From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V8 #2 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Tuesday, January 6 2009 Volume 08 : Number 002 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] my 2008 favorites [Krueger.Thomas@epamail.epa.gov] Re: [loud-fans] my 2008 favorites ["Tom Marcinko" ] [loud-fans] depressing, but interesting list ["outbound-only email addres] Re: [loud-fans] depressing, but interesting list [Tom Galczynski Subject: Re: [loud-fans] my 2008 favorites All very useful as I try to figure out what to do with my eMusic quota. Amazon's had some wonderful sales on MP3s. I see today they still have DEAR SCIENCE by TV on the Radio for a $5 download. And ACCELERATE, and STAY POSITIVE, and... On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 7:04 AM, wrote: > 1. Duke Spirit - Neptune. The second CD from this young British band is > a treat from start to finish. Powerful and versatile lead singer Leila > Moss is the unifying force tying together a wide-ranging set that moves > smoothly between propulsive, dense pop, strutting blues and > attention-grabbing ballads. > > 2. Nada Surf - Lucky. This CD shows a veteran power pop trio growing > better with age and experience. The songs are touchingly reflective and > melancholy, yet hopeful. More importantly, melody after beautiful > melody sticks in your head. > > 3. (tie) Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson b Rattlin' Bones. The > lovely and stirring vocal interplay and close harmonies between > Australian alt-country standard bearer Kasey Chambers and her husband > Shane Nicholson make them a Gram and Emmylou for the pierced and inked > generation. The writing is so deft and elegant that each song sounds > like a long-lost folk-country standard. > > 3. (tie) Trisha Yearwood - Heaven, Heartache And The Power of Love. > Technically this came out very late in 2007, but it's too good to let > slip through the cracks. Her one-of-a-kind voice regularly raises > goosebumps, and even though the record sometimes rocks like hell it's > one of the best and truest country records of the decade. The > production, playing and songwriting are smart and understated in just > the right way. > > 4. Sons and Daughters - This Gift. This Scottish band features the > powerhouse voice of Adele Bethel over a neo-New Wave sound that is > clever, catchy and highly danceable. > > 5. Parts and Labor - Receivers. This layered, inventive and playfully > idiosyncratic record reminds me, in sound and spirit, of the records Eno > and his colleagues made in the mid-70s. The lyrics are simple yet wise, > the music is complex but playful, and the record grows more intriguing > with each listen. > > 6. Randy Newman - Harps And Angels. He directs many of his lovingly > acerbic songs at facing down mortality, and his sarcastic wit slyly > shows his affection and appreciation for the absurdities of life. The > arrangements supplement his loping piano style with many nice touches > reflecting his Louisiana roots. > > 7. Cute Lepers - Can't Stand Modern Music. The elements of the > blueprint are evident, but are synthesized rather than just copied. The > jagged, rapidfire guitars and brash, snarly attitude bring to mind some > of your favorite moments from the Clash, Jam, Buzzcocks, Jags, Vapors > and other late 70s bands that never lost sight of the melody supporting > the mindset. Not a riff or a moment is wasted. > > 8. (tie) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend. An intriguing and > successful fusion of indie rock, afropop and some dance beats, creating > some serious fun. > > 8. (tie) Roots - Rising Down. Another remarkable mix of musicality, > intensity, wisdom and soul from one of the finest hip-hop groups of this > generation. The plentiful and talented guest stars become integral > parts of the songs rather than distractions (well except maybe for Fall > Out Boy's singer). > > 9. Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity. It's more of the same from this > veteran Texas band - hopped up shuffles and sweet pop gems. Rhett > Miller's songs are as smart, witty and endearing as ever, and the new > record highlights how impressively tight and energetic this band > remains. > > 10. (tie) Justin Townes Earle - The Good Life. At times his voice and > phrasing sound uncannily like his famous dad's, though a bit richer and > deeper. The songwriting is a bit uneven, but in their simple elegance > many of these songs could fit right in with the folkier, bluesier side > of his old man's catalog. Plus the top notch band makes these country > blues songs swing. > > 10. (tie) Teddy Thompson - A Piece Of What You Need. He uses his > soaring, beautiful voice to move effortlessly from XTCish pop to Rufus > Wainwright-style dramatic rock crooning to moving, mournful > country-flavored laments evoking Chris Isaak. Yet it's all clearly his > own, and the songs are lovely and heartfelt. > > Next 10:) > > Chris Walla - Field Manual (best Death Cab CD of the year) > Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal > Dan Tyminski - Wheels > Whigs - Mission Control > T.I. - Paper Trail (no one had more quality singles this year) > Earlimart - Hymn And Her > Calexico - Carried To Dust > Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree > British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music? > Southside Johnny With La Bamba's Big Band - Grapefruit Moon (much better > than the other CD of Tom Waits covers that got all the attention this > year) > > > > Honorable Mention in approximate order: > James McMurtry - Just Us Kids; Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride; R.E.M. - > Accelerate; Sam Phillips b Donb t Do Anything; Pete Molinari - A Virtual > Landslide; Blitzen Trapper - Furr; Wire - Object 47; Hold Steady - Stay > Positive; Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It; Wrights - The Wrights; > Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers; Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue; Gnarls > Barkley - The Odd Couple; Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional > Trash; Air France - No Way Down; T-Bone Burnette - Tooth Of Crime; > Smoking Popes - Stay Down; Frightened Rabbits - The Midnight Organ > Fight; KatJon Band - KatJon Band; Devotchka - A Mad And Faithful > Telling; Delays b Everything's The Rush; MGMT - Oracular Spectacular; > Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins; Shearwater - Rook; Teitur - The Singer; > Radar Bros. - Auditorium; Q-Tip - The Renaissance; Duffy - Rockferry; > You Am I - Dilettantes; Mates of State b Re-Arrange Us; Ron Sexsmith - > Exit Strategy Of The Soul; Eli "Paperboy" Reed b Roll With You; Ladyhawk > - Shots; All Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into It; Scarlett Johansson > - Anywhere I Lay My Head; Nikka Costa - Pebble To A Pearl; Juliana > Hatfield - How To Walk Away; Martina Topley-Bird - The Blue God; > Gentleman Jesse - Introducing; Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs; > Spinto Band - Moonwink; Murs - Murs for President; Van Hunt - Popular; > Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight; Jamie Lidell - Jim; Long Blondes - > Couples; M83 b Saturdays=Youth; Firewater - The Golden Hour; TV on the > Radio - Dear Science; Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees; Joe Jackson - > Rain; Sleepless Nights -Patty Loveless; Kanye West - 808s and > Heartbreaks. > > > Might have made the list if Ib d heard more of them: > > Moondoggies - Don't Be A Stranger; Blue Highway - Through The Window Of > A Train; Frank Turner - Love, Ire And Song; Steeldrivers - Steeldrivers; > Sacred Shakers - The Sacred Shakers; Dr. Dog - Fate; Gaslight Anthem > -The '59 Sound; Little Jackie - The Stoop; Features - Some Kind Of > Salvation; Elf Power - In A Cave; Mic Harrison - On The Right Side Of > The Grass; Esperanza Spalding - Esperanza; Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch; > Carbon/Silicon - The Last Post; Paul Westerberg - 49:00; Estelle - > Shine; Accidental - There Were Wolves; Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot > Swim; Kate Walsh b Tim's House; Jackie Greene - Giving Up The Ghost; > Switches - Lay Down The Law; Dutchess and the Duke b She's The Dutchess, > Heb s The Duke; Telepathic Butterflies - Breakfast in Suburbia; > Centro-Matic - Dual Hawks; Patti Smith/Kevin Shields - The Coral Sea; > Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies; Magnetic Fields - Distortion; High Dials > - Moon Country; Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop And Roll; Tricky - Knowle > West Boy; Deerhunter - Microcastle; David Byrne/Brian Eno - Everything > That Happens Will Happen Today; Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer; Jonas > Brothers - A Little Bit Longer; John