On Your Stereo: 5/2 - 5/9
 

Animal Collective - Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished / Danse Manatee

I don't know how, but these guys manage to impress me everytime I listen to an album of theirs. Still need to get around to listening to the second album/disc on this set. I can't help if the first is so damn good!

Mission of Burma - ONoffON

First album in 20+ years from one of my all time favorites. Should be in the mailbox today or tomorrow. I've heard some from the copy my brother downloaded (and when I saw them in 2002) but I usually hold off on listening to albums until I get the "Real" disc.

M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts

Another album that's been impressing me for the last year every time I return to it. I wish it would get a U.S release so more people would get a chance to hear it. Although I think a lot of you have heard it by now.

Frog Eyes - Golden River

This is a great band that fits their name. Think of The Decemberists with a more derranged Tom Waits or Captian Beefheart feel to it. Quite a unique and original album. Hopefully be seeing them tomorrow night along with Destroyer.

John Coltrane - The Complete Atlantic Recordings

Picked this up last week. I've certainly got enough in this 7 disc set to keep me busy for a while.

Devandra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands

Still getting over the fact that this is actually a NEW album written and recorded by a 22 year old and not some classic from 30 years ago. Much like M. Ward's superb 'Transfiguration of Vincent' from last year, this is an album that seems to disregard time.

Question of the Day/Week: What are some of the most jarring and/or dramatic stylistic changes you can think of a band or artist going through? Radiohead's transition from OK Computer to Kid A is an example. Another good one is Talk Talk's change from 80's synth pop to.. well, I don't know exactly what one would call Spirit of Eden or Laughing Stock. Slow, dark soul? I'm just looking to hear about any major change in a band's direction, for better or worse.

Been listening to:
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Like Bad News (I didn't care for this disc as much as their others at first, but it's finally clicked with me. My favorite song right now is "The View," but the whole thing's pretty nifty...even if it is more polished than their earlier stuff.)

Trey Anastasio - S/T (Pulled it out after not hearing it for a while. It's probably the best studio album that Phish has ever released...individually or collectively. Hope Mr. Anastasio gives us a bit of a tour with his side project this year.)

The day after... - The Weight of All Things (One of the better LV local bands I've heard. The album is fairly well-produced, and the lead singer's got an amazing voice. Really like their cover of Dramarama's "Anything Anything" though their originals are really strong as well.)

Ambulance LTD - LP (Really dig this disc too...nice break from the Strokes-y stuff coming out of NY nowadays)

Just picked up today...
David Cross - It's Not Funny
Los Lobos - The Ride
Pinback - Blue Screen Life

Since I haven't bought a new cd in ages...

Blue October - History for Sale

Excellent CD. A great mix of hard stuff ("Razorblade", "Somebody") and mellow semi-love songs ("Amazing", "Calling You"). I always love CD's that have at least a couple of songs that I'll enjoy no matter what I'm in the mood for.

Barenaked Ladies - Greatest Hits

I'm in a feel-good, summery mode. What can I say?

Automato, Automato
-Liking this a lot. Thanks, Yancey. For those who don't know, Automato is the sole hip-hop "project" (I really don't like that word...) of the DFA, producers of The Rapture.

Murs, Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition
Kno, White Albulum
Joanna Newsom, The Milk-Eyed Mender
Devendra Banhart, Rejoicing in the Hands
Fiery Furnaces, Blueberry Boat
-Wow, talk about being put on a fence! This is either one of the most spectacular albums I've heard this year or one of the most awkward messes I've heard EVER.

Jolie Holland, Catalpa & Escondida

AoTD: Mmm, I don't know that this really counts, Sumner & co's move from Joy Division to New Order was pretty surprising. (Well, I'm assuming that it was. I wasn't alive at the time.) Speaking of one in my list, Murs was allegedly part of Digital Underground (ya know, "The Humpty Dance") and is now a backpacker on Def Jux (and he sings about not getting women).

In my car's CD changer right now:

Morrissey: "Vauxhall and I"
Paul Van Dyke: "Out and Back Again" (first disc)
Dismemberment Plan: "Change"
Abba: "Definitive Collection" (second disc)
Swervedriver "Ejector Seat Reservation"
...and a mix I made with some Flaming Lips, British Sea Power and G!YBE.

in my car

Beatles - Beatles for Sale
Vines - Winning Days
Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way Baby
Massive Attack - 100th Window
Garbage - Garbage
David Gray - New Day at Midnight
Kanye West - College Dropout
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek - Eternal Reflection

At my desk:

CD player: Outkast - The Love Below
Cassette player: Some Kind of Wonderful Soundtrack

In my car:

Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats

the automato record would be immeasurably better if it was instrumental, but i'll take what i can get.

How is this? I haven't read any reviews or heard any of the songs yet.

As for my listening habits today....

It's Not Funny - David Cross
You Are Free - Cat Power
American Water - Silver Jews
Our Endless Numbered Days - Iron & Wine
On My Way - Ben Kweller
This Is Easy (Best of) - Marshall Crenshaw
The Nothing To Attract You EP - Old 97s

Gamblor...for the most part, I really liked it. Their strongest studio album in a long while, methinks (though I was underwhelmed by Good Morning Aztlan). Can't do a song-by-song review as I've only listened to it twice, but it's damned good...probably the most creative they've been since Kiko. The Tom Waits track is really different than any other Los Lobos I've ever heard.

Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power
Bob Mould - Workbook
Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band - Vol. 1

AOTD: Nothing radical comes to mind. I know Bob Mould veered hard into electronica after his Husker Du/solo/Sugar days, but I've never heard any of the stuff.

I'm not listening to any new stuff right now.

Radiohead - The Bends
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun (sp?)
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica
Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On

Fear Factory - Archetype
Slipknot - Iowa
Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction
Fuel - the latest one
Sevendust - Southside