I don’t buy as much new music as I used too. For years, I made weekly trips to Bull Moose in Portland to pick up a CD or two- sometimes three. Then I got into I-tunes and for a spell, foolishly bought more than I should simply based on the relative ease it took to do so. But in the past year or so, I’ve scaled back- spending money on fun things like student loans, car payments and keeping the lights on instead. Life is pretty awesome that way.
The year is coming to an end and because this is a blog and blogs follow and comment on trends, I’ve decided to rock out a list of the best 5 ½ albums that were released this year.
These are listed in no particular order, but if they were, El Camino by the Black Keys would be number one because let’s be honest, that album rocks and as a country, society and modern civilization- we need albums that rock.
1. The Black Keys El Camino. This album gets the award for the Most Anticipated Album of the Year. I couldn’t wait for it to come out and have already had to take a break from it- something that usually happens at least three weeks after buying an album. “Lonely Boy” is great and so is “Gold on the Ceiling.” Come on, every song is awesome. This album is awesome. It could be re-named El Awesome and I wouldn't think twice.
2. My Morning Jacket Circuital. Is Southern Prog Rock a certified musical genre? If so, My Morning Jacket are the kings. If not, then they are the originators. This is one of those rare albums that just gets better the more you listen to it. I don’t promise much, but I can promise that I’ll never get sick of the song “Holdin on to Black Metal.”
3. The Roots undun. I feel like a damn fool. After the first listen of this album I told Drewnami it was good, but not great. He was disappointed. He should be more disappointed in my ability to rate music because dude, I was very wrong. Very wrong. The only way I could be more wrong about something was if I told you that there isn’t a better cereal in terms of bang for your buck than Honey Nut Cheerios. undun is a complete, solid and pretty much perfect album. The flow is undeniably flawless. We should feel like idiots for being concerned that the Roots were on the slow road to Sell Out Town when they signed on to be Jimmy Fallon’s house band.
4. Kanye West & Jay Z Watch the Throne. This is the kind of album I think we all hoped Chinese Democracy by Guns n Roses would be- an album that truly lived up to the hype. I should mention that I feel very strongly that Axl Rose is to rock music as Kanye is to hip hop. But that’s also another discussion. Watch the Throne is why we buy albums and why we pay to hear musicians apply their trade. It’s an album that is the result of two superstar dudes just totally going for it. It’s admirable, astonishing and admittedly humbling.
5. Max Tannone Ghostfunk. Tannone is a DJ from New York who has previously mashed up Mos Def and reggae as well as Jay Z and Radiohead. On this album he mashed up Ghostface Killah and afrobeat. The final product is a sometimes clumsy, but all the time rad collection of party jams. I will happily download anything Tannone comes out with now and thanks to Twitter, I was able to tell him that and then have a quick conversation about Game of Thrones. Thanks Internet!
And the ½ goes to my dear friends Paranoid Social Club and their album Axis VI. Why the ½? Well for a couple reasons:
- Terrible album cover. It looks like someone threw up on it.
- “Count on Me” is one of the best songs of the year, but also accompanied by one of the worst videos of the year.
- There are maybe 6 or 7 super strong songs on the album. The rest are forgettable.
- I wish the songs were lined up differently. The album doesn’t really have a definable flow to it.
I’m sure there albums that in someone’s opinion, and maybe even mine, that were better than the five and ½ listed here. But that my friend is what 2012 is for.
Showing posts with label the black keys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the black keys. Show all posts
This Just In: Today is Wednesday
This winter I am comfortable with one, maybe two, snow storms. If said snow storm could happen on like a Thursday or Friday, that would certainly be preferred. Snow is being predicted for tomorrow- maybe not in the lovely city of Philadelphia, but in those mysterious out-lying areas. It’s Wednesday and the weather today is weird.
