onsdag 26 Jul 2006, 15:59
Since some people are still commenting about some of the things i wrote in my last journal entry - i figured this is a good time to make a follow-up. After giving some of these albums more listens and some new releases, i don't think it's a bad idea.
The Format - Dog Problems
Still enjoy this album immensely, can't pimp this band enough. The fact that they were dropped from their label and still produced a great album. Obviously a little on the emo side, but musically The Format is definitely very original.
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
My initial fondness of this album has died a bit, one of the things that drew me to Muse was their "perfect" heaviness in their music. Now Matt Bellamy has become more of a vocalist (always been a great one) but lost his 'rock' look. Still a fairly solid album, but as a fan of their older sound, Origin of Symmetry would be my favorite album.
Sleeping at Last - Keep No Score
Able to give this album plenty of listens, and it deserves it. Also dropped from their label and able to put out another masterpiece. SAL keep their trend of putting out an almost completely different sound in each album (Capture and Ghosts both sound completely different but great in their own way). If you're interested in a softer listen give this album a try.
The Early November - The Mother, the Mechanic, and The Path.
The first of the three discs is by far the best. Obviously TEN put out an ambitious record, also taking royalty cuts in order to sell this album at normal one disc price. If you're already a TEN fan then you'll probably like it, otherwise it might be a difficult listen, i recommend listening to Room's to Cold first.
Ratatat - Classics
I loved Ratatat's first album even though it was pretty similar throughout (instrumental music tends to do that). I'm glad Ratatat took the next step and added other instruments and got other sounds involved. Wildcat, which is the first single, is obviously the best song on the album. As a band that fuses Electronica, Hip Hop, and Rock music, i think they deserve a listen for what they're doing. They're playing in NYC as soon as i leave.
As Tall As Lions - As Tall As Lions
I had no idea this album was coming out before i grabbed it. I first heard of ATAL a few years ago at when an FYE worker recommended i go see a show of theirs since i live on Long Island. I downloaded a demo or two and was not impressed. I picked up Lafcadio around last christmas and was pretty blown away, so this new album was a great surprise. ATAL is pretty much indie rock, with a great vocalist and solid instrumentation - even though they're signed to Triple Crown (a relatively small label, see Northstar whom they failed to advertise at all) they deserve a listen. This album is definitely very solid, and ATAL are very underrated.
Other Albums i'm looking forward to:
Umbrellas - Illuminaire
Brand New - Fight off Your Demons
Park - Building a Better…
Jeremy Enigk - World Waits
The Album Leaf - Into the Blue Again
Explosions in the Sky - Looks like the album is slated for early 2007. Apparently they've finished writing and are going to the studio, kicking off a few shows in NYC in september (right in time for me to go back to school in Maryland and miss them). You can download their latest EP, The Rescue, on their official website, and read pretty much what i just told you word for word.