quote:

People 'round here give Josh Ritter the cold shoulder, typically. But I'm in total agreement that it is his unique artistic masterpiece, and one of the best albums this year (which is saying a lot in 2007).

Sorry, I didn't see your reply before now. The new album is amazing. To be honest, a couple of songs could have been edited out--not for lack of quality, but because some of the songs are pretty similar--and the resulting tighter presentation might have made it more readily apparent that something great is happening on this album.

The lyrics are delightfully creative--my favorite lines are "I don't know, darlin', but I'm here with you. Are we coming to the chorus now?" from "Right Moves." Mr. Ritter's delivery is a little Dylan-esque (if on-key) in "To the Dogs or Whoever" and "Open Doors," but on the other songs, he seems to use his natural, unaffected voice, which adds a quality of honesty that I really can't get enough of. And the melodies, more than being just gentle and ernest, seem to share some qualities with the manner in which people talk to people they really care about.

Anyway, I love this album. It's well-crafted and thoughtfully-presented. It makes me feel good when I'm depressed. It makes me feel good when I'm already happy. It's my favorite album of 2007 so far, and I think anybody who hasn't given it a chance is missing out on something terrific.

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Originally posted by JeffinNYC:

quote:

People 'round here give Josh Ritter the cold shoulder, typically. But I'm in total agreement that it is his unique artistic masterpiece, and one of the best albums this year (which is saying a lot in 2007).

Anyway, I love this album. It's well-crafted and thoughtfully-presented. It makes me feel good when I'm depressed. It makes me feel good when I'm already happy. It's my favorite album of 2007 so far, and I think anybody who hasn't given it a chance is missing out on something terrific.

If you haven't already, Jeff, you should check out his back catalog. I already had Animal Years and Hello Starling and loved them. But I got Historical Conquests and Golden Age of Radio about the same time this year, and both are equally amazing. There isn't anything lacking in song quality even though Golden Age is over five years older. This guy is a great song writer.

This year has been a major disappointment for me. I have only really enjoyed two albums, Wilco's Sky Blue Sky and The Pines - Sparrows in the Bell. The rest are just meh.

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Originally posted by Marlon:
This year has been a major disappointment for me. I have only really enjoyed two albums, Wilco's Sky Blue Sky and The Pines - Sparrows in the Bell. The rest are just meh.

"The rest" being how many?

This year has been a major disappointment for me. I have only really enjoyed forty-one albums. The rest are just meh.

quote:

Originally posted by BAfé Throws Pumpkins At Little Children:
This year has been a major disappointment for me. I have only really enjoyed forty-one albums. The rest are just meh.

You crack me up!

I share the same opinion as the pumpkin thrower, this year has opened up my musical taste to such an enormous extent with some truly exceptional albums.

Compared to previous years experiences, the current musical climate outside of the classified 'mainstream' environment has been hustle and bustle with enjoyable consecutive releases. I don't think i have gone for a fortnight at any given time throughout 2007 without hearing new material from a previously unknown source that i haven't been suprised and excited by to a certain degree.

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

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach is a bag of Marshmallows:
People 'round here give Josh Ritter the cold shoulder, typically. But I'm in total agreement that it is his unique artistic masterpiece, and one of the best albums this year (which is saying a lot in 2007).

You know, I was at a music store earlier and I thought of you and your love for Josh Ritter. They had some cool mini-posters and to my surprise they had one of the cover of The National’s Boxer. Well anyways, I saw one of Josh Ritter and I was reminded of you, you would have liked it.

Also, I was searching for the album and I found a stream for it. It is here if anyone wants to hear it. Now that I open it up I realize that the shot of him (the one at the stream) was the picture on the poster.

Awesome. If I were still living in a dorm room miniposters would probably eat up a lot of my cash. I love browsing Gigposters. Mostly I just grab the graphics to print on my homemade mixtape labels though.

It's funny to think that you now Associate me with Josh Ritter. That's cool.

You know, I don’t think I only associate you with Josh Ritter but I do think of Shadrach when I hear about him. It’s kind of like mark and Andrew Bird or maybe “people that hate In Rainbows” and Glassy. Either way, I am now listening to the album and it is slowly growing on me, not bad.

