Albums Thread - 2015

[Pogue Mahone]

Ha. Same as me and British Sea Power.

Yeah, me too. I thought I was alone in my 'meh'ness, I thought everyone else here loved them. I've even tried listening again. Not for me.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Yeah, me too. I thought I was alone in my 'meh'ness, I thought everyone else here loved them. I've even tried listening again. Not for me.

Go see them live for a true BSP experience.

 

[Gwylan]

Apologies - yet more reviews!

Terakaft - 'Alone' Another Malian rock/blues band but this one is quite different from their Malian contemporaries: Samba Toure, Songhoy Blues et al. They describe their sound as authentic desert blues and from the sound of the music and that description that I'm guessing that these chaps are from Saharan Mali and are of Arabic rather than black African origin. Certainly, their music sounds a lot more Arabic, at times I half expect Omar Souleyman to join them (now, that would be a magnificent pairing). It's a fun record despite not understanding a word of what they are saying, there's plenty of variety and they are Western-looking in their music meaning that it won't just appeal to a bunch of chin-stroking hipsters; this is very accessible, very cool - it's a great diversion.

This is great. Sounds a bit more like Tinariwen than any other Mali band I've heard ... but a bit more rocking, That's another album for the 'to buy' list.

I can understand that you listen to the album on the commute but when do you write the reviews? Surely you can't do those on the train too

 

[wadhurstseagull]

Go see them live for a true BSP experience.

This.

 

[Buzzer]

This is great. Sounds a bit more like Tinariwen than any other Mali band I've heard ... but a bit more rocking, That's another album for the 'to buy' list.

I can understand that you listen to the album on the commute but when do you write the reviews? Surely you can't do those on the train too

It doesn't take that long. I tend to listen to an album a few times with headphones and then as background music so have a pretty good idea what I want to say. I only write a few lines for each album so it's not really a proper review and I don't think I'm particularly imaginative with my descriptions. They tend to get written as I'm having my first cup of tea at work.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Go see them live for a true BSP experience.

I have seen the live, at a proper headline gig plus as Daniel Johnson's backing band, and a number of friends are really slavishly into them. I like to think I'm reasonably open minded with music but it just doesn't connect with me I'm afraid.

 

[Albumen]

My entire highlight of BSP so far was when they were on Countryfile. I don't get the appeal either.
Any of these, in fact:

Pet Shop Boys. PSB
British Sea Power. BSP
Public Service Broadcasting. PSB

I can't think of any more though . . . .


I listened to the Holy Mountain OST and the new Orb album yesterday. Holy Mountain is mental (re-issued on Finders Keepers, a bit pricey though), and my return to the Orb since 2009's Baghdads batteries was a pleasant one. A triple vinyl set too.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Okay, Pyongyang, surely up there with the best Albarn has ever written?

 

[Buzzer]

Mountain Goats - 'Beat The Champ' I think a few people have mentioned this album on here but not sure if there's been a review. I've had it a while and was listening again to this album last night and this morning after seeing it in one of those best albums of the year so far and I'm mighty pleased I did. Essentially, Mountain Goats is John Darnielle in the same way that the Eels is Mark E. There's a few semi-permanent band members but Darnielle is the leading force, the writer and composer. This album does also remind me of the Eels in its autobiographical nature, its deceptive naivety and it's endearing honesty. And most importantly, the tunes are decent and for the best part very sing-a-long. Another contemporary that bears comparison here would be Herman Dune - all artists that I love to bits.

The album is Darnielle's homage to his childhood and specifically his love of wrestling. He narrates songs from the viewpoint of the wrestler with their nomadic, odd lives. He also tells stories of sitting in the crowd, the cheering and booing and at his best from sitting at home watching wrestling with his overbearing father. Darnielle chose the goodie and his father the baddie. In one particular song he states "you let me down but Cesar Chavez never did..." and when you fully appreciate the meaning of that phrase then the album becomes something deeper - well it did for me. Influences are clear - there's the Eels, They Might Be Giants and there's a lot of those pop-punk West Coast 90s bands too. I like this album a lot. It could so easily have been mawkish, messy or short on ideas but there's no danger of that. Highly recommended.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQNv2sY7Ge0

 

[Whitechapel]

About to give the Everything Everything album a spin. Quite liked their last album; Arc, and adore the singles I've heard from their new effort so high hopes for it.



Edit: Gone back a page and see I'm not the first person to mention them. My fault for being off the ball.

 

[Whitechapel]

Whilst I'm here. My favourite albums from every genre I listen to.


Rap/Hip-Hop -

3rd: Open Mike Eagle - A Special Episode EP.
2nd: Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth.
1st: Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly. (Could it be anything else?)

Still need to listen to A$AP Rocky & Donnie Trumpets new albums.

Looking Forward To - The Game//The Documentary 2, Vince Staples//Summertime '06, Hopsin//Pound Syndrome, A$AP Mob//L.O.R.D, Kanye West//SWISH, Frank Ocean//Boys Don't Cry

British Hip-Hop/Grime

3rd: Yungen - Project Black & Red
2nd: Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too. (Didn't know what category to have them in )
1st: JME - Integrity>

Looking Forward To - Skepta//Konnichiwa, Krept & Konan//The Long Way Home, Bugzy Malone//Walk With Me.


