I've been on a bit of a music binge lately. 2007 has proven to be a musical goldmine for me, for albums old and new. In the past month, I have purchased the following:

P.J. Harvey- White Chalk



I wasn't thrilled with Uh Huh Her, but I adore this album. P.J. challenges and delivers an album of stark, haunted winners. Love it!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Is Is



This 5-track EP was actually recorded between their previous two albums, and it contains a lot of gems. "Down Boy" in particular rocks my socks! I wish more bands had the balls to release low-key EPs.

Robyn- Robyn



It isn't as sensational as I was hoping after hearing the amazing "With Every Heartbeat", but it fares pretty well for an all-out pop album. The middle of the album is the most solid.

Bat for Lashes- Fur and Gold



After hearing the Björk comparisons and sextonseven's recommendation, I picked this up. LOVE it. It's a perfect balance of experimental beauty and pop/rock convention. A big surprise!

Blonde Redhead- 23



This album is also quite enjoyable, although it's a bit too muted for me to completely fall in love with it. That said, it is consistently solid, and I understand why it is getting critical love.

Nico- The Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970



A double disc that collects the albums The Marble Index and Desertshore along with outtakes. It's beautifully presented, and although I haven't listened to the whole thing, the sound quality is great!

Kraftwerk- Kraftwerk 1



I wasn't expecting to find this on CD! I've only listened to the first 3 songs. "Ruckzuck" kicks my ass! The next two songs aren't as impressive, but it's still great to get a perspective.

Kraftwerk- Kraftwerk 2



I haven't listened yet.

Parliament- Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome



I haven't listened yet.

Can- Monster Movie



Oh my God. This album is awesome! I had Can on my radar for awhile, but had never picked anything up. The grooves on this, along with those screeching guitars and psychotic vocal rants rock my socks! "Mary, Quite Contrary" is gorgeous and appeals to one of musical G-spots, a four-step chord descent a-la "Moonage Daydream" and "If There Is Something". "Yoo Doo Right" slinks along so sexily and methodically. Fantastic!

Can- Tago Mago



This pushes the envelope waaaay further. I quite like the first LP (up through the AMAZING "Halleluwah"), while the second LP is definitely worthy of love, but isn't necessarily pleasurable. Still, I appreciate the experimentation. Not as accessible as Monster Movie and therefore probably not as enjoyable for me, but nevertheless a big eye-opener.

Annie Lennox- Songs of Mass Destruction



Y'all know I love me some Annie. She is my hero. This album doesn't let me down. I absolutely adore at least 7 of the tracks already, and I've only had it for 3 days (damn Aussie late release date!). "Big Sky", "Dark Road", "Coloured Bedspread", "Through the Glass Darkly", "Smithereens", "Fingernail Moon" and "Ghosts in My Machine" are already genuine classics for me. While it may not eclipse Bare or Diva, it is a welcome addition to the Lennox canon.

Not impressed at all with this cd. It is boring as hell. There are some good trax, but the overall cd sux.


Just got this one yesterday and I am very happy with it. I really love "Pop Pop" and "My People".


Finally got this on cd and I must say it is good (different, but good). I really love the instrumental of "Send One Your Love".


I was highly surprised by this cd. It is actually good. I really love "I Remember".


I like this cd. It is not as good as their last effort, but there are some great trax on this cd.

You're not kidding. That's a lot in a month.

This month for me:


Felix da Housecat - Virgo Blaktro & The Movie Disco 1/2 (out of five) - This is pretty good--70s disco mixed with 80s electro. Not as immediately blissful as 2002's Kittenz And Thee Glitz, but my rating may change after a few more listens.


PJ Harvey - White Chalk - This record is incredible. It's quiet, sparse and eerie--like a soundtrack to the ghost film The Others.


The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes - A remixed version of last year's U.K. album for the U.S., this one is very fun. I love the blend of 60s girl-group sounds with modern lyrics.


Siouxsie - Mantaray - I was a little disappointed in this. Many of the songs are generic techno-rock. The identity Siouxsie had with The Banshees and Creatures is gone. Maybe it will grow on me.


Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight 1/2 - I like the new Rilo Kiley album, but this is their first that I've heard so all the criticism about it being not their style or selling out is lost on me. I think it's a fine pop record--very Fleetwood Mac...


Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (expanded) - ...which leads to this purchase. After listening to the new Rilo Kiley, I thought why not go directly to the source? I already knew of the singles plus a few more of the album tracks so this album is solid from start to finish. I haven't listened to the bonus disc of extras yet though.

Kenna - Make Sure They See My Face

Haven't heard it yet as I just picked it up yesterday....but it's FINALLY out!

I've been buying more stuff on CD lately rather than solely depending on downloads for new music, though mp3s are still my preferred way of sampling new music. That said, these albums passed the audition and won a spot on my shelf:

PJ Harvey - White Chalk
The Go! Team - Proof of Youth
Siouxsie - Mantaray

And of course, there's that Radiohead business, which we've burned to CD so we can play it around the house.

One day I'll have to learn how to post album pics. Til then :

Radiohead - In Rainbows: This album is making it impossible for me to listen to anything else! The songs are all good, and the nuances in the music reward repeated(addictive) listening. Seems that Thom Yorke took the vocal overdubbing from "the Eraser" and applied it to a propper Radiohead album, and the result adds even more texture to the sound. Incredible.

Meshelle Ndegeocello - THe World has Made ME...: Another mindblowing album! As with Radiohead, excellent songwriting, unconventional melodies and nuanced sonic treats have keptthis in constant rotation since it dropped.

Kenna - Make Sure They See my Face: Picked this up moments ago, so I cant really comment, except "Out of Control" sounds damn good coming from the speakers in the ride. Oh yeah, and it was only $8 at bestbuy.

random spelling issues edit.
damn, english is my 1st language, right? edit
[Edited 10/17/07 8:35am]
[Edited 10/17/07 8:51am]

unkemptpueblo said:

i got mine for 9.99 at target, and it has a bonus DVD!

now i need to make time to actually WATCH it....

Anxiety said:

cool! whats on the dvd? duh. you just said you havent watched it yet. At best buy, theres a code to download 2 extra songs.Hopefully I'll remember to get them before the code expires.

unkemptpueblo said:

i don't think mine has the code. the sticker says the DVD has performances and an interview. probably nothing earth-shattering, but i'm a sucker for bonus junk on CDs.

daPrettyman said:

Really? I actually like this CD. It is a little slow, so I see your point, but it really grew on me. I especially like Fire and Rain, Please Come Back to Boston, Diary and Longer. It's good going to work, car listening CD.
[Edited 10/17/07 8:59am]
[Edited 10/17/07 9:54am]

Moonbeam said:

Is that Galactus on the cover?

sextonseven said:

i think it's galactus' cousin kyle-actus.

Version-Mark Ronson
Back to Black-Amy Winehouse
Live In Malaysia-Incubus
Heroes and Thieves-Vanessa Carlton
Beat Konducta In India-Madlib

PRIVATE / My Secret Lover (2007)

[ fantastic at first listen, here. wow. currently owning my player @ the mo. i'm all over this album. really into "let's make love (underneath the appletree)" -- total euphoro-pop along with "we've got some breaking up to do" "crucify my heart" and "one in a million"... and can somebody slap these guys out of 1985 and '86 because they are really channeling some Revolution era Prince. ]


Muscles / Guns Babes Lemonade (2007)

[ fun little LP. lots of fun. i was playing "chocolate, raspberry, lemon & lime" all summer and "sweaty" is my cut on here. the rest of the album is nice, too. I'm seeing him live in concert tonight! "futurekidz" is cool, too. ]


The Go! Team/ Proof of Youth (2007)

[ just got this album a day or so ago from a friend, so I'll check this out soon enough. still debating if I'm going to see them this weekend in concert. i need to hurry up and absorb this! ]

unkemptpueblo said:

I saw her in concert this past Saturday. She was really good (as always -- this is my third time seeing her).

The highlights of the show were "Lola" and "Evolution." Lola really kicked ass live.

Also, she did a track called "White Girl" (which I lovedd) and that darn song was stuck in my head. It was SO delicious.

