First i'll state my criteria. If i list it here this is an album i had high expectations for and it didn't live up to them. Some albums I heard this year kinda sucked but i didn't really think they would be good so why mention them.

Other than that though some albums that disappointed.

Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
QOTSA - Lullabies to Paralyze
Brendon Benson - Alternative to Love
Doves - Some Cities
Mando Diao - Hurricane Bar
Moby - Hotel (Hugely disappointing)

For me the biggest dissapointment was
Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now

Here's my 'bought by sorely dissapointed' list:

Go Betweens - Oceans Apart
British Sea Power - Open Season
Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
Of Montreal - Sunlandic Twins

And here's a few more on the 'didn't quite like enough to buy' list:
Russian Futurists - Umm..what's that title again?
Electrelane - Axes

Two of bob's big disappointments are two of my faves for the year so far, the Go-Betweens and British Sea Power. I didn't have high hopes for the G-B's, because I've found the previous two reunion records to be so-so. This one is heads and tails above them, and has a bunch of ace tracks on it.

BSP I had no expectations for...I own but had not been impressed by the debut, but the new one's got a mid-80's Echo and the Bunnymen groove to it that I just love.

The records I've been fairly well disappointed by so far have been both Bright Eyes records (he's got some interesting songs, but mostly just dull, uninspiring heart-on-the-sleeve indie/emo rock) and the new Ryan Adams (which might have been a good single disc record but is a so-so double). The Doves record is not nearly as good as past efforts. And the Brendan Benson record isn't nearly as good as Lapalco, but that's a hard one to top. It's not disappointing so much as having to live up to a lot.

Fischerspooner-Odyssey

It is ok.Just well below expectations for me.

Doves-Whateve rit is called.

Very weak after their debut.

M.I.A-Arular

I think this has the same kind of vibe as dizzy rascal had.I loved it when i got it on import like a year ago...but it is just getting harder and harder to enjoy.I like the 2 or 3 different mixes i have heard involving her alot better.

M.I.A. is *my* current favorite of the year...and I put it at #87 in 'best albums in my collection'.

You have too much free time to put an album that new at such a high/low place.

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
You have too much free time to put an album that new at such a high/low place.

Ya..the thing is, it turns out there are far fewer jobs in research psychology for college just-graduates than I originally suspected.

I blame the republicans.

Hey, when I heard Elephant I immediately knew it was my favorite new album in years. Some albums take a long time to know how much you'll like. Some do not. (And hey, if you listen to a new album, then a classic album, and the new album gives you more enjoyment...and this continues to hold true even after the 10th or 20th listen...I have no problem calling it as good as the classic album.)

quote:

(And hey, if you listen to a new album, then a classic album, and the new album gives you more enjoyment...and this continues to hold true even after the 10th or 20th listen...I have no problem calling it as good as the classic album.)

I wish more people felt that way. I'm sick of people deifying the past. It's absurd.

Actually, I'm probably the opposite. I tend to deify the present (music, but not movies.) It was that #87 thing I was crackin' about, but I guess you certainly have the right to use YOUR free time the way you want.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
You have too much free time to put an album that new at such a high/low place.

Ya..the thing is, it turns out there are far fewer jobs in research psychology for college just-graduates than I originally suspected.

I blame the republicans.

Hey, when I heard Elephant I immediately knew it was my favorite new album in years. Some albums take a long time to know how much you'll like. Some do not. (And hey, if you listen to a new album, then a classic album, and the new album gives you more enjoyment...and this continues to hold true even after the 10th or 20th listen...I have no problem calling it as good as the classic album.)

I absolutely agree on Elephant Bob. Within a few listens I knew it was one of my favorite albums ever. I can't wait for the new one.

As far as MIA, I think it is one of those albums that I admire, but I don't really listen to it that much. Hip hop, dance music often has that effect on me, dunno why.

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
You have too much free time to put an album that new at such a high/low place.

I admire the effort. I don't think I could take quite as analytic an approach to music as bob does and still enjoy it the way I do. bob compiles data on records like a research psych grad!

There's no way I could try to put an all-time records list, mainly because of the amount of records in my collection. I've got well over 4000 CD's and probably another 5000 records. I can't even ACCESS my vinyl. I'd never be able to get it all in one place to make an accurate list...

oh yeah...becks new album blows too..."but he is so creative"--shut uppp!!

Stuff this year I've been disappointed by, with a number of stars equivalent to disappointment level:

Mars Volta*** (awful, awful, awful)
Bravery** (didn't think it was going to be that great... it was quite bad)
QOTSA* (was pretty sure this was going to be a drop-off from R and Songs For the Deaf, and it was)
British Sea Power** (bleh)
Of Montreal** (uncreative)
The Books*** (extremely, extremely let down by this)
Out Hud** (a big step down from Street Dad IMO)
Beck*** (agghhhhhh)

Dissapointing or Overrated albums

Low - Great Destroyer (eh...boring and toothless)

M.I.A. - Arular (good, very good...but not the instant classic that it's hailed to be)

Hot Hot Heat - Elevator (I was expecting a let-down, but not this dull of one)

The Game - The Documentary (Once again, good, but not great)

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (not a bad album, persay, but certainly not a great one)

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (get's really tedious after a short amount of time)

I don't think 78 is a mediocre score. I tend to think with all the subjectivity involved in music, anything 61 and over is doing fine. JMO. I think many of the highest rated here are overrated, but one that really comes to mind is the new Gorillaz CD.

The thing is, 80-90% of all CDs that get reviewed on this site wind up over 60.

Also, as for 'some of the top ones being overrated', reviews are generally given by people who like the genre. And for any given CD that gets an 85, there are scores all the way from 100 down to 60 or so. So, if the critics are a reasonably representative sample, you could be anywhere in that range and still be in basic agreement with them.

Also...well, Smog's new album has a 74. But, it gets two 40s from Rolling Stone and Q Magazine, neither of which have any credibility with me. So, you have to remember that metacritic is just a resource, and to take it's advice with a filter or two.

This isn't a great year for 'classics' so far. I'm in the midst of rating my 2005 Cd's, and I haven't given anything higher than 85 so far. That is half a year's worth of stuff I bought(about 25 Cd's) and I hope some interesting releases will grip me better for the latter half. I consider anything rated 68 or more worth-while, and my top 10 should have anything rated 72 or greater. But, so far, no perfect albums or anything rated greater than 90.

Agree with LCD Soundsystem. I listened once and thought that right away.

quote:

Also...well, Smog's new album has a 74. But, it gets two 40s from Rolling Stone and Q Magazine, neither of which have any credibility with me. So, you have to remember that metacritic is just a resource, and to take it's advice with a filter or two.

I thought the same thing when I saw the Smog reviews. I figured it deserved a higher metascore, but then I listened to the album a few times and I think 74 is too high.

Vykromond, I felt exactly the same way as you about the Books new album. Just awful.

Hooo-kay, I just listened to Smog.

Now, I like the sound. The instrumentals, the feel, super.

Then there's the songwriting and the constantly cringe-inducing lyrics.

So I stayed like that
staring into the black black black

Wel they say black is all the colors at once
So I gave it my red rage
My yellow sstreak
The greenest parts of me
And my blues

I got to track 3 and stopped listening to it because I wanted to make sure it wasn't the last thing I listened to before I went to bed. I don't even feel the urge to listen to this again, and if I wasn't going to listen to all my Apr-Jun albums next to each other around the end of June and start of July, I might not ever pick it up again.

It's like...poetry, written by a twelve year old under the false impression he's the most brilliant poet of all time.