I havent heard of this but so far I'm digging a bit of it. its dark a bit of a dark but "too cool" sound to it. like a future BRMC. these dudes must wear all black but still dance at the parties. its pretty good.

I thought you'd like that Ritter disc, Montana.

I'm checking out Supersilent now, as well as another disc off of Rune Grammofon that I'd been meaning to listen to:

Susanna - Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos
you can too
stream the tracks from boomkat
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=44667
download the thang
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=0NC2XFVC
from allaboutjazz:
Leaving behind the imaginative covers of artists including Leonard Cohen, Sandy Denny and Bob Dylan on Melody Mountain (Rune Grammofon, 2006)—by her collaborative duo Susanna and the Magical Orchestra with keyboardist Morten Qvenild of In the Country—Susanna Wallumrød goes the singer/songwriter route with her first album as a solo artist, Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos. It’s a bold move, coming so close on the heels of Melody Mountain, but while Susanna (who goes only by her first name here) is a relatively young artist, so, too, were Cohen, Denny and Dylan when they wrote some of their most enduring songs. Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos is an acutely deeply personal and intimate record that, were Susanna in a different time and place, would easily place her alongside those artists who have clearly informed her own writing.

It still should, even now. The calm that pervades the record wraps her lyrical depth—primarily concerning love and the human condition—in a soft blanket. She is joined by a number of guests throughout, including brother/pianist Christian—known to ECM fans for recordings including The Zoo is Far (ECM, 2007)—Qvenild and multi-instrumentalist Helge Sten—who, also known as Deathprod, is a producer well-known to Rune Grammofon fans, as well as a member of the outstanding Supersilent collective. Susanna’s musical viewpoint is all about spare simplicity, so the guest contributions are often so subtle that they’re nearly invisible. Still, they add variety to her soundscape, and a drama that’s often so understated that the slightest dynamic shift feels powerful and deeply moving.

Crap (my exclamation, not a critique). That Susanna album is one of those albums that I downloaded on the basis of a blog description, liked, and haven't revisited because there is so much good and cool 2007 music. This EOY voting is going to be HARD. DIFFICULT. You know.

so this working for a nuclear free city is great on first listen through. these songs all have personality and wonderful melodies. I don't know if I will get bored with this but its art pop more so than anything. if I'm still digging this after a good amount of listens this may be a suprise late jumper on my EOY list. thanks CC.

I like that one. Very nice chilled singer/songwriter stuff, perfect for the fall. I tend to find the best music these days comes not from rock bands, but from these kinds of mellow indie acts.

While we are in this area:




"Diamond Heart" has some of the finest lyrics I have heard this year.

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=29185

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=29489

http://www.myspace.com/songsoftheend


And Alela Diane's record is pretty good as well.



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Josh Ritter is a good suggestion, and given we're talking about broken records, may I suggest the following:

PATTY GRIFFIN - CHILDREN RUNNING THROUGH
Mavis Staples - We'll Never Turn Back

Montana, have you heard this album...



MV & EE with the Golden Road - Gettin' Gone

RIYL: Neil Young, Neil Young, Neil Young, that rare musical event where the cosmos merge with the soil to create a universe that is of all the most natural and purest elemenFUCK JUST DOWNLOAD IT



It's awesome, by the way.

I don't mean to pile on, but yes, Field Music is definitely in my top 5. The XTC comparisons are valid, but there's also a very strong 60s Atlantic soul vibe throughout. David Brewis' solo project, The School of Language is out in early '08. Very much looking forward to it.

My list will be a mix of well known and the not so much, so here's a couple of the less heralded.

Meg Baird--Dear Companion (Recommended to anyone above who is digging the Marissa Nadler)



The Zincs--Black Pompadour (Highly underrated band based singer-songwriter. RIYL: Lloyd Cole, American Music Club, Richard Buckner, etc. with a bit of an early Stereolab underpinning).

They made my list last year but I have not heard this one. I will check it out tonight.

Green Blues, right? Billed to "MV & EE with the Bummer Road" or whatever? Cool album, but I actually like the new one better. It's less of a droney folk sort of thing. More rocking moments, more song-based... excellent album.

Avec, let me know what that Susanna disc is like.

I'm going a little crazy checking all this shit out, d-ling albums and stuff. Here's Meg Baird's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/pennsylvaniawildlife
I'm going to give this a shot, seems a little more traditional than Espers from what I've heard.

eh what the hell, here's the link I found for Meg Baird
hp://www.megaupload.com/?d=LA3C2KZO

Here's White Rainbows myspace too
http://www.myspace.com/whiterainbowwhiterainbow
check out the track mystic prism, it's on his new release

Let me just say right now that there are a fair amount of moments on Celebration's The Modern Tribe that lead me to believe that it's worth the hype.

