So what's new? Really.

[Swish]

I've been too busy to post lately (seems everyone is, or just getting tired of it?) and things are going to get even crazier with the holidays coming soon and my having to move yet again in mid-January. We were going to wait until the spring to start house shopping but found one that we couldn't pass up, so we made the offer and they accepted. Something could foul it up, but prolly not.

I haven't heard too much new music of late, and new to me is something released over the last couple months. I also haven't been to any decent shows since seeing Spoon and The Shins back in the spring. I guess I need to see who's touring and coming somewhere close to my neck o' the woods.

So, as I was asking, what's new?

[Jim Clark]

Like you, busy as L. Most of the boards don't have anything of interest if they have anything at all that is. Too bad, AR used to be a happening site : (

I am not envying you an East Coast move in January. Here's to global warming that weekend.

Oh, and the Chiefs won, that's really, really new. Figured out the games are more tolerable if you watch the games and spin your toons instead of listening to the commentators. Chiefs are so bad we get the bottom of the barrel commentators anyway.

jc

[Hyfi]

Well I just got home after a long weekend of watching after my 85 y/o father in law while my mother in law is in the hospital for a week now. We have already canceled our Thanksgiving. I've had to give back two weekends of big dollar extended support for Novartis in Switzerland.

Then I open my mail to find not just one but two fraudulent charges on my phone bill. ! for Roadside Pal....who....and another from a phone billing company Unitedtel who said I signed up somewhere and downloaded MP3s. Well you all know my views on MP3s to figure that I probably wouldn't be downloading them. So tomorrow the battle begins with Verizon.

But, in my mail was a nice treat from Finch. Looking forward to spinning several tasty discs of Journey, Mule, Hellecasters, and more. What a bright spot to a totally crappy week.

One thing someone told me years ago, when you think your life is total crap, just turn on the news and you will see that someone actually has it worse.

Cheers, have a great week all and hopefully enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!!!

[Swish]

Like you, busy as L. Most of the boards don't have anything of interest if they have anything at all that is. Too bad, AR used to be a happening site : (

I am not envying you an East Coast move in January. Here's to global warming that weekend.

Oh, and the Chiefs won, that's really, really new. Figured out the games are more tolerable if you watch the games and spin your toons instead of listening to the commentators. Chiefs are so bad we get the bottom of the barrel commentators anyway.

jc

...them because I hate the friggin' Steelers. I went berserk when, during O.T., the network switched to the Jets/Pats game that hadn't even started yet! WTF! They did switch it back just in time for me to see the Steelers forced to punt and the winning drive. Now, had that stoopid kicker for Washington done his job, the Cowboys would have lost. He missed a chip shot before the half and a lengthy one late on. I was really ticked the way that ended. Dallas is the crappiest team in the league right now, but they are doomed when it comes to the playoffs. Romo with NEVER succeed. Trust me on that.

As for music, I've been listening to some of my old faves, and by old I mean stuff from the last decade that I can't be without....Spoon, Wilco, The Shins, Pinback, Sparklehorse...comfort music I suppose, to help me relieve the stress.

[Swish]

In my mail was a nice treat from Finch.

Sorry to hear about the in-laws. Getting old is such a mess. My dad will be 87 on December 7th (mom will be 84 in January) and we went through some issues with him a few years ago. I was just glad I was around to help him out with doctors visits and so forth. He's doing pretty well now, thankfully.

[ForeverAutumn]

What's new in music for me?

Nothing you'd be interested in.

[Slosh]

Here's a sneak peak at my YEC. That's kinda new, I guess. I'm still waiting for my copy of the new Holopaw CD to arrive. I know which track I want to use because I've had it on mp3 for a while but can't bring myself to put mp3 on my YEC. Anyway, there are currently 21 tracks in the folder.

