I picked up Sons and Daughters - The Repulsion Box today. I looked for the new North Mississippi Allstars album but they didn't have it.

I just found out that Laura Veirs is opening in the Sufjan Stevens concert I'm going to tonight. I've been thinking of looking into her, since I lot of people here seem to like her. So this is an unexpected bonus.

And of course there are 4 or 5 mandatory purchases next Tuesday.

Edit: Aaaand, to update, I found North Mississippi Allstars - Electric Blue Watermelon.

That should about do it until Tuesday.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bobthespirit,

And...I picked up Super Furry Animals, Sigur Ros, Devendra Banhart, and Iron & Wine/Calexico's next albums this week. (I can't believe nobody else posted here since I did five days ago..)

Haven't listened to them yet (Though I've already heard Love Kraft).

One thing though...Sigur Ros's packaging annoys me. The case is bigger than normal so it can't fit into some of my CD shelves and the CD is one of those super-thin sleeves that makes me worry I'm going to scratch it every time I take it out. Why did they package their album like that?

I picked up several of the same things as bob this week:

Calexico/Iron and Wine
Super Furry Animals
Sigur Ros (the best way to handle the odd packaging, I've found, is to put the disc in a regular jewel case in your rack and display the book-packs elsewhere...I find them annoying, too)

I also picked up
Bloc Party: Silent Alarm Remixed
The Brakes: The Brakes
David Gray: Life in Slow Motion

I've only listened to the David Gray, but it's excellent. He's not a hipster fave, but I've been a fan of his since his indie-folk days as an unknown artist in the UK.

There's a 5-mile run ahead of me...the Super Furries and Bloc Party will keep me company as I sweat it out in the late summer Georgia heat...

EDIT...

I forgot that I had gotten the new one from Nada Surf in the mail Monday, and I got a couple of "try these out" promos from by buddy who reps for Epic:

The Fray: How To Save a Life
Augustana: All The Stars and Boulevards

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

I grabbed the Super Furries and Iron & Wine/Calexico discs also. Love Kraft is a little more difficult to get into than, say, Rings Around the World, but it still strikes me as a wonderful album. Stylus posted a scathing review of it earlier this week; too bad it was plagued by mistakes (there's really no excuse for incorrect track titles, especially when those incorrect track titles are from the leaked, and not final, version).

Iron & Wine/Calexico's In the Reins is pretty enjoyable, although I'm a little disappointed. I expected more from the collaboration. I also grabbed Devendra's Cripple Crow, which initially drove me absolutely nuts. Now I quite like it, despite the fact it takes 15 minutes to really get anywhere.

I didn't realize it was released today, and expected to walk out of Future Shop empty handed, but walked out with Sigur Ros's Takk...

I like the packaging, but more important, the music is grand, more beautiful than Agaetis byrjun, and will be listened to much. Big WOW factor on this one...

I bought Rain Parade's "Emergency 3rd Rail Somethingorother" yesterday. Very beautiful stuff.

I already bought Devendra Banhart and Super Furries last week -- for some reason my local indie store had them out already -- so I didn't have to get them this week. The Furries' album disappointed on a first listen becuase it is not as poppy and song-oriented as their previous albums, and had a more meandering quality, but it is growing on me. The Banhart album is great, if a little too long. At first, it sounded a little too much like all of his albums, but on repeated listens the differences are starting to stand out.

This week, I bought:

"The Weight is a Gift" -- Nada Surf

"Into the Woods" -- Malcolm Middleton

"Stephen Stills" -- Stephen Stills (remastered)

"Dimanche a Bakamo" -- Amadou and Mariam (lovely world music album)

"In the Reins" -- Calexico/Iron Wine (on a first listen, just gorgeous!)

"Takk" -- Sigur Ros (Occasionally skates perilously close to new age music, but it's darn pretty. Yeah, my first reaction was -- what puffin-eating Icelandic hermit designed the stoopid packaging?? How do you say "Burn in Hell !!!" in Hopelandish?)

Its been a big week in Australiana for me. I hope some of you guys get a chance to listen to some of these.

Probably our best songwriter of past is Paul Kelly. He hasn't had any HIT songs of late but I just picked up:
Foggy Highway
Ways and Means
...nothing but a dream

Extremely good albums every one. The latest, Foggy Highway is roots, and you would be surprised with the authentic sound he gets.

