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Post by Kapitan on Sept 30, 2023 12:30:42 GMT
U2 releaed their first new song in a few years in conjunction with their upcoming Vegas concerts/residency/whatever that is. They say "Atomic City" is "an homage to Blondie, Giorgio Moroder, the Clash, 1970s punk and post-punk, and the city of Las Vegas." (Kind of an eclectic batch of things I wouldn't necessarily think of under one roof.)
It's not a classic, but I actually like it. It doesn't sound like U2 imitating U2, but it's also not some absurd stretch just for the heck of it. Not sure I get how it's like Moroder or the city of Las Vegas, but the other apparent inspirations make sense.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 6, 2023 18:02:50 GMT
A few things of moderate interest to me were released today.
Gruff Rhys: the frontman of Super Furry Animals released the first single from what is apparently a Jan. '24 album. I really enjoyed "Celestian Candyfloss," kind of a late '70s pop-sounding workout.
Sufjan Stevens, the '00s indie pop darling who teased the world with his plan to do 50 albums, one for each state (he got to precisely two) and then went into an assortment of soundtracks and "serious" work and such, with a folk pop album, Javelin.
And on a rockier note, Andrew Savage of Parquet Courts released a solo album (as A Savage) at least partly about his leaving his adopted hometown of NYC for Paris. Here's his "Elvis in the Army."
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Post by kds on Oct 11, 2023 2:51:58 GMT
I happened to hear a new Miley Cyrus song called Used to Be Young.
She addresses her persona from ten years ago or so. But, come on Miley, you're 30!! Cheers on the self awareness, but that's still pretty young.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 20, 2023 12:39:16 GMT
The Stones' new Hackney Diamonds is out, and I've found the disparity in reviews very interesting.
Our primary local "classic rock" critic doesn't give stars, but said it "contains several nuggets and warrants repeat plays" and "has more grit than gloss, more keepsakes than dross."
The Guardian gives it 4 stars (of 5) and says "Behind its terrible title, which makes the new Rolling Stones album sound like a pole-dancing club in Clapton, and its abysmal artwork, which makes it look like a mid-price hair metal compilation, what Hackney Diamonds has in profusion is really good songs: the ramshackle country honk of Dreamy Skies; the appealingly languid Driving Me Too Hard; Get Close, which hangs on a fabulous, quintessentially Keith Richards riff."
Meanwhile Pitchfork is on the other end of the spectrum, giving it just 4.5 out of 10, calling it "a bunch of hackneyed duds" and complaining about the polished production and that the Stones, financially successful through the years, will no doubt have corporate tie-ins. Their review and complaints would make a lot more sense had they said this 20 years ago, when they were an indie-rock focused outlet. But to complain about the corporate nature when they're owned by Conde Nast has a little pot/kettle going on, and the whining about polished production is funny for an outlet that consistently praises Charlie XCX, Beyonce, etc. What seems more the case is, they don't like anyone representing old straight white men playing rock (or rawk). And that's really a boring turn they've taken, every bit as dull as the indie-snob attitude they had in previous decades.
I'll probably listen to Hackney Diamonds, though I'm not expecting all that much. My favorite era of Stones music ended a few years before I was born, and little or nothing they've released since caught my attention.
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Post by kds on Oct 20, 2023 13:18:24 GMT
I'll probably give the new Stones a listen. But, I think the last time they released an album with material that still warrants listening to was their Voodoo Lounge album, and that album turns 30 next year.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 10, 2023 15:22:48 GMT
I hadn't heard a word of this, but Mickey Dolenz (formerly of the Monkees) released a 4-song EP last week comprising songs from the pride of Athens, Ga., REM. Here is a Georgia Public Broadcasting story about his recent trip to Athens, where he met with three of the four members of REM and got a key to the city. And here is his cover of "Shiny Happy People." The song (and EP) were produced by Michael Nesmith's son Christian.
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 12, 2023 15:59:12 GMT
It's that time of year again, when I spend way too much time listening to and assessing the new music I've bought (and checking out well regarded music I haven't, so I don't miss anything) in an effort to compile my year-end playlist--now in its 12th consecutive year!
But as I think I said last year, it is getting increasingly difficult. Not that I've had the most mainstream pop tastes, but it does seem every year the gap between my taste and the industry widens. There were only a few albums that I really liked as albums this year--with the Lemon Twigs almost certainly atop the list--though admittedly there are songs I liked beyond those few albums.
