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FIVE ALBUMS THAT I LISTEN TO SEMI-REGULARLY THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU Last night I posted a question asking you guys what sort of albums are in your closet that you might not share with everyone (great answers by the way). Perhaps out of embarrassment or whatever, but mostly because they might not be the cool, contemporary picks that populate most blogs (my own included) and make up your daily listenings.  Anyway, it got me thinking about what albums I listen to semi-regularly that might come as a shock to those not currently living in my head. I have a batch of about twenty, but the five that I’ve chosen to highlight here are the five that I find myself going to regularly over the years for one reason or another. Mostly because they each have something in them that hit me at their time of release, or in the case of the first one, just remind me of the songs that I would hear as I grew up, that stuck and formed my near obsession with clear, earcandy melodies.  1.) Fleetwood Mac’s “Greatest Hits” Sure, I probably could have just picked “Rumors”, but then I’d be missing some choice nugs. I’ll be honest, there’s not nearly enough bands out there right now stealing from “Rumors”-era Mac. I remember when Midlake’s first album dropped and I nearly shit my pants because “Roscoe” was that kind of song, but then nothing else remotely lived up to it, but still, that song was perfect. At least for me, in my head, at that time. When it comes the Fleetwood Mac’s “Greatest Hits”, it’s really down to three songs that I have to hear a couple of times a week. Those songs are “Rhiannon”, “You Make Loving Fun”, and “Little Lies”. Sure, it’s an easy disc to just pop in and be transported back to childhood Saturday afternoon grocery trips with my parents. Those killer harmonies and the vocals by Nicks and McVie set a weird standard that I still search for in music.  2.) Counting Crows’ “Across the Wire: Live in New York” Yeah, i know. Weird, right? I’ve always been a huge music fan. I went through my snobby faze in high school and that was around the time of these albums. My best friend was obsessed with Counting Crows, and i would rag on him all the time about how they weren’t as good as Massive Attack or Radiohead or Jeff Buckley, but it didn’t matter. He knew I was secretly obsessed with their first two albums like he was, but I just refused to admit it. Later in life, I realized that I actually preferred their stripped down live versions of most of their songs. Odd fact, in their prime, The Counting Crows were an incredible live band, who would rearrange their own material constantly so that you could see them on sequential nights and get damn near different shows. I still semi-regularly listen to this collection primarily for the Storyteller’s versions of “Mr. Jones” and “Anna Begins”, but also for the live at the 10 Spot versions (if you remember that series on MTV then you have a special place in my heart) of “A Long Decemeber”, “Walkaways”, and the epic 10 minute version of “Round Here” that has been known to be a drunk man’s kryptonite. Resulting in crying renditions that end in vomit and self loathing. Seriously, this one has some legs. I will probably be fifty someday, still listening to this one quietly, late at night after a sad spell of nostalgia haunting.  3.) D’Angelo’s “Voodoo” Now, there’s nothing to be ashamed of here in the least. This is a killer fucking album. It’s just always a surprise to people to hear that I have a soft spot in my heart for 90’s era R&B. Especially the work of D’Angelo. I know every word of every song on here, and though I don’t break it out as frequently as I used to, I still rarely go a week without at least listening to the absolutely stunning closing track “Africa”, which for my money is one of the best songs of the first decade of this century. Also, “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”, “Devil’s Pie”, and “Spanish Joint” are pretty much unbeatable, but yes, it comes down to “Africa”, which I believe is what Radiohead would have sounded like at the turn of the century if they were an R&B band. It’s a perfect song.  4.) Moby’s “Everything is Wrong” Yeah, i know. It’s getting a little rough, right? Not so much. Before Moby became ubiquitous with selling his any and everything to commercials in the early 00’s, he was an experimental electronic musician who spent as much time crafting killer dance beats as he did making heartbreaking synth pop jams. This album is here for me because of the synth pop jams. Sure, some of those dance jams are still melancholic killers (”First Cool Hive”, “Everytime You Touch Me”, “Anthem”), but it’s the ambient and synth pop tracks that will blow you away. Some of them have been used to stunning effect in film and tv over the years (way better than what came of “Play”), like “God Moving OVer the Face of the Waters” in the final moments of Michael Mann’s “Heat”, or “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die” in the brilliant Soprano’s episode “Join the Club”. The last half of this album are like home for me. It reminds me of being a young teenager and finding my way on my own. Discovering things that were certainly not deemed cool by the people surrounding me, but finding a real beauty in them all the same. This is a beautiful album. I’m no longer a fan of Moby, and haven’t liked him as a person or his creative output in years, but that’s neither here nor there, this album is integral to me. It still surprises some people. If you haven’t heard it, give it a shot. There’s a lot to love in there, even if it can sometimes sound like a snapshot of lost few years in a long gone decade.  5.) Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Dulcinea” I was obsessed with Toad the Wet Sprocket in the early to mid 90’s. They were my favorite band before Radiohead took control around 1994. “Dulcinea” doesn’t contain my favorite song by the band (that would be “All Right”, from In Light Syrup), but for me, there is not a sour note in the album. It’s loaded with incredible melodies and mid-tempo alternative rock, with solid writing that deals a lot with questioning faith and lost love, but mostly for me, this is just one of those albums that i could never pick a reason for loving it. It’s like family. Sometimes I don’t know why i find myself wanting to hear “Windmills” or “Reincarnation Song” for the thousandth time, but i do. They’re a band that’s easy to make fun of, and easy to discount, but for me, this album was something more. In fact, it feels as if it’s grown with me over the years. I hear it in other things that I’m positive it would not have influenced. It’s a strange little alternative pop album, but it’s one that I still break out and listen to for familiarity sakes and because quite often, an old song can be all the family you need. It’s a lonely world out there and with the right kind of sound in your head, you can never be too alone. “Dulcinea” will always be something that i randomly break out once a month or so and listen to front to back while making dinner or working out, or whatever. It’s just part of me at this point. Somehow, this surprises people.  There you have it. My five picks for albums that might surprise you to know that I still listen. Honorable Mentions: Duncan Sheik’s “Humming”, Hooverphonic’s “New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular”, Hey Mercedes’ “Everynight Fire works”, and David Gray’s “White Ladder”. (listen) Selections from these Five Albums (Spotify Playlist)

FIVE ALBUMS THAT I LISTEN TO SEMI-REGULARLY THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

Last night I posted a question asking you guys what sort of albums are in your closet that you might not share with everyone (great answers by the way). Perhaps out of embarrassment or whatever, but mostly because they might not be the cool, contemporary picks that populate most blogs (my own included) and make up your daily listenings. 

Anyway, it got me thinking about what albums I listen to semi-regularly that might come as a shock to those not currently living in my head. I have a batch of about twenty, but the five that I’ve chosen to highlight here are the five that I find myself going to regularly over the years for one reason or another. Mostly because they each have something in them that hit me at their time of release, or in the case of the first one, just remind me of the songs that I would hear as I grew up, that stuck and formed my near obsession with clear, earcandy melodies. 

1.) Fleetwood Mac’s “Greatest Hits”

Sure, I probably could have just picked “Rumors”, but then I’d be missing some choice nugs. I’ll be honest, there’s not nearly enough bands out there right now stealing from “Rumors”-era Mac. I remember when Midlake’s first album dropped and I nearly shit my pants because “Roscoe” was that kind of song, but then nothing else remotely lived up to it, but still, that song was perfect. At least for me, in my head, at that time. When it comes the Fleetwood Mac’s “Greatest Hits”, it’s really down to three songs that I have to hear a couple of times a week. Those songs are “Rhiannon”, “You Make Loving Fun”, and “Little Lies”. Sure, it’s an easy disc to just pop in and be transported back to childhood Saturday afternoon grocery trips with my parents. Those killer harmonies and the vocals by Nicks and McVie set a weird standard that I still search for in music. 

2.) Counting Crows’ “Across the Wire: Live in New York”

Yeah, i know. Weird, right? I’ve always been a huge music fan. I went through my snobby faze in high school and that was around the time of these albums. My best friend was obsessed with Counting Crows, and i would rag on him all the time about how they weren’t as good as Massive Attack or Radiohead or Jeff Buckley, but it didn’t matter. He knew I was secretly obsessed with their first two albums like he was, but I just refused to admit it. Later in life, I realized that I actually preferred their stripped down live versions of most of their songs. Odd fact, in their prime, The Counting Crows were an incredible live band, who would rearrange their own material constantly so that you could see them on sequential nights and get damn near different shows. I still semi-regularly listen to this collection primarily for the Storyteller’s versions of “Mr. Jones” and “Anna Begins”, but also for the live at the 10 Spot versions (if you remember that series on MTV then you have a special place in my heart) of “A Long Decemeber”, “Walkaways”, and the epic 10 minute version of “Round Here” that has been known to be a drunk man’s kryptonite. Resulting in crying renditions that end in vomit and self loathing. Seriously, this one has some legs. I will probably be fifty someday, still listening to this one quietly, late at night after a sad spell of nostalgia haunting. 

3.) D’Angelo’s “Voodoo”

Now, there’s nothing to be ashamed of here in the least. This is a killer fucking album. It’s just always a surprise to people to hear that I have a soft spot in my heart for 90’s era R&B. Especially the work of D’Angelo. I know every word of every song on here, and though I don’t break it out as frequently as I used to, I still rarely go a week without at least listening to the absolutely stunning closing track “Africa”, which for my money is one of the best songs of the first decade of this century. Also, “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”, “Devil’s Pie”, and “Spanish Joint” are pretty much unbeatable, but yes, it comes down to “Africa”, which I believe is what Radiohead would have sounded like at the turn of the century if they were an R&B band. It’s a perfect song. 

