Leah's favorite albums of the year
It's that time of year again: drunk Santas, reindeer, presents, decorated trees, best-of lists... I'm happy to go first on that last item!
I've got ten favorite albums this year. There were many to choose from, but the way I look at it, the smaller the list, the more prestigious. Or at least rare. I'm going with that, anyway. I tried to choose albums from this year that I'll most definitely be listening to next year (and hopefully beyond that if they hold up as well as others have).
10. CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
9. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once soundtrack
8. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
7. Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
6. The Roadside Graves - No One Will Know Where You've Been
5. Akron/Family - Love is Simple
4. Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach
3. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
2. The Real Tuesday Weld - The London Book of the Dead
1. The Felice Brothers - Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. I
Looking back, I've posted mp3s from most of these albums. Here's a few from the list that were overlooked, though. Oh, and Happy Holidays to you all!
The Real Tuesday Weld - It's a Wonderful Li(f)e
The Real Tuesday Weld - Last Words
The Real Tuesday Weld - Bringing the Body Back Home
Levon Helm - Calvary
Levon Helm - Got Me a Woman
CocoRosie - Japan
I've got ten favorite albums this year. There were many to choose from, but the way I look at it, the smaller the list, the more prestigious. Or at least rare. I'm going with that, anyway. I tried to choose albums from this year that I'll most definitely be listening to next year (and hopefully beyond that if they hold up as well as others have).
10. CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
9. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once soundtrack
8. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
7. Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
6. The Roadside Graves - No One Will Know Where You've Been
5. Akron/Family - Love is Simple
4. Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach
3. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
2. The Real Tuesday Weld - The London Book of the Dead
1. The Felice Brothers - Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. I
Looking back, I've posted mp3s from most of these albums. Here's a few from the list that were overlooked, though. Oh, and Happy Holidays to you all!
The Real Tuesday Weld - It's a Wonderful Li(f)e
The Real Tuesday Weld - Last Words
The Real Tuesday Weld - Bringing the Body Back Home
Levon Helm - Calvary
Levon Helm - Got Me a Woman
CocoRosie - Japan
posted by Leah at 3:45 PM
2 Comments:
ok, you asked:
1) Broken Family Band - Hello Love
I get really jealous of those Brits I meet on the inter-webs. This band refuses to tour North America, yet seems to play every small pub from Cambridge to Stiff-Upper-Lip-on-Tyne
2) The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
This is one of those breakthrough releases where a good band comes up with something spectacular. It's a fairytale about a band member's mom and her real life trek from Honduras to Montreal in the 70s. Critics are pretty well going gaga over it north of the border and I expect the line-ups for their SXSW show to be large. When I first heard about it, I thought it would be a 'songth cycleth' concept album that would be morose, wanky and unlistenable. It's not. Not even close
3) New Pornographers - Challengers
Talk about consistency
4) Rock Plaza Central - Are We Not Horses?
Angels, mechanical horses, a sea of white wings and evil humans. It's a concept album about a war between angels and humans with mechanical horses. Except it's told from the viewpoint of the mechanical horses, who don't know they are mechanical horses. I know you're going WTF, but they pull it off. Well, in my eyes they pull it off. AMG gave it a very ordinary review.
5) Rizdales - Radio Country
Stealing this description from a writer at Exclaim, who I think stole it from an earlier Exclaim writer:
'The band is the brainchild of happily married couple Tara and Tom Dunphy, who pretty much sing about nothing but infidelity, heartbreak, drinking and a host of other subject matter befitting the country canon. Live, the juxtaposition of a couple gazing adoringly at one another as they duet about how dysfunctional their relationship is can be quite interesting to say the least')
6) Two Minute Miracles - Lions of Love
The idea behind the band is that everything can be summed up in a 2 minute pop song, and looking at the subjects of errant girlfriends, good fast food places and hangers on, it can
The leader of the band is Andy Magoffin, producer of Great Lake Swimmers, Rock Plaza Central, Royal City, Constantines... He has literally had a hand in almost every good Canadian band from the past 10 years.
They make a better Wilco than Wilco. This is like summerteeth with all the bad dental infections removed.
7) Andre Ethier - On Blue Fog
Oh how I miss the Deadly Snakes. This sort of makes up for it, since it in turn is made up of almost all the Deadly Snakes. He also did the funniest thing last summer - singing O Canada at a Dodgers-Blue Jays game while the other Andre Ethier waited in the dugout to take the field.
8) Basia Bulat - Oh My Darling
Headline 2007: Local Girl Makes Good
Headline 2008: Local Girl Becomes SXSW Sensation
Basia is in the Hardwood records groups of artists - Hayden/Cuff the Duke/Great Lake Swimmers and this thing was released last year by Rough Trade in the UK. It finally got a Canadian release this year and it is oh so good. For orchestral pop, this really puts Joanna Newsome to shame
9) Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
Winnipeg may just be that frozen shithole, but it's our frozen shithole. Love the almost punk songs about Curling, Bus Drivers and winter loneliness.
'John Samson from the Weakerthans—he is the lyricist that I can say, without hesitation, is better than I am. But almost everyone else I think I'm in contention with. [Other favorites are] Blake Schwarzenbach from Jawbreaker/Jets to Brazil, obviously Dylan, Springsteen—that kind of thing. But John Samson is the best right now.' - Craig Finn
10) Tim Rogers – Luxury of Hysteria
This is in the same vein as ‘What Rhymes with Girls and Cars’ but better.
Almost:
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Fiest - The Remainder
Ladyhawk - Fight for Anarchy
Josh Ritter - Historical Conquest
The National - Boxer
Cuff the Duke - Sidelines in the City
Ike Reilly Assassination
Julie Dorion
Avett Bros
Dr Dog
Everybody Fields
Gregory Alec Isakov - that Sea, the Gambler
Iron and Wine
Arcade Fire
Wilco - finally - I can buy a Wilco cd again.
Great Lakes Swimmers - Ongiara
Beirut - Flying Club Cup
Sadies - New Seasons
Detroit Cobras
Black Lips
Snake Cross and the Crown
See Yah Leah - Tualla
elliott smith - new moon
the rest doesn't even matter.
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