What new music did you buy today.

[Killdozersnakeboy]

I agree with Davy that the cover of Feast Of Wire is terrible. But it's probably my favourite Calexico album by a fair margin. You should try that maybe.

[davy]

Garden Ruin is the album where they tried to go pop and cross over. It actually kind of worked. It's a good album, but everything on it is not exactly in their wheelhouse.

Feast of Wire is definitely better, but so far, I'm on Team Black Light. Hot Rail is also really good. At this point, so early on in my fandom, they do tend to blur together a bit. Give Garden Ruin credit for standing out, at least.

I bought their newest record a few days ago but haven't got around to listening to it yet.

[Thermofusion]

Calexico became my favorite band for a while after Feast of Wire came out. I don't think I've heard any of their subsequent albums though.

[narlus]

Calexico became my favorite band for a while after Feast of Wire came out. I don't think I've heard any of their subsequent albums though.

quality definitely slipped, but there are some good songs still scattered about.

"Deep Down" and "All Systems Red" are by far the two best songs on _Garden Ruin_.

[davy]

Calexico became my favorite band for a while after Feast of Wire came out. I don't think I've heard any of their subsequent albums though.

quality definitely slipped, but there are some good songs still scattered about.

This is far from a consensus, though. Garden Ruin was widely acknowledged as their "basic rock" album, but it nevertheless scored high rankings almost across the board. Carried to Dust, which most people agree slid away from "basic rock" and back into their trademark eclecticism, did even better with the critics.

I was listening to Feast of Wire earlier today though, and it sure is nice.

[auto-da-fey]

I picked up the new Thurston Moore and Bob Pollard albums, then for a quarter each got stuff by Jack Logan, Lil Jon, Now It's Overhead, and Thrust Hermit, the last of which I only grabbed because I mistakenly thought they were a Philly band (almost: Halifax!). of these, so far I only care for Thurston, and even that's kind of boring, but not every haul can be astonishing.

[auto-da-fey]

whoops, THRUSH Hermit. Thrust Hermit, I think might rule.

[reebty]

[narlus]

a few LPs arrived in yesterday's mail...Fresh & Onlys, something on Sacred Bones, and Marissa Nadler's new LP.

[davy]

This came out today!

I bought my deluxe set with t-shirt and stickers! Limited edition of 30!



Go Minikon, go!

[sashwap]

the last of which I only grabbed because I mistakenly thought they were a Philly band (almost: Halifax!).

i know a real philly band you should check out: univox.

the new robert pollard is great, but i always say that. i can't not say it. i have a problem. but like all his stuff, it's a grower and i wasn't too keen on it at first, until i started waking up with songs from it stuck in my head.

[Benmont Tench]

Recently:





The Who - The Who Sell Out
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War

Cafe Tacuba - Sino
Q-Tip - The Renaissance

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R (Deluxe Edition)

Method Man - Tical
LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (Deluxe Edition)
White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1

Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts


Most of these are from Yourmusic's recent going out of business sale(s).

[nonotyet]

oh my god Foo Fighters I forgive you for the John Kerry album

almost

mostly

[justinh]

I heard this song on the radio and I thought it sounded like the Mars Volta on quaaludes, but it was the Foo Fighters.

[Thermofusion]

The Mars Volta could probably use some quaaludes!

[Benmont Tench]

Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool

Well if it isn't my first jazz album!

[reebty]

[narlus]

Melvins Endless Residency box and their split 7" w/ JSBX

[milly balgeary]

human eye - they came from the sky. whut whut.

[Benmont Tench]

Fucked Up - David Comes to Life


My #2 most anticipated album of 2011.

[Andrew_TSKS]

Yeah, I just bought it too. $4.06 from Matador by the time I pulled the trigger on it. I actually feel mostly OK about paying for a crap worthless format like mp3.

In other news, I got the newest Fucked Up mixtape in the mail today, and preordered the cassette reissue of Dinosaur Jr's Bug which comes out on Joyful Noise in a few weeks. Now, cassette--that's a crap worthless format that I absolutely love!

[RavingLunatic]

Stranded Horse - Humbling Tides
Will Johnson - Little Raider EP
Centro-Matic - The Static vs The String Vol. 1

I didn't care for the new Stranded Horse album at all (though I do approve of the name alteration). To me, it's so bad and dull it's confusing, especially coming after that great debut.

Love, love, loving the new Will Johnson EP though. I think it's better than either of his previous solo albums. He hasn't really changed up his solo/South San Gabriel sound much in a decade, but he can still crank out stunners. I keep expecting those little vocal triplets he's always sticking in at the beginning and end of verses to become tiresome, but they're as effective as ever.

I've always been a pretty big fan of Static vs. Strings as well. I haven't heard any of the new Centro album, but I've heard really good things from the people who have. Very excited about that one.

[davy]

I haven't been able to really get into any Centro-Matic album since Static Vs. Strings. I love those first three as much as I love just about anything, though.

I was pretty impressed with Fort Recovery, I guess. But it wasn't an emotional connection.

An album like Navigational -- woo boy. That's an album that I literally can't just listen to. It's always punching me in the gut.

[alex]

I didn't care for the new Stranded Horse album at all (though I do approve of the name alteration). To me, it's so bad and dull it's confusing, especially coming after that great debut.

Oh wow, I wouldn't be quite so harsh about the Stranded Horse album, although I will concede that it's a bit of a disappointment compared to the first one. I'm actually quite fond of about half of the album (in particular: the opener, closer and the French tracks). The Smiths cover is pretty jarring, though, and the thing that I find most troublesome about it (the overly affected adopted British accent and vocal stylings) occasionally tarnishes my enjoyment of the rest as well.

The Will Johnson-related purchases are indeed awesome.

[RavingLunatic]

I'm pretty much in love with the whole Centro-matic catalog, though Redo the Stacks and Distance & Clime are a bit uneven for me. Fort Recovery is my favorite Centro album, though I seem to be somewhat in the minority on that one. I think they made a big mistake in not making Fort Recovery a double album. The eight-song Operation Motorcide EP, which was entirely from the Fort Recovery recording session, is among Centro's best. It's incredible to me that those songs did not make the cut for the album. On top of that, the three Fort Recovery bonus tracks from the European version are all really good. I mean, of those 23 tracks, the only one that is not top-notch for me is "Blood on the Floor" from Operation Motorcide.

I think they realized they should've made Fort Recovery a double album and hence decided to make Dual Hawks a double-disc. But that was a mistake if you ask me. There're probably about 13 really good tracks between the Centro and SSG Dual Hawk discs and about 10 rather mediocre ones. I really need to make a personal Dual Hawks mix, because I love a lot of those songs, but I'm always discouraged from playing it by the mediocrity mixed in. "Of Evil / For Evil" is the worst song Will Johnson has ever recorded.