Friday Music Day

FMD – 5/9/14: Cream of the First Third of the Crop

34 Comments

As AMR is occupied, I am covering for him this week. So, to kick off the music discussion this week, I'm going to share my 10 favorite albums that have come out so far this year. I always try to keep lists during the year to make my year end list easier, but I usually fail. So hopefully helps me keep that up this year. And maybe something I've listed will appeal to you. Both of those things would be pretty cool.

01. The Coathangers - Suck My Shirt. Three piece, all grrl punk rock. This has some great riffs and reminds me a lot of Sleater-Kinney. This totally kicks ass.
02. EMA - The Future's Void. This album deals with a lot of themes I find incredibly interesting (the effect of the internet on culture, privacy and the lack thereof, being a millenial) and it rules.
03. Gucci Mane & Young Thug - Young Thugga Mane La Flare. It's about what you'd expect. I can't get enough Atlanta trap, though.
04. Marissa Nadler - July. Haunting folk music. Awesome for late nights.
05. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata. Freddie's typically hard midwest gangster shit over Madlib's jazz/soul infused production. This bangs.
06. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness. Great, fuzzy, folky album with great production.
07. Future - Honest. As raw as rap infused with a ton of autotune can be. Even better than his great debut. "Move That Dope" (NSFW, strong language) is the best song I've heard all year.
08. YG - My Krazy Life. This burned out pretty fast for me, but it's still one of the best West Coast rap albums I've heard in a minute. The production is outstanding.
09. Odonis Odonis - Hard Boiled Soft Boiled. Weirdo blown out electro punk. Super heavy/noisy side A and a more relaxed side B. This will probably creep up my list the more I listen to it.
10. Fear of Men - Loom. I'm a sucker for shimmery shoegaze, and this album sounds like it was recorded 20 years ago and just released.

BT. Since it's not officially released, and I've only listened to the stream once, the new Swans album To Be Kind is not officially on the list. I assure you it would be very high on my list, though.

Anyway, I hope this list was interesting to you. Drop your random ten, or your favorite ten, or your pants, or whatever below.

34 thoughts on “FMD – 5/9/14: Cream of the First Third of the Crop”

  1. I have not bought an album this year. Heck, I've only purchased 5 songs. But there is a new Nick Waterhouse album out I need to get and that will happen soon as I have money.

    'Only the Good Die Young' - Billy Joel The Stranger
    'Hold My Life' - The Replacements Tim
    'A Face in the Crowd' - Tom Petty Full Moon Fever
    'Catch Hell Blues' - White Stripes Icky Thump
    'The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get' - Morrissey

    'Day Is Done' - John Prine Lost Dogs + Mixed Blessings
    'Rain King' - Counting Crows August and Everything After
    'Conquistador' - Procol Harum
    'Lovelines' - The Replacements Hootenanny
    'Lets Go Crazy' - Prince The Very Best of Prince

  2. 1. "Kathy's Song"--Simon & Garfunkel--Sounds of Silence
    2. "Tu Le Ton Son Ton"--Zydeco All Stars--Best of Zydeco
    3. "Take Me Back to Tulsa"--Merle Haggard--A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World/It's All in the Movies
    4. "Copperhead Road"--Steve Earle--Copperhead Road
    5. "Beyond the Sea"--Kevin Spacey--Beyond the Sea: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
    6. "Old Man Blues"--Sidney Bechet--Slippin' and Slidin'
    7 "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You"--Bryan Adams--So Far So Good
    8. "La-De-De, La-De-Da"--Fats Waller--Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 4
    9. "Uptown Girl"--Billy Joel--An Innocent Man
    10. "You Lead"--Jamie Grace--One Song at a Time

  3. 01. Windir - "Byrjing", Valfar
    02. Darkthrone - "Kathaarian Life Code", A Blaze in the Northern Sky
    03. Morgana Lefay - "Alley of Oaks", Past Present Future
    04. Darkthrone - "Watchtower", Soulside Journey
    05. Carcass - "Incarnated Solvent Abuse", Buried Dreams
    06. Finntroll - "Vindafard-Manniskopesten", Nattfodd
    07. Crimson Glory - "Valhalla", Crimson Glory
    08. Kampfar - "Valdogg", Mellom Skogkledde Aaser
    09. Crimson Glory - "Touch the Sun", Astronomica
    10. Dio - "The Last in Line", The Last in Line

    1. I've actually purchased one newly released album from 2014. Herons by Evenoire. That is something I rarely do, especially when its a band I've never heard of. But, I was browsing some reviews and the description of the music made it an easy choice. I'm a sucker for symphonic and folk metal these days, so combining the two left me with no choice.