Slosh 2009 YEC in progress

[Mr MidFi]

My YEC is still in a state of feverish flux as well. But it will certainly include tunes from the following titles:

The Boxer Rebellion – Union
Wilco (the album)
The Doves – Kingdom of Rust
Porcupine Tree – The Incident
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Umphrey’s McGee – Mantis
Cage the Elephant (s/t)
Steven Wilson – Insurgentes
Gomez – A New Tide
U2 – No Line on the Horizon
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
Ida Maria – Fortress Around My Heart

[Davey]

Here's a sneak peak at my YEC. That's kinda new, I guess. I'm still waiting for my copy of the new Holopaw CD to arrive. I know which track I want to use because I've had it on mp3 for a while but can't bring myself to put mp3 on my YEC. Anyway, there are currently 21 tracks in the folder.

Slosh 2009 YEC in progress

Where'd you order the Holopaw? Waiting for mine too, but I only ordered a few days ago from the label, along with the new Old Canes from their label. I checked on preordering the Holopaw last month, but they didn't have secure ordering set up at the time, so I skipped. But prompted by your reminder a few days ago...it's paypal now. Looking forward to the Old Canes. I played the first one a couple times on Sat, one of my favorites of this decade, and really holds up well.

Holopaw - Oh Glory. Oh, Wilderness. ($8 + s/h from Bakery Outlet Records)
Old Canes - Feral Harmonic ($11 + s/h from Saddle Creek)

[Mr MidFi]

Old Canes? You know, I've had that "Blue Eleanor" song forever, and I love it. No idea whatsoever why I've never looked into the rest of that disc, but after reviewing all the 30-second bites just now... I think I'm gonna get it.

Let us know how Feral Harmonic works out for you.

[Slosh]

Where'd you order the Holopaw?
Holopaw - Oh Glory. Oh, Wilderness. ($8 + s/h from Bakery Outlet Records)

I ordered mine from No Idea Records ($10 + $2.75 s/h), the second time around. Originally I ordered it from Barnes & Noble just because I had a gift certificate that covered their rip-off price but they canceled on me a few weeks ago.

FWIW, the new 'Canes doesn't quite measure up to the debut but is still worth owning (and is better than the new Appleseed Cast).

[Slosh]

Here's an MP3 version of my YEC that I made for my iPod. If FLAC is too much trouble to you grab this instead.

Slosh 2009 Year-End Comp MP3

[tentoze]

Probably won't get much traction here, but:

Joe Henry's latest, Blood From Stars, is terrific.
A. A. Bondy~ When The Devil's Loose is getting a lot of play time around me, as is
The Duke and The King~ Nothing Gold Can Stay

[Slosh]

Hey 'toze, how ya liking the Loudon Wainwright III disc(s). I think it's a bit too old-timey for my tastes.

[tentoze]

Hey 'toze, how ya liking the Loudon Wainwright III disc(s). I think it's a bit too old-timey for my tastes.

I can understand that opinion. I think it's an amazing accomplishment, and one that deserves a lot of industry recognition, which it won't get, of course.

[Mr MidFi]

Here's an MP3 version of my YEC that I made for my iPod. If FLAC is too much trouble to you grab this instead.

Slosh 2009 Year-End Comp MP3

Thanks, man. I'm flying to London tonight, so I'll have plenty of time to "spin" this one a couple times.

I look forward to your YEC every year, btw. It's always a well-curated sonic exhibition.

[Stone]

Vinyl and cassettes are the new mp3s.

I have a loaner car with a cassette player only, and have been listening to vinyl almost exclusively at home. None of the music is new, but good nonetheless.

Regarding new music, I listened to the new Beasties' Doublecheck Your Head thing, which is interesting but not astounding, and the latest Bats album is very good, but not much of a departure from their earlier records.

[Finch Platte]

What's new in music for me?

Nothing you'd be interested in.

Stinging a little because no one has commented on your Trans-Siberian Orchestra post? Don'tcha hate it when you take the time to do a nice writeup & no one comments?

I know the feeling.

[ForeverAutumn]

Stinging a little because no one has commented on your Trans-Siberian Orchestra post? Don'tcha hate it when you take the time to do a nice writeup & no one comments?

I know the feeling.

YES! I worked hard on that write-up.