Also on this Wednesday it is confirmed that the Black Keys are great. Reports had them being great before the release of their new album and being great after hearing the new album. But the general sentiment is that their greatness was indeed confirmed after their appearance on the Colbert Report. They rocked and seemed like good dudes. The good dude part is important given my simmering concerns that they’re on the verge of selling out and becoming the next Kings of Leon. But I discussed this yesterday. So today is Wednesday and the actions of Tuesday, for the most part, will not be repeated.
Update: leftover Chinese food for lunch.
I have to admit that I’m kind of, sort of loving all this hot stove talk- in both baseball and basketball. The NBA seems to be on the verge of an end of days like situation in terms of level of chaos. Free agency is about to start, but so are training camps so everything is going to get cracking fast and furious. I’m surprised by the degree of my indifference towards to Rondo trade rumors coming out of Boston. Chris Paul on the Celtics? That’d be awesome and Black Keys’ level great. Rondo traded for some jambroni? That would be terrible- terrible comparable to my Kings of Leon level of disappointment. What will happen with Jeff Green? I really want to like the dude but he makes me nervous. He doesn’t look comfortable. He should wear a headband. But Chris Paul is the real deal, even if he only stays for a year. I’m fine with that. Danny Ainge, I’m fine with that. The 2012 Celtics are only about this year only. Go all in.
The Miami Marlins sounds like a punch line of a bad joke and wasn’t that a team in Back to the Future II? I think it was and when it showed up in 2025, when Marty first arrived in the future, the digital news ticker said a team from Florida won the World Series. It would be crazy if that ended up happening. But you have to be kidding me. I’ve watched games in Florida and there is no one there. They are building a new stadium but once the new car smell is gone and people remember they’re in Florida, their attendance will be back down to double digits. So why would Albert Pujols sign there? Please tell me it’s not just about money. Is it really that worth it?
Newt. I keep thinking someone is messing with me.
This afternoon, we give El Camino by the Black Keys the car stereo test. Stand by for results. We will test undun by the Roots tomorrow.
Also on this Wednesday it is confirmed that the Black Keys are great. Reports had them being great before the release of their new album and being great after hearing the new album. But the general sentiment is that their greatness was indeed confirmed after their appearance on the Colbert Report. They rocked and seemed like good dudes. The good dude part is important given my simmering concerns that they’re on the verge of selling out and becoming the next Kings of Leon. But I discussed this yesterday. So today is Wednesday and the actions of Tuesday, for the most part, will not be repeated.
Update: leftover Chinese food for lunch.
I have to admit that I’m kind of, sort of loving all this hot stove talk- in both baseball and basketball. The NBA seems to be on the verge of an end of days like situation in terms of level of chaos. Free agency is about to start, but so are training camps so everything is going to get cracking fast and furious. I’m surprised by the degree of my indifference towards to Rondo trade rumors coming out of Boston. Chris Paul on the Celtics? That’d be awesome and Black Keys’ level great. Rondo traded for some jambroni? That would be terrible- terrible comparable to my Kings of Leon level of disappointment. What will happen with Jeff Green? I really want to like the dude but he makes me nervous. He doesn’t look comfortable. He should wear a headband. But Chris Paul is the real deal, even if he only stays for a year. I’m fine with that. Danny Ainge, I’m fine with that. The 2012 Celtics are only about this year only. Go all in.
The Miami Marlins sounds like a punch line of a bad joke and wasn’t that a team in Back to the Future II? I think it was and when it showed up in 2025, when Marty first arrived in the future, the digital news ticker said a team from Florida won the World Series. It would be crazy if that ended up happening. But you have to be kidding me. I’ve watched games in Florida and there is no one there. They are building a new stadium but once the new car smell is gone and people remember they’re in Florida, their attendance will be back down to double digits. So why would Albert Pujols sign there? Please tell me it’s not just about money. Is it really that worth it?
Newt. I keep thinking someone is messing with me.
This afternoon, we give El Camino by the Black Keys the car stereo test. Stand by for results. We will test undun by the Roots tomorrow.
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