Josh Ritter
The Animal Years and
Joe Purdy
Julie Blue. I'm lumping these together because, well, this entire genre is starting to really lump together for me. I've been listening to both these albums for the last couple of weeks (you may notice both artists in my top 5 for last week, e.g.), and yet neither of them has distinguished itself in my head. And I don't just mean distinguished themselves from each other, but from the genre as a whole. I have one or two songs on each that I like, but none that I
really like, much less any that I love. And the albums as a whole aren't doing anything for me. Here's the thing, though: They're both good albums. Well constructed, well performed. But they're both guy-with-a-guitar albums, and I guess I'm just suffering from overkill in that genre. (Of course, as I write this, I'm listening toand diggingthe Sean Hayes album I just downloaded from eMusic. So whatever.)
Iron and Wine
The Shepherd's Dog. Come on, what can I say about this one? As everyone has noted, it's a real departure for Mr. Beam, and as most intelligent observers have noted, it kicks ass. Chock full of 3- and 4-star songs, though I must admit that none has yet reached 5-star status for me. That said, the album as a whole is spectacular. Can't wait to see them live.
Iron and Wine
The Sea & The Rhythm. Catching up on the back-catalogue. This is the last one I didn't have. It's very good, especially the title track. Not sure I've ever heard a more heartfelt paean to sex. That sounds ironic or crass or something, but it isn't meant to. It's a remarkable song.
Beirut
The Flying Club Cup. They've tamed their sound quite a bit, and they seem to be spending more time in western Europe (France, specifically), but for me the magic is still there. That may simply be because Zach Condon's voice will always keep me coming back, I don't know. But I don't think so; I think the music is still great. I do prefer the earlier stuff, but I expect this one to really grow on me.
Bettye Lavette
The Scene of the Crime. A soul/R&B singer from back in the day, who never got her due. This will make a hell of a comeback, if it takes. She's a great singer, the choice of the Drive-by Truckers for a back-up band was an inspired one, and the material is also well chosen. Even the autobiographical "Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye Lavette)" was surprisingly good. I liked this one right away.
Mark Ronson
Version. If you like Amy Winehouse or Lily Allen, you ought to at least give this one a shot. He's the genius at work behind the scenes on both of their recent albums. And each does an excellent cover for him here as well. Winehouse's "Valerie," in particular, is really good. I won't be playing the whole album much, because I'm not really into this kind of music. (Is it hip-hop? house? beat music? I have no idea.) But that's not to say it's not good.
Brother Ali
The Undisputed Truth. Holy shit am I impressed with this album. The last hip-hop album this good was Lyrics Born's
Later That Day..., which was like 4 years ago. I've only actually heard this album twice now (because I always seem to be around someone who won't let me listen to rap), but I
really like it. Both the writing and the execution are stunningly good, and he seems like an interesting person to boot.
Sean Hayes
Big Black Hole and the Little Baby Star. I literally just finished listening to this for the first time, but I quite like it. I don't know if it's as good as
Flowering Spade, but then that album took me several listens before I thought it was very good (and now I'd definitely say it's one of the year's best). Certainly this is an exception to my earlier complaints about modern-day folk. Can someone please explain to me why this guy hasn't gotten more buzz? Or maybe he has, and I'm just not hearing it? Anyway, he's playing Denver next month and tickets are only $10. Think I'll be there.
Albums about which I haven't yet formed much of an impression:
·
Neutral Milk Hotel
In the Aeroplane over the Sea. Eclectic. Good, but I'm not sure how much it's my thing.
· The
Stereogum.com compilation
Drive XV. In case you're not aware, it's a 15-year-anniversary collection of different artists covering the tracks from R.E.M.'s
Automatic for the People. I really like Rogue Wave's version of "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," which is technically a bonus track (the official cover is by Oxford Collapse), but the other stuff I've heard hasn't left much of an impression. The whole thing is available for free
download, by the way, and it seems they keep adding more covers ("bonus tracks"). They've added three or four since I downloaded it last week.
·
Lily Allen
Alright, Still. To be honest, I haven't really listened to it yet. Will do.