July 27th, 2006
Mid-year music lists
Confound whoever started this trend for ‘best albums by the middle of the year’ list stuff. I’m happy enough with end of year polls, but now even the esteemed allmusic.com is getting in on the act.
Some genuine lists have popped up in the last couple of weeks. The UK album chart is 50 years old this month and a couple of weeks ago, The Observer trawled through 50 albums that changed music. Instead of looking for the best, the panel of critics selected albums that shook things up. To make this point, each album in the list of 50 included a ‘Without this, there’d be no *insert relevant band/genre*’ justification here.
The British museum also marked 50 years of the UK album charts by asking every MP to select its favourite number 1 album. The results are less surprising than the fact that only 41 MPs replied, including George Galloway who chose Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain chose This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours by The Manic Street Preachers.
Two even more expansive best of lists can be found in the current issue of Rolling Stone. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Worth checking out, but ridiculously safe choices.
So if someone put a gun to my head and asked me to pick the best 10 albums of the year so far, I don’t know if I could. I listen to so much stuff that I’d have to sit down and think about it. So I’ll settle for, off the top of my head, picking 10 albums out so far this year that I really like (as no doubt I’ve probably already forgotten stuff that came out in January).
Cat Power - The Greatest
Peter, Bjorn and John - Writer’s Block (listen to their fantastic Amsterdam and single Young Folks over on their myspace page.
Hot Chip - The Warning
Tunng - Comments of the Inner Chorus
Adem - Love and other Planets
Kelley Stoltz - Below the Branches
Oneida - Happy New Year
The Guillemots - Through the Windowpane
Spankrock - YoYoYoYoYo
Juana Molina - Son
Honourable mentions: Thom Yorke, Isan, Nouvelle Vague, Morrissey, Final Fantasy, Serena Maneesh, Coldcut, David Kitt, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Divine Comedy, Camera Obscura,
Update: In the spirit of posting off-the-cuff, Igo and forget the excellent albums by Cougar and Si Schroeder would definitely have to be in the Top 10 so far. My brain is tired (and a year older on Monday, so my memory is failing).
July 27th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
WHAT?? No room for SI SCHROEDER BUT room for david kitt (which is good but not “coping mechanisms” good)? and wheres COUGAR or CAMILLE? recount demanded
July 27th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I keep seeing these half year lists. With a lot of music blogs /sites , I reckon they are just looking for more hits. With the advent of blogging, it just got a whole lot easier to do it. Personally, I’ll be waiting til the end of the year to do mine.
Also, That Spank Rock album is ridiculously good if you handle the lyrics. The Guillemots I’m just gettin into. There’s a few there i haven’t heard yet but I’ve heard a lot about them - Peter Bjorn and John for example. I think the Coldcut album is pretty dire to be honest..
July 27th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
what about Cougar/’Law’? that was your “album of the year” back in february!
July 27th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Hi Sinead, was that you on Rattlebag today? I only heard a few minutes of it.
July 27th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I thought that this “I listen to so much stuff that I’d have to sit down and think about it. So I’ll settle for, off the top of my head, picking 10 albums out so far this year that I really like (as no doubt I’ve probably already forgotten stuff that came out in January)” was enough of a disclaimer to get me off the hook on a off-the-cuff, typed-in-one-go post! They were 10 albums I like, not necessarily the 10 best, and working 12 hours a day all this week has the poor brain addled. Sure I’m even older this Monday, and already my memory’s failing me.
Cougar is a definite, as is Si’s album. I love it. Pilchard, haven’t heard Camille - what’s it like?
Niall - I like Spankrock a lot but tell me, what the hell has happened to hip hop? (I feel a post challenge coming on there)
Any more recommendations guys?
PS John, yep that was me. At least someone let me rant about how Lily Allen’s album is marketed to within an inch of is life.
July 27th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Sinead, there’s plenty of amazing hip hop out there. Most of it is small/independent and I’m sure there is plenty of good stuff I haven’t heard.
Anything from Def Jux is usually excellent - Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif especially. Going back further if you can handle the dystopian sci-fi of El-P / Cannibal Ox you’re on to a winner. Groundbreaking stuff right there.
MF Doom consistently produces excellent albums - last years Dangerdoom, Madvilliany, Vaudeville Villian, King Geedorah.
Stones Throw Records also has some great artists.The recently deceased producer Jay Dee’s ‘Donuts’ being a case in point. Madlib produces some great stuff. Also hearing good things about Aloe Blacc.
The latest Ghostface Killah album has some gems. I’ve talked about that Underwater song on my blog. The production is amazing. The Roots have a new one. Common’s Be. Dabrye.
Not strictly hip hop, but Cut Chemist’s new one, Prefuse 73 - solid hip hop based songs. DJ Krush - Jaku.
I’m haven’t even started on foreign hip hop - TTC, IAM, Saïan Supa Crew… plenty of others I can’t remember names of.
(Whew).. How’s that?
July 27th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
A few references above can be found here
http://www.nialler9.com/blog/category/music/hip-hop/
July 27th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Cheers for that effort Niall. I really like a lot of that stuff, it just seems that in 2006 specifically there’s not much going on as usual.
