Looking at
my purchases I seem to have bought a lot of ‘new’ music over the last few months, by new I
mean by artists that I don’t really know, but I’m interested in due to reviews
I have read or 3rd party recommendations.
I don’t use
Spotify, I have in the past and Last.FM but for some reason I prefer to buy
music unheard sometimes. I’m not sure why, as I’m writing this I think I find
it’s more exciting and also I’m trying to test myself a little bit. Can I make
the right choice my reading music magazines or checking out a tweet from
someone on Twitter who has similar tastes. I know for rock and prog music to
look at what @amcyoung and @HP_Dalen are listening to, @philblogs and I have
alarmingly similar musical tastes I suspect we sometimes are buying the same
albums at the same time in different parts of the UK.
So here we go;
Neal Morse – Lifeline Bought this as it was £3 and read a
lot about the Artist. I like modern progressive music, as made by the likes of
Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta and I like some older progressive rock from the
likes of Genesis etc, this has a foot in both camps in that it’s a modern
artist making music that sounds old, and that’s where it falls down for me. Coupled
with the fact that Morse is a born again Christian so the lyrics reflect this
all leaves me a bit cold. One for the charity bag for I think.
Various Artists – Those Shocking
Shaking Days Indonesian Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive, Rock and Funk 1970-1978
Another £3 purchase
but think this one is staying, as mad as the title suggests, beautifully
packaged with a 64 page booklet. This is great, obscure and worth every penny.
Actually its worth more than £3!
Paul Weller – Sonik Kicks I have struggled with the last few
releases from Weller, call them avante garde call them ground breaking but in
truth they have virtually unlistenable to me. Hoping this one is more
accessible, so it doesn’t just end up on the shelf with the others, played a
couple of times.
Anathema – Falling Deeper A lot of guys talking about this band
on twitter and thought I would give them a go, and I’m glad I did. This album
is a rework of older material with an orchestra and I really like it and it has
made me want to go through their back catalogue. On the back of this purchase I
bought The Silent Enigma and in
truth release that Falling Deeper is
not the true sound of Anathema, this is way too heavy for me vocal wise a
guttural roar made me flick through this album very quickly. Free to a good
home.
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – We Just Did
What Happened And No One Came £3 he cries, for a band I really like, BARGAIN!!!! Nice album
too, that ambient, off kilter, post rock that I love. I tweeted my delight about getting this so cheaply, and this was
picked up by the official Sweet Billy Pilgrim twitter account, who tweeted that
the title basically reflected the album sales!
Various Artists - 7 Worlds Collide
The Sun Came Out The
first 7 Worlds album was live with a bunch of great musicians joining Neil Finn
to run through his back catalogue and a few covers, a lot of those musicians
return, Johnny Marr, Ed and Phil from Radiohead plus we get a host of new guys,
KT Tunstall, Jeff Tweedy plus a few siblings this time to make new music rather
than a rehash of old. 2 Cd's, 24 tracks of varying quality. As with a lot of the
purchases this month I managed to get this for £3 in HMV.
We Are Augustines – Rise Ye Sunken
Ships @choosemymusic
has been banging on about these guys for a love time and although I had
streamed and loved the album I hadn’t got round to buying the album. It’s
brilliant and if you haven’t got it go and get it now.
Howlin Rain – The Russian Wilds My find of the month and maybe the
year, I read a review of this album last month in Classic Rock and marked the
band for further investigation, this month’s magazine had a free CD and the
first track was Self Made Man which opens this album and it is stunning. Rick
Rubin has been involved and although this band sounds like they have been
teleported from the 1970s there is a real modern feel to this album. Epic
springs to mind when I listen to this and so far I haven’t stopped listening to
it for 3 days!
Wintersleep – New Inheritors Another £3 purchase from HMV, bought
after a bit of Internet research. Canadian likened to Band of Horses, first listen
lots to like.
ST. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Has been on the list for a while and looking for to listening as
everybody can’t be wrong....can they?
The Phantom Band – Checkmate Savage Another blind purchase on the back of reviews
and recommendations.
Sharon Van Etten – Tramp Another blind purchase and have been
playing this on loop really great album.
Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires I confess!!! I really like Snow
Patrol. I can’t help it. I have always been a sucker for that middle of the
road melodic rock that Snow Patrol produce and I have no reason to think I
won’t like this.
