Two controversial garden party invites. (NB: Today is not Skye Friday.)
A quick post to unclog all the Skye traffic around here...I've been listening to new music occasionally! I'll update the sidebar shortly. Some thoughts on the "NEW SHIT" these kidz are talkin about nowadays.
Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir: A touching and valuable (and often very profound) document of the life of the Friedbergers' grandmother. I haven't even begun to digest this whole thing yet ("Seven Silver Curses," reviewed well here, is nine minutes alone, with several disaparate stories woven together), but I much prefer it to Blueberry Boat. BB seems fairly irrelevant given the material, so hopefully discussions about this album won't revolve around the previous release. I'm still determining whether or not the music does a disservice to the narrative ebb and flow in places (less than I'd originally suspected, anyway). Usually the music plays an unobtrusive secondary role, acting as aural texture for the album's more fascinating lyrical drive. I might actually love this album, but it's going to take some time.
Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask: Still not doing it for me. Can someone please defend this album in a way that will make me want to listen to it again?
Kanye West - Late Registration: Haven't given it a proper listen. Cursory/incomplete listens suggest that it's pretty uniformly strong, but no singles particularly stand out (except maybe "Diamonds"). I fear I may be indulging petty fad tendencies here and denying myself a great album...but I really haven't been that interested in this one.
New Pornographers - Twin Cinema: Good, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that I don't like NP as much as I thought I did when I first started listening (which was admittedly like a year and a half ago, maybe). "Sing Me Spanish Techno" is a high point, so I'll post it! Woo!
Constantines - Tournament of Hearts: Arrrgh I wish I thought this was less boring!!!! I love love love this band but I keep falling asleep while listening to this!
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow: CHARLES MANSON HIPPIE CULT. I'm sorry, I can't get behind this album, it just creeps me out too much. Do a track by track comparison and tell me I'm crazy!
Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures: Emily says this album sucks, and I trust her too much to risk it, so maybe I'll never listen to it. OK, I'm listening now. ... ... ... ... ... No commment. First first impression, it's kinda boring. But this is too little to work with, even for me. Maybe I'll get back around to it. (EDIT: Probably not. Temporarily filed under Z for ZZZZZZZ.)
Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo: I played the song posted below (YSI only) on my radio show. I chose it randomly because it had the best title, which means it's the best song on the album.
Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike: Duh, this album is fucking AWESOME. I actually knew most of this material already (from live performance and because they've rerecorded some stuff) and it sounds fantastic. Probably a top ten pick. Chaff n' a Haff will be updated today, too, I think.
Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers: Matt, you win. This album is great. But sometimes I just want to watch "Futurama," ya know?? This marks the closest relationship I've ever had to an album I've never played for myself. I'd give you all a blurb, but just google the lyrics. For what it's worth, these are definitely the best arrangements I've heard from the Silver Jews (I'm not a fanatic, though. I direct you to my roommate).
Skye Sweetnam - Noise from the Basement: A 2004 album that I've listened to more than any other album this year without question. I just want that to recorded somewhere again. I bet anyone about ten dollars that her next album will be the best album of all time. Besides, you didn't think you were going to escape her THAT long, did you?
Good Night, and Good Luck. OK, this isn't an album. But it's the best movie I've seen all year (except maybe In the Realms of the Unreal, which isn't even remotely comparable). So go see it if at all possible. I won't even tell you about it, except that it's incredible go go go go go.
YOU MAKE THE CONNECTION! (Love and Terror Cult Edition)
Charles Manson - Mechanical Man
VS.
Devendra Banhart - I Feel Just Like a Child
Charles Manson - Sick City
VS.
Devendra Banhart - Long Haired Child
NEW ALBUMS CAN BE OK SOMETIMES! (Graduate School Ambivalence Woe Edition)
Fiery Furnaces - Though Let's Be Fair (posted for length, available for one week)
Gogol Bordello - Immigrant Punk
Junior Senior - We R the Handclaps (YSI only)
COMING SOON: New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno
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