4.) Moby’s “Everything is Wrong”

Yeah, i know. It’s getting a little rough, right? Not so much. Before Moby became ubiquitous with selling his any and everything to commercials in the early 00’s, he was an experimental electronic musician who spent as much time crafting killer dance beats as he did making heartbreaking synth pop jams. This album is here for me because of the synth pop jams. Sure, some of those dance jams are still melancholic killers (”First Cool Hive”, “Everytime You Touch Me”, “Anthem”), but it’s the ambient and synth pop tracks that will blow you away. Some of them have been used to stunning effect in film and tv over the years (way better than what came of “Play”), like “God Moving OVer the Face of the Waters” in the final moments of Michael Mann’s “Heat”, or “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die” in the brilliant Soprano’s episode “Join the Club”. The last half of this album are like home for me. It reminds me of being a young teenager and finding my way on my own. Discovering things that were certainly not deemed cool by the people surrounding me, but finding a real beauty in them all the same. This is a beautiful album. I’m no longer a fan of Moby, and haven’t liked him as a person or his creative output in years, but that’s neither here nor there, this album is integral to me. It still surprises some people. If you haven’t heard it, give it a shot. There’s a lot to love in there, even if it can sometimes sound like a snapshot of lost few years in a long gone decade. 

5.) Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Dulcinea”

I was obsessed with Toad the Wet Sprocket in the early to mid 90’s. They were my favorite band before Radiohead took control around 1994. “Dulcinea” doesn’t contain my favorite song by the band (that would be “All Right”, from In Light Syrup), but for me, there is not a sour note in the album. It’s loaded with incredible melodies and mid-tempo alternative rock, with solid writing that deals a lot with questioning faith and lost love, but mostly for me, this is just one of those albums that i could never pick a reason for loving it. It’s like family. Sometimes I don’t know why i find myself wanting to hear “Windmills” or “Reincarnation Song” for the thousandth time, but i do. They’re a band that’s easy to make fun of, and easy to discount, but for me, this album was something more. In fact, it feels as if it’s grown with me over the years. I hear it in other things that I’m positive it would not have influenced. It’s a strange little alternative pop album, but it’s one that I still break out and listen to for familiarity sakes and because quite often, an old song can be all the family you need. It’s a lonely world out there and with the right kind of sound in your head, you can never be too alone. “Dulcinea” will always be something that i randomly break out once a month or so and listen to front to back while making dinner or working out, or whatever. It’s just part of me at this point. Somehow, this surprises people. 

There you have it. My five picks for albums that might surprise you to know that I still listen. Honorable Mentions: Duncan Sheik’s “Humming”, Hooverphonic’s “New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular”, Hey Mercedes’ “Everynight Fire works”, and David Gray’s “White Ladder”.

(listen) Selections from these Five Albums (Spotify Playlist)

#top 5  #albums that might surprise you  #fleetwood mac  #d'angelo  #counting crows  #moby  #toad the wet sprocket  #answers to questions  #rambling  #sorry for the lack of editor  
2 months ago on March 03, 2012 at 01:54am with 24 notes
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P|M|W’s Favorite Films of 2011 Again, you’ll notice the use of “favorite” up there. I’m by no means an authority on this sort of thing and I’d hate to use “best” because it sounds like i’m being definitive, when I’m not. At this point, at the end of the year 2011, these were the films released in said year, that hit me and in turn left a mark. Are there films that I haven’t seen yet? Sure, but not much. I’ve managed to catch most everything that’s a major awards contender and most everything that I felt in my heart, that I might find something in which to celebrate. This is what stands out to me.  Beginners (dir. Mike Mills) /// Without a doubt, no film stuck with me and brought up more personal connection that Mike Mills’ lovely, heartbreaking ode to memory and the decisions that we allow to define us. No couple had better on screen chemistry all year than Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer gave the performance of his career as the dying father who’s only recently started to live. I connected with everyone on screen, but none more so than Ewan McGregor’s “Oliver”. He’s never been better and his sad eyes speak volumes before the film allows itself to open up and peel back the pages to his story. I haven’t rooted for a character this hard in ages, and in the end i found myself unable to speak about the film. I remember simply thinking that it was a really great film. Then I watched it again late one night recently and I found myself once again moved beyond words. It’s a masterpiece of small cinema. Full of incredibly beautiful moments and performances that deserve a million times more praise than they’ve already received, but will sadly be left for those to discover later on the small screen.  The Descendants (dir. Alexander Payne) /// This movie lives and breathes with George Clooney’s brilliant performance. You can’t help but pull for the guy as his world crashes around him, and he does what any loving father/husband would do. He maintains as best as he can. It’s funny, and often sad, but it’s charm is real and not marred by unnecessary whimsy. It feels like the kind of adult dramadies that were made in the 70’s. It was a close call with my number 3 pick, but in the end, I went where there was a little bit of light.  Shame (dir. Steve McQueen) /// Dark, tragic, beautifully acted stuff. Michael Fassbender gives the best performance of the year as the sex addict, Brandon. It’s a master class in acting and truth be told, it could have just been him on an empty stage and it would have still been a brilliant film, but luckily Steve McQueen shoots the living hell out of the film and the supporting cast are all top notch. I can’t imagine that I’ll be revisiting the film any time soon as it’s a difficult watch, but it’s a must see, solely for Michael Fassbender’s pitch perfect performance.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (dir. David Fincher) /// David Fincher is an artist and he just happens to paint his canvas with millions of dollars worth of acting talent, prime locations, and the some of the best music that can grace a film goer’s ears. Yes, this is Rooney Mara’s show, and she’s brilliant, but it’s the pulse of the movie that keeps your intrigued and eagerly awaiting every turn. The cast is great, the film pulses with a dark energy that Fincher is perfect for, and in the end a star is born out of Rooney Mara. It’s the perfect adult popcorn flick.  Drive (dir. Nicholas Winding Refn) /// Ryan Gosling is brilliant here, but it’s Nicolas Winding Refn’s eye for visuals and knack for brilliant pacing that sells this film-noir-fairy-tale home. Gosling is great here (i’d argue he’s even better in Ides, but i might be wrong) and he’s never better than when he’s on the verge of losing control (which he luckily get to see a couple of times). The stylistic choices are golden and the violence never seems over the top. It’s a killer fucking flick. The coolest movie of the year, hands down.  The Tree of Life (dir. Terrence Malick) /// What can I say about Terrence Malick’s latest tone poem that hasn’t already been said. It’s a gorgeous, somber exploration of loss and love through the eyes of a kid who can’t quite shake the ghosts of the past. Brad Pitt is excellent, but the kids are especially strong. I’m loving that I’m alive to finall see Malick get the creative juices flowing enough to be putting out movies on the regular. The next few years should be really exciting for us Malick fans.  The Ides of March (dir. George Clooney) /// An elegantly crafted, expertly acted, haunting bit of filmmaking from Clooney. The position in which Gosling’s Stephen Meyers is put in is a chilling, scary place, but the layers that it unfolds opens up a big, curious world of politics and shows that no one is bullet proof without resorting to cramming a real “villain” into the mix. Everyone is dirty, and everyone has a reason to fight for the greater good. It’s smart, powerful filmmaking with a couple of scenes that are among the year’s best (the Gosling/Clooney faceoff, and “you’re my best friend” immediately come to mind) Moneyball (dir. Bennett Miller) /// I never would have thought that this movie was going to be so damn good. Just a straight up excellently crafted drama that happens to exist in the sports world. You need not be a baseball fan to like this movie. Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt are top notch, but it’s Chris Pratt that really blew me away as the past his prime catcher thrown into the deep end to prove Hill’s theorem. Just solid filmmaking that doesn’t rely on crowd pleasing theatrics. It’s just a really great film.  50/50 (dir. Jonathan Levine) /// Touching and sweet. It gets some of the smaller moments very right, which is why I’ve chosen it for my top ten at all. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wonderful as per usual and it’s nice to see Seth Rogen get a chance to branch out a smidge (not too far though). This film has one of my favorite moments of the year in the hospital scene when Adam tries to explain to his Alzheimer’s father that he loves him as the anesthesiologist cuts his time short with his mother, all while the absolutely heartbreaking song “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack” by Liars soundtracks the scene.  We Need to Talk About Kevin (dir. Lynne Ramsay) /// Just a fucking gut punch. Tilda Swinton is incredible as the grieving mother trying to rectify her memories from reality of where and why her son turned into something bordering on pure evil. Lynne Ramsay is a world class filmmaker and I’ve loved her every move. This just further re-inforced that love. A heavy, dark film that’s challenging, but equally rewarding.  There you have it. Nothing pretty to read or exciting for that matter. I’d just been asked by a few of you, and I thought I’d write up something resembling a list and give it a post. Hope you enjoy the reading. Let me know if I’ve forgotten anything major that you think i may not have seen. Give these a solid watch if you’re looking for something solid. Thanks for reading. Thanks for commenting. Thanks for just being good people. 

P|M|W’s Favorite Films of 2011

Again, you’ll notice the use of “favorite” up there. I’m by no means an authority on this sort of thing and I’d hate to use “best” because it sounds like i’m being definitive, when I’m not. At this point, at the end of the year 2011, these were the films released in said year, that hit me and in turn left a mark. Are there films that I haven’t seen yet? Sure, but not much. I’ve managed to catch most everything that’s a major awards contender and most everything that I felt in my heart, that I might find something in which to celebrate. This is what stands out to me. 

