random thoughts

really enjoying the usual suspects (national, arcade fire, spoon, new pornos, josh ritter) - they should all make the final 20.

midlake, scout niblett, shearwater, roky, hurray for the riff raff, joanna newsom, tallest man on earth

new one from dr dog is really good

that dr. dog took a little to grow on me, whereas most of their releases are immediate. it's nice though and maybe their best.

oddly enough i enjoyed it from the first listen, while their previous releases were growers

I loved Dr. Dog's last album but this one just isn't doing it for me overall. A few good songs but nothing that makes me come rushing back to hear it again.

Like:

Mary Gauthier (still the best by a wide margin)
Dr. John
Gilberto Gil
Mombojo
Howe Gelb



Somewhat Like:

Loudon Wainwright
Harlem
Hoodoo Gurus
DBT's
Robyn Hitchcock
Johnny Dowd
Henry Clay People
Alejandro Escovedo



Not Bad (But Disappointing):

Damien Jurado
Build An Ark
Teenage Fanclub
Pernice Brothers
Henry Clay People
Tift Merritt
500 Miles to Memphis
Matt Keating



Don't Like:

J. Roddy Walston
Black Francis
Spoon



Need to Hear:

Orgone, La Troba Kung-Fu



Should Probably Hear:

Sun Kil Moon, Free Energy, Mynabirds



Looking forward to:

Lloyd Cole, Justin Townes Earle

these are guaranteed to end up on my year-end list in some form or fashion:

soft pack
miles kurosky
broken bells
dbt
deer tick
damien jurado
glossary
hold steady
black keys
pernice bros

nu pr0n has a shot

still need to hear the entire j roddy LP, but it also has a shot, based on what i've heard so far

pretty weak year, considering i usually have 30+ i like by late summer, and i wouldn't have enough to fill out a top 20 - at least not in good conscience, as the rest of the stuff i've heard i either hate or is just so-so

i should also add that you could have won a lot of money betting that ALL of these beloved artists of mine would not make the cut this year:

spoon
sun kil moon
ted leo
petty
band of horses
black francis
rogue wave
she and him

just shocking

add: Spoon, Actress, Arcade Fire

more:
Titus Andronicus (this has grown huge on me. I was so-so on The Airing of Grievances and listened to The Monitor hesitantly. Its excellent though. May be a darkhorse)
Bottomless Pit
Mountain Man
Lissie

The Lissie might end up being my no. 1. I'm really, really loving it right now. Can't get enough of the EP, LP, and singles.

Best Coast is rapidly climbing up my list....

I've spent a lot more time listening to 2010 records over the last few weeks.

Top 10 (no order yet):

Budos Band -Budos Band III
Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust
The Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder
Len Price 3 - Pictures
Hacienda - Big Red & Barbacoa
Drive By Truckers - The Big To-Do
Harvey Milk - A Small Turn Of Human Kindness
Nick Curran & The Lowlifes - Reform School Girl
Wipers - Out Takes
The Splinters - Kick


I like all these:

Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
The Derek Trucks band - Roadsongs
Overnight Lows - City Of Rotton Eyes
Acid Eater - Black On Wheels
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
Shonen knife - Free Time
Pierced Arrows - Descending Shadows
Bobby McFerrin - VOCAbuLarieS
Gerardo Frisina - Join The Dance
Thee Oh Sees - Warm Slime

Sitting on a fence:

Joe Elloit Down 'N' OUTz - My Regeneration
Haunted george - American Crow
White Fence - White Fence
Ty Segall - Melted
Orgone - Cali fever
Subway Surfers - Three Chords & A Mission
Vermillion Sands - Vermillion Sands
Personal & The Pizzas - Raw Pie


Not for me:

Carolina Chocolate Drops
Jack Rose
Jose James- Black Magic
Wavves - King Of The Beach
Jason & The Scorchers - Halcyon Times
Hamid Drake & Bindu - Reggaeology
Woven Bones - In And Out And Back Again
J Roddy Walston & The Business
Moon Duo - Escape
Harlem - Hippies
Weekends - Strange Cultures
MV + EE - Liberty Rose

Wanted/ordered:

The Ding-Dongs - The Ding-Dongs
Brad Mehlau - Highway Rider
Eric Hofbauer - American Fear
Alejandro Escovedo -Streets Songs Of Love
Cheap Time - Fantastic Explanations (And Similar Situations)
The Intelligence - Males
Tyvek - Nothing Fits
Fresh and Onlys - Play it Strange
Venetian Snares - My so called life

Ranking of all the albums I've bought so far this year...

