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Post by DeepArcher on Oct 4, 2019 17:02:21 GMT
New Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album Ghosteen premiered yesterday -- and yes I tuned in to that global premiere on Youtube -- and it's another "beautiful" rock album to drive pacinoyes mad (kidding, kind of...). Though I think it's safe to say that Cave, at least in recent years, has not sought to make "rock music" with the Bad Seeds, and hell, the Wikipedia page for Ghosteen identifies its genre as merely "ambient" which is probably the most accurate classification. The album, which concludes a trilogy with the Seeds' other 2010s work Push the Sky Away and Skeleton Tree, builds off the melancholy ambient rock explored in those two records and especially in Skeleton Tree and produces something totally ambitious and operatic and like nothing they've ever done before ... carried by Warren Ellis' compelling experimentations with synths and loops that give the album its transcendent feel, along with Cave's vocals that reach heights we've never heard before, the album has an almost post-rock feel to it that is also something more meditative, heavenly, as if Cave and Ellis are auditioning for a spot on Twin Peaks Season 4.
One comment/complaint made about the album is that there are no "standout tracks," and so far I think I agree with that actually ... I definitely like some more than others, but so far it's hard to pick a favorite, probably because it's so much best enjoyed as a complete experience. So here I'll post the opening track, which sees Cave's voice reach falsetto (!) as it builds to that absolutely staggering finish. But really, I can't recommend the entire record enough ... it's different, but undeniably ambitious, transcendent, and a brave and totally personal reckoning with grief.
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Post by DeepArcher on Oct 4, 2019 17:07:15 GMT
And the new Angel Olsen album All Mirrors dropped today, and it's incredible. Starts with the grittier rock sound reminiscent of her great 2016 work MY WOMAN, the album gradually builds to a slower, staggering coda. There's not a weak song on the record so I gotta recommend all of it ... some of my favorites so far are "New Love Cassette," "What It Is," "Tonight," and of course the last two tracks which just make for an astonishing finale ... here I'll post the incendiary title track which was released as the first single awhile ago and, on the context of the album, still slaps:
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 10, 2019 23:31:38 GMT
The Coathangers 2019 "The Devil You Know" album is one of the few Rock albums this awful year, that sounds like a warped history of the genre - they sound all over the place - evoking (not kidding) Motorhead (in a way at least) and a scuzzy Sleater-Kinney and lots of great, lost underground garage bands.
One of their best albums and they've been around a while now - that's not an easy trick.
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 13, 2019 10:55:14 GMT
Ok, I'm going out on a limb - ~10 weeks to go on the year and these are my album of the year, single of the year and reissue of the year. My album of the year came out in January for Godsakes...... Album of the Year - Mike Krol - Power Chords (Merge) - It's like candy at first you like it ok and keep nibbling and then your teeth all fall out.......where the Strokes meets the Pixies meets his absolutely winning formula - may make my 10 best of the decade too. Single of the Year - Titus Andronicus - I Blame Society (Merge (again)) - The noisiest song....and the best lyrics all year - funny and righteous - "I blame society for poisoning the seed/that grew to be its vilest tree/so we could be its leaves" - damn right. Reissue of the Year - The Replacements - Dead Man's Pop Boxset (Rhino) - Yeah, I know the Beatles reissued Abbey Road too this year, but hey tough break lads.
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 17, 2019 7:01:41 GMT
Life are a UK band in the tradition of (very) many others who sort of always own this territory - quick hitting, sardonically funny, smart-ass and propulsive - along with Fontaines DC and Sleaford Mods they have made 2019 seem like The Fall suddenly were the most influential act ever.
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 18, 2019 8:33:58 GMT
Well here it is, the last song on the last Muffs album and the late, beloved Kim Shattuck who I've been memorializing in various music threads the last couple of weeks.
Like everything she did, it's worth a listen and to even begin to understand how you see her influence everywhere - in bratty phenomenons like The Regrettes' Lydia Night too - it's worth remembering that not only could she scream and shout.........she could break your heart too.
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 22, 2019 10:28:01 GMT
The song echoes a lot of 80s synth pop.........the video is very reminiscent of "Left Of The Dial"........in 2019 it sounds ominous and sort of mesmerizing too. From the much anticipated, forthcoming album #5.