Same with the new Magik Markers album. I didn't care for either album at first because the singers are female and therefore talentless, but I have since grown able to overlook such shortcomings.

Goddamnit, everybody download Gettin' Gone. Listening to "I Get Caves In There" right now. This dude at the Ween show told me to smoke weed in order to make my beard grow and this music makes me think of him.

shit's at 55% right now. slow loadin' man.

That album rules. "Pressure" is the jam.

Whats with this white rainbow? I've automatically had the feeling I need it but I don't know why. what is it all about? like droney shoegaze or ambient or what?

White Rainbow is everything. It's an ambient psych/krautrock record that gazes at your shoes, as well as inside your entire visceral being and that which surrounds and consumes you and makes you one with the universe. The balls.


The "I'll be right there"s during "Our Hearts Don't Change" truly provide as thrilling a musical moment as any encountered throughout 2007.

hmm, I'll take that as two opinions and everyone knows that makes it fact. I must download and purchase if good/great/brain-melting/jizz-bombing.

Here's that Zincs record if anyone was interested:



Still waiting on Gettin' Gone...

oh man it's fantastic so far. completely spare arrangements that are perfectly produced. mostly just an instrument or two (piano, guitar) and her on each song. she has a nice quiet voice that doesn't stand out at first but wasn't long before I fell under her spell. really gentle music. the beauty of it outweighs the pussiness, therefore I deem it worthy of artistic merit.

riyl: quieter smog, VU's third album, This Mortal Coil, 4AD, I don't know.

Yeah, everyone should check out White Rainbow.

I really want to check out Supersilent but I know they've put out a bunch of stuff before this and I feel cheap jumping on at this point, especially since I get the feeling that it's probably going to require more of me than I'm willing to give it if I'm listening just to "get it in" for EOY purposes.

I agree completely. This album was really blowing me away this morning. Perfect for the dreary, wet day we're having. I'd probably compare this to Blue-era Joni Mitchell being produced by Mark Hollis. There is no pussiness at all in her music, despite the gentle overtones. This is deep, soulful listening thats coming from a very desolate place. Reminds me of the decay of winter. Definitely need to be in the mood for it, but if you are, you will be entranced. Great discovery.

Has anyone heard The Great Lakes Myth Society? Their "Compass Rose Bouqet" is gonna be high on my list. RIYL - Andrew Bird, New Pornographers, The Shins, drunken pirate sea chanties.

www.myspace.com/greatlakesmythsociety

I'll trout the album here but want to get the band's permission first.

Pink Reason - Cleaning The Mirror

Pretty sure that only one other person on here has heard this album and that they didn't even like it. Nevertheless, Cleaning The Mirror continues to be one of my absolute favorite things I've heard all year. I'm still trying to grasp exactly what Pink Reason is, but on this album they are one dude who is Kevin Debroux. He might also be sometimes known as Kevin Failure. He plays with a band live, I'm fairly certain. Sort of a ramshackle noise-rock collective, I guess? Are they on the PR EPs or other recordings? I don't know. Apparently, starting soon, Pink Reason will not exist any longer, as Kevin will begin playing bass for another chaotic Siltbreeze band called Psychedelic Horseshit.

I do know what Cleaning The Mirror is, though, seeing as I've heard it before. Many times, at that. 35 minutes of lo-fi campfire death dirges. Noisy, nihilistic, haunting, beautiful. Brilliant record.

RIYL: Jason Molina (think Pyramid Electric Co. and Didn't It Rain), Jandek, Royal Trux, heroin, hangovers

Recommended metal listening for this year:

Baroness - The Red Album
Between Buried and Me - Colors
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
Melt Banana - Bambi's Dilemma
Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb
The Red Chord - Prey for Eyes

Those are the stand out ones for me. Unless I'm missing out something obvious. There's a probably a bunch of BM ommissions but I don't really dig that stuff so whatever.

edit: add Jesu and Neurosis to that aswell.

Metal for me this year is all about:

Wolves In The Throne Room
Baroness
Pig Destroyer
Neurosis

And High on Fire and Om, of course.

I don't know, I feel like metal had a better year in '06. Genghis Tron, Asunder, Enslaved, Wolves In The Throne Room, Khlyst, Across Tundras, Converge, etc. Still. Metal is still strong. Quite fucking strong, indeed.

Seee I purposely left out Wolves... since it didn't really do much for me, even though the general consensus is that it is great. I plain forgot about HoF and Om though.

Plus, I still havn't heard the new Electric Wizard and Ocean releases. Fuck!

Lets see, 06 metal?

Well there was Converge, Ghengis Tron, Boris/Sunn o)), Intronaut, Mastodon, Abominable Iron Sloth which were all amazing.

