- Aqualaygualry in arcade fire - black wave/bad vibrations Today i watching overlay from here. this is wondeful film. Who are watching this?
- cattartiste in arcade fire - black wave/bad vibrations SplitVideo is a freeware virtual video clone and split video nick driver in behalf of connecting disparate applications to a single video...
- Peggus-interruptus in The Temper Trap Lovin’ The Temper Trap!
Once again, it’s time for my legally-mandated post about my year-end favorites. As always, the choices are utterly idiosyncratic, contain no fruit juice, and are void in AK, PA, the US Virgin Islands, and where taxed or prohibited.
1. Goldfrapp, Seventh Tree
1.What better way to follow up the Kylie-meets-cabaret Supernature than with…a lush, organic slice of English folk-whimsy? Actually, it doesn’t sound like a very good idea at all — at least until the first notes of the album begin playing. From that point, it’s a tour de force that recalls Fairport Convention, the Strawbs, Mike Oldfield, and even Nick Drake, without properly sounding like any of them. The whole thing is great, but the highlights are the glassy-eyed cult propaganda of “Happiness” and the exquisitely textured single-of-the-year “A&E.” It was a tough call, but this was my favorite thing I heard this year.
2. Beck, Modern Guilt
I’ve decided I like him better when he’s depressed.
3. Ladytron, Velocifero
Amber will beg to disagree with me here, but I found this particular howling vortex of feedbacking synths to be my favorite Ladytron album ever. It’s deeply alienated, and even more deeply unfriendly, and even though the record is filled with jackhammer drums, it’s oddly static, as if it were running in place. In other words, it sounds just like 2008 felt…
4. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson, Rattlin’ Bones
For an established artist to make an album with his or her spouse is a calculated risk, but it’s a risk that paid off in spades on Rattlin’ Bones, with Nicholson’s weathered voice proving the perfect counterpoint to Chambers’ crackling alto.
5. Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles
Yeah, I know, they’re so two years ago. But darn it, I liked it anyway.
And, in other news…
Album that had no right to be any good, but actually was: Jennifer Lopez, Brave
Seriously. It’s a pop record, sure, but it’s a much, much better pop record than I would have imagined her capable of back when she kept talking about how she was still, was still Jenny from the block. It’s not without its naff tracks, but it’s light years better than it should have been — well past the point where I enjoyed it unironically.
Album that was supposed to be good, but that I hated: The Kills, Midnight Boom
Everyone seemed to love this but me, but it just sounded like over-processed sludge to me, the kind of sleaze that manages to make decadence sound like a really, really long day at the office, and not really much fun at all. You can always side with the 256,923,279 other critics on the web who thought it was wonderful — I’ll understand, promise! — but I really couldn’t hear what all the fuss was about.
Album I really wanted to rate more highly, but in all honesty couldn’t: Kylie Minogue, X
Kylie’s one of my all-time favorites, as anyone who’s read more than two of my reviews will know, and I dearly wanted her first proper post-cancer album to be magnificent. And yes, this was better than Body Language. But in the end, it was four classic tracks, eight average ones, and one outright embarrassment. (Seriously, why is “Nu-di-ty” on here? And why is “White Diamond” missing?) Even though I was listening to “2 Hearts” and “Wow” all summer long, it’s still no better than her fifth or sixth best album, and it’s got way too much filler on it for me to put it on my list. Much as I like Kylie. Which is a lot…
not only is the airborne toxic event’s new s/t album one of my very favourite records of the year, this reply to pitchfork! at the disco’s ridiculously pretentious review of it makes me like them as people, not just as musicians. i want to have drinks with them. and maybe help them do things like pick up their dry cleaning. yes, that’s how impressed i am - i don’t even pick up my own dry cleaning.
you can listen on their myspace. they will be making an appearance on my ‘best of 2008′ list, so i will wax more eloquently about them at that time.