Really Like
The Love Language - Libraries
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
Spoon - Transference
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

Like Less
The National - High Violet
Deer Tick - The Black Dirt Sessions
J Roddy Walston & The Business - S/T
Stars - The Five Ghosts
Dr. Dog - Shame Shame

Tolerable
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Vampire Weekend - Contra

Wish I'd saved my money
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo
Midlake - The Courage Of Others

Need More Listens
Hollerado - Record In A Bag
The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night

EPs/singles not numbered

01. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
02. Beach House - Teen Dream
03. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
04. Sightings - City of Straw
05. Pantha du Prince - Black Noise
06. Wavves - King of the Beach
07. Rangda - False Flag
08. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
09. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
10. Daughters - s/t

11. Spoon - Transference
12. Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
13. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
__. Double Dagger - Masks EP
14. Woods - At Echo Lake
15. Tame Impala - InnerSpeaker
16. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot... The Son of Chico Dusty
17. Build an Ark - Love Part 1
18. The Fall - Your Future Our Clutter
19. Free Energy - Stuck on Nothing
20. Julian Lynch - Mare


21. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
22. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
23. Skullflower - Strange Keys to Untune Gods' Firmament
24. The-Dream - Love King
25. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh
26. Autechre - Move of Ten
27. Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal
28. Build an Ark - Love Part 2
29. Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer
30. Janelle Monáe - The Archandroid

31. Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers
32. Best Coast - Crazy for You
33. Liars - Sisterworld
34. Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here?
35. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
36. Autechre - (Oversteps)
37. The Books - The Way Out
__. Best Coast - Something in the Way 7"
38. Toro y Moi - Causers of This
39. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
40. Four Tet - There Is Love in You


41. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
__. Best Coast - Far Away 7"
42. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
43. Fang Island - s/t
44. Retribution Gospel Choir - 2
45. Sleigh Bells - Treats
46. Caribou - Swim
47. Vampire Weekend - Contra
48. The National - High Violet
49. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
50. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

Updatin', though still in flexible order

01. Unwelcome Guests - Don't Go Swimming
02. Jonsi - Go
03. Clem Snide - The Meat of Life
04. Darren Hanlon - I Will Love You At All
05. Mixtapes - Maps
06. Dead Mechanical - Addict Rhythms
07. Black Wine - S/T
08. Full of Fancy - Liquid Nature
09. Dinosaur Feathers - Fantasy Memorial
10. Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame
11. Chumbawamba - abcdefg
12. Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You
13. Librarians - Present Passed
14. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
15. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
16. Stars - The Five Ghosts
17. Hamid Drake & Bindu - Reggaeology
18. Tender Trap - Dansette Dansette
19. The 20 Belows - For Better Days

All 6 of these have a shot of my fav of 2010 (alphabetically):

arcade fire
big boi
broken social scene
hot chip
lcd soundsystem
vampire weekend

Really!? I loved the EP, highly anticipated the LP, but thought it just sucked. The whole album sounds like a marketing meeting. Except for the EP songs.

This is probably not even true, but some favorites based loosely on genre:

Americana/Country/Folk/Singer Songwriter/Etc:
Hillstomp - Darker The Night
The Mynabirds - What We Lose In The Fire
Willie Nelson - Country Music
Sam Amidon - I See The Sign
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
John Mellencamp - No Better Than This
Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now
Red Horse - Red Horse
Jakob Dylan - Women + Country
Bonnie Prince Billy - The Wonder Show

gaining: Sadies, Ryan Bingham


Electronic/Ambient/Chillwave/Dubstep/Techno/Etc:
Loscil - Endless Falls
Guido - Anidea
Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers
Scuba - Triangulation
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
RxRy - RxRy
Another Electronic Musican - States of Space
Four Tet - There is Love In You
Blackbird Blackbird - Summer Heart
Caribou - Swim
Shed - The Traveller
Oriol - Night & Day

Don't really love many techno releases yet and haven't listened to much dance stuff very much. Lots of albums I enjoyed but only listened to like once or twice.


