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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Scotthomewood@cs.com |
| Subject | Re: Faves of 2008...and then some! |
| Date | Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:42:22 -0500 |
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Didn't the New Odds CD come out last year or is this their second one since reforming?
Scott Homewood
"Christopher Kouzes" <Christopher.Kouzes@btol.com> wrote:
>Glad to see some love for the Boris Still..., Greg Pope, Frank Ciampi,
>Sloan, Jellybricks, and Class Three Overbite albums. All got lots of
>play this year around my house.
>
>2009 will start off strong. I just got an advance of the new Odds CD.
>Sounds pretty dang sweet.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: audities-owner@smoe.org [mailto:audities-owner@smoe.org] On Behalf
>Of Jeff Shelton
>Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 1:56 PM
>To: audities@smoe.org
>Cc: matt.whitby@gmail.com
>Subject: Faves of 2008...and then some!
>
>Here we go....
>
>
>1. SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN - Pershing
>www.myspace.com/boris
>From the fertile soils of Springfield, Missouri!! If the Shins made
>sunnier,
>more accessible pop and if Death Cab gave their overwrought sentiments a
>rest and focused more on good songs they might sound something like this
>band. There is not one dud on this debut album. Perfect uncomplicated,
>yet
>supremely well crafted. Just as good pop album should be.
>
>2. FRIENDLY FOES - Born Radical
>www.myspace.com/friendlyfoes
>Wow! Straight outta left field comes this Detroit band with pure
>balls-to-the-wall melodic assault that recalls the New Pornographers and
>their most spastic ("Electric Version" era) and TSAR at the their most
>melodic. There's a lot to embrace here - the pure, unbridled energy of a
>brand new band getting their groove on and not holding back.
>
>3. GREG POPE - Popmonster
>www.gregpope.net
>This former Edmunds Crown leader's solo debut is chock full of pure
>power
>pop bravado with absolutely no filler. I was floored! The Shazam,
>Badfinger,
>Matthew Sweet (at his best) are clear reference points, but all in all
>this
>is solid, original power pop of the highest order.
>
>4. PETER ADAMS - I Woke With The Planets In My Face
>www.peteradamsmusic.com
>I touted the virtues of this Cincinnati kid's (he's still in his 20's so
>he's a kid to me!) debut "The Spiral Eyes" several years ago. He's
>outdone
>himself with this new one. A kaleidoscope of complex, orchestral
>pop...with
>delicate song structures, arrangements and orchestrations that would
>make
>the Beatles or Brian Wilson weep. Seriously...IT'S THAT GOOD. If this
>guy's
>stuff don't move you...check your pulse!
>
>5. NADA SURF - Lucky
>www.myspace.com/nadasurf
>While not as strong as 2005's "The Weight Is a Gift" or 2002's
>phenomenal
>"Let Go", Nada Surf still has the bar set high when it comes to
>wonderfully
>calculated and dynamic songcraft. The album reels through dynamic chord
>and
>tempo changes and highlights the band's penchant for maximizing the
>sonic
>space with a rather minimalist approach.
>
>6. THE WELL WISHERS - Jigsaw Days
>www.myspace.com/thewellwishers
>If you can't love yourself.who can you love?
>
>7. FRANK CIAMPI - Big Top Woman
>www.myspace.com/frankciampi
>List-member Matt C. turned me on to this guy from Boston. A supremely
>talented pop songsmith in the truest classic tradition. Hints of the
>Beach
>Boys, Beatles, Jellyfish, Queen are all over this record. While his
>influences are obvious, Frank is careful not to be totally consumed by
>them.
>www.myspace.com/frankciampi
>
>8. SLOAN - Parallel Play
>www.sloanmusic.com
>Even at their most mediocre, Sloan is better than most pop bands of
>their
>ilk. This is very average album by Sloan standards.but still damn good
>and
>great candy for the ears.
>
>9. MATTHEW SWEET - Sunshine Lies
>www.matthewsweet.com
>While nowhere near the power pop greatness of "Girlfriend" or "100%
>Fun",
>this is easily Sweet's best album since the 90s. Stellar tracks like
>Byrdgirl, Let's Love and the title track give this album its unshaking
>melodic bite and remind us of what Sweet can do with a god song when he
>puts
>his heart and soul into it.
>
>10. SANTOGOLD - Santogold
>www.myspace.com/santogold
>I was surprised how much I liked this album. Totally out of the power
>pop
>paradigm, but an engaging blend of new wave, dub, and electro-pop
>highlighted by Ms. S's sweetly soulful vocals.
>
>11. R.E.M. - Accelerate
>www.remhq.com
>Easily the best album they've made in the last 15 years..maybe even 20!