I'd say 2007 is marginally better because of the power trio of DEP, Baroness and Phantom Limb which are bonafied (sp?) classics. But yeah, two years of awesome metal.

If you haven't heard it already, friggin múm. It's Icelandic, so you know you've already got something interesting on your hands. No idea what to call it or compare it to. Post-pop? I dunno. Glitchy, busy and pastoral. At times reminds me of Up in Flames era Manitoba/Caribou. Its high points, such as "Dancing Behind My Eyelids," are mind-blowingly good.



múm - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

The link is just a link protector thing that goes to the rapidshare. Pretty neat concept there.

Yeah, see, I forgot Boris/sunn0))) and the Melvins. Two brilliant albums, right there.

Then '07 has the Angelic Process and Alcest. Fuck. Great year.

Thanks, this definitely sounds like it's up my alley. I'll give this a listen soon.

Cerebreal C upped "Working for a Nuclear City" and holy fuck this is good man. seriously anyone who likes catchy pop melodies with some fuck-ery thrown in for good measure will dig it. its got a nice stomp-march-dancey vibe to it. its great fun if you are serious and don't like fun in public. seriously check it out.

www.myspace.com/wfanfc

haven't been there so I don't know if the songs are good there or what but I will be pimping this for year end.

Man I havn't even heard those yet. I need to seriously open up the purse strings a little.

2007 metal was incredible, if only for the sheer volume of top-quality releases by so many bands. An unusually large number of bands outdid themselves, from cool underground metal to less trendy old school stuff...it's been so much fun covering it all.

Alcest – Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde (metalgaze)
Pig Destroyer – Phantom Limb (grindcore with incredible, poetic lyrics)
Baroness – The Red Album (American metal with a slice of indie rock)
Jesu – Conqueror (metalgaze)
Neurosis – Given to the Rising (the legends' return to form)
Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works (jaw-droppingly eclectic)
Between the Buried and Me – Colors (jaw-droppingly eclectic)
Machine Head – The Blackening (epic thrash)
High on Fire – Death is This Communion (beastly!)
Om - Pilgrimage (stoner/doom raga!)
Clutch – From Beale Street to Oblivion (blooze)
Caina – Mourner (satanic black metal/metalgaze)
Witchcraft – The Alchemist (old school doom/psychedelic)
Akercocke - Antichrist (progressive death metal)
Watain – Sworn to the Dark (old school melodic black metal)
The Angelic Process – Weighing Souls With Sand (metalgaze)
The Howling Wind – Pestilence and Peril (black metal circa 1985)
Portal - Outre (genuinely scary death metal)
Cephalic Carnage – Xenosapien (progressive death metal)
Bloody Panda - Pheromones (artsy doom)
Hacride – Amoeba (progressive death metal)
Rwake – Voices of Omens (southern sludge)
Municipal Waste – The Art of Partying (old school thrash)
3 Inches of Blood – Fire Up the Blades (old school power metal)
Atavist - II: Ruins (melodic doom)
Symphony X – Paradise Lost (progressive power metal)
Korpiklaani – Tervaskanto (Finnish folk metal)
Therion – Gothic Kabbalah (symphonic/progressive)
The End – Elementary (metalcore/progressive)
Within Remptation - The Heart of Everything (goth/symphonic)

Don't forget Gallows.

These guys are awesome, soooooooo old school, like a Celtic Frost tribute band or something.

Forgot to mention DETHKLOK!

I'm amazed at how much I've palyed that cd.

Forgot about these.

3 Inches of Blood especially was a fun record.

Plus: Witchcraft! Haha, there was one particular week not so long ago where the a large proportion of this board went mad for that.

Jokey or not, this is like a Top 10 record for me. Of course, I've not heard merely as much metal this year as a lot of you guys, but I love this freaking record.

YOU'LL BE BLOODTROCUTED!!! YOU'LL BE BLOODTROCUTED RIGHT NOW!!!

Most catchy line of the year (well not catchy, but memorable) is in the 'White Walls' by Between Buried and Me.

'WHIIIIIIIIIIIIITE WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALS!!!!!!!!'

I really didn't expect it to be as much fun as it turned out to be. And for a novelty album, the music is actually very credible.

Diesel, have you heard the Baroness album.

This is your fucking album, that's what this is.

Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat



Somewhat eclectic pop-rock from the music-writing half of Arab Strap. At times reminds me of Divine Comedy's last release or like Morrissey's music minus Morrissey. Just really good pop-rock. And of course, as it's from an Arab Strap guy, it's lyrically dark as hell, though the music is often upbeat.

Sorry, only got a link to a blog with individual mp3 links. But they download fast.

Has anyone heard this? Is it any good?