  1. Beginners (dir. Mike Mills) /// Without a doubt, no film stuck with me and brought up more personal connection that Mike Mills’ lovely, heartbreaking ode to memory and the decisions that we allow to define us. No couple had better on screen chemistry all year than Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer gave the performance of his career as the dying father who’s only recently started to live. I connected with everyone on screen, but none more so than Ewan McGregor’s “Oliver”. He’s never been better and his sad eyes speak volumes before the film allows itself to open up and peel back the pages to his story. I haven’t rooted for a character this hard in ages, and in the end i found myself unable to speak about the film. I remember simply thinking that it was a really great film. Then I watched it again late one night recently and I found myself once again moved beyond words. It’s a masterpiece of small cinema. Full of incredibly beautiful moments and performances that deserve a million times more praise than they’ve already received, but will sadly be left for those to discover later on the small screen. 
  2. The Descendants (dir. Alexander Payne) /// This movie lives and breathes with George Clooney’s brilliant performance. You can’t help but pull for the guy as his world crashes around him, and he does what any loving father/husband would do. He maintains as best as he can. It’s funny, and often sad, but it’s charm is real and not marred by unnecessary whimsy. It feels like the kind of adult dramadies that were made in the 70’s. It was a close call with my number 3 pick, but in the end, I went where there was a little bit of light. 
  3. Shame (dir. Steve McQueen) /// Dark, tragic, beautifully acted stuff. Michael Fassbender gives the best performance of the year as the sex addict, Brandon. It’s a master class in acting and truth be told, it could have just been him on an empty stage and it would have still been a brilliant film, but luckily Steve McQueen shoots the living hell out of the film and the supporting cast are all top notch. I can’t imagine that I’ll be revisiting the film any time soon as it’s a difficult watch, but it’s a must see, solely for Michael Fassbender’s pitch perfect performance. 
  4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (dir. David Fincher) /// David Fincher is an artist and he just happens to paint his canvas with millions of dollars worth of acting talent, prime locations, and the some of the best music that can grace a film goer’s ears. Yes, this is Rooney Mara’s show, and she’s brilliant, but it’s the pulse of the movie that keeps your intrigued and eagerly awaiting every turn. The cast is great, the film pulses with a dark energy that Fincher is perfect for, and in the end a star is born out of Rooney Mara. It’s the perfect adult popcorn flick. 
  5. Drive (dir. Nicholas Winding Refn) /// Ryan Gosling is brilliant here, but it’s Nicolas Winding Refn’s eye for visuals and knack for brilliant pacing that sells this film-noir-fairy-tale home. Gosling is great here (i’d argue he’s even better in Ides, but i might be wrong) and he’s never better than when he’s on the verge of losing control (which he luckily get to see a couple of times). The stylistic choices are golden and the violence never seems over the top. It’s a killer fucking flick. The coolest movie of the year, hands down. 
  6. The Tree of Life (dir. Terrence Malick) /// What can I say about Terrence Malick’s latest tone poem that hasn’t already been said. It’s a gorgeous, somber exploration of loss and love through the eyes of a kid who can’t quite shake the ghosts of the past. Brad Pitt is excellent, but the kids are especially strong. I’m loving that I’m alive to finall see Malick get the creative juices flowing enough to be putting out movies on the regular. The next few years should be really exciting for us Malick fans. 
  7. The Ides of March (dir. George Clooney) /// An elegantly crafted, expertly acted, haunting bit of filmmaking from Clooney. The position in which Gosling’s Stephen Meyers is put in is a chilling, scary place, but the layers that it unfolds opens up a big, curious world of politics and shows that no one is bullet proof without resorting to cramming a real “villain” into the mix. Everyone is dirty, and everyone has a reason to fight for the greater good. It’s smart, powerful filmmaking with a couple of scenes that are among the year’s best (the Gosling/Clooney faceoff, and “you’re my best friend” immediately come to mind)
  8. Moneyball (dir. Bennett Miller) /// I never would have thought that this movie was going to be so damn good. Just a straight up excellently crafted drama that happens to exist in the sports world. You need not be a baseball fan to like this movie. Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt are top notch, but it’s Chris Pratt that really blew me away as the past his prime catcher thrown into the deep end to prove Hill’s theorem. Just solid filmmaking that doesn’t rely on crowd pleasing theatrics. It’s just a really great film. 
  9. 50/50 (dir. Jonathan Levine) /// Touching and sweet. It gets some of the smaller moments very right, which is why I’ve chosen it for my top ten at all. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wonderful as per usual and it’s nice to see Seth Rogen get a chance to branch out a smidge (not too far though). This film has one of my favorite moments of the year in the hospital scene when Adam tries to explain to his Alzheimer’s father that he loves him as the anesthesiologist cuts his time short with his mother, all while the absolutely heartbreaking song “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack” by Liars soundtracks the scene. 
  10. We Need to Talk About Kevin (dir. Lynne Ramsay) /// Just a fucking gut punch. Tilda Swinton is incredible as the grieving mother trying to rectify her memories from reality of where and why her son turned into something bordering on pure evil. Lynne Ramsay is a world class filmmaker and I’ve loved her every move. This just further re-inforced that love. A heavy, dark film that’s challenging, but equally rewarding. 

There you have it. Nothing pretty to read or exciting for that matter. I’d just been asked by a few of you, and I thought I’d write up something resembling a list and give it a post. Hope you enjoy the reading. Let me know if I’ve forgotten anything major that you think i may not have seen. Give these a solid watch if you’re looking for something solid. Thanks for reading. Thanks for commenting. Thanks for just being good people. 

#top 5  #movie talk  #favorite movies of 2011  #beginners  #mike mills  #ewan mcgregor  #melanie laurent  #christopher plummer  #the descendants  #george clooney  #alexander payne  #shame  #steve mcqueen  #Carey Mulligan  #the girl with the dragon tattoo  #david fincher  #rooney mara  #daniel craigh  #drive  #ryan gosling  #nicolas winding refn  #bryan crantson  #albert brooks  #the tree of life  #terrence malick  #brad pitt  #sean penn  #jessica chastain  #the ides of march  #phillip seymour hoffman  
5 months ago on December 26, 2011 at 11:19pm with 40 notes

Radio Slow Riot - Faves of 2011 pt2

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P|M|W’s FAVORITE SONGS OF 2011 /// PT. 2 (#20-1)

Finally, the collection is complete. After a run in with a dying voicebox and multiple microphone issues, here are the final 20 songs in my favorite songs of 2011 collection (previous tracks 40-21 HERE). Once again, i’d like to reiterate that this is simply my favorite songs. I’m not putting my foot down and declaring them “the best”. I’m open to others choices, these are just the songs that grabbed me and held on the hardest. 

I’m leaving the explanations for why, I chose what,  inside the podcast. I won’t bother wasting your time by putting it here as well, so if something strikes you as particularly strange, feel free to listen. I might explain myself. As usual, you can stream or download the podcast. Please feel free to reblog and share if you like what you here or shoot me a message if you have concerns that i’ve lost my mind. Now, without further ado, here are my top 20 favorite songs of 2011. 

THE LIST /// FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR #20 - 1 (the top twenty)

  • 20. “Moon Killer” by Small Black
  • 19. “Pulse” by I Break Horses
  • 18. “Island Answer Anywhere” by Pulseprogramming
  • 17. “Give Us the Wind” by Future Islands
  • 16. “Green Aisles” by Real Estate
  • 15. “Into the Wilderness” by Burning Hearts
  • 14. “Stutter” by Yuck
  • 13. “Give Up the Ghost” by Radiohead
  • 12. “Wicked Games” by The Weeknd
  • 11. “The Last Line” by Tammar
  • 10. “Mermaid” by Okkervil River
  • 9. “Escape” by Richard Buckner
  • 8. “Suicide Dream 3 (Orchestral Version)” by How to Dress Well
  • 7. “Civilian” by Wye Oak
  • 6. “Sara” by Chad Vangaalen
  • 5. “Holocen” by Bon Iver
  • 4. “Pure Affection (Beach Fossils Remix)” by Eternal Summers
  • 3. “Never Mine” by Big Troubles
  • 2. “Midnight City” by M83
  • 1. “Black Trees” by Hooray For Earth

(download) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs of 2011 Part 2 (#20-1) Podcast

(stream) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs Part 2 (#20-1) (via Soundcloud)

That is that. The last of my favorite jams of 2011. I hope you enjoyed them even a fraction as much as I have this year. Hopefully, you discovered something that’s new and interesting, or hopefully you just enjoyed the countdown. Thanks for listening. I hope to keep things up for another year. If so, I hope you stick around as well. Take care and happy listening. 

#top 5  #top 5 songs  #2011  #radio slow riot  #hooray for earth  #m83  #big troubles  #beach fossils  #eternal summers  #bon iver  #justin vernon  #chad vangaalen  #wye oak  #how to dress well  #richard buckner  #okkervil river  #the weeknd  #tammar  #radiohead  #thom yorke  #yuck  #the burning hearts  #real estate  #future islands  #pulseprogramming  #i break horses  #small black  #shoegaze  #dream pop  #post punk  
5 months ago on December 14, 2011 at 06:13pm with 28 notes
Via SoundCloud / pmwTumblrFaves2011pt2

Radio Slow Riot Faves of 2011 pt1

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

P|M|W’s FAVORITE SONGS OF 2011 /// PT. 1 (#40-21)

Well, it was certainly something of a chore to work this list down to a realistic and approachable number. What started as a list of over a hundred, was worked down to fifty, and then I chose to podcast the top forty. This is the backend of that list. Numbers 40 - 21 are presented here with limited interruptions. 

Tomorrow, I’ll be posting my 20 favorite songs of the year and I’ll offer a little more insight into my top ten selections in particular (in case you don’t want to listen to me ramble in podcast form). So, without further ado, here goes my back twenty list. Feel free to listen to the songs via the podcast provided above (stream) and below (download). Please bear with my introduction on the podcast, it runs all of three minutes long and might annoy those of you with ears. Please enjoy, and tune in tomorrow for top 20, which is sure to contain some choices that will get me verbally assaulted. Thanks for listening!

THE LIST /// FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR #40 - 21 (back twenty)

  • 40. “The Night” by School of Seven Bells
  • 39. “Hold Your Hand” by Dum Dum Girls
  • 38. “Solid Morning” by Tearjerker
  • 37. “Call it Off” by Washed Out
  • 36. “Nuclear Seasons” by Charli XCX
  • 35. “Shells of Silver” by The Japanese Popstars
  • 34. “Black Cloud” by Mozart Parties
  • 33. “Alive in Us” by Darkness Falls
  • 32. “It’s Alright” by Kurt Vile
  • 31. “Summer Moon” by The Raveonettes
  • 30. “Playing House” by Active Child & How To Dress Well
  • 29. “Sail Away” by The Rapture
  • 28. “Silent My Song” by Lykke Li
  • 27.  ”The Same Thing” by Cass McCombs
  • 26.  ”We Passed the Moon” by A Grave with No Name
  • 25. “Companions” by Dodos
  • 24. “Thinking About You” by Frank Ocean
  • 23. “Goshen” by Beirut
  • 22. “Hounds” by The Antlers
  • 21. “Nosebleed” by Deerhunter

(download) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs of 2011 (#40-21) Podcast

(stream) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs (#40-21) (via Soundcloud)

There you have the first set of my favorite songs of the year. Tomorrow will be even better as we countdown my absolute favorites. In the meantime, please enjoy these wonderful songs. Let me know what i’m forgetting, or suggest some songs that you think that i might not be aware. 