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Originally posted by Shadrach is a bag of Marshmallows:
I love browsing Gigposters.

That's a very cool site, which I did not previously know about. Thanks for sharing. One of my favorite rock poster artists is Dan Stiles. He does some great work.

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Originally posted by FragileKidA:
“people that hate In Rainbows” and Glassy.

I feel all warm and fuzzy right now.

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Originally posted by Ghoulish Glass wants to be Count Jackula:

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Originally posted by FragileKidA:
“people that hate In Rainbows” and Glassy.

I feel all warm and fuzzy right now.

Now I'm going to think of Jackson when I feel warm and fuzzy.

I'm totally associating Shadrach with marshmallows. Shame I rarely consume them.

quote:

Originally posted by Little Bo JPeep:

quote:

Originally posted by BAfé Throws Pumpkins At Little Children:
This year has been a major disappointment for me. I have only really enjoyed forty-one albums. The rest are just meh.

You crack me up!

I share the same opinion as the pumpkin thrower, this year has opened up my musical taste to such an enormous extent with some truly exceptional albums.

Compared to previous years experiences, the current musical climate outside of the classified 'mainstream' environment has been hustle and bustle with enjoyable consecutive releases. I don't think i have gone for a fortnight at any given time throughout 2007 without hearing new material from a previously unknown source that i haven't been suprised and excited by to a certain degree.

Hey TWATFACE, I don't give a shite what you and your teabaggin BUMpkin lover think, so keep your sorry ass insults nestled in BUMPKINS HAIRY-ASS CHEST where they belong.

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Originally posted by Marlon:
Hey TWATFACE, I don't give a shite what you and your teabaggin BUMpkin lover think, so keep your sorry ass insults nestled in BUMPKINS HAIRY-ASS CHEST where they belong.

Yikes! I hope that was a joke, if not—PM me and/or try to cool it.

quote:

Originally posted by Marlon:
Hey TWATFACE, I don't give a shite what you and your teabaggin BUMpkin lover think, so keep your sorry ass insults nestled in BUMPKINS HAIRY-ASS CHEST where they belong.

Quite a shame he wasn't insulting you, isn't it? I usually save my best for occasions when I feel I'm actually under attack. Of course, I'm not a paranoid, self-centered douchebag with enough insecurity to kill a horse.

Obviously, i'm not a mod around here. But this is my thread so I'd like to say a little something. I realize that courtesy is expected on all the boards, but, in my threads, I really dont' care if people hurl graphic insults at each other.

I think colorful language and expletives can be wonderful. So, for all of you who feel the need to get something off your chest, feel free to let loose in any of my threads. I encourage it.

The mods, however, might not approve, so ultimately, you'll have to answer to them. Personally, I'll refrain from the verbal attacks. As much as I enjoy unleashing the fury on those I disagree with, I'm on a rather short leash here at Metacritic.

So, have at it boys!

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Originally posted by hudson the pumpkin king:
I think colorful language and expletives can be wonderful. So, for all of you who feel the need to get something off your chest, feel free to let loose in any of my threads. I encourage it.

We don't encourage it, regardless of whose thread it is. In my experience, more people are put off by these types of exchanges than they enjoy reading them.

quote:

Originally posted by hudson the pumpkin king:
Obviously, i'm not a mod around here. But this is my thread so I'd like to say a little something. I realize that courtesy is expected on all the boards, but, in my threads, I really dont' care if people hurl graphic insults at each other.

Interesting philosophical question, innit? Do you retain any ownership of a thread after you establish it? It seems to me that the moment the thread heads out into the public arena, you relinquish any claim to it. You have no right to direct how it plays out. As such, it is bound by the rules and norms of the site.

If you want to go Conan (barbarian, not O'Brien), I suspect you could recruit like minded individuals into a private thread.

Here is the thing, it is still that person’s thread and that’s fine. You can come on when people get off topic or don’t contribute and ask them to stay on topic. You can also ask certain people to comment and so on.

However, you can’t just come on and tell people to “hurl graphic insults at each other” or to “feel free to let loose, [he] encourages it.” That’s just simply telling people it’s OK to ignore the forum policies and to break the rules. That’s where it isn’t cool and frankly, you aren’t allowed to just change the policies because you started the thread.