Others:

Tim Rogers and the Temperance Union - Ghost songs/Dirty Ron
This is looking good fora top ten this year. If you can, pick it up.

Midnight Oil - 10...1 and Diesel and Dust. For some reason I did not own these. Without a doubt two of the best Aussie Rock albums ever made.

On another note, Markf, I just picked up BRMC - Howl. How could I have doubted you? I dont have either of their first albums, so I guess I didn't have to worry about expectations. It is a damn good album.

Thanks for reading.
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You know, I think the only reason I haven't really gone into Australian music is that...everything I hear about it is in the form of big raves from Australian people who reel off a list of 10-20 bands I absolutely need to hear.

So, I think metacritic should have partner sites where they go to various countries with big music scenes and give a metascore based on local critics and audiophiles.

I just don't have any sort of filter when it comes to music not published in the US or UK.

This is what I think, so thanks!

Backcountry -- Paul Kelly is someone I've been meaning to investigate. Where's the best place to start? (I usually hate compilations, so I'm thinking of proper albums.)

quote:

Originally posted by Peewee:
Backcountry -- Paul Kelly is someone I've been meaning to investigate. Where's the best place to start? (I usually hate compilations, so I'm thinking of proper albums.)

I'd offer you a comp (Songs From the South, which is amazing) but since you don't like comps, I'd look for:

Gossip
COmedy
Wanted Man
Words and Music
Nothing But A Dream
Ways and Means

There's also a good rarities collection, Hidden Things.

Seriously, though...if you just want to sample Paul, I'd try Songs from the South which features 20 tracks from his whole career (including what I consider to be his best song, and maybe my pick for the best song of the 90's, "How To Make Gravy")

quote:

Originally posted by Backcountry:
Its been a big week in Australiana for me. I hope some of you guys get a chance to listen to some of these.



Extremely good albums every one. The latest, Foggy Highway is roots, and you would be surprised with the authentic sound he gets.

Others:

Tim Rogers and the Temperance Union - Ghost songs/Dirty Ron
This is looking good fora top ten this year. If you can, pick it up.

---------------------------------------------------

I've not heard Foggy Highway yet, but I'm looking forward to picking it up soon. I ordered some Aussie stuff not too long ago which SHOULD (fingers crossed) arrive this week, including the Tim Rogers discs, the solo record by Charles Jenkins (Ice Cream Hands), and the 2-disc best-of Dom Mariani.

I'm a huge fan of Australian music, including, but not limited to You Am I, The Stems, the DM3, Died Pretty, Ice Cream Hands, Even, Paul Kelly, The Someloves, The Whitlams, Hoodoo Gurus, ad infinitum...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philosopherEric,

I just bought Twin Cinema . I like most of it. There are a couple clunkers (the title track, for instance), which I wasn't expecting after reading those radioactive reviews, but maybe 11 of the 14 tracks are exactly what you'd expect. Just exuberant, catchy bliss. One song, in particular, "Sing Me Spanish Techno," is just unbelieveable. It's one of those songs where you can spot all the transparent tricks the band uses to make the song so catchy, but no amount of ironic detachment keeps the song from floating through your head. You just have to smile a knowing smile and applaud the band. It's sort of disturbing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bryan_K,

I actually think 'Sing Me Spanish Techno' is one of the only two songs on the album I *don't* like.

The hook is just a bit too noxious for me..

pE -- thanks for the recommendations on Paul Kelly. "Ways & Means" is nicely priced at my store, considering it's a double album, and it seems to have had great reviews, so I think I will start with that. They also have the compilation you recommend but it is rather pricey. "Words and Music" is another one I am interested in, just based on the All Music Guide's reviews.

While we're at it, anyone have any recommendations on Eyeless in Gaza?

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

Wow, and here I was thinking I was talking to brick wall. Obviously Markf is a bit of a fan, which warms the heart somewhat. It sounds like I am not the first to sing the praises of our music, so I wont offend anyone here by doing the same again...except, get Dallas Crane now before they finally sign to a major and end up like Jet or the Vines.

Songs from the South is a must (otherwise buy everything he did in the 80's), and "how to make gravy" is quite possibly the best christmas song every recorded (just throws out a ridiculous statement, but cares little for the consequences).

The new one by Paul Kelly is a bit different (very rootsy) but on par with all his other latest stuff.
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Richard Hawley - Cole's Corner
Tracy Chapman - Where You Live

The track 'Change' really touched me when I heard it, so I had to buy the album.