fever ray: fever ray

oh, karin dreijer, we knew you were creepy, but we had no idea just how scary you could possibly be. for those of you who don’t know who this remarkable lady is, karin is one half of the ultra-cool swedish electro-pop band the knife. since 1999, karin and her brother made some of the most skin-crawling electronica i have ever heard, and after 2006′s acclaimed album <i>silent shout</i>, karin has decided to go it alone under the guise of fever ray. you know, i was really hoping for a new knife album this year, but i will settle for fever ray’s self-titled long player. the music is even creepier than the knife’s, if that’s even possible, with karin crafting dark electronica that is paired with primal, almost tribal-sounding vocals on most of the tracks. karin has really outdone herself with this, and i think it’s insane that i have two albums in the same week that could easilly end up on my best-of-the-year list. as fever ray, karin really shines with songs that that are addictive upon the first listen. i didn’t know what to make of this album when the first single, “if i had a heart” was released, but i still bought the album first thing last tuesday when it was available for download and i don’t regret it at all. that is not even close to being the high point of the album and this is a neccessary addition to anyone’s library who loves the knife or electronica.

antony and the johnsons: the crying light.

alright, well, we all know how excited i have been for the release of this album. i have been waiting for new antony and the johnsons since i am a bird now graced my ears almost three years ago. and now my dreams have finally been answered. yes, i know, antony i have downloaded a totally pirated copy of this masterpiece, but don’t you ever mind. i’ll still be first in line to get my real copy come january 20, but how could you possibly expect me to wait until then to download it and give it a listen? this album is the first one of the year that will definitely be a contender for album of the year. the crying light is everything i expected and more from my favorite contemporary artist. the delicacy is there. the exquisite lyrics are there. the longing and the yearing is there. the ache of wanting so much more is held so delicately in the vibrato. this album is perfect in every way, shape, and form. i really was quite worried that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, but it honestly blew them away. how can one person possess such emotion? it’s amazing. it’s mind-blowing. it’s antony. i usually name the best tracks, but they’re all good. don’t download the pirated copy. just buy it. please. support such a great artist of our time.

justice: a cross the universe

i bought this on a whim, because i received a $15 itunes gift card and i was like, “well this isn’t going to cover the cost of two albums, so i’ve got a definite predicament. and behold, the new live justice album a cross the universe was $14.99. perfect. i really didn’t know what to expect from the album. i, sadly, have never gotten to see justice live in concert, so i figured this was as close as i was going to get for the time being [fuck living in indiana]. anyway, i wish i would have heard this before i made my end of the year list because this would have made it. the album captures exactly what i would expect  a justice concert to be like, and the remixes the duo do to their own songs is quite fantastic. i would say this is the best live album i’ve heard since daft punk’s <i>alive</i> in 2007. if you’re a justice fan, you need to get your hands on a copy of this immediately. and it comes with a video documentary which was pretty bomb as well. go spend the $14.95 and be happy.

new antony and the johnsons.

no one could possibly be more excited for this than i. i have been waiting for the new antony and the johnsons album since i am a bird now came out three years ago. antony is quite possibly the most gifted artist in the world, in my humble opinion. i love everything he has ever done. thank god, i only have a little more than a month to wait for his new album, the crying light. just thinking about it is giving me shivers. you can best believe that i’ll have a review of it up first thing when i can lay my hands on a copy. this shit is going to be amazing. another world left me so hungry for so much more. oh please, january 21, get her as soon as possible. and let’s also talk about the artwork for a second. could antony get anymore amazingly creepy than this. god love him. it must be such an honor to truly know such a person.

tracklist:
01. her eyes are underneath the ground
02. epilepsy is dancing
03. one dove
04. kiss my name
05. the crying light
06. another world
07. daylight and the sun
08. aeon
09. dust and water
10. everglade

pre-order here.

honorable mentions 2008.

okay, so after looking over my list, i realized i needed to add an honorable mention part to this, because there was so much good music this year. here are my five albums that still caught my attention that just were under the cut.

01. why?: alopecia

02. kanye west: 808s and heartbreak

03. mates of state: re-arrange us

04. luomo: convival

05. frightened rabbit: midnight organ fight

best albums of 2008.

alright, it’s finally that time. i have compiled all of my music from this year and decided what was the best to my ears. i’ve also got three new categories this year: best eps, worst album and most overrated album. i hope you find this list helpful to you and, in the case of the best music, if you have not heard something yet, find it as quickly as possible and let yourself indulge.

best albums
01. girl talk: feed the animals

02. m83: saturdays = youth

03. cut copy: in ghost colours

04. hercules and love affair: hercules and love affair

05. death cab for cutie: narrow stairs

06. fleet foxes: fleet foxes

07. bon iver: for emma, forever ago

08. lady gaga: the fame

09. school of seven bells: alpinisms

10. the tallest man on earth: shallow grave

best eps.
01. antony and the johnsons: another world

02. the cool kids: the bake sale

03. air france: no way down

04. crystal antlers: crystal antlers

05. fleet foxes: sun giant

worst album of the year.
times new viking: rip it off

most overrated album.
crystal castles: crystal castles

and there you have it. the best and worst of the year. seriously, times new viking, what the hell were you thinking?

