| Author | Message | ||
     jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 28 Registered: 07-2005 |
Is it a bit predictable to have albums of the year? Anyway I've found some good suggestions on this message board so here goes in no particular order. Ben Folds-Songs for the Silverman The National-Alligator Magic Numbers-Magic Numbers Go-betweens-Oceans Apart Bruce Springsteen-Devils and Dust still can't decide re Arcade Fire are they great or over-rated. Also anyone any suggestions re The Fall as getting into them at the moment | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 101 Registered: 03-2005 |
Jerry, I love the Fall. Or, perhaps, I should say that I loved them since their more recent work is pretty patchy. I vote you start with one of their albums from the period when Mark E. Smith was married to guitarist Brix. "This Nation's Saving Grace" or "Bend Sinister" will be fine places to start. If you want more of a major-label sound, "Extricate" from 1990 (after Brix was gone) is a good choice. I'm not sure I've picked up very many current releases this year. Out of the small handful I can think of, Bright Eye's "Digital Ash" will probably remain the high-water mark for me. | ||
| M.J.L. Member Username: Mjl Post Number: 14 Registered: 09-2005 |
Hello Jerry. I think my favourite albums are My Morning Jacket's "Z", also liked Aberfeldy's "Young Forever." Re: The Fall, I'd hack into an overwhelming catalogue by getting their great overview, "50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong." "The Complete Peel Sessions" is an awesome set too. A good album is "I Am Kurious Oranj" - nice mix of vitriol and primitive pop. "A-Sides" is cheap and rewarding too, for another convenient overview. Look for "The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country On the Click" too, as it's outstanding! Bye... | ||
| Jonathan Evans Member Username: Jon Post Number: 8 Registered: 04-2005 |
Right Obviously the go-betweens, I think we can take it everyone will go with that one. Others? Jom Noir - Tower Of Love Arcade Fire - Funeral New Order - Waiting For The Sirens Call Sufjan Stevens - Illanoise Commendable efforts from Ryan Adams, Willy Mason (if its this year), The Go! Team (if its this year) and Brendan Benson. Cheers Jon | ||
| AS Member Username: Labelguy Post Number: 19 Registered: 05-2005 |
top 5 +1 +1 OA Kate Bush - Aerial Charlie Haden - Not In Our Name Malcom Middleton - Into The Woods Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV jeb Loy Nichols - Now Then | ||
| abigail law Member Username: Abigail Post Number: 15 Registered: 06-2005 |
fav album of the year: teenage fanclub man-made and (not new i know but) Hearing Is Believing the Jack Nitzsche Story from what i've heard of the new belle & sebastian album 'the life pursuit 'it is going to be fantastic too - though it isn't our for a month or two yet. as for the fall, hex education is the definitive album in my opinion but the peel session is a great place to start | ||
| Eke Member Username: Ekewebb Post Number: 19 Registered: 05-2005 |
Malcolm Middleton - Into The Woods Lemon Jelly - 64-95 Richard Swift - Novelist/Walking Without Effort Gorillaz - Demon Days Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now taking OA as a given... | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 89 Registered: 04-2005 |
New Pornographers - Twin Cinema GoBs - Oceans Apart Low - The Great Destroyer Depending on my mood any given day, one of these three... | ||
| gareth w Member Username: Gareth Post Number: 15 Registered: 05-2005 |
Arcade Fire - Funeral. Saint Etienne - Tales from Turnpike House Bruce Springsteen - Devils and Dust Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel Bright Eyes - i'm wide awake, it's morning Biggest dissapointment for me was the Eels album. 2 cd's of abject misery. | ||
| spencer roberts Member Username: Spence Post Number: 27 Registered: 05-2005 |
Some great choices guys, this is my latest five Wilco - Kicking television GB's - Oceans Apart Orange Juice - Glasgow School Nada Surf - The Weight is a gift Sigur Ros takk Oh and not forgetting my own Winnebago Orchestra album (Eponymous) on Oporto Records (plug) that has incidentally been repackaged, remastered (with no distorted cpmpressiontastic knobs!!) with additional tracks and is coming out on the GoBetweens German label Tuition in April next year. Its entitled 'Fifteen'. Its eclectic, i can only describe it as a mix of influences really, from Fairport Convention, to Belle and Sebastian, to The Sweeny theme tune! Look out for a support next year with The Blue Aeroplanes. Happy Christmas fans! Spence | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 88 Registered: 05-2005 |
