanor Friedberger's third, New View, to be released next > Friday > (January 22). Both keep calling me back to them. The Eleanor Friedberger > can > be streamed on NPR: > > http://www.npr.org/2016/01/13/462845881/first-listen-eleanor-friedberger-new- > view > JoAnn > > > Date: Sat, 9 Jan 2016 21:07:59 -0500 > > From: valrichardson@igc.org > > To: ecto@smoe.org > > Subject: Favorites of 2015 > > > > Greetings and a happy new year to all in Ecto-land. > > > > As a programmer at WPKN-FM in Bridgeport, Connecticut, I usually do a > year-end "favorites" show. Here's a link to the archives of the show, with > playlist, and a list of about 80 other albums from 2015 that I enjoyed. > > > > If you go to wpkn.org, you can also find a link for top-ten lists from > many > programmers (spanning a gamut from ecto-ish to rock and blues). > > > > Wondering now what will be the first "notable" of 2016! > > > > > > http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/listen/133102/valerie-richardson-s-favorit > es-for-2015- > > > > Best, Valerie Richardson ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2016 16:34:05 -0800 From: Neile Graham Subject: Re: Favorites of 2015 Meanwhile, any more on 2015 favourites? I don't think we had enough lists to make a reasonable best of 2015 list for the Ectophiles' Guide. - --Neile ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2016 17:54:29 -0600 From: Tim Jones-Yelvington Subject: Re: Favorites of 2015 THere's a new Brooke Waggoner that sounds like it might be interesting, havent listened yet On Sun, Jan 17, 2016 at 3:39 PM, Sue Trowbridge wrote: > Shearwater's new album is fantastic and it's also streaming on NPR. > http://www.npr.org/2016/01/13/462845383/first-listen-shearwater-jet-plane-and-oxbow > > --Sue > > On Sun, Jan 17, 2016 at 1:31 PM, JoAnn Whetsell > wrote: > >> Wondering now what will be the first "notable" of 2016! >> Might I suggest Daughter's second album, Not to Disappear, just released on >> Friday, and Eleanor Friedberger's third, New View, to be released next >> Friday >> (January 22). Both keep calling me back to them. The Eleanor Friedberger >> can >> be streamed on NPR: >> >> http://www.npr.org/2016/01/13/462845881/first-listen-eleanor-friedberger-new- >> view >> JoAnn >> >> > Date: Sat, 9 Jan 2016 21:07:59 -0500 >> > From: valrichardson@igc.org >> > To: ecto@smoe.org >> > Subject: Favorites of 2015 >> > >> > Greetings and a happy new year to all in Ecto-land. >> > >> > As a programmer at WPKN-FM in Bridgeport, Connecticut, I usually do a >> year-end "favorites" show. Here's a link to the archives of the show, with >> playlist, and a list of about 80 other albums from 2015 that I enjoyed. >> > >> > If you go to wpkn.org, you can also find a link for top-ten lists from >> many >> programmers (spanning a gamut from ecto-ish to rock and blues). >> > >> > Wondering now what will be the first "notable" of 2016! >> > >> > >> >> http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/listen/133102/valerie-richardson-s-favorit >> es-for-2015- >> > >> > Best, Valerie Richardson ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2016 18:58:00 -0600 From: Jon Wesley Huff Subject: Re: Favorites of 2015 Here were mine... although, when I was doing my rundown, I used my iTunes and two albums I WOULD Have put in (Chvrches and Christine and the Queens) dropped out of my iTunes so I forgot about them. But with that being said.... 2. Rhodes - *Wishes* Rhodes became a quick favorite of mine from a series of EP releases that seemed to just build upon the last with beautiful, lyrical songs that were also really catchy. The album is kind of HUGE. Tons of tracks. But therebs not a bad one in the bunch. I can listen to it from beginning to end. This copy is from my Tublr where I posted the lists originally with videos: jonwesleyhuff.tumblr.com 1. Metric - *Pagans in Vegas* Itbs hard for any other band or performer to make number 1 in a year that Metric release a new album. But they havenbt let me down yet. Pagans is such a complete and alive album. It seems like maybe itbs not every Metric fanbs cup of tea, but I think itbs a great sound, combining more electronics with their usual sound and even (especially on the final track) experimenting more with the techniques they used in their fascinating Reflections EP. Beyond just the sound, the lyrics and Emily Hainebs voice are as laser-focused as ever. My favorite track is Fortunes. The best news? They are coming out with ANOTHER album with a totally different feel next year! 3. Florence + The Machine -* How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful* Florence Welch grabbed me by the ears from