Okay. First I just want to say that I felt this way BEFORE the pitchfork review from this morning, but The Knife's Silent Shout is easily my favorite album of the year thus far. It's bizarre, addicting, and eerie. There is no song on it as hands-down brilliant and catchy as "Heartbeats," the highlight of their last album and (in)arguably one of the greatest singles of the decade. Still, Silent Shout is far more consistent and engaging than any of their previous albums. I find it to be a perfect listen when hiking or driving at night.

Still, why the hell did Pitchfork review it already? It's not out for almost 2 months!!! Perhaps it's just another testament to their suffocating and irritating pretentiousness....

As far as some of the other releases are concerned, I found The Life Pursuit to be adequate, but not much more, and The Greatest to be similarly satisfying, though it makde me yearn for that "rawer" Cat Power sound (Moon Pix is still my favorite). Both are good records in their own right, but compared to other albums in their catalogues, the newer releases just don't stand out much for me. Oh, and The Strokes' new album is COMPLETELY hit-or-miss. Some songs are great ("You Only Live Once," "Heart in a Cage") while some are absolutely dreadful ("15 Minutes"). Considering that it's The Strokes, it is a little bit of a disappointment, though the standout tracks make it a worthwhile purchase. At least, I think so....

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... But I think the albums this year that I will remember as the best have not been released yet.

I feel the same. Most of what has been released so far this year doesn't do anything for me. I do like The Elected's Sun, Sun, Sun but that's about it.

I'm surviving on stuff I saw on everyone's 2005 top 20 lists. Some really good stuff I had missed.

quote:

Originally posted by Platypus Quest:
I find it to be a perfect listen when hiking

?!

Usually I go for something a little more pastoral when I'm out in the wilderness, like Wilco or Okkervil or something. I've given this Knife album a couple more listens, and I like it more and more. There are some aspects that will probably always grate on me though. Still, if you'd asked me to guess what genre would produce the year's first progressive love-it-or-hate-it album, I wouldn't have said house. Quite a shot in the arm for a genre that has long been tired.

Also, I totally agree with you about the Cat Power and B&S albums.

Has anyone heard this Clogs album who is willing to confirm or refute the small-scale critical acclaim? I do like the National.

'Silent Shout' actually comes out in less than a week in Sweden. It was pushed up because it was leaked.

I know this information because I found it out while researching the US release date on google. Which I did not find. I don't think it's scheduled for US release yet.

Yeah... I could never explain why The Knife makes for such good hiking music, but I come back to it often.

But yes, I also like more 'pastoral' music... Fennesz's Endless Summer is the PERFECT (yes, PERFECT) album for relaxing outside or going on a hike. I still can't figure out exactly HOW the album was made... It feels like it just came to be, naturally, organically falling into place rather than being assembled by a human being. It's so incredibly nuanced that to imagine it just being put together by somebody else is exhausting... But it's a very special recording. You can picture it being the sound of plants growing, clouds floating, people talking - - in essence, the sound of life.

That has to sound ridiculous, but I'm serious. No other album has rewarded so many listens as that one. I know Endless Summer came out like 5 years ago and that this is a Best of 2006 post.... I apologize. I got a little carried away.

And thanks BobtheSpirit for the info on Silent Shout. Good to know.

I am really looking forward to the new Wilco recording. I [heart] them.

I'm really liking the new Rosanne Cash and Drive-by Truckers albums these days. DBT in particular is fanstastic, maybe my favorite of the year thus far. I'm a little disappointed with the new Flaming Lips, though. It's not drawing me in the way Yoshimi and Soft Bulletin did.

The new Cat Power and Belle & Sebastian both disappointed significantly. So far this year, an overlooked (by me) 2005er - Architecture In Helsiki : In Case We Die - and a 12/05 release in Japan - Tsuji Ayano : CALENDAR CALENDAR - have aurally nourished my soul. I don't think that the Tsuji Ayano is scheduled for release in the US or Europe at present.

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Originally posted by dano:
I'm really liking the new Rosanne Cash and Drive-by Truckers albums these days. DBT in particular is fanstastic, maybe my favorite of the year thus far. I'm a little disappointed with the new Flaming Lips, though. It's not drawing me in the way Yoshimi and Soft Bulletin did.

Every time I pat myself on the back for finding a decent leak, you come along with one of these posts.... I didn't even know these freaking albums were complete!

