So we're... blah blah blah... of the way through 2009; what records are worth listening to so far?

I'm always late to the party (its why I lurk here, after all), and most of my compelling listens (Bat for Lashes, Fever Ray, half of the Juan McLean) are well-repped for upthread. I thought I'd call your attention to:

Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping its Clothes on the Street

A return to ECM, and also a return to the sound of the ECM albums. Too early for a final verdict, but I suspect it will hold up as well as Aka/Darbari/Java

Tim Exile - Listening Tree

I sort of wrote him off as another latecomer to drill n'bass, and his second gabberistic solo album sounded like IDM comedy hour. This is something else: a tribute to classic electro pop, while retaining all the studio wizardry - of this album arguably has as much as any other album in this thread. The short take (I've probably read somewhere) is Squarepusher covering Human League. The argument against is Exile's long, unresolved vocal melodies and the detached, clinical lyrics. Some of the reviews allege weak vocals, but they're no weaker than many of the genre classics. On constant rotation for the past two weeks, and I'm still hearing new things. On Warp.

dirty projectors, bitte orca

babe, terror, weekend

bill callahan, sometimes i wish we were an eagle

animal collective, merriweather post pavillion

odd nosdam, t.i.m.e soundtrack

matt & kim, grand

bob dylan, the new album

if i had to break it down to a whiney g extent:

9.0
the-dream
james blackshaw

8.5
yeah yeah yeahs
dirty projectors

8.0
ugk
ryan leslie
antony and the johnsons
neko case
ciara
lily allen
death

7.5
PPP
animal collective
eleni mandell
ida maria
morrissey
dan deacon
keri hilson
phoenix
the field

from ciara to eleni mandell is pretty fluid tho

(and now i have to hear the persian electronic music disc that sub rosa put out previously.)

You mean this disc?

yah, that's the one.

Higamos Hogamos - Higamos Hogamos

Yeah, that one sounds rather fine.

Also these:
The Saboten, Exa Pieco
David Åhlén, We Sprout In Thy Soil

Hey, that Dirty Projectors album… I realize that I'm copping to a miss-the-point, but I tend to like them except when the main guy is singing alone. Is there a lot of that on the new album? Seriously, when I've seen them live or listened to the album, it's always been with a "Shut up and let the girls sing" feeling, and so I wonder if I should investigate them again or if I'm still gonna be annoyed.

omar rodriguez-lopez

Hey kamerad, out of curiosity which OR-L release are you tossing in here? I've heard and enjoyed (more than I expected to anyway) New Money, but I wanted to see if you might be talking about one of the other 3 or 4 albums he's put out this year.

Here's my official list that kevin k is bitin.

http://www.aprilfish.net/?p=474

new money. haven't heard the others

Just realized that was Old Money, not New, but yeah, thanks. Just wanted to see if there was another worth tracking down.

yeah whatever it is. it's better to me than any mars volta album (which i realize isn't saying much) and my favorite thing i've heard he's been involved with since relationship of command

D. Rider - Mother of Curses

^^seriously this is my fav record of the year and i really really hope ppl will give it a chance, it's Todd from US Maple's new thing but it doesn't sound like US Maple (though his guitar style is very distinctive)...kinda fucked up, throbbing electronics with heavy triggered drums, lots of grinding low end, plus some baritone sax bleating....really rhythmic and kinda funky in a way....Todd's definitely a great frontman, very aristocratic and sort of cruel sounding....

but imagine i dunno...like you know how you want to like TV on the Radio when you read about TV on the Radio but then TV on the Radio just sounds, well, too much like how TV on the Radio sounds and not as much like this awesome polygot electro rock thing that's in your mind...well D. Rider sounds like how i want TV on the Radio to sound...

other RIYLs include maybe late period 90 Day Men....and obv. Todd brings his sort of warped genius guitar like Fripp by way of Beefheart stylee....

late period 90 Day Men

hmm apparently this record is for me.

yeah i bet you would like it. not that it necessarily sounds like them exactly, like d. rider sounds like itself to me, which is a good thing for the band

tyvek s/t
group bombino - guitars from agadez vol. 2
fever ray s/t
world's lousy w/ ideas vol. 8
kurt vile - god is saying this to you (probably 2008 I guess)
wooden shjips - dos

dj mixes:
twitch - 60 minutes of fear
omar-s - fabric 45: detroit
ame/henrik schwarz/dixon - the grandfather paradox

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/images/original/149428.Dirty%20Projectors%20Coverart.jpg

http://www.230publicity.com/images/japandroids_cover.jpg

http://images.google.com.br/url?source=imgres&ct=tbn&q=http://tonemarrowreviews.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/here_we_go_magic_album_cover1.jpg&usg=AFQjCNH0EverrmykW8sN5JD2WEBCvQtZHw

http://perdizesdream.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/roughweekend1-cut.jpg

http://images.google.com.br/url?source=imgres&ct=tbn&q=http://www.redimg.net/archivos/519/Casiotone%2520For%2520The%2520Painfully%2520Alone%2520-%2520Vs%2520Children%2520(2009).jpg&usg=AFQjCNE0yYAot8CDy_XHvgrscNk0uUIquA

(first is Dirty Projectors, 5th is Casiotone for the Painfully Alone)

casiotone's covers are great. apart from the one for the ep he released for my friend's label. which was a bit wank.

