It's 2009!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Heard anything good yet?

Comments

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future: Fairly precious and occasionally overly pretentious, but solid swooning sunshine indie pop.

My Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_3hRLv-ZC4)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Albums-wise - Fever Ray is way out in front (maybe it is the weather); Anthony Hamilton's The Point Of It All has 4-5 tracks which absolutely blow me away, and would be a vg album even without them; Scarface's Emeritus (also from Dec I think) is excellent steely hip-hop; DJ Sprinkles (gorgeous deep house ft. queer theory) and Telefon Tel Aviv (wintry layered pop-techno, related to Apparat) are holding it down on the dance side. And the Timberlee/Natalie Storm/Tifa mixtape I posted the other day, which only Frank appeared to check out. And the Oneman Night Slugs set I posted on my own lj - saw him last weekend at the last FWD at The End, and the Baby D/Joker moment is even more immense live.

Trax-wise I've mostly been repeatedly jamming new hip-hop - was going to do a round-up post at some point? Nicki Minaj's 'Beam Me Up Scotty', Jay Rock's 'All My Life', NORE's 'NY Groove' and Jim Jones & Ryan Leslie's 'Precious' are starting favourites (have jammed the first so much that I basically have it off by heart already. WHERE MI WEST INDIES, WHERE THE FUCK MI CURRY CHICKEN AND MI RICE & PEAS.)

Have just discovered Fabo from D4L's solo stuff - a track from last year called 'Pork & Beans' and a new one called 'Spaceship Man' - really not what I expected, eccentric southern-fried hip-hop-soul, kinda like Outkast when they were good? Really great stuff.

And the Ciara/Cassie leaks keep coming - 'One Favor' (deep, Princey, synthy epic) and 'Rattla' (menacing, grinding crunk banger, 'Oh' redux - not a bad thing) for the former, 'Summer Charm' for the latter. And the 5 or so tracks I've heard from The-Dream make me VERY hyped for his imminent album - 'Rockin' That Thang' is HUGE, especially.

Pig & Dan's 'Terminate' is a great piece of space battle techno too!

Sinden's Fabric mix is A+ banging too.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I've been humming that Jordin Sparks song since Monday morning, if that counts?

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

NASA featuring Santogold, Kanye & Lykke Li - Gifted.

Think it surfaced in December but I don't seem to remember it being discussed here, and it's ace (and that comination of artists should tick a few poptimist boxes)

[koganbot]

Cassie "Summer Charm" (not that I have the foggiest notion what month or year it actually leaked): Goes to a half-speed girl-group sound where she somehow achieves the same inexplicably imperious and insouciant vulnerability that she always does.

Cassie "Soldier 4 Your Love" (not that I have the foggiest...etc.) Would be a good but unsurprising r&b loneliness track that easily could be Paula DeAnda or JoJo in resolute sorrow except Cassie somehow achieves the same inexplicably imperious and insouciant...etc. and OMG it may be her greatest track ever, unless "Summer Charm" is or "Turn The Lights Off" is or [five or six others].

Brandy "I'm With You" (well, first heard it the last week in December, and not that I have the foggiest...etc.) Glistens up "Umbrella"-type swaying so as to give it a "Disturbia" shine.

Rihanna f. Akon "Emergency Room" (well, first heard it the last week in December, and not that I have the foggiest...etc.): Glistens up "Umbrella"-type swaying so as...etc., and Rihanna is dreaming hopefully that by withdrawing her love from Akon she will cause him to DIE OF GRIEF (so, kinda "Unfaithful" but with a happier attitude towards emotional murder)

Winfred E. Eye Til I Prune: Just got it. On their first album they got a good effect by taking a dark bluesy growl and giving it dreamy drifting accompaniment. On this one they go for even more of the dreamy drift, and it's beautiful an' all but I haven't decided yet if the dreaminess is too much; maybe I'll decide it's just right and I'll stop holding against the album that it fits in with modern indie's uncommitted soundscaping. (The first album took several months to really penetrate.)

Pink "Could've Had Everything" (has been around for a couple months as a bonus track, but I just heard it): Gives a gentle lilt to Pink's basic raw sadness.

I'M COOLER THAN A BLOODCLAAT FLURRY, MI LIKE MI CHICKEN AND MI GOAT WELL CURRY

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Taster for my imminent hip-hop post! Nicki Minaj's 'Beam Me Up Scotty' is SO GOOD - I am a sucker for female rappers who slip into Jamaican patois, the beat is just right for bringing your ass down to, and it has the couplet "if he can work the middle like a mohawk, tell him he can meet me where them girls say aloha".