Speaking of Fennesz, isn't he about due?

Fennesz usually takes about 3-4 years to make an album... Since Venice came out in '04, I wouldn't expect a release this year, though perhaps next year. I've got my fingers crossed...

So Far, Have only picked up Cat Power and B&S.

I like Cat Power, but compared to 2005, doubt it would crack my top 30 last year.

B&S has some good moments, especially The Price of A Cup of Tea, but overall is just hard for me to listen too, given how far they fallen since their pinnacle days in the mid-nineties...I mean, they're trying new stuff, but would any song here other than "Tea" qualify as anything better than the worst song on Tigermilk or IFYS?
Got to aggree with Bobthespirit that it's highly unlikely either of these albums will be at the very top by end of the year...neither is close to great.

Otherwise, If Elbow's Leaders is now considered a 2006 release instead of a 2005, then that to me is easily the best of the year so far...Station Approach, The Everythere, Mexican Standoff, Forget Myself all great songs. I had it around 18-20 for 2005.

I picked up Belle and Sebastian's Life Pursuit around the same time I finally got Push Barman... Its startling how different they are, its almost like two completely different bands. Anyway, Push Barman is incredible and I love it as much as If You're Feeling Sinister.

The Life Pursuit is nice and a couple of songs are really good like Another Sunny Day, White Collar Boy, and Dress Up in You. Funny Little Frog is annoying to me, and I hate Song for Sunshine. I can't stand having a song in the middle of a cd I like that I absolutely must skip every time I put the cd in.

I really want to like Cat Power and B&S's new ones, but Cat Power's especially is just so easy to brush over and forget, which is rather sad. But, off topic, to whoever said this:

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Originally posted by Platypus Quest:
Still, why the hell did Pitchfork review it already? It's not out for almost 2 months!!! Perhaps it's just another testament to their suffocating and irritating pretentiousness....

I'm not entirely sure that this is sarcastic or not, simply because of its ridiculousness, but i'll address it like it isn't. First of all, you do realize that you are calling them pretentious for reviewing an album early, which, for one, is hardly grounds for being called pretentious, which leads me to believe that you don't actually know what that means, and two, you yourself obviously have this album two months early, so why is Pitchfork pretentious because it does as well? You also made an even more pretentious statement in your post by specifically citing that your opinions on the album had nothing to do with pitchfork and that you had found the album on your own, which, in context, was completely uneccesary. And since you mentioined a review that was posted that same morning, it shows you read pitchfork everyday, but apparently hate them with a passion (suffocating and irritating pretentiousness is pretty drastic). Sorry if i got it wrong, but something about your post just eeked me out on a couple levels

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I really want to like Cat Power and B&S's new ones, but Cat Power's especially is just so easy to brush over and forget, which is rather sad.

You've just summed up my impression of Cat Power perfectly

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Originally posted by Television:
I'm not entirely sure that this is sarcastic or not, simply because of its ridiculousness, but i'll address it like it isn't. First of all, you do realize that you are calling them pretentious for reviewing an album early, which, for one, is hardly grounds for being called pretentious, which leads me to believe that you don't actually know what that means, and two, you yourself obviously have this album two months early, so why is Pitchfork pretentious because it does as well? You also made an even more pretentious statement in your post by specifically citing that your opinions on the album had nothing to do with pitchfork and that you had found the album on your own, which, in context, was completely uneccesary. And since you mentioined a review that was posted that same morning, it shows you read pitchfork everyday, but apparently hate them with a passion (suffocating and irritating pretentiousness is pretty drastic). Sorry if i got it wrong, but something about your post just eeked me out on a couple levels

Well said, that post bugged me too.

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Originally posted by Television:

quote:

Originally posted by Platypus Quest:
Still, why the hell did Pitchfork review it already? It's not out for almost 2 months!!! Perhaps it's just another testament to their suffocating and irritating pretentiousness....

I'm not entirely sure that this is sarcastic or not, simply because of its ridiculousness, but i'll address it like it isn't. First of all, you do realize that you are calling them pretentious for reviewing an album early, which, for one, is hardly grounds for being called pretentious, which leads me to believe that you don't actually know what that means, and two, you yourself obviously have this album two months early, so why is Pitchfork pretentious because it does as well? You also made an even more pretentious statement in your post by specifically citing that your opinions on the album had nothing to do with pitchfork and that you had found the album on your own, which, in context, was completely uneccesary. And since you mentioined a review that was posted that same morning, it shows you read pitchfork everyday, but apparently hate them with a passion (suffocating and irritating pretentiousness is pretty drastic). Sorry if i got it wrong, but something about your post just eeked me out on a couple levels

You make an interesting point.

