Half Gone 2011?

[Davey]

What's good this year? Any hot rave recs that haven't been talked up all over the place yet? Seems like some high quality releases this year, but I haven't been really knocked out by anything. Can't think of one that I've had to play over and over for days and days in the first half.

I have been listening some to the new Gillian Welch, and that one is very good, but isn't one that I''ll usually listen all the way through, or repeat. Kinda spare and depressing.

And the new Brian Eno is fun as I reported previously, but with a collection of vocalists and styles, it doesn't have a very unified sound. I like it a lot, though.

I was a little disappointed in the new Antlers. Nice to hear them expanding their sound, but I also miss the sound of Hospice. And the CD is way too loud and compressed.

The James Blake we have talked about, and it's a good one. The Lucinda Williams is very good, but to be honest, I didn't find the spark in that one. Some good songs to be sure.

And the new Bon Iver is really good, if you like the Bon Iver sound, and don't mind all the hype that surprisingly is following this new one around. I do like it a lot, but don't think I've hit repeat for it yet.

That Joan as Police Woman is fun and cute, both the woman and the music, but kind of lightweight and not a style that I tend toward.

I've listened a lot to the Murcof La Sangre Iluminada, but it's generally as an ambient backdrop, kind of like the Tindersticks Claire Denis scores that we had a thread on a couple months ago. The Murcof is pretty powerful, commissioned as the soundtrack to a Mexican movie of the same name, it's like a series of intense little viginettes, and very recommended for ambient/electronica fans. Some of it does really harken back to the early days of Eno, and it's one of the only I could imagine showing up on my 2014 playlist. The Murcof would be the highlight of the year so far for me. Don't know anything about the film.

Still listen to PJ Harvey's Let England Shake, and still like it a lot, but not 100%. I currently have it packaged on a CDR for my car with her Is This Desire (minus a couple songs from Desire for the fit), and frankly I wind up listening to Desire more. For me, Desire has some of her most amazing music, but unfortunately also has some of her worst. Cut it in half and call it a EP, and I may call it my favorite PJ Harvey.

And so it goes... love the new one from the Feelies, which pretty much sounds just like the old ones from the Feelies, just not quite as memorable. A lot of fun while it's playing, but I often forget to play it. Could say the same about a few other big releases too (Iron & Wine, Decemberists, Elbow, etc). Hopefully I'm just getting a little jaded and the new music isn't really getting that predictable. What's got you going on repeat from this year?

[bobsticks]

Hopefully I'm just getting a little jaded and the new music isn't really getting that predictable. What's got you going on repeat from this year?

You wouldn't be the only one. I have nothing to contribute.

[Mr MidFi]

I know we've covered this ground before, but I think the Decemberists disc is too good to ignore. The songs are all solid. And hell, I'm not even a big fan of theirs.

Aside from the ones already mentioned by dbi-bones...

The Joy Formidable is holding my interest lately. Lots of shoe-gazey noise, and some interesting stuff happening under the roar.

The new Arctic Monkeys is decent. More of a return to pop songcraft, not breaking any new ground, but certainly listenable (except for that Brick by Brick song, which is horrid).

The new MMJ has its moments, but I'm going to need more time with it.

And for those on a nostalgia trip, the Cars' new album is... a Cars album.

I like what little I've heard from Wye Oak, the Vaccines, Explosions in the Sky, Lykke Li and the Smith Westerns... but I will reserve judgment (and possible acquisition decisions) until I see them play live.

Till then, I'm just waiting for the new Wilco, man. Same as always.

Oh, and the new songs I heard from the Jayhawks last weekend were actually pretty good, too.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the Boxer Rebellion's Cold Still album. It's good, but not as good as their last one (Union).

[dean_martin]

Somebody released somethin' at the end of May that I wanted to check out but I can't remember who. Do you know that band that plays that song? C'mon, you know. It goes something like da da di da da do.

Seriously though, a band that gets some luv around here released an album at the end of May (or perhaps first of June). Who was it?

[Slosh]

[dean_martin]

Thanks, Slosh. It was DCfC. I'm surprised none of you got that given the rather obvious clues.

[noddin0ff]

I've been giving this a few listens lately



It's a good listen. Not sure where it falls in the spectrum of music descriptors. Its fun and propulsive. Lots of stuff going on. Not quite party music, not quite prog, At one point I thought that if you took last years Circulatory System album and forced it to become a dance album by adding power rock riffs and a hint of Ska... then I gave up. I'm terrible at knowing upon first listens whether an album will grow on me with time or get tiresome. Guessing I'll continue to like this.

[Mike]

Only one gets constant play for me, Social Distortion - Hard Time and Nursery Rhymes, haven't listened to them for years and then they bring this out, how do they keep on doing it.