#top 5  #top 5 songs  #2011  #podcast  #school of seven bells  #dum dum girls  #tearjerker  #washed out  #charli xcx  #the japanese popstars  #mozart parties  #darkness falls  #kurt vile  #the raveonettes  #active child  #how to dress well  #the rapture  #lykke li  #cass mccombs  #a grave with no name  #dodos  #frank ocean  #beirut  #the antlers  #deerhunter  #dream pop  #shoegaze  #radio slow riot  #lo-fi  #garage  
5 months ago on December 12, 2011 at 07:53pm with 24 notes
Via SoundCloud / pmwfavesof2011pt1
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P|M|W’s FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2011 This took me a lot longer to finalize than I had planned. Truth be told, last year’s came easier because as a whole, I felt last year had a stronger collection of albums - so much so that I just picked a favorite and had everything else tie for second. This year, I felt that I had some room between some of them that I could play with and in the resulting list, actually pick a top ten favorites.  I use the word “Favorite” because this list was made by me, and I wouldn’t want to pretend that I am capable of knowing what’s “best” for anyone, so what you’re looking at is a list that’s my favorites. Not intended to spark an argument, but mostly hoping to maybe shine a light on an artist or album that perhaps you didn’t catch earlier in the year and when lined up next to some of these others, you might take the time to check them out as well.  So, without further ado, I’m going to list my top ten with short explanations, and then the back ten are the ten most played, most favorite, most-most that didn’t crack the ten (in alphabetical order). Hope you enjoy. The Favorite Songs lists will be up in the next couple of days with accompanying podcast and I promise they’ll be much more thorough and interesting, as they’ll be audible.  THE LIST///TOP TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS (2011) “The King of Limbs” by Radiohead :: If you are familiar with my previous top five lists of years past, you know that I have a fondness for Radiohead. More often than not, they make my top spot. So this shouldn’t be as much of a surprise, but to me it really is. When I first heard “TKOL” I was underwhelmed. I enjoyed what I heard but it didn’t stick like previous material. I sat the album aside and moved on. Then, somewhere around the time that Radiohead performed the “From the Basement” sessions, I pulled the album back out and where previously I had felt that I was being challenged, I suddenly felt that familiar warmth. The songs were growing on me and where previously, I had all but dismissed this album as the one where Radiohead got away from me, I was embracing the textures and the layers and melodies and rhythms. I came back to this album more than any other this year and with each listen I discovered more to love. It wasn’t the mindblowing, earth shattering release that I was expecting to top my list, but that album never came. What came was a surprise album by my favorite band that i was not ready for, but luckily was still around when i found my reasons to be ready. I love the album. It’s not their best, but this year it was my favorite.  “Bon Iver, Bon Iver” by Bon Iver :: You could almost hear the backlash growing before the final notes of the final song played. Yes, it will appear on as many “best of” lists as it will on “most overrated” lists, but that’s just fine. For me, the album works. It’s a reminder of music that I hadn’t thought of in ages, by an artist who’s had hands in dozens of my favorite songs of the past few years. I trusted Justin Vernon to not rely on his simple charms and he didn’t disappoint. The album can be challenging to those expecting twelve more variations on “Skinny Love”, but anyone paying attention could see that this is a direction that he was likely to head from the moment he started touring in support of “For Emma”. I happened to really love the direction. I might not love the next, but that’s just fine. When you love something an artist has done, you’re not signing on for life. You can exit the bus at any stop. I’m happy to stick around and hear some more electric piano and abstract lyrics for the time being. It’s produced some really beautiful, haunting, and in the end welcoming music. No complaints.  “Burst Apart” by The Antlers :: Talk about low expectations. I had nothing going in to my first listen of “Burst Apart”. “Hospice” was a fine album, but a little dreary and easily forgotten for me at that time. “Burst Apart” felt like a band awakened and challenged to write big, expansive, artistically engaging pop songs and they lived up to the task without fail. Also, the 1-2-3 hit of “Hounds”, “Corsicana”, and “Putting the Dog to Sleep” are the best sequential album run all year.  “Days” by Real Estate :: At first listen I was afraid everything blended and sounded overly similar, but a couple of more listens and the details started flooding forth. It’s a deceptively simple album loaded with wonderful writing, beautiful melodies and incredible craftsmanship. “Days” just hit on all cylinders for me and reminded me of why I love bands who don’t shy from a well written pop hook.  “Charade is Gold” by Pulseprogramming :: Sort of what I’d hoped a grown-up version of Postal Service to sound like - only better. It’s a gorgeous, haunting, synth pop masterpiece.  “Our Blood” by Richard Buckner :: A criminally underrated singer-songwriter turned in his best album in years and again, no one seemed to notice. Some of the best writing I heard all year and Buckner’s vocals is still one of my favorite lived-in, weary instruments in all of music.  “Yuck” by Yuck :: Smart, nostalgic, indie pop that holds up with some of the greats. “Stutter” is one of the best songs of the year.  “The Ocean” by Two Bicycles :: While everyone was waiting for the new Teen Daze album to drop, many seemed to fail to notice that he’s already dropped an album one million times better just a couple of months before and it explored more interesting soundscapes by far.  “Moon Killer” by Small Black :: Had this been a full fleshed out album, it would have been higher. Small Black turned in one of the biggest surprises of the year with a free mixtape that makes me hope and wish that their next studio outing has this kind of sound, and this sort of confidence. Fucking killer songs.  “Romantic Comedy” by Big Troubles :: Maybe the catchiest, most infectious album that I heard all year. Loaded with dreamy, lo-fi, shoegazer sounds, but as good as they all are, none of them touch the brilliant album closer, “Never Mine”.  There you have my top ten. I could surely go on and on, but I’m sure more of you stopped reading back at Radiohead. For that, I will rush through and just list the back ten. In alphabetical order as I could not choose one over the other. These are simply the albums that I lived in and carried with me the most throughout the year (save for the first ten). Any of these ten would be a great listen. I can’t recommend them enough.  “You Are All I See” by Active Child “The Rip Tide” by Beirut “On the Water” by Future Islands “Gardens and Villa” by Gardens and Villa “Hearts” by I Break Horses “Smoke Ring for my Halo” by Kurt Vile “Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped” by Moonface ‘“Rare” by Tearjerker “House of Balloons” by The Weeknd “The Year of Hibernation” by Youth Lagoon There you have it. The list of Favorite Album of 2011, as decided by me. The Favorite Songs of 2011 list should provide more fun, as there will be accompanying sounds to go with, and the entire collection spreads far and wide. That should be up in the next couple of days. In the meantime, how about them albums? Did i drop the ball or forget anything? Surely, I did. At any rate, thanks for reading, take care, hope you enjoyed any or all of these as much as i have. 

P|M|W’s FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2011

This took me a lot longer to finalize than I had planned. Truth be told, last year’s came easier because as a whole, I felt last year had a stronger collection of albums - so much so that I just picked a favorite and had everything else tie for second. This year, I felt that I had some room between some of them that I could play with and in the resulting list, actually pick a top ten favorites. 

I use the word “Favorite” because this list was made by me, and I wouldn’t want to pretend that I am capable of knowing what’s “best” for anyone, so what you’re looking at is a list that’s my favorites. Not intended to spark an argument, but mostly hoping to maybe shine a light on an artist or album that perhaps you didn’t catch earlier in the year and when lined up next to some of these others, you might take the time to check them out as well. 

So, without further ado, I’m going to list my top ten with short explanations, and then the back ten are the ten most played, most favorite, most-most that didn’t crack the ten (in alphabetical order). Hope you enjoy. The Favorite Songs lists will be up in the next couple of days with accompanying podcast and I promise they’ll be much more thorough and interesting, as they’ll be audible. 

THE LIST///TOP TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS (2011)

  1. “The King of Limbs” by Radiohead :: If you are familiar with my previous top five lists of years past, you know that I have a fondness for Radiohead. More often than not, they make my top spot. So this shouldn’t be as much of a surprise, but to me it really is. When I first heard “TKOL” I was underwhelmed. I enjoyed what I heard but it didn’t stick like previous material. I sat the album aside and moved on. Then, somewhere around the time that Radiohead performed the “From the Basement” sessions, I pulled the album back out and where previously I had felt that I was being challenged, I suddenly felt that familiar warmth. The songs were growing on me and where previously, I had all but dismissed this album as the one where Radiohead got away from me, I was embracing the textures and the layers and melodies and rhythms. I came back to this album more than any other this year and with each listen I discovered more to love. It wasn’t the mindblowing, earth shattering release that I was expecting to top my list, but that album never came. What came was a surprise album by my favorite band that i was not ready for, but luckily was still around when i found my reasons to be ready. I love the album. It’s not their best, but this year it was my favorite. 
  2. “Bon Iver, Bon Iver” by Bon Iver :: You could almost hear the backlash growing before the final notes of the final song played. Yes, it will appear on as many “best of” lists as it will on “most overrated” lists, but that’s just fine. For me, the album works. It’s a reminder of music that I hadn’t thought of in ages, by an artist who’s had hands in dozens of my favorite songs of the past few years. I trusted Justin Vernon to not rely on his simple charms and he didn’t disappoint. The album can be challenging to those expecting twelve more variations on “Skinny Love”, but anyone paying attention could see that this is a direction that he was likely to head from the moment he started touring in support of “For Emma”. I happened to really love the direction. I might not love the next, but that’s just fine. When you love something an artist has done, you’re not signing on for life. You can exit the bus at any stop. I’m happy to stick around and hear some more electric piano and abstract lyrics for the time being. It’s produced some really beautiful, haunting, and in the end welcoming music. No complaints. 
  3. “Burst Apart” by The Antlers :: Talk about low expectations. I had nothing going in to my first listen of “Burst Apart”. “Hospice” was a fine album, but a little dreary and easily forgotten for me at that time. “Burst Apart” felt like a band awakened and challenged to write big, expansive, artistically engaging pop songs and they lived up to the task without fail. Also, the 1-2-3 hit of “Hounds”, “Corsicana”, and “Putting the Dog to Sleep” are the best sequential album run all year. 
  4. “Days” by Real Estate :: At first listen I was afraid everything blended and sounded overly similar, but a couple of more listens and the details started flooding forth. It’s a deceptively simple album loaded with wonderful writing, beautiful melodies and incredible craftsmanship. “Days” just hit on all cylinders for me and reminded me of why I love bands who don’t shy from a well written pop hook. 
  5. “Charade is Gold” by Pulseprogramming :: Sort of what I’d hoped a grown-up version of Postal Service to sound like - only better. It’s a gorgeous, haunting, synth pop masterpiece. 
  6. “Our Blood” by Richard Buckner :: A criminally underrated singer-songwriter turned in his best album in years and again, no one seemed to notice. Some of the best writing I heard all year and Buckner’s vocals is still one of my favorite lived-in, weary instruments in all of music. 
  7. “Yuck” by Yuck :: Smart, nostalgic, indie pop that holds up with some of the greats. “Stutter” is one of the best songs of the year. 
  8. “The Ocean” by Two Bicycles :: While everyone was waiting for the new Teen Daze album to drop, many seemed to fail to notice that he’s already dropped an album one million times better just a couple of months before and it explored more interesting soundscapes by far. 
  9. “Moon Killer” by Small Black :: Had this been a full fleshed out album, it would have been higher. Small Black turned in one of the biggest surprises of the year with a free mixtape that makes me hope and wish that their next studio outing has this kind of sound, and this sort of confidence. Fucking killer songs. 
  10. “Romantic Comedy” by Big Troubles :: Maybe the catchiest, most infectious album that I heard all year. Loaded with dreamy, lo-fi, shoegazer sounds, but as good as they all are, none of them touch the brilliant album closer, “Never Mine”. 