Hip Hop/R&B/Soul stuff:
Black Milk - Album of the Year
The Roots - How I Got Over
Wiz Khalifa - Kush & Orange Juice
Curren$y - Pilot Talk
J. Stalin - Prenuptial Agreement
Reflection Eternal - Revolutions Per Minute
Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot
Freeway/Jake One - Stimulus Package
Freddie Gibbs - Str8 Killa shit
Rick Ross - Teflon Don
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Pt. 2
Aloe Blacc - Good Things
Gil-Scott Heron - I'm New Here
Janelle Monae - ArchAndroid
The-Dream - Love King


Experimental/Jazz/Instrumental/World:
Ulaan Khol - III
Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Wilding
The Alps - Le Voyage
Jack Rose - Luck in the Valley
Danny Paul Grody - The Fountain
Chicago Underground Duo - Boca Negra
The Souljazz Orchestra - Rising Sun
Jason Moran - Ten
Christian Scott - Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
Daniel Bjarnason - Processions
Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal
Mombojo - Amigo do Tempo

Indie/Rock/Metal/Pop/Etc:
Beach House - Teen Dream
Ariel Pink - Before Today
Secret Cities - Pink Grafitti
Radio Dept - Clinging To a Scheme
Magic Kids - Memphis
Morning Benders - Big Echo
No Age - Everything In Between
National - High Violet
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Walkmen - Lisbon
Nobunny - First Blood
Voice of the Seven Thunders - S/T
Moonhearts - Moonhearts
Wavves - King of the Beach
The Black Keys - Brothers
Bare Wires - Seeking Love
Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame
Dr. John - Tribal
Roky Erickson - True Love Cast Out All Evil
Tamaryn - The Waves


thats a lot of stuff.

It is. I thought I was the only person (in the world) who liked the new Walkmen.

what no that album is probably the most immediately likable from them for me.

god that album is aweful. I really tried, but couldn't stand it.

Didn't even realize they had a new one. I guess it's good?




Her new video for "Shanghai Cigarettes" can be seen HERE

So far 15 albums have got 7.00 or over on the 'World Famous' Kranks.

Spoon TRANSFERENCE
Nina Nastasia OUTLASTER
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings I LEARNED THE HARD WAY
Gorillaz PLASTIC BEACH
Bill Kirchen WORD TO THE WISE
Konono No.1 ASSUME CRASH POSITION
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists THE BRUTALIST BRICKS
Crowded House INTRIGUER
Tallest Man on Earth THE WILD HUNT
Drive By Truckers THE BIG TO DO
Four Tet THERE IS LOVE IN YOU
The Hentchmen THE HENTCHMEN
The Watson Twins TALKING TO YOU, TALKING TO ME
Johnny Dowd WAKE UP THE SNAKES
Lawrence Arabia CHANT DARLING

1. Spoon
2. LCD Soundsystem
3. Joanna Newsom
4. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People (spare me your dipshit comments about this being an "EP")
5. The National
6. Yeasayer
7. Arcade Fire
8. New Pornographers
9. Plants & Animals
10. Broken Social Scene
11. Corinne Bailey Rae
12. Mike Patton
13. Titus Andronicus
14. Drive-By Truckers
15. The Hold Steady

I like that Sufjan Stevens EP.

Sorry if that was a dipshit comment. (It does have "EP" in the title, on the cover.)

Not really a dipshit comment. Some on this forum questioned the admissability of a compilation in my top 20 last year.

Difficult year to keep down to 20

Spoon Transference
Dan Kelly Dan Kelly's Dream
Silver Seas Chateau Revenge!
The Postelles s/t
My Jerusalem Gone For Good
Jim Jones Revue Burning Your House Down
Macy Gray The Sell Out
Bobby Bare Jr. A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head
J. Roddy Walston & the Business s/t
Henry Clay People Somewhere On The Golden Coast
Luke Doucet Steel City Trawler
Erykah Badu New Amerykah Pt. 2
Locksley Be In Love
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings I Learned The Hard Way
The Mynabirds What We Lost In The Fire We Gained In The Flood
Nick Curran & The Lowlifes Reform School Girl
Ted Leo The Brutalist Bricks
Free EnergyStuck On Nothing
Justin Townes Earle Harlem River Blues
The Russians Crashing The Party

Need to spend more time with the Sugar Stems, also love the Biters EP and Zachary James & the All Seeing Eyes (although apparently that was an '09 release).