1. So someone misused the word 'pretentious.' Like that's never happened. It's not a big deal. Personally, I think Pitchfork is bored right now because it's been seven weeks and 2006 has seen two interesting releases. Also, they're bursting with excitement about the Knife (just read the Jens Lekman interview, in which Schreiber brings up the album unprovoked and Lekman is like, "yeah, I guess the single's cool."). Pitchfork's motives and character are irrelevant though.

2. Webster.com: "Pretentious 1 : characterized by pretension : as a : making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing) b : expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature" It is neither pretentious nor unnecessary to emphasize that one found an album on one's own. Is it pretentious to state one's own opinion of an album? Or is that not why we're here? How can you excoriate someone for misusing a word and then misuse it yourself? Is it possible that in calling Platypus Quest's post pretentious, you are yourself making an unjustified or excessive claim? Laughable. The general air of the post was not, "I'm so cool, I found a leak." And I think we can agree that it is necessary to let others know that you're not following Pitchfork like a lemming when you state that you agree with them.

3. Mentioning a review that occurred that same day is less than proof that a person reads Pitchfork every day. Regardless of how you feel about them, there are other ways to encounter Pitchfork's content. And is it really hard to believe that someone can hate Pitchfork and still read them regularly?

I can only assume that your post is the highest of irony. It was not fair to get uppity about perceived misuse of a word that you yourself fail to understand.

Recognizing that I have no leg to stand on here, I think it's pretty weird to get all serious about the diction of a totally casual post.

One thing we should be clear about however, is that The Knife's Silent Shout is a simply incredible piece of work..... wow.

This is my favourite album of 2006 so far, in fact my favourite in a long while. How.... is.... it.... so.... Good....

Wow. First of all, I do know what the word 'pretentious' means, and I felt that Pitchfork was trying to prove how "ahead-of-the-game" they are with a review of an album that won't be released here for months.

And I don't see how it is "pretentious" of me to simply have such an album.

Thanks dubs.

It might not be 'pretentious' to review something that isn't out for months, but there is a certain 'look how important I am...I got it before everyone else' quality to this whole thing. Pitchfork would certainly want everyone to KNOW they were on the bandwagon before it really got rolling, particularly since they normally review albums the week (or the week before) they are officially released. Of course, it doesn't seem that difficult to get ahead of the game...plenty of people here are apparently all over this record before the rave review. Plus, as bob points out, the release got pushed up because of all of the hubbub.

dubs is right, though: Jan and Feb have been slow months, so maybe they're just filling in gaps. But the reference to the Knife in the Lekman interview really does make me think they're wanting to STRONGLY associate themselves with this record before anyone else tries to...

Jens Lekman - I wish he sang in Swedish. I don't understand Swedish.

quote:

I can only assume that your post is the highest of irony. It was not fair to get uppity about perceived misuse of a word that you yourself fail to understand.

I feel like my use of the word pretentious was sorta misunderstood. Maybe i didn't portray what i thought was pretentious about his post correctly, so I'll try that.

"expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature"

I thought it was pretentious of him to highlight (literally) the fact that he found the album before the pitchfork review, and have that be the first thing he said in a post about the album. To me, that seemed to be "exaggerating stature" over pitchfork and its pretentiousness, because, c'mon, it would have just as easy to say I found this band a while ago, it's an awesome album, and pitchfork reviewed it today. Whatever, the specifics of one post in a forum are unimportant, and again, i could have totally gotten his opinion wrong, in which case, my foot is in my mouth.
I do think i was correct in assuming he reads pitchfork everyday though. Along with his adamant opinion on it and the fact that he read it that morning, i put two and two together. Also, like in that Howard Stern movie (The average stern fan listens for 1 and a half hours a day, the average stern hatere listens for 2 and a half hours), it seems the people who hate pitchfork still frequent it all the time, which is understandable. Personally, Tinymixtapes pisses me off more. Every single goddam one of their headlines has to be a stupid joke, and it often obscures the actual news. wow, tangent.