quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
Has anyone heard any of the new Frank Black yet? I might get that, but I'm a bit skeptical.

Bob, it depends on what you are expecting. It is very mellow. The songwriting is excellent, and the playing, (by Nashville/Stax vets such as Spooner Oldham, Reggie Young, Steve Cropper) is outstanding. It does however sound absolutely nothing like the Pixies. I love it, but I'm also a fan of everything Frank has ever done. There are a ton of reviews on the forums at http://www.frankblack.net, which are unanimously positive, (including a five-star from the Guardian). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a high Metacritic score. He deserves so much more respect than he gets for his solo work.

Okay, on first listen I'm really liking Twin Cinema. Looks like there are already two or three virtual shoo-ins for my next quarterly top 5.

Although, 'Sing Me Spanish Techno' and 'Falling Through Your Clothes' are getting a little irritating with the blotchy loops. I say we steal the New Pornographers' mixing machines. By the way, small bit of trivia, do the New Pornographers know that newpornographers.com is...well, nevermind.

(Hmm..I wonder if anybody has figured out by now that the only reason I do that system thing is that I'm a huge geek. It's basically an excuse for me to do something with numbers. )

If you want I can send you some of my calculus II homework once school starts up again.

Nah. Thanks but no thanks. It's only fun if I have some reason of my own to do it and I come up with the problem myself.

Anybody who has waited 2 years to check out this album on re-issue needs to do so:

Broadway Project-The Vessel

This album is incredible.I loved his first one and this one is right on par if not better than it.

I believe it is being re-issued.If you see it dont think twice and pick it up.

Roughly sounds like...blue states,shadow,cinematic orchestra,manitoba,four tet...alot of stuff along those lines.Sample based, but not an album you will want to put down anytime soon.

Alright, Frank Black's Honeycomb is pulling an 84 on the Metacritic scale. I've got a feeling that it might go down a little when some of the hipster sites post their reviews, but it's nice to see him getting consitently good reviews for a change.

Here are my thoughts on Honeycomb, upon first listen.

Some phenomenal songwriting, but Frank Black lacks the vocal presence to make this kind of music sound great. The songs are very tight, very efficient, and very engaging, but most of the best songs would need a much more intense, emotional, charismatic vocal style to really do them justice. That's not Black. He's kind of hushed and raspy.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
Here are my thoughts on Honeycomb, upon first listen.

Some phenomenal songwriting, but Frank Black lacks the vocal presence to make this kind of music sound great. The songs are very tight, very efficient, and very engaging, but most of the best songs would need a much more intense, emotional, charismatic vocal style to really do them justice. That's not Black. He's kind of hushed and raspy.

Well, I'm glad to know you found something to like in it. I think the more you listen, the more you'll find that the vocal delivery fits the mood of the lyrics. The first several times I heard it, I thought he sounded a little distant as well. I've had it now for a couple of months, but it's only recently moved near the top of my list of favorite Frank Black albums. Like many of the best records, it's a grower. If you're interested in hearing the exact middle ground between the Pixies and Honeycomb check out Dog in the Sand. Same great songwriting, with a little more intensity.

citizen cope
architecture in helsinki
clap your hands say yeah
jimie lidell
the decembetists
lcd soundsystem
eels

those are some of the people i consider have made the best music so far this year

Some records I've heard recently I've liked:
Black Rebel Motocycle Club - Howl
The Double - Loose in the Air
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers
My Morning Jacket - Z

None of these were particularly mind blowing, but they'll probably end up somewhere on the list. The BRMC album is a BIG change for them, they sound very folky. My Morning Jacket sounds different too, a lot more poppy. The Double's album I still haven't quite gotten a grasp on, they sort of remind me of Interpol, but I don't what to make of them.

quote:

Originally posted by dano:
Some records I've heard recently I've liked:
Black Rebel Motocycle Club - Howl
The Double - Loose in the Air
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers
My Morning Jacket - Z

None of these were particularly mind blowing, but they'll probably end up somewhere on the list. The BRMC album is a BIG change for them, they sound very folky. My Morning Jacket sounds different too, a lot more poppy. The Double's album I still haven't quite gotten a grasp on, they sort of remind me of Interpol, but I don't what to make of them.

I hope the new BRMC album is an improvement on the last one. I heard they were going in a more acoustic direction, which is weird considering their first album sounded like a long lost Jesus and Mary Chain album. I loved their first album, but the second one was kind of so-so. Is it officially out yet, or did you just hear an advanced copy?

I think you should all try to find 'Pocket Revolution' by Deus (you can find on most not-so-legal channels on the net (slsk/emule). It a Belgian band that changed the way we feel and think about music that is made in our country.

Brilliant album!!!!

I heard an advance of the BRMC album. It's officially released August 22nd. And yeah, they have gone in a very acoustic direction, and there was a lot of religious imagery in the lyrics. Just look at some of the song titles (Restless Sinner, Gospel Song, Devil's Waitin').

I just downloaded and listened to the first 10 songs from More Deep Cuts by a band called Thee More Shallows, and it is breathtaking! I probably shouldn't make any rash statements at this early point, but I think this album could end up very high on my year-end list. It's a bit hard to describe, though Sophtware Slump-era Grandaddy may be the best comparison I can come up with. There employ a variety of instruments, including strings and a singing saw. I'm very excited about this album and will order it immediately.

EDIT: Now that I think of it, Bedhead may be the closest band I've heard to Thee More Shallows, only TMS use more instruments and have slightly more fleshed-out songs.

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

Wow..I just listened to Love Kraft a second time..it absolutely blew me away. It comes at you really fast, yet it's so precisely and impeccably crafted...I will buy this the *day* it comes out.

Here's a list of third quarter albums I have heard so far, grouped according to by-memory preference.

Top ten contenders:
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

Good albums, not top ten contenders:
Frank Black - Honeycomb
Wolf Parade - EP

Okay albums:
Son Volt - Okemah
Royksopp - The Understanding

Meh:
Missy Elliot - The Cookbook

Glad you liked the Wolf Parade EP. You'll probably (hopefully) love the full length, Apologies to the Queen Mary, which comes out in September. The best few tracks on the LP didn't get put on the EP.

The newest Lucksmiths, the Primary 5, and Tim Burgess records are all excellent, and will certainly make appearances on my revised list.

Okay, I heard some mp3s from a band called 'Thee More Shallows'. I'm definetely going to buy the album. Yo La Tengo-esque.

As for Bob Mould, who I also looked at in this-week-releases...

I don't know. If I didn't like Fuel so much back before I had good taste in music, I might like the song 'Paralyzed' more. But, I can't help but hear Fuel in that song. It's like..if Fuel knew how to play their instruments and were a lot more creative with them, they'd sound like that. Heck, even his *voice* sounds similar. I don't know if I can get past that, since I think the vocal melody was equally boring as Fuel songs.

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

Favourites of 2005 so far include ...

Sufjan Stevens - Illionois ...very ambitious, uplifting and spirited.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm ...yes, it is derivative, but I don't know if you'll find a better collection of catchy tunes all year.

Antony and The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now ...put me in a trance. Original.

Hmm...let's see what comes to mind at just past the year's midpoint as being noteworthy:
1. M.Ward - Transistor Radio
2. Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust
3. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
4. LCD Soundsystem
5. Roots Manuva - Awfully Deep
6. eels - Blinking Lights and other...