I forgot one important CD and it's a bit like Neon Golden : The Postal Service - Give Up.

Late period Art Pepper. He was one of the cool school of jazz's big-time alto players back in the '50s- and as such I just plain wrote him off, but I just checked out his late '70s recordings, and the brother can cook! Any forum reader into jazz and likes Classic Quartet era Trane needs to hear him play with Elvin at the Village Vanguard. Que tasty!

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Originally posted by J_Deighton:
Late period Art Pepper. He was one of the cool school of jazz's big-time alto players back in the '50s- and as such I just plain wrote him off, but I just checked out his late '70s recordings, and the brother can cook!

Great stuff. For a guy who was as strung out as Art was, his recorded output is remarkably consistent. If you've not checked out his autobiography, Straight Life, it's a great insight into his life and work.

If you've written of the 50s Cool guys, does that mean you've written off Lee Konitz as well? If so, you might be pleasantly surprised as well.

Now Playing: "Kindling" Architecture in Helsinki streaming on the always excellent Global Pop Conspiracy Radio.

Most of Kontiz early stuff leaves me cold- but I've been hip to him for years. And I don't super hate the cool school, it's just not the kind of jazz I gravitate to. I think Paul Desmond will always be the guy that leaves me cold. I get that he was innovative melodically and all I just don't like listening to him. Same thing goes for Brubeck, even though I think he gets a bad rap.

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Originally posted by RavingLunatic:

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The Notwist - Neon Golden

That is my favorite album from the past 5 years. So good. Acher's voice and the electronics and the banjo, it just all comes together so incredibly well. To me, every track is a standout. Now, if they would only make a proper follow-up (I don't even want to listen to the 13+God album).

If you like that album I definitely recommend you look into:

Ms. John Soda - No P or D

and also

Lali Puna - Scary World Theory

Both bands share members with the Notwist and both albums are superb, if not quite as astoundingly magical as Neon Golden.

I agree that the Notwist's Neon Golden is one of the best records of the new millineum. If you like that one and are looking for more You should check out 13 & God's self-titled that came out earlier this year. Its actually a collabo of the Notwist with the Anticon crew, most notably Dose One of cLOUDDEAD fame. 13 & God is on the same level as Neon Golden but darker (if that's possible) and with more of an edge. One of my favorite's of the year.

quote:

Originally posted by J_Deighton:

I think Paul Desmond will always be the guy that leaves me cold. I get that he was innovative melodically and all I just don't like listening to him. Same thing goes for Brubeck, even though I think he gets a bad rap.[/QUOTE]
We have the opposite reaction here. I love Desmond, but have never cared for Brubeck. I can give you a shopping list of reasons why he is important, how talented he is, etc., but in the end I just don't like listening to him.

Now Playing: "Uptown" Prince streaming on Global Pop Conspiracy Radio

Yeah, I feel the same way about Brubeck- I just think people either lionize him or pick on him too much. Desmond on the other hand just isn't my thing, but you say you don't dig any of those '50s alto boys and certain jazz fans get all over you for not appreciating how hard it was not to sound like Parker back then. I get it!
I have mp3s of a great set with Konitz playing with Joey Baron (one of my fav' downtown guys) in a trio setting.
Also, Pepper's autobiography is on my reading list. I'm a sucker for jazz books, and now that I have a new found respect for the cat... (Who am I kidding, all I've listened to for the last three days are his late vintage Vanguard dates... I'm obsessed!) ...I'm going to pick it up sooner than later.

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Originally posted by cpa13:
If you like that one and are looking for more You should check out 13 & God's self-titled that came out earlier this year. Its actually a collabo of the Notwist with the Anticon crew, most notably Dose One of cLOUDDEAD fame. 13 & God is on the same level as Neon Golden but darker (if that's possible) and with more of an edge. One of my favorite's of the year.

I've actually actively avoided listening to that 13+God album, because I really don't like adny kind of hip-hop at all, and it really perturbed me that the Notwist didn't just do a proper Notwist album.

quote:

Originally posted by J_Deighton:
...Joey Baron (one of my fav' downtown guys)...

Joey Baron appears on one of my late favorites of 2005, Charlie Peacock's Love Press Ex-Curio. If you've not checked it out, it's an interesting listen. Not only as one of the better jazz releases of the year, but for the fact that Peacock's career has been made as one of the more consistent singer/songwriter/producers in the Nashville Contemporary Christian scene. He's written and produced a few crossover hits, but his own stuff has shown a broader ranging interest in music of all kinds. Still and all, this albums a shocker. It's much further out than I would have expected and the credits are considerable. In addition to Baron; Ravi Coltrane, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Victor Wooten appear, among others. One Final Note gives it one of their typically intelligent and informed reviews.

You might find it interesting. I know I am.

Now Playing: "Jim Dunn's Dilemma" Freddie Redd Music from the Connection

A "new to me" artist I discovered just yesterday is Jon Randall. I heard a piece on him on NPR and dowloaded a few tracks from his latest release titled "Walking Among the Living." I really enjoyed what I heard. I am not really a country fan, but his work is much more song-based than other country artists one usually comes across. From what I have heard, it is a subtle and introspective type of record with primarily minimal accoustic arrangements. I am really looking forward to listening to it from beginning to end. As a sidenote, after doing some research on him, I think I probably saw him live about 10 years ago when he backed Emmylou Harris.

I've had a few moments of almost epiphanic proportions this year listening to stuff that's new to me:

Modest mouse - Moon and Antartica. First time through this sounded like a Built to Spill album, not that that's a bad thing, but it keeps revealing more and more with each listen....as does...

The Shins - Oh Inverted World. Much, much better than Chutes too Narrow.....I think.

Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy. Just awesome. My album of the year.

Microphones - The Glow Part 2. For me, a better version of 'In an Aeroplane...'.

Spoon - Kill the moonlight (especially) and Gimme Fiction (some really good songs but not as consistent).

there were some, but the ones that hit me hardest were three individuals from 2003: polmo polpo, whose "like hearts swelling" is now in my top ten albums of all time. LFO's "Sheath", which i used to hate, all of a sudden clicked and i was hooked on it for about 6 months. Apparat's "duplex" which i heard by accident and had the same effect.

Lucinda Williams, and pretty much all good alt-country/regular country

Music I've been getting into or reacquainted with this year includes:

New - Back to Bedlam by James Blunt (ok only some tracks rather than the whole album but I don't think he's as bad as people make out!)

New - The Alternative to Love by Brendan Benson (I really love his stuff)

New - Nashville by Josh Rouse, which led to me dusting off 1972.

Reacquainted - Barefoot & Sh!tfaced (my censorship not theirs) by Elevator Suite (some inspired samples on this lounge/jazz/indie album including from The Italian Job and The Thomas Crown Affair)

New - Our Souls Will Remain by Joseph Arthur. I think this is from last year (in the US at least) but I've only recently got it and think it has some fantastic tracks. I love his voice.

New - Stars of CCTV by Hard-Fi

New - Demon Days by Gorillaz

New to me - Some of Kylie Minogue's albums! Patchy but with some really good tracks on Body Language, Fever and Light Years

1 thing by Amerie - not fussed about the album but this was one of the tracks of the year.

New to me - Thank You by Jamelia. I'd heard most of the singles before but bought the album in a sale and although it isn't all my thing it has a lot of strong tracks, especially 'Antidote'.

New to me - Cafe del Mar compilation albums. Highlights including tracks by Lamb, Ben Onono (Tatouage Bleu is amazing), Bush (Letting the Cables Sleep remixed by N.O.W.)

New to me - Dusty Springfield compilation

Reacquainted - International Velvet by Catatonia

Reacquainted - The Bluetones


Reacquainted - The Raw and the Cooked by Fine Young Cannibals

New to me - A Ghost is Born by Wilco

New - Z by My Morning Jacket

New to me - Una Mattina by Ludovico Einaudi (Lovely relaxing music)

New - Takk... by Sigur Ros

New - Mew and the Glass Handed Kites

Reacquianted - Permanent Shade of Blue by Roachford

New to me - Breathe me EP by Sia

Reacquainted - Simon & Garfunkel, The Essential (I will buy some of their 'real' albums at some point!)

New to me - Magpie by Stephen Fretwell

Reacquainted - Just like blood by Tom McRae

New to me - A Strangely Isolated Place by Ulrich Schnauss

I started listening to a lot of new music this year main due to a new job I started. My blue collar workmates like to listen to right-wing talk-back radio. I drives me into absolute fury if I am forced to listen to it. To keep my sanity I bought an ipod to block out the divisive crap. My collection previously consisted of no more than about 10 bands like the Pixies (my absolute favorite) frank black, Pavement, Royal trux, Archers of loaf, Murcury Rev, Sparklehorse, sugar, Sloan and a few other older ones like the Allman brothers. I now buy about 10 albums a week based on Metacritic ratings. My brother has quite a large collection which I pirated (sort of bad I know but I argue its fair use being in the family) as well.
Stuff I have discovered this year that I really like

And you shall know them by the trail of dead -Both albums
Alex Chilton 1970
Beasts of Bourbon-The Axeman's Jazz
Beck-Seachange
Black rebel Motorcycle gang-BRMC
Blur- Think Tank .....WHAT A GREAT ALBUM!!
Bob Dylan- Blood on the Tracks. MY HERO!!! I used to dislike him. now have 17 albums
British Sea power (both)
Built to Spill Ultimate Orchistral Manouvers
Dandy Warhols-13 tales from Bohemia
Dirtbombs-Ultraglide in Black
El Vez- Gracialand
Elbow- All 3 but especially Cast of Thousands
Gang of four-Entertainment
Joy Division- UInknown Pleasures
kings of leon-Youth and Young manhood
Modest Mouse- Good News for people who like Bad news
My morning Jacket- It still moves (AMAZING!!!)
The New Pornographers- Electric version (better than twin cinemas I think)
PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (this so good!!!)
Pulp- We love life ( a bit preachy and wordy but the music!)
Queens Of The Stone Age (both)
Red HoT Chilli Peppers-Sexbloodsugarmagic (my guilty secret)
Steeleye Span- lark in the Morning
Super Furry animals-Phantom power
White stripes- Elephant and White blood cells (very short shelf life)
Wilco- Yankee Foxtrot Hotel and A ghost is born

These albums are in danger of getting overplayed along with my old favorites like Led Zepellin and joni Mitchell(court and spark, hejira, hissing of summer lawms-are these a trilogy?) . I now have over 400 artists and over 800 albums on my full 60GB ipod. the idea is to be familiar with each album but that I am can never quite remember them, but they are a delightful but familiar surprise-you know what I mean. A lot need to possibly weeded out - I am so sure about the The Streets albums and System of a Down for example. My brother likes a bit of folky stuff like Palace Music and M ward that will or has been wiped.

Can anybody recommend a sit which offers good reviews of pre 2000 stuff?

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Can anybody recommend a sit which offers good reviews of pre 2000 stuff?

The best thing I've found is the site Rocklist.net. It doesn't review anything, but they've compiled 'best of' lists from various publications dating all the way back to the 50s. The site itself is kind of crappy (it looks like it was designed in 1997 and it's never been changed), but the content is pretty cool.