Compact Hard Disc Platter Pods. Now Playing.

[das kranke Tier]

I only have Shoot Out The Lights (by them both together), but I quite like it.

I highly highly recommend both I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight and Pour Down Like Silver...they're both phenomenal.

[davy]

I've only briefly listened to Pour Down Like Silver, but it seemed like a pretty big departure to me, in terms of both production style and instrumentation. Is that off-base?

[The_Tourist]

tonight = bottle of wine + john vanderslice discography.

almost finished with the bottle. i didn't plan this very well.

[davy]

My first impression of the new Yo La Tengo record is that it's better, in general, than I Am Not Afraid of You, even if it lacks anything as fantastic as that album's opening track.

As always, I love the stylistic sprawl, but I do question the decision to include all 3 of the lengthy opuses in a string at the end of the record. I might've only kept "And the Glitter Is Gone," which is both the longest and the best. The other two would've made fine b-sides, or even hidden tracks or something. I also regret the decision to place "By Two's" in the third slot. The album has great initial momentum until that admittedly pleasant track starts lullabying the place up. All in all, though, the non-single album tracks on Popular Songs are very solid, and this is the reason that it's probably the best album they've released since And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.

"Nothing to Hide" and "Periodically Triple or Double" is a hell of a 1-2 punch.

[Andrew_TSKS]

I was afraid that the quality of the drumming would take a nosedive since Anton Fier was no longer in the band, but on the contrary, Stan Demeski more than holds his own. If this was indeed an REM album, it would compare favorably to some of the best stuff in their discography.

Keep in mind Dave Weckerman was also playing percussion at this point in the band. So what you're hearing is basically two drummers.

Oh, and the periods of silence on "Crazy Rhythms" seem to me to be very effective, but I can see where they'd be annoying if you're not willing to try and get on the wavelength of what they're doing there.

[davy]

Dude, I love the album, but every time I play it I find myself checking my CD player or iTunes to make sure the music hasn't stopped for some reason. If I listened to it more often, I suppose I'd get used to it.

[diesel_powered]

Now Listening to London Electricity's Essential Mix from 2008. I tend to favor dj mixes when
I'm trying to be productive because they're high energy and I don't have to constantly pick something new every 45 minutes. This has some pretty decent melodic drum and bass whithout getting too much into the more housey female vocalist stuff.

[reebty]

I had Drivin' On 9 stuck in my head a few days ago and I couldn't figure out why. Then I remember that my Dad is in Carson City.

[Killdozersnakeboy]

Likely to be in my top ten of the year. Great record.

[Black Amnesia of Heaven]

Kaoru Abe, Motoharu Yoshizawa, Toshinori Kondo, Derek Bailey - Aida's Call

Fuck yeah.

[Snarfyguy]

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

Edit: I took that off to listen to this other Deerhoof record, which was the one I actually wanted to hear:

[davy]

I'm listening to the new Pearl Jam album!

AND IT FUCKING ROCKS. Matt Cameron has never sounded this good with this band.

[davy]

Seriously, I'm halfway through now, and it's superior to the avocado in every way.

(Not to mention it certainly has better album art, jeez.)

[davy]

If there's anything disappointing about this 36 minute album, it's that it serves as further evidence that Pearl Jam is not likely to release weird albums like Vitalogy or No Code ever again. Oh well. Hopefully Eddie will continue to record that stuff under his own name.

[auto-da-fey]

okay, I just passed out halfway through the new Simon Joyner album and only woke up when the closing track got noisy, which is a bit of a bummer because I can't even remember the last time I excitedly brought home a new album, killed the lights, and just leaned back and listened to it with no distraction. it's how I always listened as a teenager, and almost never since.

to be fair to Joyner, the main factor here was being hella exhausted. but it is a slow, droney album, very much a return to form after the fiery, bristling Skeleton Blues--which is, I admit, a tiny, tiny bummer because, as much as I love Joyner all around, I really, really liked the direction he went on that one. when the opening nine-minute epic "The Drunken Boat" drops into voice and strings, it's neat, but I also thought "huh, reminds me of the Gandalfs on 'Dilaudid'" and wished there had instead been a needle-in-the-red guitar sound-bleed a la Skeleton Blues.

in a week I'll probably re-read this, scratch my head, and wonder why I failed to recognize the album's greatness immediately, but them's my tired thoughts for now. it's also possible that the second half is instantly-recognizable greatness, but I slept through it.

[elpollodiablo]

Goddamn but I love old John Cale records. Vintage Violence & Paris 1919 are two of my favorite records of all time. I'm not even sure when that happened.

[Antero]

Freddie Gibbs - midwestgangstaboxspringcadillacmuzik

This is in my top 10 for this year, effortlessly.  People get up on this, now.  Throw on "County Bounce."  Good god.

Goddamn but I love old John Cale records. Vintage Violence & Paris 1919 are two of my favorite records of all time. I'm not even sure when that happened.

Those are fucking gorgeous records.  The title track of Paris 1919... goddamn.

[ieatrats]

Likely to be in my top ten of the year. Great record.

Hi 5.  I still had plenty of room in my top 10 when I put it there but it's still there.

[lastclearchance]

Vintage Violence & Paris 1919 are two of my favorite records of all time. I'm not even sure when that happened.

Those are fucking gorgeous records.  The title track of Paris 1919... goddamn.

yeah, Paris 1919 is totally my favorite Little Feat record

[Nick Ink]

Rameses III - I Could Not Love You More

I've been interested in this London band since I heard their 20 minute collaboration with the more freak-folky project of American, Brad Rose (who owns the Foxy Digitalis label and website,The North Sea, entitled The Night Of The Ankou. At the time, it got a lot of buzz in ambient circles and rightly so, but I was never sure which side of the partnership was responsible for the rustic steel guitar and percussion, and which side the layered drones.

Since then, I've become a big fan of Rameses III's light and airy ambience on albums such as Matanuska, Honey Rose and last year's majestic Basilica (which also featured some brilliant harsher remix treatment from Robert Horton, Gregg Kowalsky and others and was, IIRC, in my top 5 or 6 on last year's albums list). Even so, this new album might be their best release yet.

[edison]

I've heard the stream on the Type website one of my many utterly unproductive afternoons at work this week, but wasn't particularly blown away. Given the listening conditions, this doesn't say much, though, and I'll certainly give this another chance in better circumstances - thanks Nick!

(oh - Paris 1919 is certainly one of my favorite records of all time, too. I like Vintage Violence a lot but wouldn't quite put it on the same pedestal)

[Nick Ink]

Yeah, I think you need to be relaxed and concentrate to really enjoy it. Or I do, anyway.

[elpollodiablo]

Vintage Violence & Paris 1919 are two of my favorite records of all time. I'm not even sure when that happened.

Those are fucking gorgeous records.  The title track of Paris 1919... goddamn.

yeah, Paris 1919 is totally my favorite Little Feat record

My lady pointed this out to me, but early 70s John Cale sort of sounds like early 80s Kinks.

[G.C.R]

I only have Shoot Out The Lights (by them both together), but I quite like it.

the richard 3 disc set is pretty great -
Two left feet is such a grand track as not to be missed

[Nick Ink]

I didn't know anything about Aidan Baker until I picked up the very good Book Of Nods last year. It's all on the darker, heavier side of drone, and coldforge informs me he's also a metal man in Nadja, of whom I still know nothing.

Anyway, been listening to his big new double album, Gathering Blue. It's dark and droney and I like it. That's all.