But lots of other 2011 releases I'm liking, I've put 3-4 throw away complilations together for in the car based on the following. Mostly covers, folky/jangly pop/electronica stuff

James Vincent McMorrow – Early in the Morning
My Morning Jacket – Circuital
Roddy Woomble – The Impossible Song and Other Songs
Nicolas Jaar – Space is Only Noise
The Braids – Native Speaker
Telekinesis – 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Metronomy – English Riviera
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator
Alex Turner – Submarine EP
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
Bell X1 – Bloodless Coup
Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math
The Antlers – Burst Apart
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – Scandalous
Noah & the Whale – Last Night on Earth
The Boxer Rebellion – Cold Still
Jamie Woon – Mirrorwriting
Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys
David Kilgour & Heavy 8's - Left By Soft
Decemberists - King is Dead
Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting
Yuck - Yuck
Vetiver - Errant Charm

And some from 2010 I came late to, Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard and The Phoenix Foundation - Buffalo

Cheers
Mike

[Mike]

I'd forgotten what a good source of info it is. Looking at your playlist I spotted 13 & God - Own Your Ghost, not so keen on the rap but hearing Marcus Achers voice is sublime. Thanks for the prompt.

Cheers
Mike

[Davey]

David Kilgour & Heavy 8's - Left By Soft

What the ... where did that come from? I'm off to find out. Seeyalaterbye...

[nobody]

I stole your half gone tag to title this comp...

One Way Ticket to the Moon - Roy Ellis
Shari Vari - The Dirtbombs
Tinsel & Glitter - Fujiya and Miyagi
The World (Is Going Up in Flames) - Charles Bradley
Go Outside - Cults
Calyer - Beach Fossils
Already in Love - Exene Cervenka
Let U Down - Those Darlins
Bad Boy - Hunx and his Punx
German Reggae - Teenage Panzerkorps
Diablo! - Davilla666
No Romance - Mind Spiders
Post Break-Up Sex - The Vaccines
You Gotta Lose - Obits
Heart is a Beating Drum - The Kills
Love Me Like You Used To Do - Skybombers
Cannibal Courtship - Dengue Fever
Forget That You're Young - The Raveonettes
Openings - Zomes
Limit to Your Love - James Blake
Creep On Creepin In - Timber Timbre
Portland - Middle Brother



I'm also really digging Mountains: Air Museum, great ambient drone...as well as the lastes from Barn Owl, ambient but more acoustic oriented.

[Slosh]

Haven't had a chance to spin it yet....

[Jim Clark]

I've been enjoying Actor Castor by the Generationals quite a bit. To me it's been quite a bit more than 80's kitsch but there are obvious influences there. This album is a whole lot of fun. There's a vid on the website. If the vid intrigues you, you will dig the album.

http://generationals.com/

jc

[jonnyhambone]

I've been enjoying 2011 so far...in all it's incarnations but certainly including some really good music releases. I just wrote up a nerdy blog posting about this and it can and should be read right here -->

HERE

thanks.
ps...the new Jessie Sykes I talk about there is really pretty awesome. I know a couple folks around here liked her at some point

[Jim Clark]

I went out and grabbed the Bon Iver. Then I went ahead and picked up everything else by Bon Iver which was only an EP and album so it's nice that it was so affordable. So, yeah, I liked it a lot. Also the Washed Out album is simply amazing and ought to make at least a few top 10's this year.

I have yet to spend much time with the Vetiver release but that's something I need to do soon. Ditto with the Black Lips. Something I'll probably end up liking a lot once I get some uninterrupted listening time.

jc

[nobody]

Yeah, I dig that Washed Out album, picked up the vinyl over the weekend.

I need to get a good listen to the new Sons & Daughters.

[Davey]

I've finally been knocked out by something this year, now that I've spent a few days listening to the new Richard Buckner "Our Blood". Really starting to get special. Sounds quite a bit better than I was expecting too. This one is destined for a lot of repeat action in the coming months.

[Davey]

David Kilgour & Heavy 8's - Left By Soft

What the ... where did that come from? I'm off to find out. Seeyalaterbye...

Well, that was about 4 months ago, and I did go off to find the latest from my old favorite David Kilgour that day, and it was just in the form of a mp3 download, and I still listened to it a bunch. So I was at the local Rasputin going out of business sale yesterday (will there be any record stores left in a couple years?) and grabbed a physical copy and ripped the flac to my PC and I've been in jangle-rock heaven all weekend. I really love this CD, it's got that trademark guitar sound he's so good at, kind of like his "other" band, the Clean, and the Feelies and Luna and REM and all the others, but lots of beautiful guitar playing on this one, which is usually the case on his later solo records, but this one is really special, almost like a NY & Crazy Horse record at times, but with more of that shimmer I love so much. One of my favorites this year. And as usual, sounds pretty nice too, and feels like they are really playing together. Good band. Thanks again for the heads up, Mike, I can see this winding up my favorite record of the year, or at least my most played.

Nice Ned Raggett 4.5 star review at AMG ... Left by Soft - David Kilgour | AllMusic