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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | flalaw@aol.com |
| Subject | Your overlooked 2005 releases? |
| Date | Fri, 02 Dec 2005 22:49:24 -0500 |
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Hey fellow Auditeers!
Time for me to break out of near-total lurkdom to solicit other's picks
for overlooked releases of 2005.
With the year-end best-of lists coming out soon, this would be a good
time to give a shout out to some "sleepers" that have received little
or no mention on the list during the year, or haven't been featured
prominently on sites like NotLame, etc.
Here are some of my picks. If any of these sound interesting to you,
check out the samples:
Randy & The Bloody Lovelies - Lift
http://cdbaby.com/cd/bloodylovelies2
Great collection of 70's inspired piano-pop. Reminds me of Chris Rea
singing slightly less acerbic Randy Newman-style songs. "Pop" (now
there's a great song title) and "Isabella" are two of my favorite
tracks of 2005.
Joe Lies - Joe Lies
http://cdbaby.com/cd/joeliesmusic
At the other end of the pop spectrum, Joe Lies put (puts?) the power
into power pop. Usual suspects apply when it comes to comparisons:
Cheap Trick, Weezer, etc. This one snuck up on me.
Derby - This Is The New You
http://cdbaby.com/cd/derbyrock
This release got some brief mentions on this list, and was heralded on
the NotLame home page, so technically it doesn't meet the criteria I
set forth above. But I'm making an exception for two reasons; 1) it
came out all the way back in February, so it might have fallen off some
people's radars, and 2) it's absolutely my #1 favorite album of the
year. It's not often a band can make a distinctively Beatlesque record
yet still maintain their own identifiable sound, but Derby has done
that.
David Doll - Self-Titled EP
http://cdbaby.com/cd/daviddoll
4 songs of vintage, inspired power pop, especially "Comeback Special"
and "Sleep". Give us a full-length, David!
Wiretree - Wiretree EP
http://cdbaby.com/cd/wiretree
Another great EP, but with a more reflective sound. "Find a Way" is a
stunning track, reminiscent in some spots of the Smithereens' "Blood
and Roses", yet has a piano bit right out of "In My Life" pop up in the
middle. Plus, it's worth checking out the cdbaby page for the User
Comment of The Year: the artist's mom praises the record, tells him to
call, and leaves her number.
The Seldon Plan - Making Circles
http://cdbaby.com/cd/seldonplan
A great record that sounds a bit "indie rock" at first, but really
grows on you. Some Nada Surf/Teenage Fanclub influences at work here
as well. And it's only $8 at cdbaby.
The Village Green - The Village Green EP
http://cdbaby.com/cd/tvg
2005 is shaping up to be the year of the EP in my book, as you might
have figured out here by now (there were several other great EPs that
came out this year that weren't overlooked - David Mead, The Brokedown,
etc. as well). Aside from the obvious Kinks reference, these guys
breathe new life into the Oasis brit-pop sound with some standard
American power pop influence as well.
I'd be interested in hearing about some other 2005 discoveries that may
have flown under the radar, so let's have them. Nothing keeps me going
more as a music fan than the thought that there's a great record out
there that I haven't heard yet.
Steve Ferra
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