Playlouder - Music is the Network

So... what have you got shortlisted for your end-of-year lists by now, since it's the halfway point?

Likely candidates for me include:

Aidan John Moffat - I Can Hear Your Heart
The Chap - Mega Breakfast
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Hercules and Love Affair - S/T
Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Glass Candy - Beat Box
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt.

How about your good selves?

Mycobbled-together list goes:

1) Spiritual Front – Armageddon Gigolo (2006)

note the untimeliness of its inclusion. Still - best 'new' album I've heard so far by half a mile.

2) The Indelicates – American Demo

hah. i was just about to pick you up on that

3) Gentle Touch – In Memory of Savannah

4) They Came From The Stars I Saw Them – We Are All In The Gutter But Some of Us Are Looking At They Came From The Stars I Saw Them

5) British Sea Power – Do you Like Rock Music?

6) Wild Beasts – Limbo, Panto

7) The Teenagers – Reality Check

8) Akira The Don - Thieving

9) Back One Out – Helpless (2007)

10) Pale Man Made – Oh, My Treasured Things

right - tag MARATHON

a couple repeats:

Bon Iver, Wild Beats, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan

Elbow, Goldfrapp, Ladytron, Martha Wainwright, Neon Neon, and Zeigeist

One or two similarities, in descending order: 1: Eels : Useless Trinkets, 2 : Akira The Don : Thieving, 3 : Those Poor Bastards : The Plague, 4 : Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell : Sunday At Devil Dirt, 5 : Jeffrey Lewis : Twelve Crass Songs, 6 : Hercules & Love Affair, 7 : Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds : Dig Lazarus Dig, 8 : The Teenagers : Reality Check, 9 : Joe Purdy : Canyon 10: The Indelicates : American Demo, because we do indeed, hate the kids.

I know at least one of those is from the arse end of last year but what can you do? I like it.

that always annoys me when I discover a really good record then find out it was the previous calendar year. That happened to me last year with The Blow's album. It would've been my #1 otherwise...

I know, I'm usually quite late to the dance with some albums

There were a few that I had to leave out because they have been out quite a while and so would be pushing it.

yeah.

I'd probaby have Alizee in there... but that was like late December really...

Oh and Gonzales' Soft Power was awesome as well, Damn, forgot about that for a moment.

My albums list will no doubt be clogged with the same as everyone else. Bon Iver, Titus Andronicus, Fuck Buttons, Hold Steady, Sun Kil Moon etc etc etc. But I will single out the Titus Andronicus album, not least for the opening track, which is the best thing I've heard in years.

Lust Lust Lust was last year? duude.

really?

shit, ah well

so hot

The Indelicates float my boat (Julia Indelicate particularly so), but I prefer to reserve judgement in general until later in the year.

i've dropped off PR mailing lists and so haven't heard anything 'new' in 2008. not into all this acoustic/psyche stuff, and indie guitars as you know bore me to tears. so this means that so far 2008 is a dry run for me. though i'm beginning to think i should get the Midnight Juggernauts album. anyways, heres a list of albums i have enjoyed : the black dog, IDC (this is great electro-noise-dance that - but no promotion budget means its going to go unloved), the black ghosts mixtape, pop levis new album (a lot better than his debut - more focus, better songs), and the new album by tokyo police club. however, i cant deny that the year is all about the forthcoming Madness album, as i suspect its going to be a darker take on their sound a la their lost classic, "The Rise and Fall".

Madness? Groo...

the new silver jews record

the new my mmorning jacket one

um

fuck buttons

indian jewlerly

lil wayne

nick cave

these new puritans

im wriitng all the name of the bands here, too lazy to track down the titles!

just a quick follow up : the midnight juggernauts album is great. Justice vs "Time" era ELO (ie the synth pop period). Loving it.

this balearic revival thing is rather lovely aint it. Studio and A Mountain of One have dominated my word in recent times. Maybe too mellow and coffee table for you noisemeisters, but hey, i can cope.