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 29, 2019 19:08:25 GMT
Well The Regrettes have another of those really cutesy one off singles they do every few months - the new "Holiday-ish" - but you can find that on your own - this is my favorite track on their poparama, (slightly) too long 2019 album - which of course I still love despite its (minor) faults.......like you would with any significant other - that's part of the charm - ammiright? Lydia Night who just turned all of 19 this month now has about 20+ of these power pop gems under her belt already...just wait until she turns 20 herself.......hmmmmmm, she should have Mike Krol produce her next record........call him Lydia.
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Post by DeepArcher on Oct 31, 2019 0:27:27 GMT
Lydia Night who just turned all of 19 this month now has about 20+ of these power pop gems under her belt already...just wait until she turns 20 herself.......hmmmmmm, she should have Mike Krol produce her next record........call him Lydia. Jeeeeez I knew she was young but I didn't realize that she's (barely) younger than me ... god is this what getting old feels like?
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Oct 31, 2019 2:02:31 GMT
New HAIM (PTA did the video)
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Post by pacinoyes on Nov 1, 2019 5:24:21 GMT
I think this might be the oldest guy to make an album this good.
Damn, Neil.......
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Post by Sharbs on Nov 3, 2019 4:40:59 GMT
Newest The 1975 single. Not sure how I feel about this one. This is the only song of theirs that I can think of where parts of it I truly loathe. The music during the first couple of verses is unpleasant to the ears, sounds like the jankiest train you never want to board. But when all the layers come into play in the second half it is absolutely fantastic. Lyrics kinda hit me in the gut too
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Post by pacinoyes on Nov 4, 2019 10:37:07 GMT
Anybody who's followed my posts knows how important sense of humor is to me - particularly in bands - The New York Dolls, Faces, Modern Lovers aren't just some fave bands of mine they are often gateways to a whole worldview through sly humor.
Michael Stipe, never the funniest guy anyway - has become something of an anti-humorist now - he hasn't really cracked a joke since Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight - and that was 30 years ago (!) AND he undercut that with goopy strings to let you know even his jokes were deadly serious too.
This is his first real solo song - 8+ years (!) after REM's calling it quits - on the verge of turning 60. Still no laughs but maybe he'll surprise us when his album drops......no joke.
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Post by DeepArcher on Nov 6, 2019 23:16:17 GMT
This thread is sorely lacking in mentions of Big Thief ... the indie folk darlings who have released not one but *two* of the year's best albums with U.F.O.F. and now Two Hands ... both are excellent and in fact all four EPs they've released thus far are excellent. Phenomenal blend of more familiar acoustic melancholy with grittier guitar-driven instrumentals (often in the course of the same track) punctuated by Adrianne Lenker's beautifully harsh vocals and lyrics both devastating and catchy ... all comes together for a fantastically unique sound. I guess they kinda have to be "your thing" to like them, but they're very much my thing and I love them.
Here is my favorite track from the new album, which I just recently found out was also its lead single which is weird to me as it doesn't scream "lead single" at all ... anyway, kinda encapsulates everything I love about the band and I can't stop listening to it:
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Post by DeepArcher on Nov 8, 2019 22:03:11 GMT
FKA Twigs' new album MAGDALENE is fucking insanely good ... one of the albums of the year by far ... at times even reminds me of one of my other favorites of the year Nick Cave's Ghosteen with a somewhat similar sonic atmosphere but obviously at *much* higher energy and youthful and for lack of a better term "poppy." Still it's incredibly layered and emotional work and I'm obsessing over it ... only track on the album I don't like (and it's really just the first 30 seconds I don't like) is the one with the Future feature where I suddenly feel like I'm at a frat but otherwise this is masterful and should be listened to all the way through ... and it's only 38 minutes so there's really no excuse ...
This is the closing track that was released as the lead single awhile back ... not sure if it's my favorite but it might be ...
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Post by themoviesinner on Nov 11, 2019 7:30:17 GMT
Hiding Places by Billy Woods & Kenny Segal is by far the best hip-hop album I've heard this year. It's dark, raw and unpredictable and among the best albums of it's genre that came out this decade.
