YTD recordings listened to: 339
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 223
Not good music: 95
Buys: 10
Possibles: Sidsel Endresen & Stan Westerhus, Boyd Rivers, Abdoulaye Alhassane Toure, Cryptopsy, Nick Waterhouse, Patterson Hood, Skyzoo, Chris McGregor, Brother Ali (2009), Alvin Youngblood Hart, Bob Gluck Trio, Ether Net, Oddisee, Holly Williams, Matt Davis’ Aerial Photograph, Hollis Brown, Dave Arner Trio, Graveola, Safe Haven, Cyanide Pills, Har Mar Superstar, Trap Them
@@@ Loon Lake: On Fire (Loon Lake, 2013). Just the single from an upcoming that I found over here at The Music Ninja. Why can’t we just spin a record and have a good time? This is feel good uptempo mainstream rock with a couple of electro touches for current flavor of the week points. It’s got a Death Cab for Cutie with a tablespoon of Cheap Trick. I guess this is from a record coming out at the end of this year, which means it’s a PR music pimp planting the seed for later so let’s all take a shit on this just for that PR hack. Boo!!! Hiss!!!. Hate the player, hate the game, that’s what I always say.
@@@ The Neighborhood: Sweater Weather (Columbia Records, 2013). I googled top music blogs and ended up over here at the Kings of A&R where they were raving about this outfit, The Neighborhood. This tune is your mindless, overproduced major label dreck. The singer is singing like he’s about to jizz his pants and I hate on that shit hard. He’s on about his girl putting her hands in the holes in his sweater. I’m sure all his sweaters are completely 100% intact with no slackness or God forbid, holes. The song does have an interesting down tempo change mid-way through but it’s just too much with this guy and his girl and the sweater. What a load of horseshit.
@@@ Syriana: The Road to Damascus (Real World, 2013). You can read the story over here at Splinters and Candy. It is world music based around an ancient 81 string Arabic dulcimer with some electric guitar and percussion accompaniment. I’m not a huge fan of the production on the title track opener. Too soundtrack-y. I’ll give it more time. The second tune Syriana has the same feel to it. I like the playing without loving it — it’s too epic for my taste but check it out for yourself.
@@@ LL Cool J: Authentic (429 Records, 2013). From the MOG new release page. I like the first tune, Bath Salt — there are a couple of good lines in there, but the second tune….ouch. A power ballad with a cheesy rock guitar solo and a lot of earnest hoo hah. Oh, the third tune, New Love is a new jack celebration of boning with a club ready production sound to it. Oh well, I liked the first tune.
@@@ Blackout Beach: Fuck Death (Dead Oceans, 2011) I was looking for the new record after seeing it on CFUV’s weekly playlist, but this one is on MOG and I feel lazy today. Ah, the fine indie electronic sub-genre, I love it! I can not get me enough of that mope-y, feelings based slow indie electronic music!!!! Sock it to me. This is downtempo electronic with a breath-y male singer. Extremely emotional music, almost painfully so.
The Cross Pollinator 