There you have my top ten. I could surely go on and on, but I’m sure more of you stopped reading back at Radiohead. For that, I will rush through and just list the back ten. In alphabetical order as I could not choose one over the other. These are simply the albums that I lived in and carried with me the most throughout the year (save for the first ten). Any of these ten would be a great listen. I can’t recommend them enough. 

  • “You Are All I See” by Active Child
  • “The Rip Tide” by Beirut
  • “On the Water” by Future Islands
  • “Gardens and Villa” by Gardens and Villa
  • “Hearts” by I Break Horses
  • “Smoke Ring for my Halo” by Kurt Vile
  • “Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped” by Moonface
  • ‘“Rare” by Tearjerker
  • “House of Balloons” by The Weeknd
  • “The Year of Hibernation” by Youth Lagoon

There you have it. The list of Favorite Album of 2011, as decided by me. The Favorite Songs of 2011 list should provide more fun, as there will be accompanying sounds to go with, and the entire collection spreads far and wide. That should be up in the next couple of days. In the meantime, how about them albums? Did i drop the ball or forget anything? Surely, I did. At any rate, thanks for reading, take care, hope you enjoyed any or all of these as much as i have. 

    #top 5  #2011  #favorite albums  #top 5 albums  #radiohead  #bon iver  #justin vernon  #thom yorke  #the antlers  #real estate  #pulseprogramming  #richard buckner  #yuck  #two bicycles  #small black  #big troubles  #active child  #beirut  #future islands  #gardens and villa  #i break horses  #kurt vile  #moonface  #spencer krug  #tearjerker  #the weeknd  #youth lagoon  
    5 months ago on December 11, 2011 at 07:20pm with 41 notes
    zoom
    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2010 (as chosen in 2010) “Decisions” by How to Dress Well “I Can Change” // “All I Want” by LCD Soundsystem “Lost in the World” // “Runaway” by Kanye West “Your Moon” by Sun Airway” “Call Your Girlfriend” by Robyn * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2010 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist Here things could get a little shifty if I were to revisit this year and make a new list, but considering the list of 25 that I originally posted last December, I can’t imagine straying much from that list. Just some of those songs not in the top five might shuffle in and out with the others.  That being said, the songs that I revisit most often from that list are definitely the LCD Soundsytem jams, the Robyn tracks, and of course, “Decisions” by How to Dress Well. I had never heard of How to Dress Well before last year and since then, I’ve devoured everything that Tom Krell has released under that name. I find everything that he does to be moving, powerful, and most of all, incredibly easy to listen to on repeat. “Decisions” is a heartbreaker, but it’s a stunning introduction to the man’s work and the reason that I eagerly away anything that he does.  Lavishing any more praise on LCD Soundsystem would just be repeating myself at this point. I’m in love with everything that James Murphy does, but those two songs were perfect caps to a perfect career as LCD. Robyn is at her best when she is pouring her heart out over a killer beat and she released all sorts of those goodies last year, it’s just that “Call Your Girlfriend” is my hands down favorite. I still listen to it a few times a week. It’s a perfect pop song.  I won’t carry on blathering about life and music any longer. These things were just put together so anyone interested in seeing what I loved in the years of release could do so, but also so that I could log them all in one area and take them off of the beat-to-shit notebook that has held these notes for so many years. So, there is a top 5 for each year of the 21st century (so far). With 2011 coming to an end soon, I’ll have another batch to add. Hope you all enjoyed these ramblings and bits of nonsense. It was a lot of fun revisiting. Thanks for joining me on the trip.  * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2010 (as chosen in 2010)

    1. “Decisions” by How to Dress Well
    2. “I Can Change” // “All I Want” by LCD Soundsystem
    3. “Lost in the World” // “Runaway” by Kanye West
    4. “Your Moon” by Sun Airway”
    5. “Call Your Girlfriend” by Robyn

    * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2010 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist

    Here things could get a little shifty if I were to revisit this year and make a new list, but considering the list of 25 that I originally posted last December, I can’t imagine straying much from that list. Just some of those songs not in the top five might shuffle in and out with the others. 

    That being said, the songs that I revisit most often from that list are definitely the LCD Soundsytem jams, the Robyn tracks, and of course, “Decisions” by How to Dress Well. I had never heard of How to Dress Well before last year and since then, I’ve devoured everything that Tom Krell has released under that name. I find everything that he does to be moving, powerful, and most of all, incredibly easy to listen to on repeat. “Decisions” is a heartbreaker, but it’s a stunning introduction to the man’s work and the reason that I eagerly away anything that he does. 

    Lavishing any more praise on LCD Soundsystem would just be repeating myself at this point. I’m in love with everything that James Murphy does, but those two songs were perfect caps to a perfect career as LCD. Robyn is at her best when she is pouring her heart out over a killer beat and she released all sorts of those goodies last year, it’s just that “Call Your Girlfriend” is my hands down favorite. I still listen to it a few times a week. It’s a perfect pop song. 

    I won’t carry on blathering about life and music any longer. These things were just put together so anyone interested in seeing what I loved in the years of release could do so, but also so that I could log them all in one area and take them off of the beat-to-shit notebook that has held these notes for so many years. So, there is a top 5 for each year of the 21st century (so far). With 2011 coming to an end soon, I’ll have another batch to add. Hope you all enjoyed these ramblings and bits of nonsense. It was a lot of fun revisiting. Thanks for joining me on the trip. 

    * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    #spotify  #top 5  #top 5 songs  #2010  #how to dress well  #lcd soundsystem  #james murphy  #robyn  #sun airway  #kanye west  
    6 months ago on November 01, 2011 at 05:31pm with 12 notes
    zoom
    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2010 (as chosen in 2010) “This is Happening” by LCD Soundsystem “Blue Suicide” by Coma Cinema “My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy” by Kanye West “High Violet” by The National (tie) “Halcyon Digest” by Deerhunter // “Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier” by Sun Airway  * listen to these favorite albums of 2010 in a p|m|w Spotify playlist.  Despite the close of 2010 being the end of a three year span of strange and not-so-strange events that completely shifted the way that I live my life, as well as the way that I will continue to allow myself to grow without the dependence of others, I find myself of the same mind that I was when I initially made this list last December.  Coming on the heels of numerous personal setbacks, things finally looked up in the tail of last year and I found myself devouring album after album, for the first time in several years. I was finding new ways to be inspired by the sounds that I was obsessing over, without attaching personal tragedy or victory to them like audible badges of honor. LCD Soundsystem came early in the year and was a fall back album through some tremendous heartbreak and loss, but it sounded all the more sweet at the end of the line when I was still standing and of a healthier mind and body than I had been in ages. It was a foregone conclusion that it would stand at the top of year in 2010. Any why shouldn’t it? James Murphy’s swan song with his greatest creation turned out to be a brilliant piece of art, loaded with some incredibly heartbreaking, and uplifting adult themes and stories. It was my favorite then and it will continue to be my favorite.  Coma Cinema’s “Blue Suicide” was the sound of last Autumn for me. It found me at a peculiar time when I needed something raw and visceral, and it delivered. Despite the hushed tones and beautiful melodies, that album is fucking heavy hitter on emotions. It’s a brilliant bit of music. Sad that both of my top spots of 2010 will no longer be making music under those monikers, but at the very least, I’ll always have those albums.  Kanye, The National, Deerhunter, and Sun Airway are all so goddamned consistent that it’s near impossible to not have fallen in love with them from start to finish. The National continued to be one of the best bands in the world by doing the exact thing that made me fall in love with them in the first place. Singing about realistic love and loss. Nothing pretty about the tales, but everything pretty about the music. Kanye West’s album was and still is a late night visitor for me. It’s another heavy listen, but the production and gigantic leap forward in artistry made it impossible to put down. Deerhunter and Sun Airway both crafted beautiful pop records that swayed effortlessly between dream pop, shoegaze, and psych pop without every feeling forced or strained and both of those albums are so loaded with hooks that you could spend a lifetime humming those songs in your head and never get tired.  Last year was a tremendous year for music. It contained easily the darkest period of my life, but in the end it all shuffled away and I was left standing alone, but much stronger, and with lots of brilliant music in my ears.  * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2010 (as chosen in 2010)

    1. “This is Happening” by LCD Soundsystem
    2. “Blue Suicide” by Coma Cinema
    3. “My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy” by Kanye West
    4. “High Violet” by The National
    5. (tie) “Halcyon Digest” by Deerhunter // “Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier” by Sun Airway 

    * listen to these favorite albums of 2010 in a p|m|w Spotify playlist. 

    Despite the close of 2010 being the end of a three year span of strange and not-so-strange events that completely shifted the way that I live my life, as well as the way that I will continue to allow myself to grow without the dependence of others, I find myself of the same mind that I was when I initially made this list last December. 

