Best Al*** of the year so far

My vote still goes to Lambchop is a woman

Fantastic Damage by EL-P is my hands-down winner so far. I'm sure it's not for everyone, so sample first, but man... .

In general the NYC "alternative" hip-hop scene is among the most interesting things happening right now. This stuff is intense, politically up-front, twisted, and inventive in ways that the (IMO) cliched, exhausted, and utterly commercialized main-stream hip-hop scene can no longer even imagine.

'Are you shpongled' and 'Tales of the inexpressible'

Garyi - Nice one Lambchop 'is a woman'

Just goes to show doesn't it 'cos I think the Lamchop is in the worst 2 or 3 I've bought this year. Just so dull!! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Anthony Rother - The Hacker

DS

My favourite so far this year:
Lena willemark "windogur"

Gunnar

Of the things I've bought this year the best is Don't Fall in Love with Everyone you Meet by Okkerville River. Great songs with bittersweet/disturbing lyrics done in country tinged rock. Honorable mention to Nina Natasia, The Blackened Air.

Yes. New albums from Aimee Mann and Massive would be nice. Got dissappointed with the two latest Amos albums though. An old favourite like Joni Mitchell is also welcome. Same with Rickie lee Jones.

My alltime favourite Bowie delivered quite a good album this year I think. Not bad at all.

Gunnar

On blue vinyl!
-Dan

I'm obviously missing something with this death through dullness special of Lambchop's, Is a woman.

Has everyone who has got this also got Wilco's Hotel Yankee Foxtrot, this is in a similar vein with a bit more variation and some tunes, vastly superior IMO.

quote:

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Guddy needs to discipline you soundly

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Hey hey hey she needs some paddlocks to do that but I've the keys

Ok was a snapshot.

Vote for Lambchop 'is a woman'

I would've voted for Lampshop too except for that dumb looking dog on the inside cover. So good marks for music - poor marks for art direction!

(The design for the vinyl's front cover completely smacks of "Oh shit, we forgot about the art for the album! Why don't we just put the cover art from the CD on the front with the same colour round the outside".)

Geogaddi is at the top of the list for me too - good cover art too!

But my Album of Year (so far) is not a release from this this year but one I've hooked into bigtime. Gomez's first and second albums "Bring it On" and "Liquid Skin".

Jay

I also vote Lambchop - "Is a Woman"

I am really addicted to this recording and think it took a lot of guts to realease such a sparse production.

It was due to heavy forum traffic that I listened to Lamchop and Sigur Ros, so thanx.

The music on Wilco's Hotel Yankee Foxtrot sounds superb but for some reason the singer's voice annoys me.

Will probably pick up the new Coldplay this week, but I can't see it beating Lambchop.

MfG

Brian OReilly

The Coldplay is big, friendly and tuneful but lacks depth or passion. The U2 impersonation on some tracks almost infringes copyright!

I'm still with Wilco as my Album Of The Year so far.

Bruce

Folks

I've just ordered The Coral and Lambchop albums from cd-wow.com

£6.99 each with no postage costs!! Two great bargains

Gavin

Have to say that for me, two albums stand out so far this year:

Caroline Dale - Such Sweet Thunder
Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble - Mnemosyne

For me these two albums epitomise perfection - they are, first and foremost, astonishing albums, in their ability to move your soul and draw you in. Secondly they are both superbly produced, which only heightens my enjoyment of listening to them.

My worst nightmare is finding a fabulous piece of music badly recorded or mastered, it ruins the pleasure of the music for me!

Gav

Although I really enjoy the Lambchop album, and the Coldplay is also good, the latest from the Flaming Lips, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" is so obviously better that it wins hands-down. It's complex, lush, lyrical, emotional, accessible, etc. etc. etc. It's an amazing marriage of prog rock intelligence and catchy pop sensibilities.

I have to admit, though, that if you prefer laid back folk or jazz, I could see you picking Lambchop. And Coldplay is a better fit in the "straight-ahead rock" category. However, in terms of overall musical enjoyment, "Yoshimi..." gets the prize!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

I got this following the string of recommendations in this thread. The general consensus is true, it grows on you with each play. Fantastic stuff.

Another favourite album this year has to be Nick Harper's live 'Double Life' CD. For those that don't know him, he's the son of Roy, and an awe inspiring guitarist. His best stuff is live, and this package gets as close to capturing his talent and energy as I could have hoped.

Regards,

Will.

Just bought the following last weekend. I've only listened a couple of times but initial thoughts are:

Flaming Lips - Yoshimi..: Not got into this at all yet. Seems to lack anything of interest, No tunes, No direction. Hopefully will grow.

Coldplay - Rush of Blood..: Pretty good, I was quite releaved when I heard this, because I feared from some of the comments here that it may lack depth. But I'm glad to say I don't think it does, It's not the immediate, poppy affair I feared. And I do think many of the songs have considerable emotion.

Royksop - Melody AM: I have very little of this type of music (amdient dance/dub whatever),after a few bad experiences I dismissed it for several years. However I do like the best of the genre and this is up there near the top. It's not as good as the 'Sounds from the Grounds' Lp I was introduced to by Nick but it's not far behind.

McAlmont and Butler: Now I like this, McAlmont's vocals are superb. Arrangements are big motown/Phil Spector like but still allowing the vocals to breath, and the songs are great.


All in all a good bunch (except the Flaming Lips). But none will enter my years top 5 yet which consists of:

The Coral
The Chilli Peppers
Morcheba
Jimmy Eat World

Number 5 still open as yet.

OOps Double post

....'Open Heart Zoo' by Martin Grech.

Thanks to whoever it was on the Forum that pointed me in his direction a few months ago.

If you like Radiohead, the Buckleys etc. its well worth getting. Although he has obvious influences OHZ never comes across as some bloke going out of his way trying to sound like his heroes.

Jonathan

Yep - The Coral is there or thereabouts - that's definately Julian Cope singing that first track.

Freshest album The Streets, Original Pirate Material.

Just bought John Squires record - and people say Ian Brown can't sing!