Dance

3rd: Ghost Culture - Ghost Culture
2nd: The Prodigy - The Day Is My Enemy
1st: Jamie XX - In Colour

Rock
3rd - The Wombats - Glitterbug
2nd - Viet Cong - Viet Cong
1st Enter Shikari - The Mindsweep

 

[Gwylan]

Just bought Arooj Aftab's Bird Under Water. She's a New York-based Pakistani singer and her album is one of the most haunting I've heard for a long while. It's a long way from the frantic Bollywood-style pop music and while it has elements of qawwali, it's not full-on sufi experience. Really lovely album

 

[spring hall convert]

I'll second Buzzer on that Algiers album, I mentioned it a while back. Hot contender for AOTY.

Still dining out on the Sauna Youth album, DIY experimental post-punk, ex of Brighton, now based in London - https://saunayouth.bandcamp.com/album/distractions

Brightonians Prince Vaseline's debut album is a lovely slice of late Velvetsy psych-pop - https://princevaseline.bandcamp.com/

 

[spring hall convert]

This is great. Sounds a bit more like Tinariwen than any other Mali band I've heard ... but a bit more rocking, That's another album for the 'to buy' list.

I can understand that you listen to the album on the commute but when do you write the reviews? Surely you can't do those on the train too

Tamikrest as well (they're a mini Tinariwen.) Their 'Chatma' album of a couple of years ago was really, really good.

 

[Buzzer]

Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe - I Declare Nothing
Canadian-born Tess Parks has collaborated with the Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman Anton Newcombe for this very exotic-sounding album. Newcombe provides the warm, fuzzy psychedelic guitar with loops, feedback and the type of structured chaos that he does so well. Parks brings a voice that surely can't be natural for a 24 year old. She has a voice that Homer Simpson's nicotine-ravaged twin sister-in-laws might consider having a doctor take a look at. Tom Waits took years to get that husky, Ms Parks is already there. It sounds like it's a criticism but it's certainly not and it gives the album a druggy, smoky, laid-back feel that you can't help but like. A valid criticism from me though is that the album gets into that groove early on and stays there. It's one long 3 a.m. trip for Ms Parks and after a while I found the album a little dull. This is a real shame as the concept over a shorter length is bloody amazing. Maybe consider listening to the album in stages or having her tunes mixed into a compilation to appreciate fully the wonder of a 24 year old who sounds like Janis Joplin after a particularly heavy night on the wacky baccy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-_lhavIeBY


Fraser A Gorman - Slow Gum
Another young singer-songwriter coming from the same Melbourne indie-folk scene as Courtney Barnett but unlike Ms Barnett, Gorman plays it strictly traditional with Americana-tinged folky numbers where he sounds like he's just enjoying playing music and singing songs. He's not on a mission to right the world. In his words he just wants to play Hank Marvin tunes loud. The absolute stand-out tune for me and unless something particularly good usurps it, is 'Book of Love', my sound of the summer. It's gloriously catchy, ethereal and just perfect for a sunny day. It reminds me of Mungo Jerry's In The Summertime - not the tune (although they would go well together) but just the construction.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-nIE39tEos

Grimm Grimm - Hazy Eyes Maybe
Brand new to me but Grimm Grimm aka Koichi Yamanoha was in Screaming Tea Party in a previous incarnation, a psychedelic Japanese/English trio. He still retains the psych element but this is quite experimental combining bits of folk with classical and electronica for a very Japanese art-house experience. There is something about this album though that I like. Not sure what it is yet but I'm enjoying exploring this further.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN90PyBs2aU

 

[spring hall convert]

I was listening to Manipulator the other day, thinking that Ty Segall had been quiet for a couple of months.

This sounds like it is going to be heeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvyyyyyy man - http://pitchfork.com/news/60229-ty-...lvins-dale-crover-and-steven-mcdonald-of-off/

 

[Bombadier Botty]

Just like their excellent first album, the latest Django Django 'Born Under Saturn' is all good so far.

 

[Whitechapel]

MASSIVE ALBUM

​

Been listening them since 2010 and I don't think I've ever been so proud to see an artist blow up like they have. Already #2 on the Itunes Top Albums, good chance that this could be the biggest British Hip-Hop album since Boy In Da Corner 13 years ago. Absolute banger.

 

[spring hall convert]

I can't remember if it was picked up at the time but I've been wearing the grooves out on Steve Gunn's Way Out Weather album of last year.

It's got that same sense of space that the last War on Drugs album had but is rooted in a more country rock style. I'm reminded of Nick Cave at times.

https://paradiseofbachelors.bandcamp.com/album/way-out-weather

 

[spring hall convert]

Liz Harris from Grouper does dream-pop. Don't mind if I do....

http://pitchfork.com/news/60270-gro...-from-dream-pop-band-helen-shares-motorcycle/