    Coming on the heels of numerous personal setbacks, things finally looked up in the tail of last year and I found myself devouring album after album, for the first time in several years. I was finding new ways to be inspired by the sounds that I was obsessing over, without attaching personal tragedy or victory to them like audible badges of honor. LCD Soundsystem came early in the year and was a fall back album through some tremendous heartbreak and loss, but it sounded all the more sweet at the end of the line when I was still standing and of a healthier mind and body than I had been in ages. It was a foregone conclusion that it would stand at the top of year in 2010. Any why shouldn’t it? James Murphy’s swan song with his greatest creation turned out to be a brilliant piece of art, loaded with some incredibly heartbreaking, and uplifting adult themes and stories. It was my favorite then and it will continue to be my favorite. 

    Coma Cinema’s “Blue Suicide” was the sound of last Autumn for me. It found me at a peculiar time when I needed something raw and visceral, and it delivered. Despite the hushed tones and beautiful melodies, that album is fucking heavy hitter on emotions. It’s a brilliant bit of music. Sad that both of my top spots of 2010 will no longer be making music under those monikers, but at the very least, I’ll always have those albums. 

    Kanye, The National, Deerhunter, and Sun Airway are all so goddamned consistent that it’s near impossible to not have fallen in love with them from start to finish. The National continued to be one of the best bands in the world by doing the exact thing that made me fall in love with them in the first place. Singing about realistic love and loss. Nothing pretty about the tales, but everything pretty about the music. Kanye West’s album was and still is a late night visitor for me. It’s another heavy listen, but the production and gigantic leap forward in artistry made it impossible to put down. Deerhunter and Sun Airway both crafted beautiful pop records that swayed effortlessly between dream pop, shoegaze, and psych pop without every feeling forced or strained and both of those albums are so loaded with hooks that you could spend a lifetime humming those songs in your head and never get tired. 

    Last year was a tremendous year for music. It contained easily the darkest period of my life, but in the end it all shuffled away and I was left standing alone, but much stronger, and with lots of brilliant music in my ears. 

    * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    #top 5  #top 5 albums  #2010  #spotify  #lcd soundsystem  #james murphy  #Coma Cinema  #kanye west  #deerhunter  #the national  #sun airway  
    6 months ago on November 01, 2011 at 05:18pm with 9 notes
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    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2009 (as chosen in 2009) “Despicable Dogs” by Small Black “You Saved My Life” by Cass McCombs “Lovesick Teenagers” by Bear in Heaven “Goth Star” by Pictureplane “Crystal Visions” by The Big Pink  * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2009 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist Yes, for all of the pain and annoyance that flickered in and out of 2009, I found myself locking onto specific songs that (especially in times of travel and distance from my friendship/relationship issues) really helped me break away. Each song listed here did that exact thing for me, but none as well as Small Black’s absolutely perfect “Despicable Dogs”.  As Cass McComb’s “You Saved My Life” was the song that I found myself using as a salve to a consistently broken heart in the later months of 2009, Small Black’s “Despicable Dogs” arrived just in time to start helping me feel like I wasn’t the disaster that I was being made to feel I was. Sure, I was still pretty much a mess, but that song took on a strange hymn like quality for me. It was an escape. It came on late in the year and I carried it with me through most of 2010, and I still listen to it a dozen times a week. It’s simple, lo-fi approach to new wave or synth pop, or whatever the fuck you want to call it, is a perfect sound to latch onto and build a world around. It’s one of the few songs in my life that I feel like I can say changed my point of view on things. Oddly, it’s not anything you can find in the lyrics either. It’s wholly some weight that I put onto it myself. Why that song? I’m not sure, but I’m glad that I found it when I did because it sure helped, and continues to help. It wasn’t a relationship song. It wasn’t something that I gravitated toward to make myself cry or get lost in some deteriorating relationship, instead it was a song for me. Just something that I fell in love with. No negativity. No baggage from another person or relationship. In face, it was one of the first moments in my life when I realized how much emphasis I place on soundtracking my life with important songs. That’s all great, but the sad part comes when you lose those important people that you thought would be there forever and now you’ve got all of these deflated songs just littering your subconscious. “Despicable Dogs” was a reminder to listen to music for me. For myself. To feel something. Not to put my feelings on something.  This probably makes little to no sense, but going through my notes for 2009, I found lots of scribbles and words pertaining to some very real sadness from that time and it reminded me of the way that I used to listen to so much of my music. No longer. At least not if i can help it.  Oh, and P.S. - those other three songs are fucking brilliant mood pieces as well that really stand up and still get plenty of repeat listens two years on.  * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2009 (as chosen in 2009)

    1. “Despicable Dogs” by Small Black
    2. “You Saved My Life” by Cass McCombs
    3. “Lovesick Teenagers” by Bear in Heaven
    4. “Goth Star” by Pictureplane
    5. “Crystal Visions” by The Big Pink 

    * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2009 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist

    Yes, for all of the pain and annoyance that flickered in and out of 2009, I found myself locking onto specific songs that (especially in times of travel and distance from my friendship/relationship issues) really helped me break away. Each song listed here did that exact thing for me, but none as well as Small Black’s absolutely perfect “Despicable Dogs”. 

    As Cass McComb’s “You Saved My Life” was the song that I found myself using as a salve to a consistently broken heart in the later months of 2009, Small Black’s “Despicable Dogs” arrived just in time to start helping me feel like I wasn’t the disaster that I was being made to feel I was. Sure, I was still pretty much a mess, but that song took on a strange hymn like quality for me. It was an escape. It came on late in the year and I carried it with me through most of 2010, and I still listen to it a dozen times a week. It’s simple, lo-fi approach to new wave or synth pop, or whatever the fuck you want to call it, is a perfect sound to latch onto and build a world around. It’s one of the few songs in my life that I feel like I can say changed my point of view on things. Oddly, it’s not anything you can find in the lyrics either. It’s wholly some weight that I put onto it myself. Why that song? I’m not sure, but I’m glad that I found it when I did because it sure helped, and continues to help. It wasn’t a relationship song. It wasn’t something that I gravitated toward to make myself cry or get lost in some deteriorating relationship, instead it was a song for me. Just something that I fell in love with. No negativity. No baggage from another person or relationship. In face, it was one of the first moments in my life when I realized how much emphasis I place on soundtracking my life with important songs. That’s all great, but the sad part comes when you lose those important people that you thought would be there forever and now you’ve got all of these deflated songs just littering your subconscious. “Despicable Dogs” was a reminder to listen to music for me. For myself. To feel something. Not to put my feelings on something. 

    This probably makes little to no sense, but going through my notes for 2009, I found lots of scribbles and words pertaining to some very real sadness from that time and it reminded me of the way that I used to listen to so much of my music. No longer. At least not if i can help it. 

    Oh, and P.S. - those other three songs are fucking brilliant mood pieces as well that really stand up and still get plenty of repeat listens two years on. 

    * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    #top 5  #top 5 songs  #spotify  #2009  #small black  #cass mccombs  #bear in heaven  #pictureplane  #the big pink  
    6 months ago on November 01, 2011 at 03:58pm with 9 notes
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    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2009 (as chosen in 2009) “Veckatimest” by Grizzly Bear “XX” by The XX “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” by Phoenix “Two Suns” by Bat for Lashes “It’s a Blitz” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (bonus compilation pick) “Dark Was the Night” by Various * listen to these favorite albums of 2009 in a p|m|w Spotify playlist.  Once again, 2009 was a major transitional year for me with far too much movement and emotional turmoil to really settle into a solid selection of albums that grabbed my attention. I suppose I just didn’t find the time that year to get absorbed into a lot of selections, hence my fairly obvious choices here.  For me, 2009 was much more about single song discoveries that I found myself obsessed with, but that’s not to take anything away from these selections. They’re all wonderful albums, full of incredible music. These were certainly the albums that stood out above the rest at the time, but in hindsight, I can see that I overlooked several choices that certainly were not properly absorbed until the following year.  All that being said, seeing these albums listed together does bring back a slew of memories from various points in that year that were often filled with grief and pain, but also some tremendous moments of self-discovery. Grizzly Bear and some of the tracks found on “Dark Was the Night” still carry reminders of a blossoming relationship that was building (perhaps too fast) in the early months.  Phoenix was certainly the soundtrack to some of the more happy and successful moments of 2009 (the summer months), while The XX provided a mood for the later months as things started to turn dark on all aspects of my life.  It’s strange how you can let music be an escape as well as a tomb to lock yourself away and feed your depressions. Sometimes it feels like the right song can save your life or put a bullet in your head. Luckily, the singles from that year did more saving - or perhaps “distracting” is a better word.  * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2009 (as chosen in 2009)

    1. “Veckatimest” by Grizzly Bear
    2. “XX” by The XX
    3. “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” by Phoenix
    4. “Two Suns” by Bat for Lashes
    5. “It’s a Blitz” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
    • (bonus compilation pick) “Dark Was the Night” by Various

    * listen to these favorite albums of 2009 in a p|m|w Spotify playlist. 

    Once again, 2009 was a major transitional year for me with far too much movement and emotional turmoil to really settle into a solid selection of albums that grabbed my attention. I suppose I just didn’t find the time that year to get absorbed into a lot of selections, hence my fairly obvious choices here. 

    For me, 2009 was much more about single song discoveries that I found myself obsessed with, but that’s not to take anything away from these selections. They’re all wonderful albums, full of incredible music. These were certainly the albums that stood out above the rest at the time, but in hindsight, I can see that I overlooked several choices that certainly were not properly absorbed until the following year. 

    All that being said, seeing these albums listed together does bring back a slew of memories from various points in that year that were often filled with grief and pain, but also some tremendous moments of self-discovery. Grizzly Bear and some of the tracks found on “Dark Was the Night” still carry reminders of a blossoming relationship that was building (perhaps too fast) in the early months.  Phoenix was certainly the soundtrack to some of the more happy and successful moments of 2009 (the summer months), while The XX provided a mood for the later months as things started to turn dark on all aspects of my life. 

    It’s strange how you can let music be an escape as well as a tomb to lock yourself away and feed your depressions. Sometimes it feels like the right song can save your life or put a bullet in your head. Luckily, the singles from that year did more saving - or perhaps “distracting” is a better word. 

    * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    #top 5  #top 5 albums  #spotify  #2009  #yeah yeah yeahs  #bat for lashes  #phoenix  #the xx  #grizzly bear  #the national  #sufjan stevens  #bon iver  #yeasayer  
    6 months ago on November 01, 2011 at 03:41pm with 17 notes
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    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2008 (as chosen in 2008) “River Card” by Atlas Sound “Blood Bank” by Bon Iver (tie) “Kim & Jessie” & “Graveyard Girl” by M83 “In the New Year” by The Walkmen “Black Rice” by Women * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2008 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist Wow! Okay. Clearly, I didn’t let my crazed emotions get the best of me at this point in 2008 because all of these songs are fucking excellent and outside of some tweaks in order, I can’t imagine picking a stronger set of songs for that year. Sure, I was a total mess at the time of these selections, but at least I was listening to solid single songs. Then again, I’m sure if and when I look back over to a complete overhaul retrospective look at the decade, I’ll realize some glaring errors made here, but in the meantime - I’m happy to see this list and actually am ecstatic to break out “Black Rice” for a couple of spins. I hadn’t thought of that song in a while and I’m sure that I’m still completely in love.  * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2008 (as chosen in 2008)

    1. “River Card” by Atlas Sound
    2. “Blood Bank” by Bon Iver
    3. (tie) “Kim & Jessie” & “Graveyard Girl” by M83
    4. “In the New Year” by The Walkmen
    5. “Black Rice” by Women

    * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2008 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist

    Wow! Okay. Clearly, I didn’t let my crazed emotions get the best of me at this point in 2008 because all of these songs are fucking excellent and outside of some tweaks in order, I can’t imagine picking a stronger set of songs for that year. Sure, I was a total mess at the time of these selections, but at least I was listening to solid single songs. Then again, I’m sure if and when I look back over to a complete overhaul retrospective look at the decade, I’ll realize some glaring errors made here, but in the meantime - I’m happy to see this list and actually am ecstatic to break out “Black Rice” for a couple of spins. I hadn’t thought of that song in a while and I’m sure that I’m still completely in love. 

    * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    #top 5  #top 5 songs  #2008  #spotify  #atlas sound  #the walkmen  #women  #m83  #bon iver  
    6 months ago on November 01, 2011 at 01:30pm with 18 notes
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    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2008 (as chosen in 2008) “Dear Science” by TV on the Radio “Saturdays = Youth” by M83 (tie) “For Emma, Forever Ago” & “Blood Bank” by Bon Iver “Let the Blind Lead Those That Can See but Cannot Feel” by Atlas Sound “You & Me” by The Walkmen * listen to these favorite albums of 2008 in a p|m|w Spotify playlist.  This was probably the strangest year for me to look back on as a whole. I was all over the place in 2008 with huge personal changes as well as multiple moves to different parts of the country. My notes were understandably slim.  I had to actually check the dates on the Bon Iver releases, because I didn’t realize that they both were released in 2008, and in reality I was wrong. Technically, “For Emma, Forever Ago” was self-released in late 2007, but not released by Jagjaguwar until February of 2008 (which was when I picked it up). “Black Bank” was actually not physically released until January of 2009, but it was leaked earlier and my obsession started there, so both were included at that time. I would probably do the same if putting this together today.  As for discrepancies that I feel between my choices then and now - I would definitely place TV on the Radio’s “Dear Science further back down the list. It’s not that I don’t love that album, it’s mostly that it was something that carries some unhealthy memories and I’ve not returned to it much in the years since. Considering this is a “Favorites” list and not a “best of” list, the shift would make sense. The M83 and Atlas Sound albums continued to get massive amounts of play from me in the years that followed. All in all, I’m happy with this list. I would have assumed that I would have included Sigur Ros’s “Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust”, but that album also was worn out by the end of that year and carrying with it an absurd amount of emotional baggage. Especially the song “All Alright”, which I was obsessed with in the later months of that year, but haven’t returned to since.  Perhaps the singles selections will shed a little more light on 2008’s mental instability and musical loves.  * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2008 (as chosen in 2008)

    1. “Dear Science” by TV on the Radio
    2. “Saturdays = Youth” by M83
    3. (tie) “For Emma, Forever Ago” & “Blood Bank” by Bon Iver
    4. “Let the Blind Lead Those That Can See but Cannot Feel” by Atlas Sound
    5. “You & Me” by The Walkmen

    * listen to these favorite albums of 2008 in a p|m|w Spotify playlist. 

    This was probably the strangest year for me to look back on as a whole. I was all over the place in 2008 with huge personal changes as well as multiple moves to different parts of the country. My notes were understandably slim. 

    I had to actually check the dates on the Bon Iver releases, because I didn’t realize that they both were released in 2008, and in reality I was wrong. Technically, “For Emma, Forever Ago” was self-released in late 2007, but not released by Jagjaguwar until February of 2008 (which was when I picked it up). “Black Bank” was actually not physically released until January of 2009, but it was leaked earlier and my obsession started there, so both were included at that time. I would probably do the same if putting this together today. 

    As for discrepancies that I feel between my choices then and now - I would definitely place TV on the Radio’s “Dear Science further back down the list. It’s not that I don’t love that album, it’s mostly that it was something that carries some unhealthy memories and I’ve not returned to it much in the years since. Considering this is a “Favorites” list and not a “best of” list, the shift would make sense. The M83 and Atlas Sound albums continued to get massive amounts of play from me in the years that followed. All in all, I’m happy with this list. I would have assumed that I would have included Sigur Ros’s “Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust”, but that album also was worn out by the end of that year and carrying with it an absurd amount of emotional baggage. Especially the song “All Alright”, which I was obsessed with in the later months of that year, but haven’t returned to since. 

    Perhaps the singles selections will shed a little more light on 2008’s mental instability and musical loves. 

    * (previous top 5 year end lists)

    #top 5  #top 5 albums  #spotify  #2008  #tv on the radio  #m83  #bon iver  #atlas sound  #the walkmen  
    6 months ago on November 01, 2011 at 01:06pm with 14 notes
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    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2007 (as chosen in 2007) (tie) “Someone Great” // “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” by Of Montreal (tie) “Reckoner” // “Videotape” by Radiohead “Archangel” by Burial (tie) “Ponytail” by Panda Bear // “The Ghost of You Lingers” by Spoon * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2007 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist Clearly, I had some issues pegging down a solid top five in 2007, and if I was doing it today, I would have the exact same problem. In fact, I would probably have found a way to get “Slow Show” by The National in that list.  There’s no way I could not include the best one-two punch of the decade at my top spot. Hearing those two songs back to back for the first time when hearing “Sound of Silver” sent my chills up my spine and still, four years later, I can get the exact same feeling. Those are two absolutely perfect moments of music, and James Murphy proved that he was among the greatest song composers of our generation with those beauties. When it came to picking something from “In Rainbows”, I guess I’m fine with those choices, but truthfully, any of those songs could have made the cut. That’s a perfect album.  Of course, the oddball then is maybe still the oddball now, and that’s the near twelve minute masterpiece of storytelling and mood, in Of Montreal’s “The Past is a Grotesque Animal”. That fucking song is a novel wrapped into a pop song. It’s still goddamned exhilarating to hear these years later, and in any other year it would be the best song that I heard, but it happened to be released alongside LCD Soundsystem’s first masterpiece.  “Ponytail” is and has always been my favorite song by Panda Bear. It’s swirling beauty and optimism stood out then and it still stands out now. I still play that song once a week, if not more. In fact, it’s one of those songs that I tend to get lost in a repeat loop. The same could be said for a song that thematically feels like it belongs on the opposite side of the spectrum, and that’s the haunting, foreboding, but still drop dead gorgeous “Archangel” by Burial. Hell, the same goes for Spoon’s “The Ghost of You Lingers”. I just get lost in those songs.  Whenever I get around to revising these into decade lists, I’ll be hard pressed to make over half of the selections from 2007. It was a monumental year for amazing music and just looking at this list, my mind goes nuts thinking about all of the songs that I didn’t even consider (Yeasayer, The Shins, Arcade Fire, The National, I’m looking at you guys). Fuck - well, it’s a good list all the same.  * (previous year’s top fives)

    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2007 (as chosen in 2007)

    1. (tie) “Someone Great” // “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem
    2. “The Past is a Grotesque Animal” by Of Montreal
    3. (tie) “Reckoner” // “Videotape” by Radiohead
    4. “Archangel” by Burial
    5. (tie) “Ponytail” by Panda Bear // “The Ghost of You Lingers” by Spoon

    * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2007 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist

    Clearly, I had some issues pegging down a solid top five in 2007, and if I was doing it today, I would have the exact same problem. In fact, I would probably have found a way to get “Slow Show” by The National in that list. 

    There’s no way I could not include the best one-two punch of the decade at my top spot. Hearing those two songs back to back for the first time when hearing “Sound of Silver” sent my chills up my spine and still, four years later, I can get the exact same feeling. Those are two absolutely perfect moments of music, and James Murphy proved that he was among the greatest song composers of our generation with those beauties. When it came to picking something from “In Rainbows”, I guess I’m fine with those choices, but truthfully, any of those songs could have made the cut. That’s a perfect album. 

    Of course, the oddball then is maybe still the oddball now, and that’s the near twelve minute masterpiece of storytelling and mood, in Of Montreal’s “The Past is a Grotesque Animal”. That fucking song is a novel wrapped into a pop song. It’s still goddamned exhilarating to hear these years later, and in any other year it would be the best song that I heard, but it happened to be released alongside LCD Soundsystem’s first masterpiece. 

    “Ponytail” is and has always been my favorite song by Panda Bear. It’s swirling beauty and optimism stood out then and it still stands out now. I still play that song once a week, if not more. In fact, it’s one of those songs that I tend to get lost in a repeat loop. The same could be said for a song that thematically feels like it belongs on the opposite side of the spectrum, and that’s the haunting, foreboding, but still drop dead gorgeous “Archangel” by Burial. Hell, the same goes for Spoon’s “The Ghost of You Lingers”. I just get lost in those songs. 

    Whenever I get around to revising these into decade lists, I’ll be hard pressed to make over half of the selections from 2007. It was a monumental year for amazing music and just looking at this list, my mind goes nuts thinking about all of the songs that I didn’t even consider (Yeasayer, The Shins, Arcade Fire, The National, I’m looking at you guys). Fuck - well, it’s a good list all the same. 