the first song I heard of hers. Ibm happy to say she hasnbt let go of them yet. This album was a bit of a grower for me, to be honest. It took me just a little time to get into it, and I will say Ibm not sure it reaches the heights of *Ceremonials *quite so consistently. But itbs still a fantastic album from the glorious soaring vocals of tracks like What Kind of Man to the quieter moments like St. Jude, Ibm still under F+TMbs spell. For my highlight track, Ibve picked Third Eye, which I canbt stop listening to. 4. Enya - *Dark Sky Island* Enya is Enya. And Enya remains Enya with all her Enya-ness on every album. Ibve seen some people get frustrated with this on Dark Sky Island. I can understand it, but at the same time itbs so expected by me at this point, I donbt mind that she hasnbt really evolved her sound in decades. But thatbs because I really love what she does. Listening to the album on vinyl I really appreciated the depth of the arrangements even more. The truth is, itbs a lovely, soothing record, and thatbs a beautiful thing to have in the record collection mix. 5. Alabama Shakes - *Sound and Color* Alabama Shakes built upon an impressive debut and made this record which I think is, frankly, an instant classic. Their soulful roots-rock sound combined with Brittany Howardbs unmistakable voice is such a hard-hitting combination. Though their sound feels like a throwback to classic rock bands in some ways, therebs something incredibly immediate about the music. It feels so alive and in the moment that itbs nothing approaching retro. I had a hard time between deciding between the title track or Future People, as both fight for title of my favorite tracks. But I went for Future People in the end. 6. Ellie Goulding - *Delerium* Goulding puts out another collection of listenable dance-tinged pop. Ibve been a fan since her first album, and I like how confident she sounds here. Now, as an album Delerium is very long and feels SLIGHTLY scattered. But I donbt mind that, really. The truth is, track to track, itbs an incredibly strong collection of songs. There are a TON of standout tracks for me, including Donbt Panic, Paradise, and the track I chose to represent it, Keep on Dancinb, which Ibll admit has because a bit of an anthem for me. 7. Wolf Alice - *My Love is Cool* You know what else is cool? This effortlessly catchy, crunchy, and sonically interesting debut album from North London-based Wolf Alice. It feels like an album that could have been made in the 90s (in the best way) but still feels really current. Therebs a wonderful mix of edge, sweetness and swagger to the album. There are a ton of good tracks, buy my favorite is Freazy. Below is the video, which also feels like it could have been made in the 90s. 8. Say Lou Lou - *Lucid Dreaming* This came out at the start of the year, and has been such a permanent fixture in my song rotation it feels like Ibve had it a lot longer. The twin sister duo crafted an album of pure dream pop bliss. Their harmonies are gorgeous, and the ambient but driving music keeps propelling you from song to song. I can listen to this whole album without interruption. For my track selection Ibve chosen the epic and beautiful Julian. 9. Julia Holter - *Have You in My Wilderness* I find it really hard to classify Julia Holterbs work. Art pop, I guess? But in the best ways. Itbs beautiful and ambient and strange and cool and icy and heartfelt andb& well, I pretty much fell in love with it on first listen. Shebs one of those artists who I know would not be everyonebs cup of tea, but I think shebs got a really singular sound and voice. 10. Troye Sivan - *Blue Neighborhood* This one was a fairly late addition, and in fact Ibll be waiting to get my vinyl edition of it for the new year. But it came out this year, technically. Out artist Troye Sivan really blew me away with this collection of songs. I love the soundba modern blend of electronic and pop sound with the occasional rap thrown in for good measure. Musically it sounds like a decent amount of music out there right now. But the songs are catchy, and the album as a whole is very listenable. *BONUS! I listened to a TON of great EPs this year. Here were my favorites:* Joni in the Moon - Sorrow Trees EP Love + War - Ghosts Vol. 1 EP Eliott Sumner - Early Reflections SMPLR EP Lyla Foy - Umi EP Aurora - Running WIth the Wolves On Sun, Jan 17, 2016 at 6:34 PM, Neile Graham wrote: > Meanwhile, any more on 2015 favourites? I don't think we had enough lists > to make a reasonable best of 2015 list for the Ectophiles' Guide. > > --Neile ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #1602 ****************************