I've been meaning to write a mid-year wrap-up for a while
now, but for whatever reason I keep pushing it back further
and further and as I do so, I keep stumbling upon new albums
that I really think deserve a spot. Thus, I need more time
to ponder and the mid-year album wrap-up keeps falling
further and further, so you're getting another dose of what
I'm listening, what I'm liking, and what I think is
overrated tripe sandwich.
As always, thanks for reading.
The Good
Who/What:
WAND - Chrome
Where'd I Find It:
The good people at Terrorbird sent it on over.
Why
I Like It:
James Jackson Toth (is there a better name in music right
now) is a prolific machine of music. A folk
singer/songwriter who just churns out albums, constantly
pushing his limits and creating some fantastic tracks in the
process. His new album, Hard Knox, is all muted
country twang, and damn it if it doesn't wash me over with
warmth. It has a soft, folky fuzz to it, that wraps me up
and puts me to bed, smile firmly in place.
:Wand
- Chrome:
Who/What:
The Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move
Where'd I Find It:
Lift up any rock, there you will find Dirty Projectors.
Why
I Like It:
Hard to explain really. I fought this album for so long (on
what basis I don't know), really putting forth effort to not
listen to it. Recently it soaked through my walls from a
roomies blaring speakers and I was intrigued. After one,
maybe two listens, I was entirely hooked by the strange brew
of beautiful female voices, oft-changing rhythm, and Dave
Longstreth in all his mad-cap genius. If you've been a
dullard like me, plodding through life without this
beautiful summer album as a constant soundtrack, change your
ways, you've somehow been led astray.
:The
Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move:
Who/What:
White Denim - I Start To Run
Where'd I Find It:
Lingering in the cracks of the internets.
Why
I Like It:
I loved White Denim's Exposion. And though I'm
typically a pretty huge sophomore album hater, White Denim's
new one Fits sort of bowled me over. It's entirely
different from their first, more deep, pulsing psych rock
(think Comets On Fire) and less screechy rhythm changes.
It's a more challenging album to dig in to, but it's all
very much worth the effort.
:White
Denim - I Start To Run:
The Bad
Who/What:
The Dodos - Fables
Why
I Didn't Like It:
What the fuck? Dodos get a little bit bigger and what do
they do? Drop their pounding combo of drums and acoustic
guitar and pump out some sort of shitty adult contemporary
piece of FM radio crap. I'm seriously so angry about this
it hurts. I've been disappointed by a ton of bands this
year (White Rabbits I'm looking at you) but this one really
gets me good. Even more irritating? My one time coffee
customer and stellar producer Phil Eck had something to do
with this, probably a large something at that. Somebody
hold my hair, I need to puke.
:The
Dodos - Fables:
Who/What:
Wilco - The entire new album.
Why
I Didn't Like It:
Jesus Christ Wilco I know you've been slipping down the
adult contemporary hole for a good bit now, but this album
really solidifies you as dropping the "create your own take
on Americana" and lands you just shy of a Pottery Barn
soundtrack. Sure, the requisite edgy rock song is still on
here, but it is surrounded by crap you'd find sandwiched in
between trailers on Blockbuster Television.
Don't know what that is? Consider yourself lucky.
:Wilco
- You And I:
Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The
Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and
the KEXP blog. He also has his own
Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.
If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his
writings here at Side One: Track One then please do
so
here.
- Noah Sanders
-
Unless
otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any
related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by
John Laird under a
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