Is Jim Clark going mad?

[Swish]

He listed two cds among his 'worst of 2010' that have been given a lot of favorable attention, one of them on RR (Josh Ritter) and the other was chosen by Mojo magazine as their best of 2010. I just ordered the latter after hearing a couple good sample tracks, and the guy is backed by the band Midlake. So somebody is terribly wrong here and I'm not saying who, but.....

MOJO - Top 50 Albums of 2010
1 John Grant - Queen of Denmark
2 Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
3 MGMT - Congratulations
4 Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep
5 The Black Keys - Brothers
6 Paul Weller - Wakes Up The Nation
7 Midlake - The Courage of Others
8 Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy
9 The Coral - Butterfly House
10 Doug Paisley - Constant Companion
11 Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
12 Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
13 Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
14 Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
15 Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
16 Aerial Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
17 Roots Manuva meets Wrongtom - Duppy Writer
18 Caribou - Swim
19 Rumer - Seasons of My Soul
20 Grinderman - Grinderman 2
21 Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk
22 Sam Amidon - I See The Sign
23 Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings - I Learned The Hard Way
24 The Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down
25 Foals - Total Life Forever
26 Gorrilaz - Plastic Beach
27 Field Music - Field Music (Measure)
28 DangerMouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of The Soul
29 Gill Scott-Heron - I'm New Here
30 Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
31 Neil Young - Le Noise
32 Robert Plant - Band of Joy
33 The Roots - How I Got Over You
34 Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
35 M.I.A. - // / Y /
36 LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
37 Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
38 Gonjasufi - A Sufi And A Killer
39 Wyatt, Atzmon, Stephens - For The Ghosts Within
40 Eli Paperboy Reed - Come and Get It
41 Tom Jones - Praise and Blame
42 Kelley Soltz - To Dreamers
43 The Besnard Lakes - Are The Roaring Night
44 Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
45 Roky Erickson with Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil
46 Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back
47 Jane Weaver & Septieme Souer - The Fallen By Watch Bird
48 John Legend & The Roots- Wake Up!
49 Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - Ali & Toumani
50 Matthew Dear - Black City

[dean_martin]

Q: "Is Jim Clark going mad?"

A: Who isn't?

[Rae]

Maybe it's the rest of the world that's gone mad?

~Rae

[ForeverAutumn]

I thought that was determined a long time ago.

[Davey]

Ya know, in the old days, and I mean way back, we used to just rack it up to huffing floor wax... but then he took off the apron and got a real job managing a gym. I think it's kind of like McDonald's, if you are older than 16 then you're the manager, but still crazy after all these years, who knows, maybe too much huffing body spray now? Music taste that rides like a roller coaster, but if you ignore a couple obvious sanity lapses, he talks a pretty good game. Still, that Josh Ritter isn't even half bad. It's not Animal Years, and especially not Hello Starling, but not on my bad list.

[atomicAdam]

All I know is I pick my music based on what other people think.

[3LB]

Never really been a Josh Ritter fan - don't hate'm, just never been compelled to investigate beyond what I've heard happenstancedly. Now, there was a time when reading that Midlake was his backing band would have elicited the desire to check out more Ritter, but then Midlake goes and follows up their masterpiece, The Trials Of Van Occupanther ('06) with something rather droll, last year's The Courage Of Others.

[3LB]

The first thing I've heard this year that really piqued my interest was the newest from The Dears, a song called Omega Dog off their album Degeneration Street (not yet released).

[Davey]

Now, there was a time when reading that Midlake was his backing band would have elicited the desire to check out more Ritter

You may just be more crazy than Jim...or maybe just more confused?
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[ForeverAutumn]

The first thing I've heard this year that really piqued my interest was the newest from The Dears, a song called Omega Dog off their album Degeneration Street (not yet released).

That's good to hear. I loved Gang of Losers, but Missiles sunk like a, well, a dud missile for me.

[ForeverAutumn]

All I know is I pick my music based on what other people think.

As you should. Now go listen to Progressive Rock...and lot's of it...REALLY LOUD!

[Swish]

Never really been a Josh Ritter fan - don't hate'm, just never been compelled to investigate beyond what I've heard happenstancedly. Now, there was a time when reading that Midlake was his backing band would have elicited the desire to check out more Ritter, but then Midlake goes and follows up their masterpiece, The Trials Of Van Occupanther ('06) with something rather droll, last year's The Courage Of Others.

Ritter was not backed by Midlake, it's the 'latter' record, the one chosen by Mojo (John Grant) that featured them as the backing band.

[3LB]

Ritter was not backed by Midlake, it's the 'latter' record, the one chosen by Mojo (John Grant) that featured them as the backing band.

actually, I know someone who has that Ritter CD (listened to it last night) and after reading the credits was on my way over to here to post about it - but I see my error was caught, by Davey it seems, though in his usual cryptic way, he merely eluded that something was amiss. Thanks for clearing it up for everybody Swish. Kinda funny though, musically speaking, Ritter's album isn't that far off from what Midlake did on their last album. I haven't heard of John Grant, maybe I'll keep an ear to the ground, hoping Midlake couldn't possibly make two boring albums in one year.

[Jim Clark]

Yep, he's an idiot. But I also notice that Junip isn't even in Mojo's top 50 so I question how bright those geniuses are to begin with.

That thing (ritter) is a snooze fest though. My only argument is that I think FA thought it boring too!

I'll tell you what. If you can listen to that John Grant album all the way through and like it, I'll bust it out and listen to it in the car for a week non-stop for a punishment.



jc

[Jim Clark]

Ya know, in the old days, and I mean way back, we used to just rack it up to huffing floor wax... but then he took off the apron and got a real job managing a gym. I think it's kind of like McDonald's, if you are older than 16 then you're the manager, .

Yeah, it was between this and Taco Bell. Still not entirely sure I made the correct call.

jc

[ForeverAutumn]

That thing (ritter) is a snooze fest though. My only argument is that I think FA thought it boring too!

jc

Yeah, but I spent yesterday listening to thrash metal. It's the Josh Ritter antithesis. So don't listen to what I have to say.

Actually, I quite like Josh Ritter. I just haven't loved the last two disks as much as the two prior to that. If So Runs the World Away had been my first experience with him, I doubt that I would delve any deeper. Luckily the amazing Hello Starling was my first Ritter experience.

[Swish]

Yeah, it was between this and Taco Bell. Still not entirely sure I made the correct call.

jc

...eh Jim?

[Swish]

That thing (ritter) is a snooze fest though. My only argument is that I think FA thought it boring too! jc

I mean, she like Prog. It can't get more boring than that.

[Jim Clark]

real beef at the gym...eh Jim?

Good one, no lawsuit here : )