I'm so sexy in my heels

[koganbot]

Oh yeah, and "Kuff" and "Heels" on that Federation & Timberlee/Natalie Storm/Tifa mixtape that Lex hipped us to several days ago.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

The David Byrne/Dirty Projectors song is really great!

I heard the some of the new Peaches album and it sounds like Kylie. I haven't decided whether this is good.

[koganbot]

Xhuxk praised these three 2009 albs on Rolling Country, though he's drawn away from the Dierks Bentley a bit:

Megan Munroe – One More Broken String (Diamond)
Chuck Mead – Journeyman's Wager [label tk]
Dierks Bentley – Feel The Fire (Capitol)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Lily Allen's 'Straight To Hell' cover is VERY WEIRD as I keep expecting her to launch into "I fly like paper get high like planes..."

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

Am enjoying the VV Brown singles, "Crying Blood" and "Leave!" though I haven't had a chance to explore her further.

Also, "What About the Future" by Toy Horses has been an excellent addition to my collection of novelty-ish songs that mention Stephen Fry.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I refer the Hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave earlier:
http://jeff-worrell.livejournal.com/99071.html

I also second skyecaptain's remarks about The Bird and The Bee

[chuckeddy.livejournal.com]

Didn't notice this thread until now; in extremely tentative and in-flux-forever order of preference, here are the albums I've been listening to so far and liking (with increasing reservations, as always, as the list progresses downward):

Sigh – Imaginary Soundscape (The End reissue)
Death – …For The Whole World To See (Drag City reissue)
Megan Munroe – One More Broken String (Diamond)
Zero Boys – Vicious Circle (Secretly Canadian reissue)
Sinner – Crash And Burn (Candlelight USA)
Diagonal – Diagonal (Rise Above)
Dirty Little Rabbits – Simon (The End EP)
Edguy – Tinnitus Sanctus (Nuclear Blast)
Saxon – Into The Labyrinth (SPV)
Elder – Elder (Meteor City ’08)
Steadlür – Everything Is Nothing (Roadrunner)
Dead Man – Euphoria (Crusher)
Kid Sister – Dream Date (Downtown)
Fires Of Rome – You Kingdom You (The Hours)
The Answer – Everyday Demons (The End)
(Various) – The Man Of Somebody’s Dreams: A Tribute To The Songs Of Chris Gaffney (Yep Roc)
Gene Dante and the Future Starlets – The Romantic Lead (Omnirox Entertainment)
K’Naan – Troubador (A&M)
Pat Green – What I’m For (BNA)
Dalek – Gutter Tactics (Ipecac)
Wicked Witch – Chaos 1978-86 (EM reissue)
Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs – Long Live Rock and Roll (Aztec Music reissue ’08)
Living Things – Habeas Corpus (Jive/Zomba)
Dierks Bentley – Feel The Fire (Capitol)
Chuck Mead – Journeyman’s Wager (Grassy Knoll)
Mr. Oizo – Lambs Anger (Ed Banger)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

The new Eric Prydz is really good: Animal (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PKCb48rsDG8). It sounds like that old Laurent Garnier track I submitted for the Pop Open yonks ago but that is NO BAD THING.

Taylor Swift

[theweeklybacon.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard Taylor Swift until her Saturday Night Live appearance a few weeks ago. Her voice was a little off, which my boyfriend hated, but it reminded me of Liz Phair so I liked it. I've been completely obsessed with the "Fearless" album since then and I still think the Liz Phair comparison is apt. She is more a songwriter and entertainer than a good singer, but she does have an appealing voice. Lyrically, I find some of her lines clunky, like they were written by a 17 year old, which I assume they were. Others I find very touching and sometimes clumsy in a good way, kind of like Aly & AJ. I also loved her sparkly guitar on SNL and it was nice that she looked like she was having a great time.

[corianderstem.livejournal.com]

The new U2 single. I cannot WAIT for the album!

Animal Collective, which surprised me.

I've just picked up the new Springsteen and Franz Ferdinand, but have not listened to either. As a big Bruce fan, I have mediocre expectations for his record, and have not heard anything off of the new FF so have no idea what to expect.

Also just heard an album by a French singer named Camille. It came out last year, but it more or less blew me away. Damn import prices on Amazon!