My Year in Music
Thanks to getting eMusic this year (which I eventually dropped due to policy changes), I listened to more new (to me) music this year than I have ever before. I'm going to do a run down on my ten most memorable albums that I heard this year in order of when I got them for posterity. I'm not good at writing about music (worse than about comic books), so bear with me.
My year started off right with L getting me a copy of Lucero's 1372 Overton Park for Christmas. Lucero is normally a country band, but they bring in a lot of rock and roll to this record (probably thanks to using the same producer that The Gaslight Anthem used for '59 Sound). It starts off super strong with six or seven good rock songs off the bat, including the best song ever written about comic books (!), then takes it slow with some heartbreak ballads to the end. Gold.
I listened to a lot of hip-hop this year, and while this isn't my favorite album of the bunch, it is the first one I got and is the one that got me into other of the solo albums from the members of Wu.
When I heard that the members of my favorite Minneapolis punk bands got together in a new group, I ran out to listen to the record. It was absolutely not what I expected, but a pleasant surprise in retrospect. The song writing and attitude that Minneapolis bands have is still here, but with an interesting country twang. The two alternating lead singers keep the tracks sounding fresh. Glad I got to see them live this year with Miah; too bad Dan couldn't make it.
The Gaslight Anthem's third full length is their most original to date. The like that old style of rock and roll that is best personified by Bruce Sprinsteen, which has a tendency to color their sound. On this record they pushed themselves into new-ish directions, giving their own spin on the sound. It's good and solid through and through, though I like '59 Sound a bit better.
Thanks to Miah for making me listen to this guy. Gold Country is the only record of his I have at the moment, but it's a joy to listen to. Just good, sad country songs with a focus of Chuck and his scruffy singing (the very good backup band does a great job and accenting the music while staying out of the way). I'm definitely looking forward to listening to more from him.
By far the oldest thing on this list. The Gits were part of the early Seattle grunge scene until, unfortunately, their singer was killed. This is the first album from them and it lived in my car for most of the summer and fall. They have a heavy grunge sound which reminds me a bit of L7, but angrier. The album is great in that is contains the original recordings followed by nine live tracks. Usually this gets a bit tedious, but the live tracks are so different from the original recordings that they sound fresh the second time around.
Probably the must unique album I heard this year. M.I.A. sets out to combine political statements with dance music, which leaves everything on this album in a weird hybrid state. There's dance, techno, punk, hip-hop, and everything else under the sun mixed together to the calls of revolution and guns being cocked. I don't love everything on here (two or three tracks right in the middle that I always skip), but it's all unique and layered.
Kinda combining my growing interest in gospel with punk rock in what I heard best described as Gothic Country is Slim Cessna's Auto Club. The music has a religious tint to it of the Old Testament, God-will-smite-you-if-you're-bad-and-sometimes-even-if-you're-good, variety. Usually dark songs are played to diverse music with a great rhythm section.
Tinashé came out with a great pop album in the traditional sense. Not all the songs have smart lyrics, but the music is so good that you overlook the faults. I see myself enjoying this album for a long, long time. I just hope he comes out with an acoustic version as that stuff manages to be even better.
And rounding out the year is an appropriate album. Like Lucero, I got this from L on Christmas. It also embodies my growing interest in pop, hip-hop, and dance. The first half of the album is some of the catchiest music I've heard. There's a playing of styles that is similar to what Outkast does, but she makes it work much more consistently. The second half of the album is slower and hasn't quite grown on me, but I'll give it some time.
My year started off right with L getting me a copy of Lucero's 1372 Overton Park for Christmas. Lucero is normally a country band, but they bring in a lot of rock and roll to this record (probably thanks to using the same producer that The Gaslight Anthem used for '59 Sound). It starts off super strong with six or seven good rock songs off the bat, including the best song ever written about comic books (!), then takes it slow with some heartbreak ballads to the end. Gold.
I listened to a lot of hip-hop this year, and while this isn't my favorite album of the bunch, it is the first one I got and is the one that got me into other of the solo albums from the members of Wu.
When I heard that the members of my favorite Minneapolis punk bands got together in a new group, I ran out to listen to the record. It was absolutely not what I expected, but a pleasant surprise in retrospect. The song writing and attitude that Minneapolis bands have is still here, but with an interesting country twang. The two alternating lead singers keep the tracks sounding fresh. Glad I got to see them live this year with Miah; too bad Dan couldn't make it.
The Gaslight Anthem's third full length is their most original to date. The like that old style of rock and roll that is best personified by Bruce Sprinsteen, which has a tendency to color their sound. On this record they pushed themselves into new-ish directions, giving their own spin on the sound. It's good and solid through and through, though I like '59 Sound a bit better.
Thanks to Miah for making me listen to this guy. Gold Country is the only record of his I have at the moment, but it's a joy to listen to. Just good, sad country songs with a focus of Chuck and his scruffy singing (the very good backup band does a great job and accenting the music while staying out of the way). I'm definitely looking forward to listening to more from him.
By far the oldest thing on this list. The Gits were part of the early Seattle grunge scene until, unfortunately, their singer was killed. This is the first album from them and it lived in my car for most of the summer and fall. They have a heavy grunge sound which reminds me a bit of L7, but angrier. The album is great in that is contains the original recordings followed by nine live tracks. Usually this gets a bit tedious, but the live tracks are so different from the original recordings that they sound fresh the second time around.
Probably the must unique album I heard this year. M.I.A. sets out to combine political statements with dance music, which leaves everything on this album in a weird hybrid state. There's dance, techno, punk, hip-hop, and everything else under the sun mixed together to the calls of revolution and guns being cocked. I don't love everything on here (two or three tracks right in the middle that I always skip), but it's all unique and layered.
Kinda combining my growing interest in gospel with punk rock in what I heard best described as Gothic Country is Slim Cessna's Auto Club. The music has a religious tint to it of the Old Testament, God-will-smite-you-if-you're-bad-and-sometimes-even-if-you're-good, variety. Usually dark songs are played to diverse music with a great rhythm section.
Tinashé came out with a great pop album in the traditional sense. Not all the songs have smart lyrics, but the music is so good that you overlook the faults. I see myself enjoying this album for a long, long time. I just hope he comes out with an acoustic version as that stuff manages to be even better.
And rounding out the year is an appropriate album. Like Lucero, I got this from L on Christmas. It also embodies my growing interest in pop, hip-hop, and dance. The first half of the album is some of the catchiest music I've heard. There's a playing of styles that is similar to what Outkast does, but she makes it work much more consistently. The second half of the album is slower and hasn't quite grown on me, but I'll give it some time.
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