Have you heard the Girltalk stuff? It’s great and thanks for the heads up on Modeselector on your blog recently. Will definitely be trotting over to see them at the Electric Picnic.
Have you heard the new Pharrell? It’s not great either…
July 27th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
I’ve only heard a bit of Girltalk so I can’t really comment.
Pharrell no real interest - his talent seems to fluctuate.
I would agree with not a lot happening in hip hop, I know in the States they are all going mad for crunk and hyphy and DJ Shadow is on board the latters bandwagon. It’s corny and throwaway hip hop.
YoYoYoYoYo is definitely the best hip hop album I’ve heard all year. He’s got some lyrical flow and the production reminds me of a lot of Arular.
July 27th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
That dreary Hot Chip album got one or two listens and ended up back in the pile, forgotten. Coming from a similar place, but far more interesting, was The National Trust LP Kings And Queens, if only for the sax breaks.
The best thing I’ve heard so far this year has been the re-issued Abner Jay album, One Man Band - swampy hobo soloist bluesman from 1960s Deep South, singing and preaching about Viet Nam, LSD, poverty and persecution. Find it (on Subliminal) and prepare to love it.
July 27th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
Camille album is amazing - scatty, kooky and bewildering which are all good things
i love lily allen’s album too because the sounds she’s using are so fantastic and the lyrics and observations are razor sharp. i think its a mite lazy to use the “marketing” as a stick to beat her. no amount of “marketing” makes people buy tunes or go to myspace pages or gigs unless there are good tunes and music to begin with. and she can’t help if her dad is a pillock.
July 27th, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Cheers John, any more recommendations?
Pilchard, I really like the album, but the myspace story is fabrication, she’s been around for years. It’s Sandi Thom ‘myspace discovery’ thing all over again, but at least Allen has talent. I don’t blame Allen for the marketing, that’s firmly the work of the record company.
July 27th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
but she hasnt hidden the fact shes been around for ages!! she talked about it in interviews in the NME and irish times (to name two interviews where the journalists at least had did their homework). she had been signed to warners (by the guy who signed all saints) but nothing was ever released. and yes, she’s way, way, way better than sandi “jane blunt” thom
July 27th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
I wasn’t suggesting she hid it (although she has never mentioned turning down Sugababes because she was a “star in her own right”.) I was talking about record companies exploiting myspace.
July 27th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
That Peter, Bjorn & John album is excellent. Very nice choice. I’m glad to see Nouvelle Vague, Camera Obscura, Final Fantasy and Hot Chip mentioned as well.
Choosing a best albums list is a headache i’d rather not deal with till the end of the year, but if i had to throw around some albums in my list right now….
Destroyer - Destroyer’s Rubies
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
Definitely check those out if you haven’t heard them yet.
July 27th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Doh! Pipettes is another one. Haven’t heard the first two so will add them to the ever-burgeoning pile to track down. You know, that’s one positive about the concept of a mid-year list - you wouldn’t have so many albums you missed to catch up on at the end of the year if you take stock over the summer.
Paul, cheers for stopping by. I only recently came across The Yellow Stereo and it’s a very fine blog.
July 27th, 2006 at 7:08 pm
i think Si Schroeder might actually be my favouritist album so far this year. really like that peter bjorn and john single so will definitely check out the album when it’s out. iv heard the new kittser record is also a return to form. i was v disappointed with the greatest, bar a few tracks, and im normally ridiculously obsessed with ms marshall.
July 27th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Second the Cat Power, Neko Case, Kelley Stoltz (thanks for the heads-up there Sinead) and the Pipettes nominations.
Must mention Bruce Springsteen too though - it’s kinda mandatory let alone brilliant.
My country/folk leanings/cravings have been satisfied with Slaid Cleave’s “Unsung”; Allison Moorer’s “Getting Somewhere” and Shooter Jennings’ “Electric Rodeo”. But then I’ve forgotten Jan/Feb already in terms on when I actually got things.
July 28th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
I forgot to add The Brakes LP Give Blood - short, stabby rock songs with a touch of country punk. Excellent, and I think they’re touring with The Pipettes, which is nice…
July 28th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
Mish, definitely had you pegged as a Cat Power fan. Like Auds, I really, really like it. Kittser’s album really is a return to form. I must be one of a few people who didn’t like The Big Romance, but I reckon this is his best since Small Moments.
Auds, Glad you like the Kelley Stolz album, I totally loved it. Ditto on the Jan/Feb releases (see earlier omission of Cougar) and I like Alison Moorer’s stuff.
Haven’t heard Bruce’s new one but I prefer the E-Street stuff. Am I missing out?
John, The Brakes album is last year, but what a damn fine record. I remember someone reviewing it for Sigla (the magazine) and giving it five stars.
July 28th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Some good stuff mentioned here already, on the Hip-Hop issue specifically, Ghostface’s album is a gem I think. Also try Aceyalone’s Magnificent City, where he has RJD2 impressively in tow, it’s the most sparkling Hip-Hop collaboration since the two you-know-whos reached perfection in 2004.
July 29th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
the debut album from Oppenheimer (myspace/oppenheimer) is my favourite album this year so far along with Si Schroeder. i don’t think it’s in the shops yet but it’s availble online.