Jun
7
All Time Favorite #24
Filed Under All Time Favorite | 2 Comments
I have not done an All Time Favorite in quite some time but I realized that it is due time and I have a good one to share. Half Nelson I saw a few years back and recently saw it again a few months ago. I am not going to talk too much about the film because when I watched it for the first time I went in knowing nothing. So don’t IMDb this movie before you see it just go to Netflix and stream it. You will not be disappointed with the movie or the soundtrack.
Dan: Change moves in spirals, not circles. For example, the sun goes up and then it goes down. But everytime that happens, what do you get? You get a new day. You get a new one. When you breathe, you inhale and you exhale, but every single time that you do that you’re a little bit different then the one before. We’re always changing. And its important to know that there are some changes you can’t control and that there are others you can.
Shampoo Suicide – Broken Social Scene
Dec
24
Favorite Albums Of 2010
Filed Under Album Picks, The Lists | 11 Comments
This year in music was possibly one of my favorite in a very long time… I have been thinking long and hard on exactly why this is. As I went back through 2010 I noticed that my favorite albums were some of my best friends throughout the year. I could relate to them. I listened to them when I needed a shoulder to cry on, when I needed something to calm my soul or even to just hang out and enjoy their company. This group of albums below has been a major part of my life this year. I enjoy every single track, and that I truly feel each has become the soundtrack for my life in 2010.
It has been another fantastic year at Untitled Records, it brings so much joy to my soul when I know that you have found something new here that you absolutely love. It is fun to discover new music together week after week. Happy Holidays and here’s to new music and concerts in 2011. xX
My top 6 albums of 2010 in selected order along with a group of honorable mentions:
Little Lion Man (Explicit Lyrics)
I awaited the arrival of this album in the states for what felt like an eternity. Almost a year later their music is everywhere and they have 2 Grammy nominations. I don’t think I know one person who does not enjoy their passionate, banjo-playing, folk-rock. The album is filled with romantic and heartbreaking songs that you fall in love with over and over again. I listen to this album on repeat for days and days. I love it just as much as I loved it when I first listened to it, which is why it is my #1 album of the year.
The Suburbs is a very close second, so close I went back forth for days if it was indeed my favorite. I fell in love with the soaring indie rock about growing up in the suburbs. I feel it is their greatest album to date, and one that demonstrates a clear progression and maturity of their music. I was never the biggest fan of Arcade Fire, but over the years they have won me over and I consider them to be one of my favorite bands right up there with Radiohead, which is quite an honor.
It is all about the dreamy indie-pop dripping with atmospheric melodies along with the unique vocals of Victoria Legrand that has put this 3rd full length album in the #3 spot. It was not love at first listen, but it was certainly a steady progression into my 2010 favorite albums over the course of the year building steam as it went. It is also my favorite album to date from this Baltimore based band. I felt they really came into their own on Teen Dream, they have found their clear place at the top of all the dream-pop in this world.
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
The sophomore album from this young songstress blew me away when I first heard it, and it still does. Marling’s music has matured greatly on this album. She’s an old soul who creates stunning poetic folk music that flows out of the speakers with such grace and beauty I never want it to end. I Speak Because I Can is my favorite female singer-songwriter of 2010 as well as the last couple of years, hands down.
This is not too much of a surprise, I think I have made my complete love for Stars very well known. Seeing them tour Five Ghosts this year at the Wiltern really solidified it for me. I love their whimsical booming indie-pop and I love the themes of their albums, the concise collection of songs they put together consistently year after year = Love.
The 5th studio album from The National is a collection of beautifully devastating indie-rock songs. This is the first full length album from The National that I have loved from beginning to end. Hight Violet is an explosion of atmospheric melodies and poetic lyrics about love, tragedy and life that resonates in my soul. I put this album on and I let it repeat. Gorgeous from beginning to end.
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I hesitated to add a honorable mention list… However it is entirely necessary because the following albums are a great collection of songs that I have loved over the year but on every album there was at least one or two songs that I just didn’t care for. Therefor below are my almost favorites!
Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle
Dead Heart Bloom – Strange Waves
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
May
8
Current Rotation
Filed Under Album Picks | 4 Comments
Quick update: What I am currently listening to is the new album from the super group Broken Social Scene. Only 7 members participated in this 4th full length from the Toronto based band and I think it is their best album to date, more refined I suppose. In the past I felt like there were so many hands in the pot, it was kind of all over the place. This album seems a lot more cohesive which in turn makes it easier on the listener. Some fans (like Marcy from Lost in Your Inbox) may disagree, we will see. :-)
Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers of the world. Enjoy your weekend while listening to some great music I hope.
mp3:Â World Sick
Forgiveness Rock Record 2010 (Arts & Crafts)
Available at eMusic