i have been gone for too long.

hola, mis amigos.

hello, all. with how little i have been writing this past six months, i’m sure some of you thought that i had given up on  this blog all together. however, you would be wrong, i have just been busy and have had very little to write about lately.

anyway, now i come to you with…

the best songs of 2008
[in an alphabetical order]

01. beyonce: single ladies [put a ring on it].
02. mariah carey: touch my body
03. the cool kids: basement party
04. crystal castles: crimewave
05. cut copy: hearts on fire
06. death cab for cutie: cath…
07. fleet foxes: oliver james
08. frightened rabbit: keep yourself warm
09. hercules and love affair: you belong
10. solange knowles: sandcastle disco
11. lady gaga: the fame
12. luomo: if i can’t
13. m83: kim and jessie
14. conor oberst: cape canaveral
15. katy perry: i kissed a girl
16. school of seven bells: chain
17. britney spears: womanizer
18. the tallest man on earth: the gardener
19. tilly and the wall: pot kettle black
20. kanye west: love lockdown

and there you have it. be sure to be looking for my top albums of the year soon!

margot & the nuclear so & so’s: not animal

margot & the nuclear so and so's.

alright, i don’t think anyone has been waiting as long as i have been for a new margot & the nuclear so and so’s album. no, you just haven’t. i have been listening to them since early in 2005 when my old boss was outside smoking a cigarette with me and she said, “have you heard this new band from indianapolis? margot & and the nuclear so & so’s?” i responded that i hadn’t because i had no faith in my local scene. the local bands that i had heard were all so similar and bland. i refused to listen at first until she sat me down & actually made me listen. & then i fell in love. i don’t know how i ever survived without margot. they are the best thing to come out of indiana possibly ever since cole porter. they have what it takes to be amazing, & i hope they go far. the dust of retreat is by far one of the most amazing albums that came out in 2005. now, for their first follow up since their debut album, they have decided to do something screwy, which i still don’t know how i feel about it. first of all, they decided that they weren’t going to release the actual album animal! on cd. only vinyl. wtf? not fair to all of us who are too poor to afford a record player. very disappointing. & then they decided to release another album of b-side-like material, entitled not animal on cd. go figure. anyway, not animal leaked i do believe just a couple days ago, & thank god, it’s amazing. it makes me wonder what the actual album is going to sound like. after signing to a major label, it’s good to finally find a great band who was not forced to change anything about themselves. this sounds like the same old margot that i have come to love over the past four years, which is a good thing. this ablum holds some of their most amazing gems, such as “broad ripple is burning”, “holy cow!”, “as tall as cliffs”, “the ocean [is bleeding salt]” & “hip hip hooray”.  & then there are new favorites to be had, including “a children’s crusade on acid”, “german motor car” & “cold, kind & lemon eyes”. all in all, not a bad track on the album. i’m so happy the wait is over.

best albums so far 2008.

this list is in alphabetical order because i realized a long time ago that my favorite changes as often as i change my underwear. still, these albums are the love of my life so far for 2008.

atlas sound: let the blind lead those who can see but cannot feel

bon iver: for emma, forever ago

cut/copy: in ghost colours

death cab for cutie: narrow stairs

fleet foxes: fleet foxes

hercules & love affair: hercules & love affair

m83: saturdays = youth

mates of state: re-arrange us

no age: nouns

the tallest man on earth: shallow grave

why?: alopecia

the end.

alanis morissette: flavors of entanglement.

oh my, alanis morissette. you know, maybe i’m the only one but i really think most people assume that after jagged little pill was released, she died. people are so quick to overlook her other fine albums such as supposed former infatuation junkie & my personal favorite under rug swept. this is sad to someone who loves alanis so much. i am a long-time fan, & i don’t see that changing any time soon. anyway, onto her new album, the incredibly alanis-like titled flavors of entanglement. the album is much a departure from any of her other work, most likely caused by her choice of guy sigsworth as her producer this time around. sigsworth is best known for working with madonna & being the rather forgotten male counterpart of imogen heap-fronted frou frou. as you can tell just by the mention of those two names that these are people whose music does not tend to sound like old alanis. this album reaches an all time pop & power pop high for her, & while i can already see a lot of die hards like me turning their noses up, i think that those people are going to be missing out on something really amazing. sure the beats are different. sure there’s not as much rock, but it’s still alanis morissette at the core of it with her unmistakable voice that i fucking love. sometimes change is good & it fits alanis just fine on this record. people who enjoyed her cover of “crazy” will definitely enjoy this album as much as i do. the song would have fit perfectly on here. favorite songs include “underneath”, “straight jacket”, “in praise of the vulnerable man”, “moratorium”, “torch”, “giggling again for no reason” [which easily could be a frou frou song], “tapes”, & “incomplete”. the album will be on store shelves on june 10 & this bitch will be picking up a copy for sure.