The Story So Far... Mid Year Report

Jan to Jun 2012

How time seems to fly.  While the first half of the year (musically) doesn't seem too fruitful and offerings haven't exactly been earth-shattering; there is, thank heavens, music worth celebrating.

Doesn't seem all that long ago either, that I have made some RSD (Record Store Day April 21, 2012) purchases and have since been hatching two as yet unpublished posts - Reviews of The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends and Jack White's Blunderbuss...

And here we are, mid point already!

Drum roll please, my 25 favourite albums thus far -


1.  Father John Misty - Fear Fun
2.  The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends
3.  Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
4.  The Walkmen - Heaven
5.  Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
6.  Beach House - Bloom
7.  Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
8. Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
9. Jack White - Blunderbuss
10. Chromatics - Kill for Love
11.  Caetano Veloso and David Byrne - Live at Carnegie Hall
12.  Jay Farrar, Yim Yames, Will Johnson and Anders Parker - New Multitudes
13.  Django Django - Django Django
14.  John Talabot - ƒIN
15.  Dr. John - Locked Down
16.  Dexys - One Day I'm Going to Soar
17.  Lambchop - Mr. M
18.  Giant Giant Sand - Tuscon
19.  Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
20.  M. Ward - A Wasteland Companion
21.  Brendan Benson - What Kind of World
22.  The 2 Bears - Be Strong
23.  Trembling Bells & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Marble Downs
24.  fun. - Some Nights
25.  Lana Del Rey - Born to Die


There you have it.

There's still a few which have yet to take root:  Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, Fanfarlo's Rooms Filled with Light, The Tallest Man On Earth's There's No Leaving Now, Liars' WIXIW.

The second half of the year shall see new releases by Animal Collective, The Antlers, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Bat for Lashes, Beak>,Bloc Party, Calexico, Matthew Dear, Dirty Projectors, Foals, Grizzly Bear, Mission of Burma, The Raveonettes, St. Vincent and David Byrne, Swans, The xx, Yeasayer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Lambchop Serves It Up!

As part of Sydney Festival 2012, Lambchop is heading to our shores to kickstart what must surely be a big year for them.


Not content to just front his band, Kurt Wagner is making the most of his trip by also appearing in 2 gigs as one half of KORT (with Cortney Tidwell as his partner-in-crime) promoting their 2010 effort, Invariable Heartache; as well as running a solo sideshow.




Primed to release their 11th studio album, Mr. M on 21st Feb 2012, I'm excited to hear some new tracks live prior to the album's release.

Lambchop - Gone Tomorrow by cityslang

A track dedicated to Vic Chestnutt:

Lambchop - If Not I'll Just Die by cityslang

Album / Tour Trailer:

KORT country pickin' on:

  Excited!

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Concert Review: Sydney Recital Hall (21/1/2012)

It was a night of beautiful and delicate songs which was seriously marred by heavy handed sound mixing at the soundboard.

Kurt Wagner's soft dulcet tones was instead over-amped and over-reverbed to the point of sounding boomy but distant; as though trapped in an echo chamber next door.  Much of the instruments were accorded the same fate except for the drummer who sounded present and accounted for.

Hopefully the band sounded better elsewhere in the recital hall (I was seated on level 3).


Shame.