      1. Folk metal has been a particular area of obsession for me lately. How can you not love a band with a fiddle and an accordion with a microphone stand made out of antlers?

        httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxNz4I2iFio

  4. 1. Bob Dylan - "The Man in Me" - New Morning
    2. Nada Surf - "The Future" - The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy
    3. Diarrhea Planet - "Separations" - I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
    4. The 1975 - "M.O.N.E.Y." - The 1975
    5. Drive By Truckers - "The Deeper In" - Decoration Day
    6. MGMT - "Your Life is a Lie" - MGMT
    7. The Shins - "September" - Port of Morrow
    8. Radiohead - "My Iron Lung" - The Bends
    9. Eels - "Wonderful, Glorious" - Wonderful, Glorious
    10. Phoenix - "Fences" - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

    11. Dido - "White Flag" - Life For Rent**

    **I couldn't leave 11 off the list.

  5. To no one's surprise, I second the recommendation of both the EMA and the Swans albums. I'll probably check out Odonis Odonis and Angel Olson.

    I've only got two 2014 albums so far, EMA and Have a Nice Life. Both are pretty good, so I guess I'm going for quality over quantity at this point.

    * Blackout - Boris - Pink
    * Thrust! - White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1
    * Oil in This Heart - Dolfish - Your Love is Bummin' Me Out
    * Hurt - Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
    * Now Mary - The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
    * Tonight's the Night (Part II) - Neil Young - Tonight's the Night
    * String Quartet I - John Adams - Son of Chamber Symphony & String Quartet
    * Somewhere - Husker Du - Zen Arcade
    * Scars - Suicide Machines - Steal This Record
    * Passive - A Perfect Circle - eMotive

      1. And it was produced by John Congleton who also produced the new Swans and Xiu Xiu and is generally the best. It's really too bad he broke up the pAper chAse.

    2. * Scars - Suicide Machines - Steal This Record

      I'm glad that I'm not the only one with this album in my iTunes library.

  6. 1. Lost -- Meat Puppets -- Meat Puppets II
    2. Life's A Dream -- Built To Spill -- There Is No Enemy
    3. I Don't Wanna Go There -- Dinosaur Jr -- Farm
    4. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect -- The Decemberists -- Castaways and Cut-Outs
    5. Hurt -- Johnny Cash -- The Man Comes Around
    6. You've Got Her In Your Pocket -- The White Stripes -- Elephant
    7. A Salty Salute -- Guided By Voices -- Live At The Wheelchair Races
    8. Ask Me -- Beat Happening -- Jamboree
    9. Pulling Mussels (From The Shell) -- Squeeze -- Argy Bargy**
    10. Brand New Cadillac -- The Clash -- London Calling

    B1. Scarecrow -- Beck -- Guero
    B2. To Love Somebody -- The Flying Burrito Brothers -- Gilded Palace of Sin

    ** My freshman (and only) year at Coe College, Cedar Rapids Iowa I got a cheerleader interested in me because she heard me playing this album and thought it was "different." I spent some time with her in my dorm room listening to music and it was looking good for me until her jock (football?) boyfriend interceded. It got kinda ugly for me and I think she felt bad that it was her fault that I was close to getting my face rearranged. If it was a John Hughes movie my friends and I would have pulled some elaborate prank on the guy and I would have ended up with the cheerleader. Alas, real life isn't like the movies.

  7. Thanks Zack!

    1. Colin Stetson “In Love And in Justice” New History Warfare Vol.2: Judges
         a. Red-Headed Woodpecker ‘Alarm Calls’
    2. Current 93* “UrShadow” Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain
    3. Richie Hawtin* “Orange (Yellow Mix)” M_nus Yellow
    4. Eric Copeland* “(Unititled 3)” RGAG EP
         b. Tufted Titmouse ‘Song & Calls’
    5. Current 93 “The Invisible Church” I Am the Last of All the Field that Fell

    6. EMA “When She Comes” The Future's Void
    7. Plastikman “In Side” Consumed
         c. Blackpoll Warbler ‘Song’
    8. My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult “Hand in Hand” Confessions of a Knife
    9. Richie Hawtin “The Tunnel” The Tunnel
    T. Astronautalis “Life the Curse” Daytrotter Session, 3/22/2013

