GO TO PAGE TWO FOR THE NEW STUFF
THE THREAD RETURNS.
I have made a little mix for you people. The theme of this one is songs from some of my favorite 2007 albums that you may or may not have heard of. We're halfway through the year, and I haven't listened to a lot of stuff, so there are 10 albums represented here. If you like something and want more of it, I'm sure I could work something out.
If I had the Down by Avalon CD, I would rip it and put a track on here.
DOWNLOAD HERE (85.57 mb zip file) - This will die after 7 days so get it while it's hot
There are 13 mp3s and a m3u playlist file.
1 and 2)
The Polyphonic Spree - "Together We're Heavy" and "Running Away"
From the album
The Fragile Army
If you saw my other thread, you know how much I love this band, although they tend to get a somewhat mixed critical reception. Since they have 24 people and have been bounced from label to label, they need to sell some records to keep this thing going. So, whereas their last album,
Together We're Heavy, was very sprawling and ambitious, this is a straightforward album structurally. 11 basic pop songs with a lot of hooks, and a really good album in my opinion. I put both of these tracks on here because the first one is a 30 second intro that blends into the opening song. "Running Away" is the first single from the album, and the most upbeat.
3)
The National - "Fake Empire"
From the album
Boxer
I haven't listened to this album a ton, but I like what I hear. Particularly the first couple of songs, and especially this one; the opening track. It's one of those records that grows on you, and takes a number of listens to begin to appreciate it.
4)
St. Vincent - "Paris is Burning"
From the album
Marry Me
I gotta be honest; I first found out about St. Vincent (Annie Clark) because she was the cute guitarist in The Polyphonic Spree and in Sufjan Stevens's touring band for a bit. Her debut album is outstanding; the album seems to seemlessly shift from pop to jazz, and there are some really beautiful arrangements on it. I started to put the opening track on here, but then went with this one. It's somewhat dark.
5)
Arcade Fire - "Keep the Car Running"
From the album
Neon Bible
Their first album,
Funeral, is one of my favorite albums ever. This one isn't quite that good, but it's still pretty fantastic. This track is the 2nd on the album, and one of the singles. They played it on Saturday Night Live earlier in the year. The album is completely over the top sonically, including a massive pipe organ blasting full force on a couple of songs. Lots of hooks.
6)
They Might Be Giants - "Climbing the Walls"
From the album
The Else
In case you hadn't heard, They Might Be Giants have released a new album, and like everything they have done in the last 15 years, it's a bit of a mixed bag. However, I think this one is one of their best (if not best) efforts since "the good ol' days". Lyrically, there's no doubt in my mind that this is their best album in a long time. They've also actually been somewhat daring with a couple songs and broken from the typical TMBG mold.
7)
Ryan Adams - "Two"
From the album
Easy Tiger
I couldn't decided what to choose from this album, so I just went with the single. Sheryl Crow's vocals are buried there somewhere in the background. This is probably the most consistantly good, yet least ambitious album in a while for the Jacksonville, NC and Raleigh native. It never really goes anywhere unfamiliar, but every song is well written. He will probably always be under the shadow of his work with Whiskeytown and his first and by far best solo album, Heartbreaker.
8)
Rivers Cuomo - "Pig"
From the album Rivers Cuomo demo tape sent to Rick Rubin and somehow leaked to the Internet
When Weezer supposedly broke up after their final Make Believe tour, I told people that you can't trust anything Rivers Cuomo says or does. Well well well, what do you know, Weezer is going to the studio this summer to record their 6th album. It will probably suck a$$, but perhaps there is some hope. This demo recorded by Rivers and sent to Rick Rubin under the title
Deliverance at Hand is in my opinion his best song since Pinkerton (which as you know is my favorite album). Of course, since Rick Rubin is a shitty producer and advisor, he will probably have Cuomo re-write it until it sounds terrible, and then overproduce the hell out of it. I like this demo though qutie a bit.
9)
Andrew Bird - "Dark Matter"
From the album
Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird is fantastic. This album is fantastic. This song is fantastic. The intro reminds me of the score from "Return of the King" when Frodo and Sam are sitting on the rock with Mordor burning around them, but I probably shouldn't have just admitted that. Nerd moment aside, Bird manages to write songs that are complex in terms of lyrics, instrumentation, and arrangement, but still come out catchier than anything on pop radio.
10)
Okkervil River - "John Allyn Smith Sails"
From the album
The Stage Names
Okay, so this album hasn't actually been released yet, but it's out there and it's incredible. Oddly enough I have now listened to two albums in the last month where the band randomly breaks down into a Pet Sounds (my second favorite album) track. This is the final track on the album, and I guess it speaks to the power of Pet Sounds that perhaps the most memorable moment on this excellent album is where the band kicks into their take on the chorus of "Sloop John B" (I know I know, it's not necessarily a Beach Boys song). Okkervil River's last album,
Black Sheep Boy, was one of the best records of 2005, and this one may be the best of 2007 so far.
11)
The Polyphonic Spree - "Overblow Your Nest"
From the album
The Fragile Army
I wanted to throw another Spree track on here, so I did. Possibly my favorite track on the album.
12)
Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go"
From the album
Neon Bible
Okay with this one I just couldn't decide whether to go with "Keep the Car Running" or this one, so I just said screw it and put both on. Originally written for their debut EP, they re-recorded this song with an orchestra, choir, and organ to make it as epic and over the top as possible. It's HUGE.
13)
Steve Goldberg - "Summer's Ending"
From the album
Steve Goldberg and the Arch Enemies
I'm not one to try and convince people to buy albums, but seeing as how I'm probably one of 50 people who owns Steve's album, I'd like to see him have some success so he can record more music. You can stream the entire album free at
http://stevegoldbergmusic.com/ and purchase it there for $12 if you like the music. This is the closing track off the album. Pop music with classical arrangements and instrumentation and quirky lyrics.
Okay, that's it. I figured I would bring this thread back from its 1.5 year hiatus with a bang.[/b]