This year, what artists (with a couple releases behind them) are you enjoying for the first time? And, what artists/albums have you rediscovered, after not hearing them for a long time?


The Shipping News is a new-to-me band that I'm enjoying after picking up Three-Four on vinyl. I'm hoping to get a copy of their debut, Save Everything sometime soon.

Keef Hartley, one time drummer for John Mayall, released half dozen or so albums in the early-mid '70s. These were a great blend of jazz, rock, blues and even some prog. I have most of his albums but hadn't heard them in years. Hearing the rich, bluesy-soul of "Another Time, Another Place" from The Time Is Near recently is sending me back for more Hartley albums.

White Rainbow. In particular, the album Prism of Eternal Now.

hmmm. Lots of good stuff!

X - Los Angeles
Classic punk.

The Flesh Eaters - a Minute to Pray, a Second to Die
Gutter punk.

The Cramps
Psycho-vampire Punk!

The Gun Club - Fire of Love
psycho-punkabilly!

Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep
gangster halloweeny hippity hop.

Lush
shoegaze yummies.

Pulp - especially the song Common People
brit pop.

ABBA
just say yes.

Terminator X
Public Enemy funk machine.

Pharaoh Sanders - Karma
just wow. A Love Supreme, part deux.

Camper Van Beethoven
ameriska euro sweetness

the Cows
psycho rusty trombone RAWK!

The Raincoats - s.t. and Odyshape
This is why post punk kicks ass.

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
That dual guitar harmony stuff never got any better than this. The songs are badass too.

The Gladiators
super solid roots reggae

ah nice, I'm not the only one who has recently gotten into ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits. didn't know what to expect, but it's mostly good stuff. Dancing Queen, good song eh?

Most definitely. I'm still trying to figure out a good arrangement for acoustic guitar so I can make that song happen on my own.

I've discovered several amazing New Order albums this year. They're going awfully cheap in the record shop around here because they recently gave them the deluxe re-issue treatment.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I just listened to Silver Jews' American Water for the first time the past week or so. And its just as amazing as I had heard/read. I love finding an old album thats just so damn good, its better than any new music you've heard in a long time. If anyone out there that likes Pavement, or Americana or just plain good music and they don't own this, go and get it at your first chance. You won't be disappointed.

Mercury Rev:
Yerself Is Steam
Boces

Screw Deserter's Songs, this is where it's at. True extrasensory, psychedelic overload.

quote:

Originally posted by hophead:
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I just listened to Silver Jews' American Water for the first time the past week or so. And its just as amazing as I had heard/read. I love finding an old album thats just so damn good, its better than any new music you've heard in a long time. If anyone out there that likes Pavement, or Americana or just plain good music and they don't own this, go and get it at your first chance. You won't be disappointed.

I think you hit the nail on the head. I was never much of a Pavement fan, at least from what I've heard, and I'm not much of a fan of American Water either. My loss.

EDIT: I should say that I do love a few songs from that album, just not the whole thing.

Came across this band from Pensylvania called Strand of Oaks and their just released '09 album 'Leave Ruin' which is pretty sweet. If you like Neil Young and early My Morning Jacket you should check them out. They have 4 songs from the album up at their myspace - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.vi...le&friendID=26007346

Wow. I noticed that when Bruce Peninsula is coming to town they're opening for The Tom Fun Orchestra, so I figured I'd check out their album that came out in 2008 called You Will Land With A Thud. And it is awesome. I have been sitting here for a while to describe their sound, but it really transcends genres and gathers from a huge range of influences. Tom Waitsish vocals backed by a band of every instrument you can think. Definitely would've made my top 20 of 2008.
Here's their Myspace.
http://www.myspace.com/tomfunorchestra

Black Dice.

I never really gave them a shot, but I heard they were coming out with a new album, so I decided to give some of their back-catalog a listen. It's great.

just started listening to Charalambides and can't imagine how I didn't know about them sooner. It's like the missing piece to the puzzle that is my uber-specific musical tastes

The Drones are pretty much my greatest discovery in a long long looong time. 'Havilah' is probably the most overlooked great album of 2008 (if i listened to it before compiling my year end list it would probably be in my top3) and their older records are very good too.

quote:

Originally posted by the Holy Immaculate Vag:
hmmm. Lots of good stuff!

X - Los Angeles
Classic punk.

The Flesh Eaters - a Minute to Pray, a Second to Die
Gutter punk.

The Cramps
Psycho-vampire Punk!

The Gun Club - Fire of Love
psycho-punkabilly!

Does this old punk's heart good to see these. Check out X's "Wild Gift" (their 2nd album) too. While thinking of old punk, I think of Future of the Left. They are where punk should've been heading to over the years.

So I'm listening to Funkadelic's "The Electric Spanking of War Babies" for the first time in a long time. It sounds SO fresh. Beats the bejesus out of most white indie/dance/electronic pretenders of the last decade or so. If it were released under a different band name, I'd bet a lot ppl would salivate over it.

quote:

Originally posted by JACOK:
The Drones are pretty much my greatest discovery in a long long looong time. 'Havilah' is probably the most overlooked great album of 2008 (if i listened to it before compiling my year end list it would probably be in my top3) and their older records are very good too.

Yes!!!! The Drones are outstanding. I can't think of a more generally overlooked band (by Americans) than them. I didn't know "Havilah" was out 'til somebody here mentioned it. It would've easily made by fave 10. But it still hasn't received its American release (AGAIN!), so it starts out this year as my fave 09 release. Same with the killer Eddie Current....

The lag time between good Aussie band releases and American release is too damn long, so the Aussies they overlooked too much. (Augie March is another one that comes to mind. "Strange Bird" took, like, 2 years to release in US.)

quote:

Originally posted by outis:

quote:

Originally posted by JACOK:
The Drones are pretty much my greatest discovery in a long long looong time. 'Havilah' is probably the most overlooked great album of 2008 (if i listened to it before compiling my year end list it would probably be in my top3) and their older records are very good too.

Yes!!!! The Drones are outstanding. I can't think of a more generally overlooked band (by Americans) than them. I didn't know "Havilah" was out 'til somebody here mentioned it. It would've easily made by fave 10. But it still hasn't received its American release (AGAIN!), so it starts out this year as my fave 09 release. Same with the killer Eddie Current....

The lag time between good Aussie band releases and American release is too damn long, so the Aussies they overlooked too much. (Augie March is another one that comes to mind. "Strange Bird" took, like, 2 years to release in US.)

Glad you like it too. ATP Recording is releasing it in the US in February. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/147559-the-d...new-album-to-america

I'm pretty sure it will get extremely good press. P4k gave Galla Mill 8.4 and I think Havilah is a better album, definiately more consistent. Anyway, they deserve a wider audience.

Btw, how did you like the latest Augie March record? I remember that I was extremely disappointed by it the first time I heard it but I've grown to like it a lot eventually.

Inspired by the beats-laden rhythmic tribalism triumph of Animal Collective's latest, I've just discovered the supremely excellent Liars record Drum's Not Dead. Don't ask me why I didn't love it in 2006 so much. It's fucking good, albeit dark, very dark. Where was I?

Okay, so the Rural Alberta Advantage album is actually as good as everyone here says it is. I don't know why I didn't like it very much last year, but I definitely get it now. Really great from start to finish.