Michachu and The Shapes - Jewellery (can't believe there's not more ILX love for this - deserves some beyond the rolling indie thread)
The Sight Below - Glider
Prins Thomas and Lindstrom - II
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Here We Go Magic - S/T
The Field - Yesterday and Today
Joris Voorn - Balance 14
Dixon/Ame/Schwarz - The Grandfather Paradox
Paul Kalkbrenner - Berlin Calling OST

My laptop broke in January so I've not been checking out music quite as much as normal till a few weeks ago when I got my new computer. This thread is great for recommendations. Thanks everyone.

instead of opening word, the worst computer program in the world, i'm going to update my list for personal archival purposes here

1 the-dream - love vs money
2 phoenix - wolfgang amadeus phoenix
3 yeah yeah yeahs - it's blitz!
4 green day - 21st century breakdown
5 junior boys - begone dull care
6 ugk - 4 life
7 electrik red - how to be a lady: volume 1
8 passion pit - manners
9 ryan leslie - ryan leslie
10 lil boosie - thug passion
11 gucci mane - zone 6 polar bear: gucci the glacier
12 dirty projectors - bitte orca
13 camera obscura - my maudlin career
14 lindstrøm & prins thomas - II
15 the juan maclean - the future will come

The Micachu album is wicked, aye.

I'm thinking this at the moment:

The-Dream - Love vs Money
Crazy Cousinz - This Is UK Funky
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Silkie - City Limits Volume One
Electrik Red - How To Be A Lady, Part One
Mungolian Jet Set - We Gave It All Away... Now We're Taking It Back
Meanderthals - Desire Lines
DJ Koze - Reinterpretations
Lindstrom & Prins Thomas - II
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deux
The Juan Maclean - The Future Will Come
Henrik Schwarz, Ame, Dixon - The Grandfather Paradox
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Courtney Love - Nobody's Daughter

Courtney Love - Nobody's Daughter

??? this is a thing now?

Yes! It's really good! Blowsy, bluesy, dylanesque confessional record.

In fact I was planning to revive a courtney thread just to talk about it.

"Michachu and The Shapes - Jewellery"

i luv this:

you like dirty projectors, tim?! :(

excited about c-love though

In fact I was planning to revive a courtney thread just to talk about it.

― Tim F, Friday, 22 May 2009 13:35 (23 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

do it! i havent heard anything abt it - is it at all fleetwood mac-y??

Yes! It's really good! Blowsy, bluesy, dylanesque confessional record.

Since when is a Courtney Love record *not* confessional?

you like dirty projectors, tim?! :(

everybody's doin it, lex

the water's fine etc

Lex likes Elbow and Electrelane. This popfairy lark is just a sham.

I like "The Stillness Is A Move" (Gang Gang Dance meets School of Seven Bells) much more than anything else on the Dirty Projectors album, but the rest reminds of the second Bows album and I can fuck with that.

Re Courtney - strictly, the new album is no more confessional than ever - her lyrical style hasn't changed a jot - but the album feels like something of a homage to confessional records, from the cover on in.

"gang gang dance meets school of 7 bells" - in its fucking dreams maybe

though i;m guessing those are mostly taken up by bjork

have you listened to that actual song though lex? I would have thought you would love it. The rest of the record sounds nothing like that unfortunately.

has there been any talk about that mungolian jet set anywhere on ilm? more space disco right?

dude "stillness" is nice but it's like the fourth or fifth best song on the album maybe

xp tim i know singles jukebox did an entry on "stillness" and if memory serves, lex hated it

Ha, the funny thing is, I even read that review (before I heard the DP album) but I didn't associate it with the song because no way does that singer remind me of Bjork.

I mean for that you've gotta go to Cortney Tidwell (whose new album is really good sounding, don't get me wrong - but she really does sound exactly like Bjork, especially when she starts playing with clicks&cuts style loops and it's like Verspertine 101).

Jordan, I think we're starting to talk about the mungolian jet set album on the mungolian jet set thread. Most of it is made up of stuff they've already released or had on their myspace - largely remixes and a smattering of new tracks.

I said she sounds like a cross between bjork and aaliyah, but that may have been entirely through lack of imagination

btw sarges, holla @ notepad.exe

The Bjork referencing is surely 90% because they've just worked with her yeah? It would never have occurred to me to make the connection otherwise.

btw sarges, holla @ notepad.exe

― chillin with my ella (The Reverend), Saturday, May 23, 2009 12:57 AM (42 minutes ago) Bookmark

rly tho

I was unaware they worked w/ her and knew basically zero about them coming in.

i didn't know they'd worked w/her either - specifically it reminded me of 'alarm call', like, LOADS - admittedly this isn't björk's usual mode but the similarity was so pronounced. (except for dirty projectors being shit, obv.)

the cortney tidwell album is brilliant.

the similarity was so pronounced. (except for dirty projectors being shit, obv.)

So funny and so, so, so true.

Guido Möbius's Gebirge sounds also solid (at least on first two listens it does :)

ok, probably forgetting still, but here i go again:
1. The-Dream - Love vs. Money
2. Cortney Tidwell - Boys
3. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
4. James Blackshaw - The Glass Bead Game
5. Electrik Red - How To Be a Lady Vol. 1
6. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Game
7. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
8. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
9. Baby Talk - Lush Life EP
10. The Thermals - Now We Can See

Singles
1. Demi Lovato - "Don't Forget"
2. Free Energy - "Dream City"
3. Lily Allen - "The Fear"
4. Jamie Foxx feat. T. Pain - "Blame It"
5. House of House - "Rushing to Paradise"
6. Cassie - "Summer Charm"
7. Jeremih - "Birthday Sex"
8. Phoenix - "Lisztomania"
9. Keri Hilson feat. Lil Wayne - "Turnin' Me On"
10. Ramzi Awn - "In the House"