Post by Chad Wilkens on Feb 27, 2004 17:45:53 GMT -5
Verve Remixed 2
Following a common trend in 2003, this CD came out of nowhere, and goddamn, it's freakin' incredible. These songs are so catchy, so smooth, so just-god-damn-awesome that after listening to them, you can't help BUT hitting repeat. If there is one album out of all of these that you should buy, it's this one.
Howie Day / Stop all the World
At first, Howie's new CD really didn't strike me as being that great; he's got a full-blown band behind him now, sort of pushing aside his singer-songwriter past. But, it did wind up growing on me and becoming a great CD in its own right, with many strong tracks and decent creativity.
Spiritualized / Amazing Grace
Spritualized can make a good CD, but unfortunately, this really isn't it. While I give them kudos for going in a different direction, it really doesn't seem to fit with past works. Practically gone are the light, airy works of the past, replaced with the more piano-rocky tracks that are decent, but just didn't do that much for me.
Raveonettes / Chain Gang of Love
All right, I've got to level with you on this one... I bought the CD, and at first, loved it. It was original, and had a throwback to the 50's style of rock (and eveyone who knows me knows that I love anything 50's), but the replay value here just wasn't really high in the end. What a shame, really...
Aimee Mann / Lost in Space
Aimee Mann delivers a genuinely strong album with Lost in Space. While this CD came out in the first half of the year, I didn't really get a chance to listen to it until September, and it's been in constant rotation since. This CD tries to evoke feelings from the past, and does so quite admirably. The replay value is very high here, with many unforgettable, unique songs.
Dido / Life for Rent
First, a confession: I've been in love with Dido for years. She's beautiful, and her voice is enough to make me cream my pants. And dammit, her new CD left them as a soppy mess. While it does follow a similar formula as the previous album, this one is more... refined. Dido has come a long way.
Sense Field / Living Outside
While these guys are one of Bob's main squeezes, I did pick up their newest release and in general, I was pleased with the quality of the tunes in the mix. The problem that I have here was main with an overbearing drum section on most tracks that just wasn't becoming to me. Overall, a good disc, with one flaw that keeps me from loving it.
Michelle Branch / Hotel Paper
One of my summer albums, Ms. Branch's Hotel Paper has a replay value second-to-none versus any other album in this roundup. Super-catchy tunes and bursting vocals dominate all of the songs, but what sets this one apart and really pushes it are the emotions that come through in these songs; nothing is faked here, these are genuine.
Fire Theft / Fire Theft
This album just didn't do it for me. Expect Bob to love it (he turned me on to this album in the first place) for its prog-rock nature, but I'll be honest: I just didn't want to listen to most of these tracks over and over again.
Anjali / The World of Lady A
I heard this one on UIC Radio's automation rotation (which is normally filled with forgettable crap) and I was genuinely surprised. The disco-lounge era is relieved throughout much of this album, and it plays very well. The occastion sitar is a nice addition to the ordinary 60's style spy beat.
Rachael Sage / Public Racord
I have to say that I do await Ms. Sage's second album, simply because her first effort does show a lot of talent, if also unformity. Her voice envokes memories of Ani DeFranco, while the music pushes you more in the direction of Amy Corriea, with a light rock/piano tint.
Azure Ray / November
Yeah, ok... few groups actually manage to put me to sleep... this is one of them. I'm all for melodic harmonies and harmonization, but bunny... throwing in that whiney emo element, and it just goes downhill. I can't say that there was anything worth enjoying here.
Travis / 12 Memories
One of the bigger disappointments for me was the new Travis album. I loved The Man Who and The Invisible Band, and so I was ready to be amazed again, only to find a disc that just really left me unpleased upon finishing it. It does have some redeeming, standout tracks, that really salvage it for me, however, and bring its rating back up.
Following a common trend in 2003, this CD came out of nowhere, and goddamn, it's freakin' incredible. These songs are so catchy, so smooth, so just-god-damn-awesome that after listening to them, you can't help BUT hitting repeat. If there is one album out of all of these that you should buy, it's this one.
Howie Day / Stop all the World
At first, Howie's new CD really didn't strike me as being that great; he's got a full-blown band behind him now, sort of pushing aside his singer-songwriter past. But, it did wind up growing on me and becoming a great CD in its own right, with many strong tracks and decent creativity.
Spiritualized / Amazing Grace
Spritualized can make a good CD, but unfortunately, this really isn't it. While I give them kudos for going in a different direction, it really doesn't seem to fit with past works. Practically gone are the light, airy works of the past, replaced with the more piano-rocky tracks that are decent, but just didn't do that much for me.
Raveonettes / Chain Gang of Love
All right, I've got to level with you on this one... I bought the CD, and at first, loved it. It was original, and had a throwback to the 50's style of rock (and eveyone who knows me knows that I love anything 50's), but the replay value here just wasn't really high in the end. What a shame, really...
Aimee Mann / Lost in Space
Aimee Mann delivers a genuinely strong album with Lost in Space. While this CD came out in the first half of the year, I didn't really get a chance to listen to it until September, and it's been in constant rotation since. This CD tries to evoke feelings from the past, and does so quite admirably. The replay value is very high here, with many unforgettable, unique songs.
Dido / Life for Rent
First, a confession: I've been in love with Dido for years. She's beautiful, and her voice is enough to make me cream my pants. And dammit, her new CD left them as a soppy mess. While it does follow a similar formula as the previous album, this one is more... refined. Dido has come a long way.
Sense Field / Living Outside
While these guys are one of Bob's main squeezes, I did pick up their newest release and in general, I was pleased with the quality of the tunes in the mix. The problem that I have here was main with an overbearing drum section on most tracks that just wasn't becoming to me. Overall, a good disc, with one flaw that keeps me from loving it.
Michelle Branch / Hotel Paper
One of my summer albums, Ms. Branch's Hotel Paper has a replay value second-to-none versus any other album in this roundup. Super-catchy tunes and bursting vocals dominate all of the songs, but what sets this one apart and really pushes it are the emotions that come through in these songs; nothing is faked here, these are genuine.
Fire Theft / Fire Theft
This album just didn't do it for me. Expect Bob to love it (he turned me on to this album in the first place) for its prog-rock nature, but I'll be honest: I just didn't want to listen to most of these tracks over and over again.
Anjali / The World of Lady A
I heard this one on UIC Radio's automation rotation (which is normally filled with forgettable crap) and I was genuinely surprised. The disco-lounge era is relieved throughout much of this album, and it plays very well. The occastion sitar is a nice addition to the ordinary 60's style spy beat.
Rachael Sage / Public Racord
I have to say that I do await Ms. Sage's second album, simply because her first effort does show a lot of talent, if also unformity. Her voice envokes memories of Ani DeFranco, while the music pushes you more in the direction of Amy Corriea, with a light rock/piano tint.
Azure Ray / November
Yeah, ok... few groups actually manage to put me to sleep... this is one of them. I'm all for melodic harmonies and harmonization, but bunny... throwing in that whiney emo element, and it just goes downhill. I can't say that there was anything worth enjoying here.
Travis / 12 Memories
One of the bigger disappointments for me was the new Travis album. I loved The Man Who and The Invisible Band, and so I was ready to be amazed again, only to find a disc that just really left me unpleased upon finishing it. It does have some redeeming, standout tracks, that really salvage it for me, however, and bring its rating back up.