>Simple, straightforward, emotive and powerful without being too
>pretentious.
>
>
>12. BOB MOULD - District Line
>www.bobmould.com
>Bob's still got it!
>
>13. LIAM FINN - I'll Be Lightning
>http://www.myspace.com/theliamfinn
>It's definitely in the genes! If young Liam is this good now.just wait
>another 10 or 15 years. Impressive debut!
>
>14. SUPERGRASS - Diamond Hoo Ha
>www.myspace.com/supergrass
>As with most of their previous albums, Supergrass proudly displays their
>affection for 70s pop and glam - with piano and guitar laden romps that
>mine
>the best of Bowie and T. Rex. Not quite as memorable as "Life On Other
>Planets", but a good one.
>
>15. OASIS - Dig Out Your Soul
>www.oasisinet.com
>Another great comeback from a band whose work the last 10 years has been
>spotty - at best.
>
>16. MINIATURE TIGERS - Tell It To The Volcano
>The song Cannibal Queen alone is enough to qualify this album for a best
>of
>2008 list. Best pop song of the year!
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrUrv7CBbN4
>
>17. ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. - Catnip Dynamite
>www.rogerjosephmanningjr.com
>While RJM's boyish vocals and uber-glammy song structures can be a bit
>kitschy there's no denying his talent at mining the best that 70s pop
>rock
>had to offer.
>
>18. THE JELLYBRICKS - Goodnight To Everyone
>www.myspace.com/thejellybricks
>Glad this Philly-area band is still around making music. Warm, bright
>splashy and supremely catchy power pop of the highest caliber!
>
>19. ROB BONFIGLIO - Bring On The Happy
>www.myspace.com/robbonfigliomusic
>Former Wanderlust/Skies of American virtuoso. A recent addition to my
>year-end list, but an impressive debut solo record. Classic 70's
>inspired
>pop textures laced with piano, guitar and sublime melodies.
>
>20. CLASS THREE OVERBITE - Horses For Courses
>www.myspace.com/classthreeoverbite
>A supremely talented duo from the Detroit area. I was pleased to see
>NotLame
>touting this album as one of their fave releases for 2008. Uber-crafty
>70's-inspired glam pop. If you liked the last L.E.O. album...as well as
>ELO,
>Queen, Jellyfish, Imperial Drag you have to dig this band
>
>**HONROABLE MENTIONS**
>
>THE JULIE OCEAN - Long Gone and Nearly There
>THE 88 - Not Only.But Also
>MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
>MIGHTY FAIRLY - Big Words and Power Chords
>PANIC AT THE DISCO - Pretty.Odd
> (pretty Beatle-esque if you ask me. Who knew the emo kids had it in
>'em!)
>THE MARY ONETTES - s/t
> (Derivative beyond reproach, but beautifully sums up everything great
>about 80s post
> punk and modern rock (Echo & The Bunnymen, Chameleons, Joy
>Division/New
>Order, etc)
> www.myspace.com/themaryonettes
>THE DRESS WHITES - My God, The Shame
>ROCKFOUR - Memories of the Never Happened
>THE SUCCESSFUL FAILURES - Ripe For The Burning
>SLOW RUNNER - Mermaids
>TIM MYERS - The Good Life EP
>THE WHIGS - Mission Control
>BEN FOLDS - Way To Normal
>PINK SPIDERS - Sweat It Out
>TELEPATHIC BUTTERFLIES - Breakfast In Suburbia
>M83 - Saturdays = Youth
>JEREMY MESSERSMITH - The Silver City
>
>** Most Disappointing **
>
>WEEZER - Red Album
>Does anyone know what happened to Weezer? Like a fine wine - I was
>hoping
>they would grow better with age. This album is almost
>unbearable.salvaged
>only by the juvenile mediocrity of the single "Pork and Beans".
>
>THE DANDY WARHOLS - Earth To.
>The Dandys have always been a rather one-dimensional band - a group that
>tends to sacrifice songcraft for an aesthetic of neo-psychedelic
>soundscapes, trippy beats, and droning repetitive chord patterns. Most
>of
>this album is faceless, background noise for heshers and ravers looking
>for
>their next audio contact high.
>
>FLEET FOXES - This band is way too precious for their own good. I know
>every
>indie snob and scarf wearing blogger from Brooklyn to Berkeley is raving
>about this album. I tried. I gave it fair shake. I almost grew a beard
>and
>dusted off my Chuck Taylors - but in reality, this shit just made me
>want to
>go to sleep.
>
>VAMPIRE WEEKEND - s/t
>Afro-pop. Seriously? The Police and Paul Simon did it much better in
>the
>80s!
>
>
>
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