Legend - Evolver; Kings of Leon - > Only By The Night; Jamey Johnson - That Lonesome Song; Killers - Day & > Age; Kooks - Konk; Mark Pickerel b Cody's Dream; Musiq Soulchild - On My > Radio; Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust; She & Him - Volume One; Zac Brown - > The Foundation; Chuck Prophet - Dreaming Waylon's Dream; Fratellis - > Here We Stand; Felice Brothers - Felice Brothers; Billy Bragg - Mr. Love > And Justice; Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind; The Fireman - Electric > Arguments; Capstan Shafts - Miles Per Famine/Fixation Protocols; Will > Quinlan - Navasota; Sun Kil Moon - April; Heavenly States - Delayer; > Matt King - Rube; Nas b Untitled. > > Donb t get it b Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Lil' Wayne > > Favorite Songs: > > In My Arms - Teddy Thompson; The Step and the Walk - Duke Spirit; Whose > Authority - Nada Surf; The Cheapest Key - Kathleen Edwards; Why Do You > Let Me Stay Here? - She & Him; I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How > to Dance with You - Black Kids; L.E.S. Artistes - Santogold; Ruby and > Carlos - James McMurtry; A-Punk - Vampire Weekend; With Every Heartbeat > - Robyn; Rattlin' Bones - Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson; If I Were > A Boy - Beyonce; Love Runs Deeper - Lindsey Buckingham; Shaken - Jackie > Greene; Say It Again - Marie Digby; Better to Be - Liam Finn; > Sequestered in Memphis - Hold Steady; You Want the Candy - Raveonettes; > Bruises - Chairlift; Don't Break My Heart - Kate Walsh; We've Never Lied > - Jessica Lea Mayfield; Do You Still - Wrights; Cool City - Cute Lepers; > Pop Lie - Okkervil River; I'm Good, I'm Gone - Lykki Li; Insignificant - > Counting Crows; Freeway - Aimee Mann; The World Should Revolve Around Me > - Little Jackie; Lip Gloss - Lil' Mama; Rat Is Dead (Rage) - CSS; Gilt > Complex - Sons and Daughters; My Career in Chemistry - Sam Phillips; > Many Shades of Black - Raconteurs; The Silence Between Us - Bob Mould; > The '59 Sound - Gaslight Anthem; The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis; The > Fool - Old 97's; Like A Vibration - Whigs; Drama Queen - Switches; > Chasing Pavements - Adele; Gardenia - Stephen Malkmus; Supernatural > Superserious - R.E.M.; Criminal - Roots; Nowhere's Nigh - Parts and > Labor; Dead and Gone - T.I.; Violet Hill - Coldplay; No Excuses - Air > France; Ce Jeu - Yelle; Hero - Nas; It All Comes Down to You - Dan > Tyminski; I Feel Better - Frightened Rabbits; Sausalito - Conor Oberst; > Time to Pretend - MGMT; About A Girl - The Academy Is; Pretend That > You're Alone - Keane; I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry; Gillian Was A Horse > - Damien Jurado; Can It Be - Murs; Black Sand - Jenny Lewis; Warwick > Avenue - Duffy; Cappuccino - The Knux; One of Us -Wire; Pork and Beans - > Weezer; Times Like These - Glen Campbell; Mr. Maker - Kooks; Guilt - > Long Blondes; Teeth - Earlimart; Byrdgirl - Matthew Sweet; Why Do Men > Fight? - Carbon/Silicon; Be the One - Ting Tings; Rocky Took A Lover - > Bell X1; Lucky - Jason Mraz. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 15:42:53 -0500 From: "outbound-only email address" Subject: [loud-fans] depressing, but interesting list Something seems very wrong to me about describing a recording that sells three hundred thousand copies as a "flop," but apparently, even in 2008, that can happen. http://detroit.metromix.com/music/paginated_roundup/the-20-biggest-flops/860159/content?page=20 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:56:16 -0600 From: Tom Galczynski Subject: Re: [loud-fans] depressing, but interesting list And this is why the record (and movie) companies are in trouble. The focus is on the big home run sales-wise and nothing else. Elsewhere they complain about Madonna's latest selling only 700,000 in the US! Tom Galczynski tgalczynski@comcast.net - --------------------------------------- Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening. -- Barbara Tober outbound-only email address wrote: > Something seems very wrong to me about describing a recording that > sells three hundred thousand copies as a "flop," but apparently, even > in 2008, that can happen. > > http://detroit.metromix.com/music/paginated_roundup/the-20-biggest-flops/860159/content?page=20 ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V8 #2 *****************************