Hi Guys,

Well the end of the year is here and still I have loads of listening to do. I have enough albums that I like to fill out a nice top 20 as you can see here : My list so far

There is so much that I haven't listened to, and I want to know which ones you all think I should focus on getting to know before I post my final year-end.

Here are albums I haven't yet heard:
Decemberists - The Crane Wife (bought Her Majesty a while back and despised it, fyi)
Cat Power - The Greatest
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Joanna Newsome - Ys
M. Ward - Post War
The Thermals - Body, Blood and the Machine
Swan Lake - Beast Moans
Tom Waits - Orphans (never listened to any Tom Waits)
Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
Subtle - For Hero:For Fool
Bob Dylan - Modern Times

Also, my friend ripped me a copy of the Annuals - Be He Me. Anyone know if that's 2006 or 2007?

Thanks, in advance, for all your help.

Cheers,

The Annuals is 2006.

Of those you listed, they probably all deserve some listening (except for maybe Swan Lake). My personal faves of those are The Thermals and Tom Waits.

Also, have you heard Aloha's Some Echoes? I don't know why, but it strikes me as something you may like.

Definitely haven't heard of the Aloha's. I'll check them out next.

Another question I have is about Lindstrom. Their Album It's a Feedelity affair was released this year, but most of the individual tracks were released before 2006. Can I still put this album on the list?

I have not heard very many of those albums myself, but Waits is really good (if long) and I like the Cat Power album more and more. I want the Decemberists album myself, but cannot get it here yet. Based on earlier records, I don't see how they could fail. I don't care much for Dylan or Newsome.

I really enjoyed both Beirut's "Gulag Orkestar" and Belle and Sebastian's "The Life Pursuit" they are both great albums and at least deserve a listening.

Avoid Joanna Newsom at all cost, but definitely check out The Thermals, it's my #1. I also recommend Aloha, it's a top 10 for me.

quote:

Originally posted by PRG:
Avoid Joanna Newsom at all cost, but definitely check out The Thermals, it's my #1. I also recommend Aloha, it's a top 10 for me.

PRG...are you planning to copy my list again?

Listen to all of those. How are you going to know if you like them or not if you don't listen to them?

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
PRG...are you planning to copy my list again?

I only steal from the best Were ours that similar last year? I can't remember. I think we've agreed a lot this year, so who knows. I know we both posted relatively early last year, but this year mine probably won't show up till close to the deadline.

quote:

Originally posted by Vykromond:
Listen to all of those. How are you going to know if you like them or not if you don't listen to them?

Gotta agree with this. I personally like the Decemberists album. But you should really listen to all of them, you have a pretty good list of stuff you haven't heard and I would bet that at least five of those albums would make your list.

If you have any extra time you really need to hear some stuff by Tom Waits, he is far too important to not have heard him yet. Many would listen to Closing Time and Rain Dogs and also check out Bone Machine and Swordfishtrombones.

quote:

Originally posted by PRG:
Were ours that similar last year? I can't remember.

No. You had that awful Go! Team album on your list.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
You had that awful Go! Team album on your list.

You didn't like that one? I really like that album a lot.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:

you should really listen to all of them, you have a pretty good list of stuff you haven't heard and I would bet that at least five of those albums would make your list.

If you have any extra time you really need to hear some stuff by Tom Waits, he is far too important to not have heard him yet. Many would listen to Closing Time and Rain Dogs and also check out Bone Machine and Swordfishtrombones.

The problem is lack of time to give a thorough listen as well as lack of funds to purchase that many albums. I don't do any downloading. I plan on hearing the albums at some point, just not all of them before 2007 begins.

Thermals and Aloha are winning so far.

OK. Newsom & Waits.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:

No. You had that awful Go! Team album on your list.

I must admit I pretty much never listen to this album anymore, but I was feeling it last year. I stand by my inclusion.

quote:

Originally posted by Musicalifragilistic:

Decemberists - The Crane Wife (bought Her Majesty a while back and despised it, fyi)
Cat Power - The Greatest
Joanna Newsome - Ys
The Thermals - Body, Blood and the Machine
Tom Waits - Orphans (never listened to any Tom Waits)

These are all in my top 15. Three are in my top five.

Most people don't seem to be so big on the Cat Power (I'm one of the few), The Crane Wife will only overcome an indifference to The Decemberists, and Newsom is too polarizing among the group here to risk it.

I'd vote Tom Waits and The Thermals.

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:
Most people don't seem to be so big on the Cat Power (I'm one of the few),

I'm not a hater of the Cat Power album, I just don't think her songwriting is as strong as it was on Moon Pix or You Are Free. I like the Memphis Soul sound she employs here though. There are a few really terrific tracks on it too.

quote:

I'm not a hater of the Cat Power album, I just don't think her songwriting is as strong as it was on Moon Pix or You Are Free. I like the Memphis Soul sound she employs here though. There are a few really terrific tracks on it too.

I disliked You Are Free quite a bit. Could it have been more poorly paced? I seemed to like about anything I heard if it shuffled through on random, but strung together my patience wore thin. Maybe I'll go back and give it another listen. (I do not own Moon Pix.)

Go Team was #4 for me last year and it hasn't changed one spot.

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:

I disliked You Are Free quite a bit. Could it have been more poorly paced?

I really don't know. I also think it's annoyingly sequenced and really overlong, but I still liked it because the suite of songs had such strength overall. Not so The Greatest, which to me is relentlessly soporific.