The list, for now anyway... 1 Hal - Hal. The Irish Beach Boys. 2 Ryan Adams - Cold Roses. A monumental return to form. 3 Kanye West - Late Registration. Hip-hop with a conscience and bling. 4 The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart. Let's see if Version 2.0 moves it up a notch or two. 5 Kate Bush - Aerial. The 12 year wait was worth it. 6 Gorillaz - Demon Days. Almost as much fun as Mr West. 7 Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better. Even better than the debut. 8 Greg Dulli - Amber Headlights. Combines soul and rock like his former band Afghan Whigs did to near perfection. 9 The Pernice Brothers - Discover A Lovlier You. From power pop to pastoral psychadelia, Joe's still got it. 10 Bruce Springsteen - Devils And Dust. A quiet glory. 11 Beck - Guero. The only Beck album I have ever bought. Makes me want to check out some more. 12 Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now. What a voice, but it would be nothing without the great songs on here. 13 The Bats - At The National Grid. Best New Zealand pop album in a very long time. 14 The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan. Who needs digital technology anyway? 15 John Doe - Forever Hasn't Happened Yet. Great LA country music. 16 LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem. Party music with some very funny lyrics. 17 The National - Alligator. "Fuck me and make me a drink" might just be lyric of the year. 18 Robert Plant - Mighty Rearranger. Very Zep-like, and that's a good thing. 19 The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang. Their biggest bang since 1989's Steel Wheels. 20 Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth. His second best solo album (after his peerless debut). Best compilation: Bob Dylan - No Direction Home. All comps should be this lovingly compiled and annotated. | ||
| spencer roberts Member Username: Spence Post Number: 28 Registered: 05-2005 |
Padraig, what a selection box! You have reminded me to buy the Beck CD thanks! i'd forgot! the National are great. they remind me of the quality bunch of groups that existed in England during the C86 phase. Like a great group called The Wolfhounds, raw and very clever without trying too hard. They are really what Gomez should have turned into. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 92 Registered: 05-2005 |
Thanks Spencer. As you will have gathered, I kind of miss writing about music! | ||
| Peter Azzopardi Member Username: Pete Post Number: 129 Registered: 09-2004 |
I have bought very little this year, but every disc I did or was burnt for me I generally loved. Usually I keep up with the music press but this year I've had my head half buried in the sand so I feel in no way qualified to compile a best of the year list. Here I go anyway: Go-Bs - OA (naturally). Shoddy mastering aside, the Go-Betweens are taking risks on this record, which I love. Maybe I will or won't be listening to this a couple of years from now because of the production, but with songs as strong as "Here Comes A City", "Finding You" and "Mountains Near Dellray" that seems unlikely. Anthony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now Thanks to Robert Forster for the rave review that made me go out and buy this much loved album. I dare you to put it on and not be moved by this power of this guy's (?!). The songs and arrangements are so sparse and warmly recorded. I could listen to that wintery-sounding piano forever. Bruce Sprinsteen - Devils and Dust. As Padraig said, a quiet glory. Great storytelling by a master of narrative and throwaway pop, both of which he displays on this record excellently. Not a great pop record like "The Rising", but a great conceptual album like "Nebraska" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad". Don't be afraid of the Boss. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema. Even better than Electric Version. Like OA, a record that is more ambitious than its predecesors, and thankfully so. A.C. Newman's solo album "The Slow Wonder" was great too, but I think that came out last year. Man, that guy can write a melody. Arcade Fire - Funeral Yeah, I was bound to hear this somehow. Not bad, actually. Generally I'm not big on this New Wave revival thing, but I like the sound of these songs and the approach these guys take to their instruments. Besides that, I know NOTHING else about this band except that they're seemingly this years Franz Ferdinand. Locally: The Happy Lonesome - recently recorded and mixed 6 song EP that will hopefully be released early in the new year. Excuse my shameless self-promotion, but I'm fairly proud of it. Paper Planes - our organ player's band's new two song demo (look out for one of the song on next year's Melbourne Water compilation). Beautifully recorded and mastered at Birdland studios where Magic Dirt do all their stuff. Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die. Not as catchy as their first, but these guys are full of ideas that often cloy and irritate, but are always interesting. They come off like a bunch a post-adolescent, middle-class prats, but their arrogance will take them everywhere...HAS taken them everywhere, musically and geographically speaking. New Estate - EP Very scrappy sounding but nicely packaged 4-track recordings on David Nichols and wife Mia Schoen's (of the 'Estate) new label, Jacana records. I think they're tops because of the varied but complimentary songwriting voices: the drummer's songs are all minor athems marked by the Warhol-logic of the verses, full of garbled and repetitive lyrics about losing and finding ones-self, and capped by massive sing-along choruses; the Kiwi guitar-god's songs are wide-eyed and longing as well as excellently orchestrated; Mia's are somehow more crafty and seemingly the product of a single lyrical kernel, and always catchy. Can't wait for the new album they are recording now, I think. | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 112 Registered: 08-2004 |
Babyshambles - Down In Albion - Tabloid furore aside, the songs sound like no-one else around right now, anyway Pete Doherty reminds me of Richard Hell. Doves - Some Cities - Even though each song is derivative of something I've heard before (Velvet Underground, Motown, Van Morrison), I like it. The Bravery - The Bravery - Again this sounds as good as the Manchester new wave, the best bits, along with their contemporaries, Interpol & The Killers. The White Stripes of course who have quite rightly been mentioned before. I heard the new Belle & Sebastian CD this week and it is very good. Looking forward to The Strokes & Babybird's new albums early next year. | ||
| Jonathan Evans Member Username: Jon Post Number: 9 Registered: 04-2005 |
Bloody Hell, everyone's heard the new B&S apart from me!!!! Looking forward to the tour in January / February next year. Cheers Jon | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 7 Registered: 05-2005 |
Don't forget the reissue of 'the affectionate punch' from the Associates, 25 years after its original release. I've rediscovered and it's still a masterpiece with a big M ! | ||
| James Member Username: James Post Number: 33 Registered: 05-2005 |
Tom Vek - We Have Sound Kate Bush - Aerial Oceans Apart - GBs Stars of CCTV - Hard-Fi Chaos and Creation - McCartney | ||
| gareth w Member Username: Gareth Post Number: 16 Registered: 05-2005 |
Metacritic has placed 'Oceans Apart' at number 22 in the list of the year. I forgot to list 'Plans' by Death Cab. A bit over-produced for my palette but some great songs on there. | ||
| M. Mark Burgess Member Username: Fortysomething Post Number: 44 Registered: 05-2005 |
I agree with Padraig on No Direction Home. Disc two is astonishing. If these versions had been released on the albums instead of the official ones I don't think it would have diminished the quality at all. I especially like the take of Desolation Row. Does anyone else notice a distinct Chambers Bros. sound on that one? I mean musically. Have to say the latest Bats is hard to beat. It seems IMO that Oz and NZ have the market cornered on infectious pop music. Now if we could get something new from Martin and the Chills I could die a happy man. | ||
| Richard67 Member Username: Richard67 Post Number: 11 Registered: 04-2004 |
1. 'Nashville' - Josh Rouse (Who'd have thought he could have followed up '1972' with something this good?) 2. 'Cold Roses' - As has been mentioned. Worth it for 'Meadowlake Street' alone. '29' is sounding as good already!) 3. 'Oceans Apart' - Of course! 4. 'Man-Made' - Teenage Fanclub. Don't know how Gerry Love does it. 5. 'Days Run Away' - The House Of Love. Biggest surprise of the year. 6. 'Coles Corner' - Richard Hawley. The title track is sublime. The rest isn't bad either! | ||
| Peter Azzopardi Member Username: Pete Post Number: 132 Registered: 09-2004 |
Ooh, I forgot to mention Lou Barlow's "EMOH" which hasn't left my car for about six months. | ||
| Alfie Member Username: Alfie Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2005 |
1. Oceans Apart 2. Sigur Ros - Takk 3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus 4.Richard Thompson - Front Parlour Ballads 5.Chumbawamba - A Singsong and a Scrap (nothing like that footbal anthems meet anarchy punk stuff they used to do but rather a nice folkish album; this was my favourite musical surprise this year) 6.Malcolm Middleton - Into the Woods 7.Arab Strap - The Last Romance 8.The Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers 9.A Hawk and a Hacksaw - Darkness at Noon 10.Kate Rusby - The Girl Who Couldn't Fly | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 29 Registered: 07-2005 |