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Post by pacinoyes on Nov 17, 2019 11:46:40 GMT
What kind of year have you had?
Well if you were Mike Krol, you made the album of the year already and you did it in January to give everyone a chance to catch you (and fail miserably)..........and now to end the year he's made a new, unfnckwithable, left-field Christmas song of ear candy.
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Post by DeepArcher on Nov 22, 2019 18:20:29 GMT
Three years after his death Leonard Cohen (or his son, to be more exact) has released one of the better albums of 2019, Thanks for the Dance, a soft coda of sorts to his gorgeous 2016 swan song record You Want it Darker ... it's a privilege to still be able to hear new Leonard Cohen ballads and that's exactly what we have here, nine tracks in his classic acoustic mode with lyrics that are deeply thoughtful and tremendously poignant ... if you weren't already missing one of our great singer-songwriters, you sure will after listening to this record ...
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Post by pacinoyes on Nov 22, 2019 18:54:34 GMT
I've already listed the album of the year, the single of the year and the reissue of the year.......and now, you knew it was coming............ the flat-out funniest song of the year and the message board anthem for all time.
Best line - "I don't even like the old Kanye!"
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 4, 2019 11:23:00 GMT
Great band name (rare these days), and great tunes when they work when they don't try so hard sorta like Mr. Spielberg himself - they are better when they go for more pop and here they do, embracing their mushy boy feelings and their deep Grant Hart affection.
They're already writing for the imaginary radio station that doesn't exist so as not to play them ......
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 12, 2019 22:31:42 GMT
New album drops in January 2020 and I suspect it may win a lot of awards too because when is the last time you had a Rock band put together Gospel, Hendrix/Stevie Wonder, Funk, Rock, Prince, with topicality in lyrics - accessible too.
It's taken them like 4 years to follow up their fine debut - and this is album #3 - and they're going to be a bigger deal now. This should hold you over for the next month....
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Post by ingmarhepburn on Dec 13, 2019 10:05:36 GMT
FKA Twigs' new album MAGDALENE is fucking insanely good ... one of the albums of the year by far ... at times even reminds me of one of my other favorites of the year Nick Cave's Ghosteen with a somewhat similar sonic atmosphere but obviously at *much* higher energy and youthful and for lack of a better term "poppy." Still it's incredibly layered and emotional work and I'm obsessing over it ... only track on the album I don't like (and it's really just the first 30 seconds I don't like) is the one with the Future feature where I suddenly feel like I'm at a frat but otherwise this is masterful and should be listened to all the way through ... and it's only 38 minutes so there's really no excuse ... This is the closing track that was released as the lead single awhile back ... not sure if it's my favorite but it might be ... Holy shit, why haven't I heard about this before? I need to get to this ASAP. But hey, it's so nice to find another fan! Thoughts on LP1? I think it might be my favorite album of the decade. This chick is insanely talented, it's a shame that most people know her only as Robert Pattinson's ex.
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Post by DeepArcher on Dec 13, 2019 16:24:57 GMT
FKA Twigs' new album MAGDALENE is fucking insanely good ... one of the albums of the year by far ... at times even reminds me of one of my other favorites of the year Nick Cave's Ghosteen with a somewhat similar sonic atmosphere but obviously at *much* higher energy and youthful and for lack of a better term "poppy." Still it's incredibly layered and emotional work and I'm obsessing over it ... only track on the album I don't like (and it's really just the first 30 seconds I don't like) is the one with the Future feature where I suddenly feel like I'm at a frat but otherwise this is masterful and should be listened to all the way through ... and it's only 38 minutes so there's really no excuse ... This is the closing track that was released as the lead single awhile back ... not sure if it's my favorite but it might be ... Holy shit, why haven't I heard about this before? I need to get to this ASAP. But hey, it's so nice to find another fan! Thoughts on LP1? I think it might be my favorite album of the decade. This chick is insanely talented, it's a shame that most people know her only as Robert Pattinson's ex. I really, really like LP1, but I think I like the new album even more, which just has a more complete sound to me and has more emotional weight. I think I need to listen to LP1 more, though.
