How I feel today.
A great day for Freshly Ripped meets the worst New Arrivals post ever.
So I am basically the last person in the world who should be doing today’s New Arrivals because most of the big artists arriving today I actively dislike. Plus I’m getting over the flu. So take every word I write with the world’s biggest salt mine.
Deerhoof, Offend Maggie: Offend Yancey more like.
The Streets, Everything Is Borrowed: I didn’t even like Skinner when he was good!
Vivian Girls, Vivian Girls: The only album from today that I am 100% willing to stand behind. There’s been so much buzz about this record, and it makes sense: it just kinda feels like an Event Album. It has this whole insular ecosystem to it where everything is fuzzy and all of the songs on the radio sound great but like they’re being beamed from the Ukraine and it seems like the kinda place where you wanna live before you get old because the parties are totally great and everyone loves to dance. You know, one of those albums.
Lambchop, OH (ohio): Okay I don’t even know what to say about Lambchop except that Joe likes them and Joe and I never agree on music (that’s true, btw). So obviously it’s terrible.
Department of Eagles, In Ear Park: Okay I like this one. “No One Does It Like You” is really nice. See how sweet I can be?
Antony and the Johnsons, Another World: I really really liked I Am a Bird Now (which is so much more a Joe album, but he doesn’t like it WTF), and I should be excited to listen to this one… Except it’s been in my to-listen pile for about three weeks. I will get around to it soon, and I’ll most likely enjoy it.
The Rosebuds, Life Like: If you want to hear the Rosebuds listen to “Boxcar” on this album and avoid everything recorded after it.
Mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom: Mount Eerie is Phil Elvrum who is also the Microphones who I really really like. I very much wanted to like this but, well, it’s boring.
Marnie Stern, This Is It…: One of the worst live shows I have ever seen. (And I have seen it TWICE!)
Damn, Yancey. Tell us how you really feel!
I don’t think I’ve heard you this bitter since all the buzz over Fleet Foxes. How do you feel about the new Castanets that showed up today too?
Viv Girls = HOORAY. Deserve the hype. You will like the Antony EP, too - some great, great moments.
Also, don’t forget Morgan Geist!
I haven’t listened to Castenets yet. I did see them play a bad show at SXSW though. (Just keeping up the bummers!)
I stand by every Lambchop record up to Damaged — which I liked when it came out, but rapidly lost interest in after. I got into them because I had to do a story on them and was kind force to immerse myself in their work. They’re totally a band that gains from constant, repeated, attentive listening — I just turned a hard corner on them and fell in love.
The Rosebuds comment is OTM (Boxcar is a great song, BTW. It had an early REM-ish vibe to it). And I keep reading glowing reviews of Marnie Stern’s guitar work, but when I listen to her songs, all I hear is that high-register, grating voice and tuneless, directionless noise (unlike the noise-rock I do like, say Sonic Youth and JAMC). I have warmed — slightly — to Deerhoof. Slightly.
Ugh . . . check my comment about The Rosebuds. I like what I’m hearing from this disc, so far. It’s almost a return to the murky, non-synthetic sound of Birds Make Good Neighbors, and a welcome step away from the last disc.
dude are you gonna make me actually *listen* to music??? WTF?!? (jokes)
If I can backtrack (quite) a few weeks… I finally downloaded that Prince Douglas dub album (on Wackies) and it is fantastic! Playing it non stops!
I like grumpy Yancey posts because my save for later’s too full as it is.
I was most excited about the Women album today.
Still looking for El Guincho, although a single showed up which gives hope.
My favorite Deerhoof song is My Pal Foot Foot from the Shaggs tribute album (not listed as Deehoof but it is):
http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artists-Better-Than-The-Beatles-A-Tribute-To-The-Shaggs-MP3-Download/10867351.html
Yancey, the new master of the snark. Yancey’s ‘na’ is becoming my favorite thing on Tuesdays.
“dude are you gonna make me actually *listen* to music??? WTF?!? (jokes)”
I can relate. I have 855 downloads to burn through in 50 days. Talk to me in January about what the hell I download between now and Thanksgiving. (jokes).
we’ll have to do an advanced guide to downloading too much music. i have a phd in that.
oh and that women album! it has about three or four good songs.
and el guincho is 10/21. and it is coming. for realsies.
Ok I waited till i’d downloaded it first this time. Are you sure U.S. was supposed to get the Streets??? Everything else by them was yanked and they’re all on vice too.
hooray for el guincho! i was so dissapointed when they/he cancelled Pitchfork. and i’m guessing the good three or four women songs are the ones i alreay heard and picked up from blogs.
i think the new department of eagles disc is great. just… great. but wow am i dissapointed with the catfish haven. i really dug their first album, but this one (or the handful of songs that i’ve heard) sounds like rock music made to make my parents feel hip. it has an odd blues brothers sort of feel with… i dunno… a bob seager soul. like you’re feeling frisky and you want something just a scoche* harder than Sister Hazel. I know i know, the first album wasn’t so hardcore, but still. this one feels so… plastic. like the whole thing was made to be dispersed between commercials or that housewives show. ditch the horns boys (and I’m a huge fan of brass) and get back to that cowbell!
* how does one spell scoche? scosh? skoshe? meh, you know what i mean. just a little bit more.
you were just in the wrong mood for that Mount Eerie - its much quieter and surely anything with the beautiful voice of Julie Doiron is great!? Hope you get out of bed the right side today
no accounting for taste I guess but I loved the whole Women album all the way through, at least on the first listen.
And I picked up the El Guincho single and loved loved loved it.
Side note: I’m totally geeking out over today’s free download band Little Teeth. They’re pretty much blowing my mind…and the credits I was saving for the next Selects that I spent instead on the rest of the album. Amelia’s review is spot on. I totally want to jump around and be angsty and then fingerpaint the walls and windows of my office in my underwear.