Re: Best of....

[neile]

Adam wrote:

> I'm really intrigued by all these lists, and have been mentally
> compiling mine, but thanks to neile I now have to wait -- after his
> recommendation, I got Jesca Hoop's latest, and....crikey. I thought
> Katy Carr's album was eclectic, this is one weird box o' noise, but
> utterly fascinating. I must have listened to it about ten times through
> in the last two days (is it also quite short, or is that just me?) and I
> love it, but I want to do it more justice -- I think it's already leapt
> into my top ten.

Glad you like it. I think it's amazing.

Just for the record, though, Neile is a she despite the misleading name.

> The weird thing is, although I've said it was a great year, I've checked
> and I seem to have bought LESS music this year than in recent years,
> with proportionately less new music. I hadn't realised that until I
> totted it all up. Blame the recession.

We bought more than last year, I think, which feels weird, but there's
more this year that we wanted. I've been more careful about what I've
bought, spending more time replaying samples to be certain I wanted to
live with the music. Ecto has helped, of course, as has the Wears The
Trousers site.

Several good discoveries this year, too, like Smoke Fairies, Sophie
Hunger, Tune-Yards, and great music from people I thought I was liking a
little less, like Katy Carr and Carina Round.

A couple of disappointments, for example I like the Imogen Heap but not as
much as I wanted to, Regina Spektor's Far is forgettable, and St Vincent's
Actor is now getting on my nerves (my husband likes it way more than I
do--I'm about ready to hide it from him).

I need to sit down and think about this year's list. I'm not sure I'm
capable of a decade list but obviously am happy to critique others'.

--Neile

[Tim Jones-Yelvington]

This has been a very strange year for me, music-wise. I've been paying less attention to music because the obsessive energy I've in the past directed to music I've devoted instead to reading and writing fiction and also to engaging w/ folks in the indie lit community. Also, I've for some reason been on quite an extended dance pop-disco-neo new wave-uptempo-electro, etc. kick (I too would probably place La Roux and Lady Gaga on my year-end list, but might also add Annie's "Don't Stop")... sometimes I blame it on my desk job (need something escapist to keep me going), other times I think maybe I'm getting older and am just not as ponderous and emo as I used to be. The truth is, I think my dance-pop interest began a few years ago w/ Roisin Murphy's incredibly "Ruby Blue" and has deepened over time.

Many of the things I enjoyed this year -- Bat for Lashes, Florence and the Machine, Fever Ray, Neko Case & Imogen Heap would probably make my list as well -- I did not listen to anywhere near as extensively as my favorites from previous years... nothing I obsess over like Noe Venable's Summer Storm Journals or St. Vincent's Marry Me or

Unmentioned stuff I would add to others' to-listen pile:
~New Patrick Wolf record, I'm blanking on the name right now -- he really is one of the most ecto-friendly male artists working right now, y'all should listen
~Devil's Halo by Meshell Ndegeocello - this is an awesome album, and she has always been incredibly eclectic, by far the most ecto-friendly "R & B" artist... more adventurous listeners should give her a chance
~Taken by Trees... I forgot the name of the album but it's completely gorgeous. Heavily influenced by trad Pakistani music.
~New Yoko Ono and Plastic Ono Band album (forgot the name)... it's pretty great. I love Yoko Ono. She's a first class weirdo.

..I might really like the new Rickie Lee Jones and Jane Siberry albums, but have not listened much yet.

Another record from this year I keep forgetting exists is Marianne Faithfull's. She's a huge favorite of mine and I thought "Before the Poisin" was one of the best albums of the past several years (it might go on my decade list), but I've only listened to this one once or twice. Also the newer Bird & the Bee album, the one w/ rayguns in the title... for some reason, it didn't get under my skin like the first one did. I've only listened to Tori's "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" once, said, "meh," and haven't tried again. I'm feeling kind of "done" with her right now.

I'd second Neile on St. Vincent's "Actor" and Regina's "Far," altho.... I expected to be greatly disappointed by "Far" after everything I read on ecto and elsewhere, and set my expectations really low and waited months to buy it, but whenever I listen to it, actually really enjoy it. I need to spend more time with it, I think. ...And "Actor" is far from a bad album, it's just.... I think it's ambition might outweigh its listenability. I respect it a lot, but it feels transitional. I am realizing I like melody a lot, and "Actor" doesn't strike as... narcotic (seriously, I listened to "Marry Me" compulsively) a balance between accessibility and experimentation as did "Marry Me." ...I still think she's one of the most interesting musicians working right now, and can't wait to see what she does next.

..I am interested in working on a decade list. I might give it a try. I can repost it at the lit-blog website I'm currently writing for (www.bigother.com).

~tim