Friday, August 31, 2007

Albums I've purchased in August

Album of the month:

Okkervil River - "The Stage Names." Will's voice definitely takes some getting used to. After a few listens, though, I've become quite impressed by their musicality, composition and production. I would classify the album as good "violent rainstorm music," but not necessarily a sunny summer day album.

Runner up:

Josh Ritter - "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter." This was supposed to be Ritter's "coming-out" album, setting him on the road to stardom (which he has already achieved in Ireland...yes, he's from Idaho. Them Irish like their folk singers, I suppose). But where in the world was the press for this album? "The Animal Years" was on many "best-of-year" lists, and V2 - the label that released it - collapsed as the album was being released, coincidentally the same night that Ritter was on Letterman. Now he's on Sony, which presumably has even greater marketing prowess and heft. So why in the world was there no review of this album on any of the regular outlets? Okkervil River gets a NYT review, and nothing for Ritter? Not even a Pitchfork review, though this isn't the stuff they usually enjoy. Especially since the rule of thumb is "sales of one's latest work respond to the quality of the latest release" - any label that knew what it was doing would've capitalized off of the good reviews from "The Animal Years" and responded by championing Ritter as the next big thing.

His sound is even more approachable here. Less acoustic, more big band - more radio friendly, but his experimentation with new sounds makes for a less coherent album than his last. There's a lot of incredibly catchy stuff on here, but as an album, I prefer "The Animal Years." Still a solid release, and highly recommended.

Also:

Caribou - "Andorra." Sunny 60s pop. Haven't heard any Caribou (or Manitoba) prior to this, but I've heard that this is a departure. More melodic, less electronic than the past? Nice work music.

bodies of water - "Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink." If you like The Polyphonic Spree or Danielson, or if Godspell holds a special place in your heart, then this is for you. If the idea of The Spree makes you sick to your stomach, then stay away. Actually more gospel and overtly religious than the others. Same style: large number of singers (though they share lead vocal duties here), lots of instruments, etc. Not bad, but doesn't stand out from the other two bands I mentioned.

The 1900s - "Plume Delivery." [EP] Sort of VU + Belle and Sebastian. I've heard some tracks from their October release "Cold & Kind" which I *really really really* like; nothing from this EP matches "When I Say Go" or "Two Ways" from this upcoming release, which I'm really looking forward to. Try "A Coming of Age." Definitely a band to watch.

Albums released in not August that were nonetheless acquired in August:

The Avett Brothers - "Emotionalism": Ah, heck yeah! Now this is what I'm looking for, thanks emusic! This was released in March, but I only heard about the band a few days ago. Since the band has "Brothers" in the name, you automatically know this is bluegrass. But! Don't let that scare you away. These guys are best described as: bluegrass + Beatles + Josh Ritter + a little bit of screaming here and there = excellence. I know you don't believe me. But perhaps a live performance from Conan can convince you. This is quite possibly my favorite album of the year.

The Avett Brothers - "Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions." So I listened to Emotionalism for abouth a week straight (definitely one of my favorite of the year. That album has absolutely no filler, sounds like the Beatles crossed with bluegrass, and is simply delightful), and decided that a large chunk of my remaining emusic downloads needed to go to their previous album. This one is also quite good; it's longer and less focused, though; more bluegrass and less pop. Still excellent, however.

The Avett Brothers: - "Gleam" [EP]. More mellow than their latest two full lengths, definitely recommend their latest two before this (and, actually, "Mignonette," which came before this).

The Avett Brothers: - "Mignonette." What can I say, you find a band you like, why wait? Not as coherent an album even as "Four Thieves," but hints at the greatness to come...still, a large collection of catchy songs, and suggested if you like "Emotionalism" and "Four Thieves Gone."

My Teenage Stride - "Ears Like Golden Bats." Throwback to the 1980s! Think Smiths meets Joy Division. Actually, this is what Interpol would sound like if they had been formed in the 1980s. Extremely catchy, this is exactly what I like! Me thinks I'll be listening to this one for months to come.

Battles - "Mirrored." Electronica/"math rock"/atmospheric music - basically anything without lyrics - usually doesn't appeal to me. (I suppose want to be able to sing along with my music or at least hum the tune). So Battles would generally not interest me, but they're darn catchy. Here's the video to their latest single. Although there's lots of vocal distortion, I like how the drums are front and center. Good stuff.

Bright Eyes - "Cassadaga." I like Conor better when he sounds angry and unhinged. There's a little bit of this here, but not much. This is definitely the best produced and orchestrated of his albums, but the lack of energy and passion makes the whole thing sound bland. If M. Ward is still releasing stuff when he's 60, that's what this might sound like. Shoulda listened to the reviews.

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