Edit: It's a Prince Paul/Bernie Worrell collaboration, btw.

title track sounds like it should be cued up at the end of a bond movie right as he leaves the girl to go back to the grind...roll credits.

allow me to pimp a few albums with terrible descriptions that will likely not intrigue you

radical face - Ghost; track 2, "welcome home, son" sounds like he crammed every song on the garden state soundtrack into 4:47
http://www.myspace.com/radicalface

bodies of water - ears will pop & eyes will blink; like a less talented & more religious arcade fire. try "doves circled the sky" or "i guess we'll forget the sound"
http://www.myspace.com/bodiesofwater

papercuts - papercuts. this is just beautiful pop music. sharp, soft, melodic & crisp. it deserves your time. jason quevar sounds a bit like davy jones singing
http://www.myspace.com/thepapercuts

This is very good.

Was just listening to this today. It's like Of Montreal in that I waffle between loving it and despising it. Much more mellow though, so it probably has more staying power. Highly recommended for Danielson fans at least.

Also listened to this multiple times today:

Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals. This thing is stunning, folks. That rare combination of a unique sound + kickass songs. They probably sound closest to TV on the Radio, but I also hear Peter Gabriel, Animal Collective, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac. As usual, my words doesn't do it justice--just listen to "2080" on their myspace page for a taste (sorry, I'd upload the full album if I wasn't on the road). Top 5 of the year and climbing...

Just realized that I missed a disc:

2 Many DJs-Live-2007.01.21
8bit-We Sold Our Souls For Nothing
Andrew Jackson Jihad-People that can Eat People
Band of Horses-Cease to Begin
Beastie Boys-The Mix-Up (Japanese Bonus Tracks)
Bernie Worrell-Improvisczario
Black Francis-Bluefinger
Bumps-ST
Cafe Tacuba-Si No
Chemical Brothers Vs Morcheeba-Dont Do It Again
Chicago Afrobeat Project-(A) Move To Silent Unrest
Devastations-Yes U
Galactic-Live-2007-Jazzfest
Grand National-A Drink and a Quick Decision
Groove Armada-Lovebox Weekender
Helios-Ayres
High Contrast-Tough Guys Don't Dance
Hot Hot Heat-Happiness Ltd
Hunter,Previte,Medeski-Altitude
Iron And Wine-The Shepherds Dog
Jack Irons-Attention Dimension
Jay Reatard-Blood Visions
Kanye West-AlterEgo
Karl Denson Trio-Lunar Orbit
LCD Soundsystem-A Bunch Of Stuff EP
Legendary Shack Shakers-Swampblood
M83-Digital Shades Vol. 1
Marcus Johnson-The Phoenix
Ministry-The Last Sucker
N.O.H.A.-Dive In Your Life
Nathan Fake-You Are Here
Office-A Night at the Ritz
OST-Darjeeling Limited
OST-Entourage
OST-Into The Wild-Bonus Tracks
OST-The Kingdom
OST-The Simpsons-Testify
Passenger-Wicked Man's Rest
Peeping Tom-We're Not Alone (Single)
Plan B-Paint It Blacker
Polyphonic Spree-Live From Austin TX
Radiohead-In Rainbows
Radiq (aka Yoshihiro Hanno)-Ballads For The Atomic Age
Seu Jorge-América Brasil o Disco
Spoon-Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Sunset Rubdown-Random Spirit Lover
Swell Session-Swell Communication
Trey Anastaso-Lucius Beebe
Twilight Singers-A Stitch In Time
Underworld-Oblivion With Bells
VA-After Dark
Vells-Integretron
Vive La Fete-Jour De Chance
White Stripes-Icky Thump
Wilco-Live at AOL Sessions
Will Bernard-Party Hats
Will.I.Am-Songs About Girls (Japan Edition)
Wooden Shjips-ST
Yacht-I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real

surprised no one mentioned spoon, but whatever......

Looking for a lot of these suggestions, but I'm coming up pretty short. Life is different without new releases at dog ear.

THE BESNARD LAKES - ...ARE THE DARK HORSE


if you don't like this music, you kinda suck. I might be totally wrong but I think montana would like flourishes of this but I really am not sure. very mellow at times, very over the top prog-shoegazer shit. it's my number 1 of the year so listen to it.

has anyone been plugging the Cinematics?

Wintersleep - Welcome To The Night Sky
http://rs168.rapidshare.com/files/64990513/New_Folder.rar


I posted this in the trout thread a while back, right now i would say this is #2 for me behind spoon. Never heard any mention of these guys so here it is again. Thses guys are from Halifax and this is there third album. They are getting to be fairly well known here in Canada. They have toured with the Hip and I think they have opened for Pearl Jam as well. Check it out.

I definitely kinda suck.