Still, a few years ago I was struggling to keep it to around 40 songs. Last year was the first year the list shrank, down to 27. This year I don't know if I'll reach even that.
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 19, 2023 22:30:10 GMT
Today I saw a review of the new (Dec. 1), grammatically enraging album ( For Who the Bell Tolls For) from Jonathan Rado, a name I thought seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't place. (I was thinking it might be a guy Jenny Lewis released an album with back in 2010 or so ... but no, that was Jonathan Rice.) Turns out it's half of the 00s-10s pastiche/retro band Foxygen, and that he actually has been producing some music I like by the likes of the Lemon Twigs, Weyes Blood, and Father John Misty. It's a little slight, just 7 songs and 35 minutes (so longer than half of the Beach Boys albums in the 60s...), and I admit in terms of songs, it's not top-notch. It's a triumph of production, though. Great sounding, great arrangements. Very cool. And the songs are fine, but there's an instrumental, and a couple of them are very much extended feels that play around with texture as they repeat simple ideas, almost like what Polyphonic Spree were doing 15 years ago or whenever that all was. But some of it is really great in a 70s soft rock vibe. I think some of you might like it. I know jmayer43 said Lemon Twigs was (also) his favorite album of the year; I'd think this might appeal to him. Here is Rado's "Easier." It's probably the poppiest number, almost Harry Nilsson-like.
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jmayer43
Denny's Drums
Posts: 48
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Post by jmayer43 on Dec 20, 2023 16:02:23 GMT
Today I saw a review of the new (Dec. 1), grammatically enraging album ( For Who the Bell Tolls For) from Jonathan Rado, a name I thougth seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't place. (I was thinking it might be a guy Jenny Lewis released an album with back in 2010 or so ... but no, that was Jonathan Rice.) Turns out it's half of the 00s-10s pastiche/retro bad Foxygen, and that he actually has been producing some music I like by the likes of the Lemon Twigs, Weyes Blood, and Father John Misty. It's a little slight, just 7 songs and 35 minutes (so longer than half of the Beach Boys albums in the 60s...), and I admit in terms of songs, it's not top-notch. It's a triumph of production, though. Great sounding, great arrangements. Very cool. And the songs are fine, but there's an instrumental, and a couple of them are very much extended feels that play around with texture as they repeat simple ideas, almost like what Polyphonic Spree were doing 15 years ago or whenever that all was. But some of it is really great in a 70s soft rock vibe. I think some of you might like it. I know jmayer43 said Lemon Twigs was (also) his favorite album of the year; I'd think this might appeal to him. Here is Rado's "Easier." It's probably the poppiest number, almost Harry Nilsson-like. I will definitely check this out later, thank you for the recommendation!!
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 30, 2023 16:13:40 GMT
It's that time of year again, when I spend way too much time listening to and assessing the new music I've bought (and checking out well regarded music I haven't, so I don't miss anything) in an effort to compile my year-end playlist--now in its 12th consecutive year! But as I think I said last year, it is getting increasingly difficult. Not that I've had the most mainstream pop tastes, but it does seem every year the gap between my taste and the industry widens. There were only a few albums that I really liked as albums this year--with the Lemon Twigs almost certainly atop the list--though admittedly there are songs I liked beyond those few albums. Still, a few years ago I was struggling to keep it to around 40 songs. Last year was the first year the list shrank, down to 27. This year I don't know if I'll reach even that. I'm finally sitting down to this task as something to engage my mind today. As of now, I'm down to 171 songs totaling just over 11 hours. (I've whittled down about a dozen or so, so far. Long way to go. But the new year is coming: as Freddie sang, time waits for nobody.)
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Post by kds on Dec 30, 2023 17:03:48 GMT
I definitely didn't listen to enough new music in 2023 to compile any kind of list. But, here are some thoughts on 2023.
It was great to get new music from Extreme. Hopefully, it won't take another 15 years for a follow up. I saw Nuno's solo for Rise was named best guitar solo by Guitar World. Considering Nuno is one of the last true guitar heroes, I'm inclined to agree.
The new Stones album was about as good as one could hope for a band in their seventh decade. A little added amusement from that 90s Brit rock guy playing white knight on behalf of Sydney Sweeny, the actress who played the video vixen in "Angry." Is there anything more self righteous than being offended on someone's behalf?
