Albums of 2015

[Kaius]

The capitalization of Bears makes it sound like she is singing about the NFL team. That would sell me too.

Joanna Newsom does the Super Bowl Shuffle? Yes, please.

[Kaius]

elvish harp girl singing about Bears in a strange childlike voice.

Sold

what about that sentence sold you?

Oh, I misread that as "elvis harp girl"...

Out.

[William Bloke]

This won't be for everyone but I am really digging Robert Forster's new album Songs to Play. I've always loved The Go-Betweens and am generally a fan of individuality of voice and phrasing. Honest tuneage well delivered. And you can certainly draw a direct line from this gent to Courtney Barnett.

Here's a great live version of Let Me Imagine You from it.

This is a really great album, seriously.

Here's Learn to Burn, bluesy.

[William Bloke]

I actually do remember quite liking Ys when I first heard it as well. Her last few have bored me though. I should still probably check out the new one just on these recommendations.

She can be very pretty indeedy:

[Brett]

Jessica Moss from Silver Mt. Zion recently self-released this album called Under Plastic Island. It's two longform tracks of looped violin, effects, and some sparse vocals. Rooted mostly in drone and minimalism with classical and folk influences.

[Mike]

Still loving the Natalia Lafourcade album. One of my most listend to albums this year.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/natalia-lafou ... V011500538

[super nintendo chalmers]

Sorry if this is a 2x post.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Pretty excited to hear Adele's new album.

[Kevin Davis]

I listened to a few tracks from Joanna Newsom's new album and found it actively offputting -- I just don't think her voice fits with what she's doing musically now at all. Early on, the voice -- with the exaggerated enunciations and at times extremely grating pitch -- and the harp -- melodically rich, technically expert, but raw and immediate nonetheless -- worked together to produce something that was simple, unique, and organic, to say nothing of the wealth of humor in it; there are plenty of moments on her first album that are downright goofy, where you get the sense that what the artist wants is for the listener to know that she's having fun making a spectacle out of a bunch of absurd literary devices. It was a humble display of a staggering intellect.

Much more than any of her technical abilities, it was that charm, that quaintness, that resonated with me, and it seems to be something she's advanced beyond. This strikes me as overly serious music that prizes eccentricity over craft, which is probably a false impression created by the way her advancements sonically have managed to smooth over some of the rough edges that were inherent to her limitations as a solo performer -- which is to say, I feel less like I'm listening to "Joanna Newsom" here, and more like I'm listening to any number of dime-a-dozen mood bands whose lead singer has a weird, annoying voice. Probably not a fair criticism to someone who really "gets" what it is she's trying to do, but I can't deny that it's overwhelmingly the impression I get. She's gone somewhere I can't follow -- seems she was a one shot deal for me, unfortunately.

[Mike]

Aw, that's too bad. What songs did you listen to? Stylistically they're all over the map on this record going from a poppier and eccentric first half to a simpler more stripped down second half. I think that charm you're talking about can still be found in songs like 'Goose Eggs' and 'Waltz Of The 101st Lightborne' on the first half of this record.
She definitely gets a little overtly serious and melodramatic on this record at a few points and I can see how someone could be put off by this. The stretch from 'Divers' to the end has not much fun to offer. It's beautiful and for me it works really well, though. 'Divers' and 'Time, as a Symptom' are two of my favorite things Joanna has done so far. 'You Will Not Take My Heart Alive' and 'A Pin-Light Bent' offer some simplicity and harp-centric songs that are a nice breather after most songs being stuffed with instruments.

I feel less like I'm listening to "Joanna Newsom" here, and more like I'm listening to any number of dime-a-dozen mood bands whose lead singer has a weird, annoying voice.

That's the point I can maybe understand regarding some of the songs but mostly don't agree with. Songs can be kind of overwhelmingly filled with instruments but most of them are purely Joanna. I could image most of them working quite well as Songs with only Piano/Harp. Having listened to Have One On Me (which I still recommend, it's less over the top than Divers) so much might have something to do with that. The change in style isn't quite as abrupt going from that album than from TMEM/Ys.

[i got bugs]

New def leppard leaked

[super nintendo chalmers]

Pretty perfect.

[chewm]

This single remains one of the best things from 2015 for me, side B "Ladder" is even better.

[super nintendo chalmers]

[William Bloke]

Spinning the Mikal Cronin album working from home this afternoon. Good stuff.

Here's Say from it.

[contamination]

Really liking Vulnicura:

[psychobain]

Cage The Elephant just released a new album, produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys, The Arcs)