Favorite albums so far this year...

[roubaix]

EDIT: well, both albums I liked were from 2008 

I mainly played older music this year ...

too much amazing old stuff to discover

Fuck Buttons seems pretty good

[Tim K in DC]

This is my favorite reissue/collection that was issued this year. Crucial stuff from a great under-the-radar Boston rock band.



I did a little digging and the distribution seems somewhat limited -- you can get it from Newbury Comics, but I looked on their website and nothing came up -- but hopefully Rick Harte (Ace of Hearts Records, who did this as well as the originals, not to mention some of the earliest Burma stuff) will get it out there. Still easier to find in Boston than a pair of flip flops...

[zaxxon25]

This is my favorite reissue/collection that was issued this year. Crucial stuff from a great under-the-radar Boston rock band.



Still easier to find in Boston than a pair of flip flops...

Tim K from Somerville - you get a Tommy Point!

[Tim K in DC]

Not sure why the forum seems to be hiding this image, but it's the album cover for the Neats reissue.


At any rate, I did some more digging, and it turns out (as I suspected would happen) that you can now also get it via the fine folks at Matador records. Let's see if this link works...
 http://www.matadorrecords.com/store/index.php?catalog_id=423

[Chris L]

Listening now to The Glass Bead Game, the James Blackshaw album Gibby recommended.  I'd heard stuff of his before that I liked but this is something else.  Really gorgeous. 

[nec13]

I received this as a Christmas gift. I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It's as good as, if not better, than Nigeria Special.

[SJK]

the James Blackshaw album Gibby recommended.  I'd heard stuff of his before that I liked but this is something else.  Really gorgeous. 

Agreed, really outstanding stuff...any other recommendations from James Blackshaw catalogue?

[jbissell]

the James Blackshaw album Gibby recommended.  I'd heard stuff of his before that I liked but this is something else.  Really gorgeous. 

Agreed, really outstanding stuff...any other recommendations from James Blackshaw catalogue?

This album is quite a departure from his previous work, which was primarily 12-string acoustic.  Cloud of Unknowing from a few years back is very good, but you can't really go wrong with any of his other albums, especially if you like that sort of thing.

[Jim McGriddles]

Not sure why the forum seems to be hiding this image, but it's the album cover for the Neats reissue.


At any rate, I did some more digging, and it turns out (as I suspected would happen) that you can now also get it via the fine folks at Matador records. Let's see if this link works...
 http://www.matadorrecords.com/store/index.php?catalog_id=423

Tim, you probably know this by now, but The Neats are doing a First Night New Years Show at The Orpheum with Buffalo Tom.

Thanks for the heads-up on the reissue: one of my friends has been raving about The Neats, but she didn't know if anything was still easily available.  They have a pretty small internet footprint!

[Chris L]

the James Blackshaw album Gibby recommended.  I'd heard stuff of his before that I liked but this is something else.  Really gorgeous. 

Agreed, really outstanding stuff...any other recommendations from James Blackshaw catalogue?

This album is quite a departure from his previous work, which was primarily 12-string acoustic.  Cloud of Unknowing from a few years back is very good, but you can't really go wrong with any of his other albums, especially if you like that sort of thing.

Yeah, O True Believers is the other one I have.  It's impressive, but this new one really grabbed me

[dave from knoxville]

Here's my top 50 for the year

1) Animal Collective - Merriwether Post Pavilion
2) Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live
3) Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years
4) Iron and Wine - Around the Well
5) Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - White Lunar
6) Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
7) Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware
9) Dizzee Rascal - Tongue n Cheek
10) Wilco - Wilco the Album
11) Me'Shell N'Degeocello - Devil's Halo
12) PJ Harvey - A Man, a Woman Walked By
13) The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath
14) J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
15) Basement Jaxx - Scars
16) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
17) Flaming Lips - Embryonic
18) Nirvana - Live at Reading
19) Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream
20) Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights
21) The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
22) Dolly Parton - Dolly
23) Vic Chesnutt - At the Cut
24) Steve Earle - Townes
25) Oneida - Rated O
26) M Ward - Hold Time
27) Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
28) Built to Spill - There is No Enemy
29) Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
30) Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
31) Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
32) Akron/Family - Set em Wild Set em Free
33) Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
34) Magnolia Electric Company - Josephine
35) Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
36) Brother Ali - Us
37) The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
38) Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini: Wizrd of Poetry
39) Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
40) Miranda Lambert - Revolution
41) Leonard Cohen - Live in London
42) Mission of Burma - The Sound the Speed the Light
43) The Thermals - Now We Can See
44) The Field - Yesterday and Today
45) Rosanne Cash - The List
46) The Handsome Family - Honey Moon
47) Arctic Monkees - Humbug
48) Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
49) British Sea Power - Man of Aran (Soundtrack)
50) Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson

I tend to go with the tried and true, finding it harder and harder as I age to give much slack to brand new artists.

[Martin]

Wow, I'd completely missed that Me'Shell had an album out this year - thanks for letting me know, Dave!

[harris]

Here's my top 50 for the year

1) Animal Collective - Merriwether Post Pavilion
2) Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom Live
3) Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years
4) Iron and Wine - Around the Well
5) Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - White Lunar
6) Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
7) Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware
9) Dizzee Rascal - Tongue n Cheek
10) Wilco - Wilco the Album
11) Me'Shell N'Degeocello - Devil's Halo
12) PJ Harvey - A Man, a Woman Walked By
13) The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath
14) J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid
15) Basement Jaxx - Scars
16) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
17) Flaming Lips - Embryonic
18) Nirvana - Live at Reading
19) Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream
20) Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights
21) The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
22) Dolly Parton - Dolly
23) Vic Chesnutt - At the Cut
24) Steve Earle - Townes
25) Oneida - Rated O
26) M Ward - Hold Time
27) Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
28) Built to Spill - There is No Enemy
29) Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
30) Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
31) Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
32) Akron/Family - Set em Wild Set em Free
33) Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
34) Magnolia Electric Company - Josephine
35) Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
36) Brother Ali - Us
37) The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
38) Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini: Wizrd of Poetry
39) Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
40) Miranda Lambert - Revolution
41) Leonard Cohen - Live in London
42) Mission of Burma - The Sound the Speed the Light
43) The Thermals - Now We Can See
44) The Field - Yesterday and Today
45) Rosanne Cash - The List
46) The Handsome Family - Honey Moon
47) Arctic Monkees - Humbug
48) Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
49) British Sea Power - Man of Aran (Soundtrack)
50) Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson

I tend to go with the tried and true, finding it harder and harder as I age to give much slack to brand new artists.

No  Monsters of Folk?

[dave from knoxville]

It is what it is

[Jim McGriddles]

I listened to these records more than any others this year:

Shudder To Think: Pony Express Record (I've had this for a few years, but for some reason it was my go-to record in '09)
The Thermals: Now We Can See
Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
The Feelies: Only Life (picked up after grabbing the reissued 1st 2 records this year, which are also great-especially The Good Earth)
Future Of The Left: Curses
Sonic Youth: The Eternal
The Twilight Sad: Forget The Night Ahead
Japandroids: Post-Nothing

Records I like but haven't spent as much time with:

Kurt Vile: Childish Prodigy
Bill Callahan: Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs
Thao Nguyen: Know Better Learn Faster