Wow, 2007 was actually such a boss year for music. I'm getting tired and bored of posting now, and I don't really know how to describe this album other than laid-back, drum heavy goodness. This album just reminds me of sitting in my back garden in the summer with a beer. Enjoy.
If you enjoyed the Les Savy Fav album I posted a few weeks back then you'll absolutely love this. Rising from the ashes of mclusky and Jarcrew like some kind of kick-ass Welsh phoenix, this album is just outstanding. Not a single dud track to be found. If you get the opportunity to catch FOTL live then do - the banter is just as good as the musicm if not better, and they normally chuck sweets into the audience. Enjoy.
This is the shite I wrote about this album for my Uni paper when it first came out back in September 2007:
So there's these two blokes, right, who make lo-fi electronica - all improvised - using equipment such as toys and a film synchronizer. Sounds mental and it is, but it's also phenomenal. I saw them live maybe two years ago now - when they performed with a kick-ass drummer and some kind of guitar man - and they just blew me away. So I bought their 'Lovely Allen' 12" single and it was immense, and I bought this album which was even better. Between then and now think I have managed to get everything these guys have produced, and it's been a wise investment. Enjoy.
Indie rock that's just the right side of emo, Minus The Bear are from that great musical city of Seattle. They use a tapping technique which, to my non-musician ears (when I was 10 I was given a music scholorship at school, until my parents said they'd made a mistake, FML), sounds pretty much exactly the same as normal playing. But ho-hum, I'm sure some music geek will tell me the intricate differences in sound. This is one of a great number of bands introduced to me by my dear friend Chev whose music collection would make even John Peel weep. Enjoy.
I bought my copy of Neutral Milk Hotel from the same place - the rather excellent Jumbo Records in Leeds - and at the same time, on one of my annual Boxing Day music binges. This is a great little EP from a great little garage band from London. The music is simple and the production is kept to a minimum, but the quality and enjoyment comes in bucketloads. Some songs are early versions of songs that appear on debut album In The Court Of The Wrestling Let's, which is also well worth checking out. Enjoy.
The more beady-eyed among you will notice that both today's and yesterday's albums are from 2007, the very end of our five-year spell. Partly because they are two of the best albums produced in this period and on this theme, and partly because the bands which were active in this period seemed to shine brilliantly and then burn out in this latter period. Expect something a bit different tomorrow & Friday. Anyways, I recently realised how much I love this album - it is just about perfect. It's an album that deals with love and heartbreak, without being whiny and annoying; it also deals with the utter despair at one's hometown, and the resignation that you can probably never escape it. But despite all that (seeming) negativity, this album is uplifting and simply just an utter joy to listen to. Enjoy.
When I first heard the song 'About Your Dress', I became obsessed with it - literally. I think I watched the video on YouTube about 80 times in a row, and I had the lyrics committed to memory; even now, nearly three years later, I'll happily reel it off after a pint or two. That's how good I thought this album was when it first came out. Yes, it's lost it's impact over time, and yes, Orlando's whiny vocals still grate a bit, but this album remains a perfect embodiment of whatever Dave was jabbering on about yesterday.
This guy supported EITS in the live album from yesterday (listen carefully to the introduction of the opening track, he gets a shout out), and so I thought I'd post him. Eluvium is just one guy called Matthew Cooper who lives in Portland, Oregon (where else?!?) This is great droney ambienty goodness; it's not ideal to get the party started, but it's near-perfect for having on in the backgound while you work. Oh, and Santa, if you're listening, please get me Life Through Bombardment for Christmas. It is the most beautiful boxset which contains his entire discography on vinyl, complete with artwork and posters andother treats. I NEED IT! Anyways, until Santa pulls his finger out, or until I become a cash money millionaire, this will more than suffice in the meantime. Enjoy.
Another live album, and another bootleg to boot (pun kinda intended). This is from a gig Explosions In The Sky played in Asheville, North Carolina back in March 2007, at a little venue called The Grey Eagle. It features heavily from their album All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, a personal favourite of mine, but it also features occasional classics from earlier EITS offerings. Even if you're not a post-rock or EITS fan, it doesn't matter, get it anyway, this album is simply breathtaking. Opening track 'First Breath After Coma' is remarkably emotional, especially for an instrumental track, and this album is always a pleasure to listen to. Enjoy.
So I suppose my first album better be the one that inspired this sudden musical motivation. It's a mixtape by Kanye West, and I spent hours looking for it the other day. I eventually found it, but thought to myself, "if only someone with my taste in music had a blog. Oh wait, I do!" It's good, and definitely worth a download, seeing as it features the likes of hip-hop heavyweights Common and Talib Kweli, as well as appearances and collaborations with Pimp C and Lil Wayne. Kanye also appears with some remixed material from Graduation, as well as some new songs, including stand-out track 'Young Folks', which samples Peter Bjorn & John and is just generally boss. I'll admit, it's not quite as good as I was hoping after three hours or whatever it was of searching, but for you guys it's a simple click! Oh, and apparently it won Mixtape of the Year at the 2007 Vibe Awards. That means nothing to me but it may to you. Enjoy.