Hi Alfie, good choice I forgot about Sigur Ros. Would have said the Nick Cave was album of year for me -but wasn't it last year? sorry for splitting hairs.He was great in concert in Manchester as was Rufus Wainwright. | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 14 Registered: 05-2005 |
there are most definitely some good choices in here but no 'Come on feel the Illinoise' by Sufjan Stevens? Its fabulous and album of the year for me | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 15 Registered: 05-2005 |
another Fall tip for Jerry would be 'Shiftwork' which is up there with their best (and i absolutely agree on 'Country on the Click' which is awesome MJL!) | ||
| Jonathan Evans Member Username: Jon Post Number: 11 Registered: 04-2005 |
I gave the Sufjan Stevens album a mention. Some good choices coming in though, certainly keep me looking for a few albums upto christmas. Cheers | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 17 Registered: 05-2005 |
so you did jonathan..you and i appear to be in a minority though | ||
| admin Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 41 Registered: 08-2004 |
I've put the MOJO Readers Poll 2005 up on the site. Entry is open to all, and all entries qualify for the prize draw - first prize is the Mojo top 50 albums of the year. Voting is open until 1st January. It would be great to see The Go-Betweens placed highly in the poll, so don't be afraid of a bit of tactical voting! Are there any other polls out there? | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 9 Registered: 05-2005 |
I dont know what happens in France and Belgium but it's nearly impossible to find something on Ocean Apart in the musical press. A new example, the album appears nowhere in the special edition with the 100 best records 2005 edited by 'Les Inrockuptibles'. It's a magazine who has always made good review of the band. I can't understand. | ||
| Mel Member Username: Mel Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2005 |
My top 3... 1. Oceans Apart/Go-Bs 2. Man Made/Teenage Fanclub 3. Aerial/Kate Bush | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 114 Registered: 08-2004 |
I've got to add Team America : World Police Soundtrack, it's hilarious and superb. | ||
| C Gull Member Username: C_gull Post Number: 17 Registered: 05-2005 |
Jerry with regard to both questions you could do worse than listen to The Fall's Fall Heads Roll as album of the year - especially check out Blindness and What About Us. The latter the story of an East German rabbit emigrating to Britain and complaining that Harold Shipman is wasting drugs on killing old ladies - not many bands writing songs like that! All of the Fall's albums have their advocates but if a consensus does exist then its is that... Grotesque is the best early album Hex Enduction Hour is probably the best overall (and personally my favourite) This Nations Saving Grace is the best from the 1980's/Brix period. The Infotainment Scan is best of a mixed bag in the 90's. I would put Fall Head Roll up with that lot though. The Fall's website is also well worth a look - if a little obsessive at times- check out the video clip of Mark Smith reading the football results. http://www.visi.com/fall/index.html | ||
| Andy Robinson Member Username: Andyblue Post Number: 10 Registered: 03-2005 |
Top 3 would be Magic Numbers Oceans Apart Nizlopi - the most passionate, soulful and from the heart collection that I've heard in an age and such thoroughly nice chaps! JCB at number 1 ahead of all the other corporate crap. It just goes to show. Now if the GoBees would rerelease Finding You and we all got behind them . . . . . | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 44 Registered: 05-2005 |
Abigail. You sound like the woman of my dreams! Which part of the world are you from? I have a picture of you being late 30s from Manchester UK, you work in the media and unfortunately are probably loved up lol. Anyway I digress. C Gull - couldnt agree more with your summary of The Fall, especially Grotesque and Hex. My top 5 albums Sufjan Stevens - Illinois LCD Soundsystem Bright Eyes - Im Wide Awake... Niney The Observer - Sufferation The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema For next year, Belle and Sebastiens The Life Pursuit already sounds like a classic, even after less than 5 listens. | ||
| M.J.L. Member Username: Mjl Post Number: 18 Registered: 09-2005 |
I only just got The Bats' "At the National Grid". So late in the year, and after several repeat listens without its leaving the car, it's my favourite album of '05. And I also agree that Belle and Sebastian's "The Life Pursuit" is one leaked little beauty! | ||
