2 posts from January 2009
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Fever Ray, the self-titled solo album from The Knife's Karin Dreijer is now available for download. I am already swooning by the third track. Here is the video for first single "If I Had a Heart":
Karin will also be providing a guest appearance on the upcoming Royksopp album, Junior, due in March. According to stereogum, other guest vocalists include previous collaborator Anneli Drecker, Lykke Li, & Robyn. That information alone is making my head explode from awesomeness. Here is one of my favorite songs & videos ever, featuring Karin:
Also due in March/April, the sophmore album from Bat For Lashes which I'm sure will be wonderful if it's even a bit as good as Fur and Gold.
Looking forward to new ones from Morrissey, Marianne Faithfull, and Franz Ferdinand which come out soon and later in the year, a new Depeche Mode album is due April 21st.
Another year come and gone already. Lots of good music discoveries this year, who cares if they were officially released in 2008 or not! Saw lots of great shows, most notably Joanna Newsom with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Also: M83, Presets, Robyn, Lykke Li, Basia Bulat, St. Vincent. It was an up & down year for me personally, but very exciting for the country and hopefully the world. We need to start undoing these mistakes, and stop the current ones in their tracks. Inauguration Day could not come soon enough. But I digress...
10. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Epic synths, Kate Bush in space, The Breakfast Club
9. Santogold - Santogold
Wonderful album semi-produced by the likes of Diplo & Switch with unexpected twists like Siouxsie samples
8. Brazilian Girls - New York City
Eclectic globe-trotting party album
7. Zeigeist - The Jade Motel
More synths, but this time with desperate, moody love songs that are a bit naughty.
6. The Presets - Apocalypso
Very rough but tongue-in-cheek. Not too much of a stretch from Beams, just slightly more refined.
5. The Black Ghosts - The Black Ghosts
Stumbled upon this album and so glad I did. Lovely vocals atop a perfect blend of indie and electro.
4. Lykke Li - Youth Novels
Deeply personal, a bit schizophrenic, with songs that get stuck in your head but you don't mind singing along.
3. Metronomy - Nights Out
Sad love songs over strange samples (creaky door, wha?) and vocal manipulations that border on Mickey Mouse. Somehow it all works beautifully.
2. Portishead - Third
Such a welcome comeback that almost made 10 years worth the wait. More instrumentation, but original style is there and Beth's vocals are still heart-breaking. Beautifully dark lyrics. Let's hope the next album isn't in 20.
1. Róisín Murphy - Overpowered
Róisín Murphy has been in and out of my life several times without me really knowing. I had a Moloko album back in the day but never really caught on. Too bad I lost interest right before they got really good. Ruby Blue was a softer, more personal album. Overpowered is all-out guns-blazing sugary-sweet dance. There is no blend of styles here, she is in a world all her own. Every track has single potential, and even the gimmicky ones are just too fun to ignore. 100% guilt-free pop music, if only every artist could raise the bar this high it'd be a much more interesting landscape. She's what Post-era Bjork was, what Goldfrapp aspires to be, what Kylie Minogue would be if she had a little more, and I mean this in the nicest way, depth. Sincere, honest, technical, but all with a sense of humor. I don't care if this was released in 07 08 or 09.
Well that's it, hope you see something you like! Happy New Year! A few videos below:
