Barry Black - Barry Black
Eric Bachmann side project. Avant-melodic? Free-form structure? It's odd, but I like it.

Echobelly - Gravity Pulls
Mellowish Brit-rock. Singer has a gorgeous voice. Smart and wise. Love it.

Gary Numan - Hybrid
No, this does NOT belong in the Cobweb Rock forum. Numan does NOT sound like he used to. He DOES sound like the end of the world, screaming as it descends into a very black mood. This is a remix double CD of his (mostly recent) work. Love it.

The Wrens - The Meadowlands
Brilliant and diverse rock music. Destined to be a classic. Just go buy it, it's worth it.

The Fire Theft - The Fire Theft
Sunny Day Real Estate grows up, and gains complexity and inner strength in the process. But I repeat myself...

XOXOXO - XOXOXO
New wave synth-pop redux. Fun and surprisingly good, though it is very rough around the edges and has noticeable flaws.

Idle Wilds - Unheard
Criminally ignored power pop band. As good as ANY power pop I've ever heard, and smarter than much of it.

Rosie Thomas - When We Were Small
Very pretty, singer-songwriterish, piano central to arrangements. Simpler, straightforward, open, very nice.

Pedro The Lion - Achilles Heel
Not as somber as Bazan's recent work. Wordy, drawn-out rock. Still evaluating it, but sounds good so far.

The Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart
The sky must be falling, because a major label sub-label signed a good band. Emoish rock. Nicely melodic.

Camera Obscura - Underachievers Please Try Harder
A contemporary band making 60's pop music, like Belle And Sebastian prior to their latest album. Excellent.

Curve - Pubic Fruit
A poppier My Bloody Valentine on steroids. Grinding guitars, drum machines, tortured synths, a wailing banshee of a singer. Yee-haw.

Paul van Dyk - Reflections
Techno. Progressive trance, technically. Flawed in places, and not nearly as consistent as his best work, but very good overall.

Fruit Bats - Echolocation
Folk/Americana with a twisted pop bent. Predecessor to the brilliant Mouthfuls. Not as developed as Mouthfuls, but clearly displays the same intent.

Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
Indie rock at it's finest. Smart, current, outstanding.

Probably all of these can be legally sampled at CD Connection. If they're not there, try Tower Records next, and then Amazon.

_____________________________

"The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world."

--Gore Vidal

 Nice list - JustinPoss 07:14:36 07/19/04 (1)
 Re: Nice list - Todd B. 01:17:38 07/29/04 (0)
 Re: What have you been listening to lately? Helen Kane - hey its new pop to me (nt) - freddyi 07:30:10 06/26/04 (0)

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Show full thread outline!

 Nice list - JustinPoss 07:14:36 07/19/04 (1)
 Re: Nice list - Todd B. 01:17:38 07/29/04 (0)
 Re: What have you been listening to lately? Helen Kane - hey its new pop to me (nt) - freddyi 07:30:10 06/26/04 (0)
 Rachael Yamagata. - TAFKA Steve 05:59:42 06/16/04 (2)
 Oooh, yeah. - Jon L 07:29:07 06/19/04 (0)
 I'm going to see her on tuesday..... - Puma 17:17:34 06/18/04 (0)

Also listening to Twista's Kamikaze and a lot of 90's soul. Making a DJ playlist for a dance.

For some reason, I can't listen to Aimee Mann for more than 10 minutes at a time (I have "Bachelor #1" and "Lost in Space") b/c I get bored. But every time I try Yamagata, I have to finish the whole thing..

For me:

The Postal Service : Give Up
More Ben Gibbard, but his voice seems to be a little less whiny on this album than DCFC. Its electro pop, almost along the lines of video game music, with the aforementioned lyrics and singing on top. Interestingly enough, the band was so named because Jimmy Tamborello would write the music, then mail the tapes to Gibbard, who would then add on the melodies. Interesting concept.

Trashcan Sinatras : Weightlifting EP
Precursor to their upcoming full length on SPINart after an 8 year hiatus. The melancholy yet breathtakingly beautiful melodies and music are still pervasive, but they also get uptempo with "All the dark horses" One of the best bands ever.

Los Lobos : The Ride

Typically eclectic release from this band. They have a slew of guests on this one: Cafe Tacuba, Little Willie G, Dave Alvin, Bobby Womack, Tom Waits and Martha Gonzales, Ruben Blades, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello and Mavis Staples.

Devendra Banhart : Rejoicing in the Hands

Quirky neo folkster with a penchant for inventive melodies and a truly unique vocal delivery. He reigns himself in much more than on his debut effort, making it much more listenable, but still different enough to keep your attention.

Ambulance LTD : Self Titled

A nice catch all debut from another New York band. Their sound ranges from mid eighties Manchester sound to Velvet Underground fare (They cover one at the end of the effort). OPens up with a rocking instrumental and doesn't let you down from there.

Broken Social Scene : You forgot it in people

The best album I have bought in maybe the past two years. This album is cohesive yet disparate. A fantastic blend of proficient and patient instrumentals with straight ahead rock and dissonant horns. There are several instrumentals interlaced amongst songs with intelligent, inventive lyrics and fantastic vocal performances. I can not recommend this album enough.

I didnt mean this to be so long, I hope someone actually reads it all!

There are indeed a number of really good lines on Mouthfuls. It's better than their debut release, and I would recommend picking it up first.

I like that BSS release, too. What's amazing is that they maintained the quality of the music while shuffling something like 12 or so people in and out of the band.

_____________________________

"The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world."

--Gore Vidal