The albums thread - 2014

[spring hall convert]

I have just listened to Thee Oh Sees, White Fence and Mikal Cronin. All sound great, so this thread is costing me money again...or perhaps my Christmas list is growing.

Thee Oh Sees are a remarkably prolific and consistent band, who always deliver the goods. However, they've never bettered Help (2009), in my opinion. Stuffed full of brilliant tunes, far poppier than their recent stuff. A great band at the height of their powers.



John Dwyer the main man from Thee Oh Sees has been in an amazing amount of other projects - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dwyer_(musician)

The pick of them are Pink and Brown ( a bit Lightning Bolt), Coachwhips (a really unhinged lo-fi, basic garage rock), The Hospitals (noise-rock)

Damaged Bug, his synth project from earlier this year is a lot of fun as well. Suprisingly melodic.

 

[spring hall convert]

Doubtlessly mentioned before, but the latest Brian Jonestown Massacre album is a decent listen.

As much as I hate this phrase, it's a return to form. Having Matt Hollywood back in the band is a help I think, Anton lost his way for a while.

 

[spring hall convert]

Very keen to see them live at Drill. A couple of friends saw them at GDS earlier on this year, and said they were awesome. Will you be wearing your Albion scarf at that one?

Unless the timing is kind to them I won't be catching them.

Drill meat up though, perhaps? Who's going?

 

[spring hall convert]

I would love to see him live. He never seems to come to the UK for long, and when he does he doesn't venture south of a London.

I'm not an expert on his output, I have five of his solo albums and last year's, I think, Fuzz album.

The first time I became aware of him was hearing 'Thank God For The Sinners' very loud at a party. Brilliant song, and the opening track on Twins - the first album of his I bought. This is a brilliant album - a real garage production, psychedelic tinges, and his sneery vocal style.

I then bought Melted, which is also an excellent album - love listening to it at the gym(!) and Goodbye Bread, which seems a little, shall we say, calmer.

Lemons arrived this week, and I've not given it much of a listen yet. Not as immediate, for me, hopefully it'll grow.

The Fuzz album is very rock guitar orientated, but still has that Californian psych tinge.

Manipulator is absolutely brilliant, though some people don't like the fact that production levels have increased. I can't get past the fact that I love the tunes.

Saw him at Jam in '10 and there were about 50 odd people there. They absolutely rocked the place, I was going through a big Stooges phase at the time and it seemed to me that was the sound he was going for and excecuting perfectly

His show at Green Door in '12 is one I'll take to the grave. Petridis loved it n'all http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/aug/02/ty-segall-review

Saw him at Primavera earlier this year and can confirm that his move to bigger stages has done him no harm at all. I think I'm in love with the girl he has drumming for him.

Looks like you have most of the important stuff, I'm not a great fan of the first record (st) or Lemons but to be fair haven't given it much of a go.

Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse is my favourite heavy, fuzzy, punky, catchy
Sleeper was a suprisingly excellent accoustic record
Hair - The White Fence collaboration is amazing. A highlight of both of their back catalogues
Twins is in the Melted, Manipulator vibe of trying to show all sides to him in the same record.

This guy deserves to be absolutely huge. I hope he gets there.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Thee Oh Sees are a remarkably prolific and consistent band, who always deliver the goods. However, they've never bettered Help (2009), in my opinion. Stuffed full of brilliant tunes, far poppier than their recent stuff. A great band at the height of their powers.



John Dwyer the main man from Thee Oh Sees has been in an amazing amount of other projects - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dwyer_(musician)

The pick of them are Pink and Brown ( a bit Lightning Bolt), Coachwhips (a really unhinged lo-fi, basic garage rock), The Hospitals (noise-rock)

Damaged Bug, his synth project from earlier this year is a lot of fun as well. Suprisingly melodic.

It is also worth adding that Thee Oh Sees are a great live band.

 

[spring hall convert]

It is also worth adding that Thee Oh Sees are a great live band.

They sure are. Don't seem to be keen on playing Brighton any more though. Worth a trip to the big smoke though, that very much goes for Ty Segall as well.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Saw him at Jam in '10 and there were about 50 odd people there. They absolutely rocked the place, I was going through a big Stooges phase at the time and it seemed to me that was the sound he was going for and excecuting perfectly

His show at Green Door in '12 is one I'll take to the grave. Petridis loved it n'all http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/aug/02/ty-segall-review

Saw him at Primavera earlier this year and can confirm that his move to bigger stages has done him no harm at all. I think I'm in love with the girl he has drumming for him.

Looks like you have most of the important stuff, I'm not a great fan of the first record (st) or Lemons but to be fair haven't given it much of a go.

Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse is my favourite heavy, fuzzy, punky, catchy
Sleeper was a suprisingly excellent accoustic record
Hair - The White Fence collaboration is amazing. A highlight of both of their back catalogues
Twins is in the Melted, Manipulator vibe of trying to show all sides to him in the same record.

This guy deserves to be absolutely huge. I hope he gets there.

I find his level of energy, output, and the high quality of his work, utterly astonishing. When I have a spare 5 minutes I have a rest, when Ty has a spare 5 minutes he knocks out an album.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

They sure are. Don't seem to be keen on playing Brighton any more though. Worth a trip to the big smoke though, that very much goes for Ty Segall as well.

I really need to catch Segall live. It seems he is currently avoiding me as every time he tours i'm on holiday. It happened again a few weeks ago when he was in Berlin.

 

[Machiavelli]

I find his level of energy, output, and the high quality of his work, utterly astonishing. When I have a spare 5 minutes I have a rest, when Ty has a spare 5 minutes he knocks out an album.

I've 'Repl[ied] with Quote' to this, as it's well worth exposing to more people

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Here's my top 10. I have decided to keep it to a strict 10 otherwise it becomes more a list of purchases, as opposed to a list of my favourites, of 2014.

1) Neneh Cherry – Blank Project. This comes as no surprise seeing as I have been blathering on about this album all year. I only listened to this on the insistence of the Frau and what a surprise. I kind of thought it would be some naff nod back to her Raw Like Sushi days but instead it was a left-field marriage of sparse beats, off-kilter electronica and her words and vocal. It’s an album where you hear something different each listen, where you have a new favourite song every day..and an album you want to play again the minute it ends. It’s says Neneh Cherry on the front but RocketNumber9 deserve much credit as does producer Keiren Hebden aka Four-Tet for bringing this together. In fact Cherry always acknowledges them in interviews and live. I saw her perform this album at Berghain, she told us “I’m 50 next Monday and I’m in the Temple of Rave” – good on yer gal.
2) East India Youth – Total Strife Forever. Another album from the start of the year and a deserved Mercury nominee. Quite a varied album but it’s feet are planted firmly in the world of electronic music. Club bangers, baroque-pop and ambient soundscapes all conspire to make a lovely album. And “he’s the nicest, politest young man I’ve met in ages” according to a girl-friend who met him in Berlin in the spring.
3) Kompakt Total 14 – Sample from the esteemed Koln record label. Back after taking a year off due to their 20th birthday this is the latest sampler in the long series showcasing the wonderful label’s current and varied roster. It’s glorious, and it’s long with 25 tracks and not a single dud. If you like electronic music and you have a few pounds in your pocket buy this...even if they are your last few pounds.
4) The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream. This seems to divide people, especially fans of their earlier less polished music. I love it and it’s a glossy homage to Springsteen, Dylan and Dire Straits with a little bit of krautrock thrown in. What’s not to like? Saw them live a few weeks back and their music had a nice, warm, enveloping balmy effect and I felt myself drifting off somewhere quite nice many times which considering I was completely straight due to an impending marathon was no mean feat.
5) Avi Buffalo – At Best Cuckoo. This was one of the Rough Trade subscription albums. I knew the name but nothing about him. This quickly became stuck in my CD player and iPod. In summary it’s sun-bleached, west coast US guitar pop album. Check out Memories of You, the 2nd track, and you’ll be hooked. As an aside Ihave never seen a tighter pair of black jeans on a chunky leg.
6) Rufus Wainwright – Live From the Artists Den. This is a live recording of a performance from his last tour. This guy just gets better the older and more confident he gets. This is simply a beautiful album packed with classics and reminds me when I saw him perform in Brighton just before I moved away.
7) Gruff Rhys – American Interior. Another guy who gets better, and more prolific, the older he gets. An eccentric witty folkish album with lots of other influences dotted throughout. It is based on the story of a Welsh traveller who discovered the Americas. With Gruff you never quite know what it fact and what is fiction though. The album is actually one part of a wider multi-media project; there is a film, an app, book and a live powerpoint presentation as part of the package.
8) Caribou – Our Love. This is an album I played and loved from the start. Nothing startling original, nothing new but the beauty for me lies in the simplicity of the music and the various nods to dance music history. Sometimes you do not need to be blown away, sometimes you do not need boundaries pushed, sometimes you just need to feel safe and be reassured everything is actually going to be fine. This album does that for me.
9) Wildest Dreams – Wildest Dreams. This is an alterego of DJ Harvey. Whilst British he looks and lives like a 70s West Coast psych rock dude. If you did not know better you’d think this album was a back-catalogue re-issue. It is as though Harvey has made a sleazy stoner soundtrack to go with his looks and lifestyle. Put it on and be transported back in time to a sweltering dust bowl where naked girls ride around on motorcycles....which is where Harvey’s mind most certainly is most of the time. Put it on and you'll feel dirty afterwards.
10) Broken Bells – After The Disco. I’m a big fan of DangerMouse/Bryan Burton and his many projects. This is probably best described as clean polished indy rock. It’s not the most exciting album in the world but to me it is a veritable masterclass in song-writing and production. DangerMouse has an amazing ear for a melody and this album showcases this. Good clean fun and an antidote to the dirt of Wildest Dreams.