Mara said:

ya know, i'm not thrilled with the new go team album, but i wouldn't pass up a chance to see them live. i saw them at lollapalooza last year in chicago, and they kicked my ass. the lead singer chick is great fun to watch.

sextonseven said:

The Siouxsie album is quite excellent I think. It's a perfect solo record by her as it combines a little of the banshees and the creatures.

For me..

Siouxsie - Mantaray

Chaka Kahn - Funk This

The Pippettes - We are the Pippetes

Waveform COmpilation 2AD - Classic Chill/Ambient from the 90's

Waveform Compliation - Waveform Transmissions - Their new CHill series for the 00's

Anxiety said:

superspaceboy said:

I hear some Creatures elements at times on the album, but it's a little too contemporary and conventional sounding for The Banshees. There are four songs I really like on it. The rest, meh.

Mara said:

well, it seems you never go to a gig w/out your trusty cam-oo-rah, so lets see em!

bat for lashes - Fur and Gold


blaqk audio - Cexcells

thekidsgirl said:

How do you like that Blaqk Audio? Critics havent been too kind, but hey. What do you think?

thekidsgirl said:

what do you think of the blaqk audio cd? i have it and love the first song but i need to listen to the rest of it more. anyway, here are my recent purchases....


Sparks 12" mixes - love it so far!
Will.i.am - pretty good but need more listens
Keyshia Cole - a little too slow for me but i'm trying to get into it
Duran Duran - the first cd. love it so far!

I've gotten a shitload of new music in recent months too. I'll get a list together and play along.

GangstaFam said:

Annie Cannie Kranny P.Janny Bat for Lanny

Moonbeam said:

Glad you finally got yourself some Can. I had a feeling you'd like 'em.

GangstaFam said:

What else do you have and would you recommend?

Moonbeam said:

Definitely either of these...

Up until last month I’d barely bought any music at all this year, old or new. I think September was the first month this year where I bought more than one or two records.

Anyway, here’s what I’ve picked up in the last month or so:



This is almost certainly going to be my album of the year – the second year in a row that my favourite record was recorded by a 60+ year-old man, though I don’t read much into that. It’s not perfect (the third ‘act’ is a little messy) but it’s filled with some excellent songs, and it’s always a treat to hear his voice.





The National – Boxer: I picked this up after seeing it ranked at or near the top of the metacritic listing for the year to date. I’d never heard of this band before, but I think, based on this one excellent album, they’re a strong candidate to take over The Handsome Family’s slot as my favourite goth-country band.



Panda Bear – Person Pitch: another hipster record that I picked up based on its ranking on the metacritic site. I haven’t really absorbed the entire album yet, but Bro’s has to be the most spectacular song of the year. If I like a single track more this year I’ll eat my hat.



Clientele – God Save the Clientele: Picked up on a whim from a second-hand bin. Nice, moody ‘60s-flavoured UK pop. A touch wet in places, but a nice listen overall.



Flamin’ Groovies – Shake Some Action: A band that had been on my ‘to do’ list for a long time. A fun listen, though no tracks have jumped out at me except for their version on Slow Down.



Clearance bin purchase ($2.00) – lots of nice c&w songs that may or may not be meant to be taken seriously, with a couple of rock songs and a useless cover of When the Levee Breaks thrown in – a nice find.



I’d heard good things about this electronic outfit, but I’ve found this album pretty bland listening so far, the exception being ‘Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions’ which works itself into a pretty neat frenzy at the end.



Squarepusher – Go Plastic: another $2.00 album. I haven’t given this a proper listen yet.



Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth: Picked up the reissue – a very nice (and economical) package. The album itself is pretty classic.



Mekons – Natural: Just bought it yesterday, and haven’t given it a proper listen yet.



The Apartments – The Evening Visits…And Stays for Years: I’ve looked up and down for this album for ages, and finally managed to track down a copy three weeks ago. I was slightly underwhelmed by some of the uptempo numbers, but the slow tracks are really lovely orchestral pop. The best song to my ears is Mr. Somewhere, which was covered excellently on a This Mortal Coil album years ago.



Ladybug Transistor - Can't Wait Another Day: Dependably enjoyable band - they never get me too excited or blow me away, but each one of their albums is full of slightly psychedelic, somewhat folk-ish pop that almost always pleases me.
[Edited 10/17/07 16:33pm]