[MindGoneHaywire]

Hey 'toze, how ya liking the Loudon Wainwright III disc(s). I think it's a bit too old-timey for my tastes.

Dig "The Drinking Song."

[bobsticks]

I haven't heard anything new (or old for that matter) in ages. I just got out of the hospital a few days ago as my hedonistic lifestyle led to some severe pancreatic issues...but, segueing back to the conversations from a month ago, I still plan on sending out a Decade's End Comp that everyone will hate....

[Davey]

FWIW, the new 'Canes doesn't quite measure up to the debut but is still worth owning.

The CD sounds like it was sourced from crappy sounding mp3 (I guess it was recorded in his basement studio - should probably ask for a new cassette deck for xmas ), but the packaging is first rate and the music is too. You're right, probably not the equal of the debut, that one is pretty special (though it sounds pretty crappy too, mostly just too loud), but this one does share a lot with it musically speaking, even opens up in a similar fashion, with "Little Bird Courage" replacing "Blue Elanor".
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http://toolshed.biz/promovuz/291
Well worth the wait, the music on Feral Harmonic is bold and loud. While folk music at heart, the presentation is far from traditional, with the songs drawing elements from different influences (such as indie and even punk rock), and the rulebook of contemporary recording thrown out the window. “Production value, fidelity, a low noise floor, whatever, are all beside the point,” says Crisci. “The only things I care about are the idea and the energy. When folk, traditional music, punk, rock...so many styles of music lose out when the focus is on slick production, and not on expressing what matters most in a song.

[Davey]

I'm still waiting for my copy of the new Holopaw CD to arrive. I know which track I want to use because I've had it on mp3 for a while but can't bring myself to put mp3 on my YEC.

Ya know, I think the mp3 sounds a little better than the CD. Got a bit more dynamics, guess it was made before the CD was mastered since it isn't quite as squashed. The guy that owns the label sent it to me in a folded brown paper envelope with a little bubble wrap, just like I used to do with my comps. Heehee, talk about homemade music! Too bad it doesn't sound a little better. I was kinda hoping that by now the indie trend would start to go back to decent sound instead of this idiotic perceived need to make all CDs as loud and distorted as possible. But then again, it probably could be a lot worse.

To be honest though, after a couple listens, I don't think it is a very special album. Just doesn't have that sense of enchantment that was all over the debut. They had a sparkle back then,something in the air. Doesn't happen very often these days, but it did. Not on every song, but more than once. Maybe because it was more acoustic, or had more subtle effects, I don't know.

Orth's singing is getting kinda precious too, with all that warbling in every song. But you know me, in a couple weeks I'll probably be calling it best record of the decade

[Slosh]

Ya know, I think the mp3 sounds a little better than the CD. Got a bit more dynamics, guess it was made before the CD was mastered since it isn't quite as squashed.

Really? The debut and Quit +/or Fight, as well as Sharpen Your Teeth, all have pretty decent sonics (for lo-fi). I wouldn't know as my CD still hasn't shown up.

Trust me - it does grow on you. I guess using the same little phrases (clipper ships, lazy looping, palominos, telephone wires, etc.) across an entire career can get a bit tired but the music behind it is still excellent. Peppering the music with a brass section now and then helps keep the songs a little more interesting (Calexico and Richmond Fontaine must have rubbed off some). It's a keeper.

[Davey]

Really? The debut and Quit +/or Fight, as well as Sharpen Your Teeth, all have pretty decent sonics (for lo-fi).

Yea, the debut and Sharpen Your Teeth were done by Brian Deck, along with Moon and Antarctica and the Califone debut, all excellent recordings, and mastered well too. That's what I was hoping for here too, but completely different engineer and mastering, and I guess the band must've wanted a different sound to go with the new music. Just for fun, to contrast the mastering and recording style (along with the music), I opened the first song on the debut vs the new one in Audacity below ... which one do you think sounds more natural





But I'm sure you're right that it will grow on me. Just kinda taken aback at first by all the horns and other sounds, wasn't expecting that sound. And definitely more warbling