 

[tinycowboy]

If you're of a certain age, the only music news today is this: RIDE HAVE REFORMED. My fingers are still trembling as I type this. I love Ride. Really, really love them. Apart from their last two albums. Being a teenager during their brief ascendency (along with Slowdive and MBV) was something to cherish. Just give Leave Them All Behind a spin - staggering stuff. To think that this was a top 10 hit......

 

[spring hall convert]

Herr T - most pleased about the high placing foir East India Youth. I can echo the Frau's sentiments, he's a really lovely, slightly shy man. Contrasts a little with his intense stage personna.

 

[spring hall convert]

If you're of a certain age, the only music news today is this: RIDE HAVE REFORMED. My fingers are still trembling as I type this. I love Ride. Really, really love them. Apart from their last two albums. Being a teenager during their brief ascendency (along with Slowdive and MBV) was something to cherish. Just give Leave Them All Behind a spin - staggering stuff. To think that this was a top 10 hit......

Great news innit.

Imagine having to be in Beady Eye to pay the bills. I'd rather be a traffic warden.

 

[tinycowboy]

Great news innit.

Imagine having to be in Beady Eye to pay the bills. I'd rather be a traffic warden.

Exactly. Andy Bell's thoughts must have drifted away to Drive Blind and Dreams Burn Down when he was plodding away to identikit Oasis/Beady eye songs. Still, he's going to return to a hero's welcome. If people think that Oasis rock out, they cannot have experienced the guitar onslaught of Ride - the perfect marriage of extreme guitar noise, jangle and vocal harmonies. I'm listening to "OX4 - The Best of Ride" on my journey home this evening. Looking forward to it.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

2) East India Youth – Total Strife Forever. Another album from the start of the year and a deserved Mercury nominee. Quite a varied album but it’s feet are planted firmly in the world of electronic music. Club bangers, baroque-pop and ambient soundscapes all conspire to make a lovely album. And “he’s the nicest, politest young man I’ve met in ages” according to a girl-friend who met him in Berlin in the spring.

East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
I heard EIY recently do an acoustic session on 6Music, and loved it, and made a note to seek out this album.
I wish I'd just recorded the acoustic session instead. Don't like this one bit. Massively self indulgent. I wish a pox on him.

Ha.

opinions, eh?

FWIW, agree entirely on the Avi Buffalo and Gruff Rhys ones (which are the only other two I've heard).

 

[tinycowboy]

Here's my top 10. I have decided to keep it to a strict 10 otherwise it becomes more a list of purchases, as opposed to a list of my favourites, of 2014.

I'll agree with number 2. Never listened to any of numbers 1, 3, 6, 7 and 9. Number 3 sounds most likely to appeal to me. Numbers 4 (I was wrong - this ain't your number 1!) and 5 I enjoyed, but won't make my top 10 (I think my top 10 is going to mainly be - surprise, surprise - a little more indie pop than indie rock). Numbers 8 and 10 didn't set my world alight, but weren't bad. I'll post my top 10 next week. Should we post Best Tracks of 2014 here, or will there be a bespoke thread?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Ha.

opinions, eh?

FWIW, agree entirely on the Avi Buffalo and Gruff Rhys ones (which are the only other two I've heard).

Funny. Whilst I'm happy to get stuck in and criticise and mock people's political opinions I rarely feel the slightest inclination to rubbish anyone's musical views no matter what. I rarely even question anyone's music tastes. It's a lovely parallel world.

 

[tinycowboy]

Funny. Whilst I'm happy to get stuck in and criticise and mock people's political opinions I rarely feel the slightest inclination to rubbish anyone's musical views no matter what. I rarely even question anyone's music tastes. It's a lovely parallel world.

I think it helps that the core user group of this thread hold pretty similar political views and are not trolling - you can just sit back and think that people are expressing a genuine opinion with no malicious intent or other agenda. I'm happy to try out most things recommended in this thread, even when I just know it's not going to be my thing. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Herr T - most pleased about the high placing foir East India Youth. I can echo the Frau's sentiments, he's a really lovely, slightly shy man. Contrasts a little with his intense stage personna.

Thanks. Well, we should say thanks to EIY I guess. It's a fantastic debut.

 

[tinycowboy]

the core user group of this thread hold pretty similar political views

Sorry - not including Buzzer!