    B. Kelis “Rumble”* Food

    *Notes:
    2. With James Blackshaw on Guitar.
    3. a/k/a Plastikman being less minimal. This song is based on Yello's "Oh Yeah".
    4. from Black Dice
    B. Digging this:
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yzucesoYtI

      1. Thanks. Approximately 30% of the tracks on my iPod are bird sounds, but I'd guess less than 3% of the playing time.

      1. 'Spoiler' SelectShow

  9. I have 12 albums/releases on my 2014 "Listened to enough to consider for the List" list so far. Last year I had 48 total, so this seems a little light for a third through, but I usually ramp up my sampling in the autumn anyway. Not all 12 are anywhere near worthy of being on a year-end list, though *coughTeeth Dreams*cough* but a few I'd highlight include St. Vincent, Sun Kil Moon's Benji, The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream (I was listening to this the night I won Survivor so I'll probably always love it). I also like Hospitality's Trouble (good if you like indie guitar pop) and Kye Kye's Fantasize (good if you like indie electronic pop - I think they've been brought up before here?)

    Anyway, here's another list.
    1. "Kotton Krown" - Sonic Youth Sister
    2. "All for Swinging You Around" - The New Pornographers Electric Version
    3. "Guys Eyes" - Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion
    4. "Pachuca Sunrise" - Minus the Bear Acoustics
    5. "Lock Box" - No Age An Object
    6. "Blood from a Stone" - Intronaut Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones)
    7. "Shore Points" - Cymbals Eat Guitars Lenses Alien
    8. "Gravity" - A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step
    9. "Let Me Show You Love" - Cut Copy Free Your Mind
    10. "Hannah Hunt" - Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City

    1. I did bring up the Kye Kye a few weeks ago. Really enjoying it.

      I haven't dug into new music nearly as much this year so far. I've only got 7 or 8 albums that strike me in any meaningful way (Teeth Dreams is not on that list yet, though I like enough of the songs to where I'll give it a few more tries).

    2. Teeth Dreams is growing on me, but I don't think it'll enter the rotation like BAGIA or Stay Positive.

      1. I'll even posit that Heaven is Whenever is a underrated and solid, if lesser, album. Teeth Dreams is just.... I dunno.

          1. I listened TD probably a dozen times thinking that I should like it and that I would after more listens.

            Hasn't worked out yet.

        2. This thread has not yet mentioned the best HS album, Separation Sunday.

          Also, of course my musical Soul-Bro brought up Kye Kye before. How could I not recall that?

          1. While I'd have to agree that Separation Sunday is their best album, Almost Killed Me is their most fun.
            httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-0fb-DhYh0

          2. I agree with Separation Sunday being their best, though Boys and Girls In America right next to it in my book.


  10. Only a few pick ups for me this year, so far--St Vincent, WoD, Dum Dum Girls, Bohren und der Club of Gore, and my sleeper pick Lucius--whose amazing Wilderwoman came out in 2013. Like the New Pornographers covering ABBA with Phil Spector from the future producing. Definitely one to watch.

    Really looking forward to Sharon Van Etten's new one later this month. In the meantime, here she is just singing her guts out covering the Boss. Man, I love this woman.
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-peOjZ5vTQ

    1. Someone from Lucius produced last year's Ha Ha Tonka album, Lessons. I've been thinking I should check them out.

  11. The other night I found an old, cheap MP3 player one of the girls acquired several years ago and has long since abandoned. Since summer is coming up and I have an auxiliary input in my car stereo, I loaded it up with all the R&B, soul and funk I could find on my hard drive. Here are today's top ten randoms:

    01. Who's That Lady - The Isley Brothers
    02. Let's Stay Together - Al Green
    03. War - Edwin Starr
    04. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross & The Supremes
    05. Betcha By Golly Wow - The Stylistics
    06. Just My Imagination - The Temptations
    07. Jimmy Mack - Martha & The Vandellas
    08. Show and Tell - Al Wilson
    09. Expressway To Your Heart - Soul Survivors
    10. Backstabbers - The O'Jays
    Bonus: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - The Platters

  12. Hot Pants Pt. 1, James Brown
    Pants, VeggieTales
    Forever in Blue Jeans, Neil Diamond
    Ripped Pants, Spongebog SquarePants
    Hot Pants Road - Live At The Apollo Theater/1972, James Brown
    S.I.M.P. (Squirrels in My Pants), 2 Guys in the Parque
    Yoga Pants, Minnesota
    Hey Schoolgirl/Black Slacks, Simon & Garfunkel
    The Pants, Brad Paisley
    I Got Ants In My Pants (And I Want To Dance), James Brown

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