| M.J.L. Member Username: Mjl Post Number: 25 Registered: 09-2005 |
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/thebats/ | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 110 Registered: 05-2005 |
I can't believe I forgot to include Mercury Rev's magnificent The Secret Migration. Consider that No 1 in my list and everyone else moved down a notch. | ||
| Rob Member Username: Rob Post Number: 42 Registered: 12-2004 |
As I have no time to listen to the radio or follow recent trends (I live under a rock these days), and my experience of music is completely ambient, and not chosen by myself (heard in shops, on planes, in public places etc) I can only offer the following names as my favourites from 2005 Bodyrockers: I like the way you move (single) Tupac feat Elton John: Ghetto gospel Kylie vs The Who: Won't get fooled/did it again Nancy Sinatra: Bang bang (remix) The GBs Kanye West Gorillaz Wolfmother (Aus, debut) Discoveries: Pateras/Baxter/Brown (a wonderful noise trio from Melbourne; truly free jazz, with prepared piano, prepared guitar and trash percussion) free from all bounds of niceness The Hoodangers (another Melbourne band, playing dub and punk with 1920s jazz instrumentation. Wonderful choice of repertoire and great performances) Compilation: The rock'n'roll disease (wonderful Shock Records collection from the Stooges and Radio Birdman to the D4 and BRMC) | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 117 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hey Rob, good to have you back. I love that rock'n'roll disease compilation too. I picked it up pretty cheap as soon as I saw it in Big W and I've never seen it since. It seems to have had no wider distribution at all. Quite amazing that Big W even carried it as they generally don't stray too far from the top 40. | ||
| Paul Wright Member Username: Wallaby Post Number: 5 Registered: 05-2005 |
Okay, Oceans apart by some Aussie band More Adventurous by Rilo Kiley Employment by Kaiser Chiefs Bang bang rock and roll by Art Brut Was Keane's Hopes and Fears 2005 or 2004? Last year's favourite was Franz Ferdinand, but I haven't even bought the new album. As for the Fall, Singles As and Bs is about as accessible as it gets, though Slates is may favourite particularly if you can get the version with the live album as well. Linking it to the favourite gigs strand, I've seen good Fall gigs and I've seen Shite Fall gigs. But more good than bad so I reckon they are worth a punt. Unlike Dylan, who a mate of mine has seen 50 times and he has been dreadful for 40 of them | ||
| Peter Collins Member Username: Tyroneshoelaces Post Number: 50 Registered: 05-2005 |
Padraig, my part-namesake - if you're just getting into Beck, may I suggest Mutations (his best, imho) and Odelay. The rest is a bit hit or miss. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 121 Registered: 05-2005 |
I recently discovered that I actually do have Odelay. Not for the first time, I completely forgot that I owned an album. I'll check out Mutations. | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 43 Registered: 07-2005 |
Magnolia Electric Co Bright Eyes-wide awake and a bit of Rufus Wainwright also Listening to KCRW on line when I have to do work at computer | ||
| Rob Member Username: Rob Post Number: 46 Registered: 12-2004 |
Art Brut, Paul... I listened to that Bang Bang CD in a shop purely on the artwork and the group name. I figured it'd be spiky, postmodern british pop and it was. I longed for some singing though, the yelling got to me. I left that shop with a CD, but I admit that it was 30+ year old Krautrock by Neu! No singing at all. | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 39 Registered: 05-2005 |
Padraig, Guero to me sounds like Beck was trying to do Odelay part 2. I think he used the same production (Dust brothers), so if you like that, you will LOVE Odelay. I think Mutations and especially Seachange are great too. Guerolitto has just been released and is remixes of Guero by people like Air. Good hunting!!!! | ||
| M.J.L. Member Username: Mjl Post Number: 28 Registered: 09-2005 |
I find something to enjoy in all of Beck's albums. 'Guerolito' is pretty good - not a redundant disc as one might think. But my favourite Beck album is certainly 'One Foot in the Grave' - a great record. | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 5 Registered: 01-2006 |
I agree with previous comments about Guero, my own personal favourite being Seachange. Mutations is great but I think Seachange is better. Mellow Gold is also worth a mention but as M.J.L. says One Foot In The Grave is one of his most underrated records, still sounds great... |