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 25, 2019 16:07:31 GMT
Well this is quite a nice Christmas gift - the new album - finally! from Australian Rock institution The Eddy Current Suppression Ring - their first studio one in 9 years I think............out of the blue.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Apr 16, 2020 4:39:58 GMT
well... now that I suddenly care about music again I've been catching up on some 2019 releases and hearing a lot of great shit.
highlights:
Ghosteen - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Transcendent, haunting, ethereal, spiritual, ghostlike. These tracks are not of this world. Nick Cave is a genius writer and musician. Each album in this trilogy has been better than the last. I've never been more in awe of his music then when I listen to this album. Cave carries many of the same themes already examined in Skeleton Tree. He's still grappling with the loss of his son but ethereal touches of optimism across this album hint that possibly he's coming out the other side of that darkness. There's still a lot of pain in this album, but more beauty than pain.
Best tracks: Bright Horses, Galleon Ship, Waiting for You, Sun Forrest
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? - Billie Eilish I'm sure I'm the last person in the world to fully listen to this album but I loved almost every minute of it. It's kind of staggering how teenager Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell (himself in his early 20s) could create an album so steeped in horror elements without it feeling like edgy posturing. This album goes hard. The production and trap mixing is so confidently off-kilter and oppressive, be it in those whirring medical tool sounds on "Bury A Friend" the skittering foreboding effects on "ilomilo" (which plays like a lullaby conceived in hell), the glitchy vocal distortions on "xanny," etc. It's a great album, confident in its stylistic choices and comfortable in its darkness. Even "Bad Guy," which didn't do much for me on the radio, sounds really great in context of the whole album.
Best tracks: All the Good Girls Go to Hell, Bury a Friend, When the Party's Over, ilomilo
The Highwomen - The Highwomen Now this is country I can fall in love with. Indignant, soulful, honest, funny, feminist. Contains frank lyrics about a spectrum of female experiences and perspectives. Kiss-offs to useless boyfriends, romantic ballads, empowerment anthems, songs grappling with loss, songs grappling with the joys and struggles of motherhood. Some are bops, others are deeply poignant and painful, almost all are excellent and thoughtful.
Best tracks: Highwomen, If She Ever Leaves Me, My Only Child, Don't Call Me
Leaving Meaning - Swans Swans is back! They've had quite the decade haven't they? This album doesn't quite reach the highs of To Be Kind or The Seer but it definitely follows in their footsteps and I prefer it to 2016's The Glowing Man. It doesn't have any bangers like "Oxygen" but what the album lacks in accessibility it makes up for in the raw angst, spiritual questioning, ominous lyrical imagery and unsettling musical repetition Swans is known for. Each track is a visceral experience. They're still at the top of their game.
Best tracks: My Phantom Limb, The Nub, Cathedrals of Heaven, What Is This?
I also checked out Vampire Weekend's Father of the Bride. Wasn't a fan sadly. There were some good tracks there (mostly the ones with Danielle Haim) but the indie pop formula wears very thin. The album is definitely missing the experimental playfulness of the self-titled and Contra and definitely missing the grandeur of Modern Vampires. My favorite tracks were "Hold You Now" and "Harmony Hall."
annnnd James Blake's Assume Form. Not a fan at all. Much too over the place, and I'm getting tired of Blake's sleepy electronic sound. I'm just kind of over it. He's starting to sound like a 22, a Million-era Bon Iver clone (by the way I'm also getting tired of Bon Iver). I did enjoy "Power On" and "Can't Believe the Way We Flow."
annnnnd Charli XCX's much hyped Charli. I enjoyed this one a lot! Wonderfully indulgent and loud electropop mixing with insanely catchy beats. At least four bops on here but probably more. Favorite tracks are "Next Level Charli" (this thing starts loud and gets even louder until it just envelopes you), "Warm", (with Haim--bright, sunny and fast), "Silver Cross", and "Official".
annnnnnnnnd Thom Yorke's Anima. Really thought I'd enjoy this but it kinda fell flat for me. I love the glitchy anxiety of "Last I Heard (...He Was Circling the Drain)" and "Dawn Chorus" stuck out to me too, but most of the other tracks were a wash.
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