Various Artists – The State Of Music
Volume 2 + Showcase Special Fellow tweeters and followers of this blog might already know
about series. The brain child of Dominik Paczko this is volume 2 of his quest
to showcase 50 individual bands from across the 50 states of America. I love
volume 2 it is amazing and it will ultimately cost me a lot of money. Too many
great artists to highlight just go
buy this (there are only digital copies left!) The Showcase Special is a limited release to spotlight some of the
bands Dom managed to arrange a live showcase at SXSW. 8 artists’ standout for
me Freak Owls and Houndmouth a couple of real crackers.
Simone Felice – Self Tilted Album –
Live From A Lonely Place Sometimes my wallet takes a hammering on the back of a great live gig,
and Simone Felice cost me a lot of money this week! The gig was fabulous I was
expecting to buy the new album at the gig (and I did) but then I saw the live
album an Internet and gig exclusive CD, purchase number 2.
The Felice Brothers – Lost Tapes
Volume I & II- The Big Empty & Mexico 2 rare CDs of rare demos from Simone
first band, made for purchases 3 & 4!
Simi Stone – Self Titled EP Simi was the support for Simone and a
member of his band and also a member of Simone third band The Duke and The
King, she entertained us with some original material and a great Neil Young
cover and so her EP became purchase number 5!
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls The band of the moment, who I have
been following for about 6 months now. I expect that as I write this they will
be number one in the UK album charts and they deserve all the success that they
get. A tight album that at times sounds like Al Green singing Kings of Leon
sings this album is fresh and exciting. I suspect that this album will hang
about with us for some time.
Goldfrapp – The Singles I have most of these but I would rather buy the album than
set up a play list. Strong album that borrows from the 80’s. A&E is an
amazing track.
Quantic & Alice Russell – Look
Around The Corner recommendation
from a mate of mine and what a recommendation. Summer soul that was a
revelation to me.
Storm Corrosion – Strom Corrosion One of my favourite artists (Steven
Wilson) and rave reviews in all the music magazines left me anticipating a lot
from this album. The jury is still out for me, interesting, layered, complexed
it is all of this, however I can’t really remember any of the music on the CD.
A grower maybe?
The National – Alligator The last piece in my collection. An
album for some reason I thought I had until I came to play it! As all The
National’s album quality understated music. Brilliant.
Maria McKee – Live At The BBC I’m a long term fan of McKee from her
work with Lone Justice and through her varying solo work. This album gives us
to ‘in Concert’ performances from 1991 and 1993. A highly underrated artist who
is worth looking up if you like Americana music.
Admiral Fallow – Tree Bursts In Snow (Limited
Edition) I
pre-ordered this album to get a limited edition poster, the poster is OK but
the star of this show is the music. A fabulous second album from this Scottish
band whose stock I suspect will grow throughout 2012.
Ellen and The Escapades – All The
Crooked Scenes I was
wandering round Fopp in Manchester when a track came on that stopped me in my
tracks was played, the power of Shazam meant I was buying this album 5 minutes
later. What a find. This is the debut album from the Leeds based band and it
hasn’t been far from my CD player for a couple of weeks now.
Paul Buchanan – Mid Air (limited
Edition) Anybody who
knows me will know my love of The Blue Nile and Paul Buchanan, the man can do
no right for me and this album delivers yet again. This album is little more
than Buchanan’s voice and a piano and at times it feels like sketches of songs
that would have evolved into full Blue Nile songs but that’s doing this album a
disservice. The album is fragile and beautiful. At times when listening to this
I have found myself forgetting to breathe as the songs pull you in and demand
attention. The limited edition offered 10 extra tracks sadly 8 are instrumental
versions of the album tracks which although good it’s the 2 ‘new tracks that I
have paid the money for. Have You Ever Been Lonely? And God Is Laughing is as
good as anything on the main album. I suspect this album will be my album of
2012 and that is a bold statement to make in May but this album is that good.
June
All of these
next purchases are from Gizeh Records a small independent record label in
Leeds. I discovered them after buying an album by Sleepingindog at a gig where
they were supporting Low. Looking up the label I found a plethora of post rock
bands at album prices that I couldn’t believe.
We can get
sampler albums for nothing and what they are great at is having 48 hour sales
where all music is reduced by 50%. Most purchases come with a immediate
download so you don’t have to wait for the CD’s to arrive and I can safely say
I have yet to be disappointed by any of the albums I have bought from Gizeh
such is there quality control.
These 5
albums cost me less than £20 including postage, and if you like bands like
Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky I would recommend you take a look at this label
you won’t regret it.
A-Sun Amissa – Desperate In Her Heavy
Sleep
Sleepingindog – Polar Life
Tresspassers William – The Natural
Order Of Things
Glissando – With Are Arms Wide Open
We Walk Towards The Burning Sea
Conquering Animal Sound – Kammerspiel
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