    * (previous year’s top fives)

    #top 5  #2007  #top 5 songs  #spotify  #radiohead  #thom yorke  #james murphy  #lcd soundsystem  #of montreal  #burial  #panda bear  #spoon  
    7 months ago on October 26, 2011 at 12:58pm with 15 notes
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    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2007 (as chosen in 2007) “In Rainbows” by Radiohead “Sound of Silver” by LCD Soundsystem “Neon Bible” by Arcade Fire “Boxer” by The National (tie) “Person Pitch” by Panda Bear // “The Reminder” by Feist * for some reason Spotify is missing most of these albums, so no playlist for 2007 These lists are getting closer to the present, so it’s getting harder to find too many faults with these lists. I would still pretty much agree with this list completely with the exception of switching the placements of Arcade Fire and The National. What can I say, “Boxer” was a grower.  Sure, if you look back through these lists you won’t be surprised in the least to see Radiohead in the top spot again, but truth be told, “In Rainbows’ is probably my favorite Radiohead album and I’m old enough to have actually bought “Pablo Honey” on cassette when it was released (my report card money wasn’t the best, sometimes I had to buy what i could afford and I distinctly remember not being able to afford the CD), so one could reasonably make the argument that “In Rainbows” is my favorite album of all time and your argument would be valid, but that’s an ever-shifting list if we’re talking “all time”, but it’s certainly a contender right next to “Strangeways, Here We Come”, “In The Aeroplane Over the Sea”, “Disintegration”, and “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain” (to name but a few). Enough talk of Radiohead.  The rest of the choices stand on their own. I was not as taken with “Person Pitch” as many of my friends were that year, but it certainly hit me in the right place. I was just mostly obsessed with LCD Soundsystem’s giant leap forward with “Sound of Silver” for most of the year (Radiohead was a late year release). The Feist choice, is wholly representative of being unable to avoid it most of the year, but also because those are some incredibly well written pop songs sung by one of my favorite female artists on in music.  All in all, 2007 (for me), is one of the best years for music that I’ve ever experienced first hand. It was loaded with incredible albums and even more mindblowingly good stand out tracks. Let’s talk favorite songs, shall we… * (previous year’s top fives)

    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2007 (as chosen in 2007)

    1. “In Rainbows” by Radiohead
    2. “Sound of Silver” by LCD Soundsystem
    3. “Neon Bible” by Arcade Fire
    4. “Boxer” by The National
    5. (tie) “Person Pitch” by Panda Bear // “The Reminder” by Feist

    * for some reason Spotify is missing most of these albums, so no playlist for 2007

    These lists are getting closer to the present, so it’s getting harder to find too many faults with these lists. I would still pretty much agree with this list completely with the exception of switching the placements of Arcade Fire and The National. What can I say, “Boxer” was a grower. 

    Sure, if you look back through these lists you won’t be surprised in the least to see Radiohead in the top spot again, but truth be told, “In Rainbows’ is probably my favorite Radiohead album and I’m old enough to have actually bought “Pablo Honey” on cassette when it was released (my report card money wasn’t the best, sometimes I had to buy what i could afford and I distinctly remember not being able to afford the CD), so one could reasonably make the argument that “In Rainbows” is my favorite album of all time and your argument would be valid, but that’s an ever-shifting list if we’re talking “all time”, but it’s certainly a contender right next to “Strangeways, Here We Come”, “In The Aeroplane Over the Sea”, “Disintegration”, and “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain” (to name but a few). Enough talk of Radiohead. 

    The rest of the choices stand on their own. I was not as taken with “Person Pitch” as many of my friends were that year, but it certainly hit me in the right place. I was just mostly obsessed with LCD Soundsystem’s giant leap forward with “Sound of Silver” for most of the year (Radiohead was a late year release). The Feist choice, is wholly representative of being unable to avoid it most of the year, but also because those are some incredibly well written pop songs sung by one of my favorite female artists on in music. 

    All in all, 2007 (for me), is one of the best years for music that I’ve ever experienced first hand. It was loaded with incredible albums and even more mindblowingly good stand out tracks. Let’s talk favorite songs, shall we…

    * (previous year’s top fives)

    #top 5  #top 5 albums  #2007  #spotify  #panda bear  #radiohead  #thom yorke  #lcd soundsystem  #james murphy  #arcade fire  #feist  #the national  #the smiths  #pavement  #the cure  
    7 months ago on October 26, 2011 at 12:35pm with 13 notes
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    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2006 (as chosen in 2006) “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack” by Liars “Us Ones in Between” by Sunset Rubdown “Postcards of Italy” by Beirut (tie) “I Feel Like Going Home” by Yo La Tengo // “Hold On, Hold On” by Neko Case “LoveStoned/ I Think She Knows (Interlude)” by Justin Timberlake * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2006 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist Looking at the notes that I had for 2006, I was shocked at how fucking stacked of a year it was for amazing single songs. I have no issues with the selections here, I’m mostly just surprised that I was able to boil it down to a top five (six, i guess) at all. There were selections by Thom Yorke, Swan Lake, Mew, Midlake, and a dozen others that could have made this list.  Looking at these selections, I would still stand by the track from Liars as the top pick. It’s a knockout track, that’s as heartbreaking as it is gorgeous. In the years since I originally put this together, I would have to say that the Neko Case and Justin Timberlake tracks are the ones that have had the most spins. Truth be told, it’s not even the entire Timberlake track. It’s the second part that I fell in love with then and continue to be mildly obsessed. It’s a gorgeous, sexy, pop song and when the beat drops out and it turns on the strings - it’s pretty much love at first listen. As for the Neko jam, it’s a fucking killer with some of the best writing of the entire year.  I could go on and on. I’m actually going to enjoy the hell out of revisiting 2006 when I go back over these, but for the meantime, here is the list as it stood then.  * (previous year’s top fives)

    FAVORITE SONGS OF 2006 (as chosen in 2006)

    1. “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack” by Liars
    2. “Us Ones in Between” by Sunset Rubdown
    3. “Postcards of Italy” by Beirut
    4. (tie) “I Feel Like Going Home” by Yo La Tengo // “Hold On, Hold On” by Neko Case
    5. “LoveStoned/ I Think She Knows (Interlude)” by Justin Timberlake

    * listen to my Favorite Tracks of 2006 on Spotify via P|M|W Playlist

    Looking at the notes that I had for 2006, I was shocked at how fucking stacked of a year it was for amazing single songs. I have no issues with the selections here, I’m mostly just surprised that I was able to boil it down to a top five (six, i guess) at all. There were selections by Thom Yorke, Swan Lake, Mew, Midlake, and a dozen others that could have made this list. 

    Looking at these selections, I would still stand by the track from Liars as the top pick. It’s a knockout track, that’s as heartbreaking as it is gorgeous. In the years since I originally put this together, I would have to say that the Neko Case and Justin Timberlake tracks are the ones that have had the most spins. Truth be told, it’s not even the entire Timberlake track. It’s the second part that I fell in love with then and continue to be mildly obsessed. It’s a gorgeous, sexy, pop song and when the beat drops out and it turns on the strings - it’s pretty much love at first listen. As for the Neko jam, it’s a fucking killer with some of the best writing of the entire year. 

    I could go on and on. I’m actually going to enjoy the hell out of revisiting 2006 when I go back over these, but for the meantime, here is the list as it stood then. 

    * (previous year’s top fives)


    #top 5  #top 5 songs  #spotify  #2006  #liars  #sunset rubdown  #beirut  #yo la tengo  #neko case  #justin timberlake  #midlake  #thom yorke  #mew  
    7 months ago on October 23, 2011 at 10:43pm with 16 notes
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    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2006 (as chosen in 2006) “The Eraser” by Thom Yorke “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” by Neko Case “And the Glass Handed Kites” by Mew “Return to Cookie Mountain” by TV on the Radio “The Body, The Blood, The Machine” by The Thermals * listen to these 5 albums now on Spotify in a P|M|W playlist.  This was a year that found me all over the place and the fact that these five albums were my favorites might represent that a bit, in that they might be a tad schizophrenic in theme and nature. Truth be told, I’m fine with these choices. In hindsight, I might wonder why I didn’t choose “Drums Not Dead” by Liars or “Beast Moans” by Swan Lake, because I was obsessed with those albums later in the year, but this makes sense. Also, I think I was more obsessed at that point with single tracks. As for full albums, all five of these got monster spins from me throughout the summer and fall of 2006. “The Eraser” and “Fox Confessor Brings the Floods” were the soundtrack to a very lonely period of my life, and I came out of it much stronger, but mostly much more accepting of being alone. Those albums can still go in and make me feel something special. Nothing negative or sad attached. More growth. The year of 2006 might not have been packed with watershed indie moments, but it’s rock solid and there are easily another ten or fifteen albums that could be included on this list (and will be in a revised edition).  * (previous year’s top fives)

    FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2006 (as chosen in 2006)

    1. “The Eraser” by Thom Yorke
    2. “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” by Neko Case
    3. “And the Glass Handed Kites” by Mew
    4. “Return to Cookie Mountain” by TV on the Radio
    5. “The Body, The Blood, The Machine” by The Thermals

    * listen to these 5 albums now on Spotify in a P|M|W playlist. 

    This was a year that found me all over the place and the fact that these five albums were my favorites might represent that a bit, in that they might be a tad schizophrenic in theme and nature. Truth be told, I’m fine with these choices. In hindsight, I might wonder why I didn’t choose “Drums Not Dead” by Liars or “Beast Moans” by Swan Lake, because I was obsessed with those albums later in the year, but this makes sense. Also, I think I was more obsessed at that point with single tracks. As for full albums, all five of these got monster spins from me throughout the summer and fall of 2006. “The Eraser” and “Fox Confessor Brings the Floods” were the soundtrack to a very lonely period of my life, and I came out of it much stronger, but mostly much more accepting of being alone. Those albums can still go in and make me feel something special. Nothing negative or sad attached. More growth. The year of 2006 might not have been packed with watershed indie moments, but it’s rock solid and there are easily another ten or fifteen albums that could be included on this list (and will be in a revised edition). 

    * (previous year’s top fives)

    #top 5  #top 5 albums  #2006  #spotify  #thom yorke  #radiohead  #neko case  #mew  #TV on the Radio  #the thermals  #swan lake  #liars  
    7 months ago on October 23, 2011 at 09:33pm with 11 notes