That's why I do it new on or around new years, cause there is little interest after that.

My High Holy Days of Music's Relative Merit always used to end when the Village Voice's Pazz and Jop Poll was released... usually the first of Feb.

Page 2, time to start the thread:





RIYL: Patti Smith, early PJ Harvey

I miss early PJ Harvey. I will hear this.

PJ had a bizarre single cut released this fall - sounded like Kate Bush, only sweeter. I think she found Jesus and stopped smoking cigarettes or something.

This thread is going to force me to buy the Kanye record this afternoon, isn't it?

I got it totally prepared to dismiss it. It's good.

I got it totally prepared to dismiss it, and after a handful of listens, I believe I will be able to do just that.

man, this is really bad.

same here, and agree with harry. give a listen, or several Colin.

Stop loving music so much.

hey, i gave it a shot though.

girl talk - all day is exhibit a for the argument that i made my year-end list too soon

I wanna see what else crops up in here. I did a piss-poor job of hearing new shit this year, and half of what I DID hear and like, came from rads.

Stuff I've been trying to cram in at the last (or after the last) minute:

The Fresh & Onlys - August on My Mind EP
Miracle Condition - s/t (maybe a late 2009 release, but the argument could be made...)
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
Harvey Milk - A Small Turn of Human Kindness
Kylesa - Spiral Shadow
Alcest - Écailles De Lune
Lower Dens - Twin-Hand Movement
Twin Shadow - Forget

Plus tomorrow I think I'm going to add a few more to that list. Probably:

Actress - Splazsh
Autre Ne Veut - s/t
Future Islands - In Evening Air
Yellow Swans - Going Places

the Agalloch is so awesome.

This is not what this thread is for but over the past week or so I've been intensely deleting a lot of stuff that I had from the year (without doing the whole review process) and what I initially thought was a really strong year in Americana/Alt. Country/Country/etc. releases has basically shown me that my initial, short-lived appreciation of about a dozen or so records was likely based on hot weather and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, but in retrospect, most of them are just terrible or terribly uneven. Still some really good country-ish releases this year, but I thought that it would dominate my year when I looked back on it, but it's not nearly as strong as I thought.

Deleted today:
Matt Harlan (good singer/songwriter voice but the girl that sings with him is terrible and a lot of his lyrics try way too hard and the arrangements are fucking corny as hell.)
Kasey Anderson (well not really deleted yet, going to give one more go. I really like this guy - just wish he was better)
Reckless Kelly (I'd only listened to this album once and I thought it was a blast but I listened to last week and again today and it's just sort of embarrassing.)

However Richmond Fontaine's live album from this year has reminded me that they are one of the best bands.

Musically it's really impressive. (Or instrumentally or whatever.) The vocals are a little too Cobra Commander for me, but they don't intrude or really detract that much. Only one listen so far to all of those, anyway.

PLAY THAT SHIT LOUD

When all the metal sites and magazines started pumping out their lists, I went through and downloaded like everything and most of it was not for me but that one just struck me like a metal record hasn't since like 2006-2007ish. Dunno why. I also really like the Dawnbringer record which is just like a homage to everything that is awesomely heavy over the past 30 years.

One of those bands that once had the potential to be great, but they've stuck themselves in a puzzling no-man's land between recent Steve Earle and shitty New Country.

Yeah, I kind of quickly grabbed four metal(-ish) albums - that, Harvey Milk, Kylesa, and Alcest - yesterday. Pretty sure Agalloch and Harvey Milk are the best of the batch. That Alcest isn't even really what I'd think of as metal, and Kylesa just seems like "regular indie metal" circa 2010. I think that Harvey Milk is possibly better than their last one (which I admittedly wasn't that big on), and both that and Agalloch give me a little bit of a Neurosis vibe. Definitely a good thing.

They found their niche' touring and making music for Southern frat kids. It's not a no-man's land. They're tons of frat kids who eat that shit up.

yeah i bet they'd be a blast live, but the recorded work is not so good.

no it's not.

I've been very late to a few excellent records, if i can cram in enough listens they should make my list.

Guinea Worms - Sorcererers of Madness (If i had heard this earlier, it would easily have a shot at number one)
The Men - Immaculada
The Black Angels - Phosphene Dreams
Dead Farmers- Go Home

And I've just found out The Steeldrivers have a new record out.