Jimmy Buffett's death in September was a bit of a gut punch. I knew he had some health issues, but I really chalked that up to his age, and maybe old habits catching up to him. His final album was released last month. I really want to wait until summertime to judge it, as his music just doesn't resonate with me as much in the cooler months.
The biggest, and most pleasant, surprise for me was the new single from The Beatles. There really wasn't a ton of build up other than some articles with really misleading headlines on the use of AI technology. Then, BAM, new song. And, its a pretty good song too. I just wish its landing spot was something a little more interesting than the expanded and remixed Blue Album. But, at least its out there for everyone to hear.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 3, 2024 13:07:46 GMT
Thankfully I have given myself the first week of January to do my '23 playlist, because I just came across a pretty cool album I hadn't heard of that was released in Nov. '23: Troper Sings Brion.
Does the title sound familiar? It should, as it echoes Nilsson Sings Newman (as does its cover, which you can see below). It's the same premise, too, with Portland indie power pop artist Mo Troper doing an album of famed session man/producer Jon Brion's music. (Specifically, of music Brion never released.) Brion has released a few solo albums and been in a few bands over the past 30-40 years, but is best known for producing and playing on albums by the likes of Fiona Apple, Eels, Jellyfish, Aimee Mann, Elliott Smith, Rufus Wainwright, Robyn Hitchcock, Kanye West, Of Montreal, Bruce Springsteen, and many, many others.
Troper, I'm not at all familiar with. At first listen, he sounds a little like Daniel Johnston (but more in tune) when he sings, but apparently he also performs all the music himself. Pretty interesting. Here is his take on Brion's "Citgo Sign."
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 7, 2024 17:24:58 GMT
Completed within my self-imposed 1-week grace period/deadline, I give you my 12th annual year-end playlist. Spotify link below should be accessible to get it all in order. As usual, only one song allowed per artist; and songs aren't necessarily absolute favorites, but rather a combo of favorites plus running order/flow considerations. Breaks represent approximate dividers of "sides," though often the last and first songs on each side could be pushed into one or the other, as they tend to be transitions.
I like it a lot more than I thought I would as of a few weeks ago. 33 songs, about 2 1/2 hours (though the final song is actually an album/EP, which runs as one track, and is about 33 minutes long).
(Song, Artist, Album [if any])
1. Citgo Sign, Mo Troper, Troper Sings Brion 2. Falling Into the Sun, Teenage Fanclub, Nothing Lasts Forever 3. Celestial Candyfloss, Gruff Rhys, Sadness Sets Me Free 4. I Don't Know What You See In Me, Belle & Sebastian, Late Developers
5. Bunny is a Rider, Caroline Polachek, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You 6. Carlos is Crying, The Hold Steady, The Price of Progress 7. Dream Job, Yard Act, Where's My Utopia? 8. Elvis in the Army, A Savage, Several Songs About Fire
9. Pushing Up Daisies, The Academic, Sitting Pretty 10. Other Side of the Rainbow, Extreme, Six 11. Perhaps, Guns n Roses, Perhaps (single) 12. Morning Show, Iggy Pop, Every Loser 13. Now and Then, the Beatles, Now and Then (single)
14. Clean Slate, The Mountain Goats, Jenny From Thebes 15. Winslow Gardens, Ben Folds, What Matters Most 16. Any Time of Day, The Lemon Twigs, Everything Harmony 17. Don't Wait Too Long, Jonathan Rado 18. Radio, Margo Price feat. Sharon Van Etten, Strays
19. Evicted, Wilco, Cousin 20. Wings, Cory Hansen, Western Cum 21. Alibi, Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Past Is Still Alive 22. I Love, Dawes, I Love (single) 23. Party of the Century, Katy Kirby, Blue Raspberry 24. Lying, Lukas Nelson, Sticks and Stones
25. Body & Soul, the Milk Carton Kids, I Only See the Moon 26. I've Got Me, Joanna Sternberg, I've Got Me
27. Prizefighter, Youth Lagoon, Heaven is a Junkyard 28. Bubblegum Dog, MGMT, Loss of Life 29. But Not Kiss, Faye Webster, But Not Kiss (single) 30. Ruined, Adrienne Lenker, Ruined (single) 31. There's a World, Sufjan Stevens, Javelin
32. God vs. Bible, Being Dead, When Horses Would Run
33. Seven Psalms, Paul Simon, Seven Psalms
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