Music of TIFF

Speaking of TIFF, the good folks at Exclaim! just linked me to this fest-related playlist at Rdio. You may have received it as well (if you follow them/they you, etc) but thought I'd share anyway.

Know this is movie, not music related but...

Just saw this promo pic for the adaptation of David Mitchell's 'Cloud Atlas', a book club selection that I completely loved. Perhaps it will be good, and I hope that's the case. But judging from this image, my gut reaction is it's going to be a hot pile of crap.

Followup to last week's link to the Pitchfork People's List.

Even more fun than the predictable compilation of votes from people who read Pitchfork--Radiohead is popular!?--are the stats and charts with breakdown by city, country, as well as a map of the US where you can see the 20 most popular albums from each city. Most cities have OK Computer at the top of the list. Notice one that doesn't is Houston, TX, which has Arcade Fire as their top. Hometown rooting for Win Butler?

Also, the deadliest lists of all.

Spiritualized is definitely not a 10/10 and at times the lyrics veering into a mawkish, whiny territory and the repeated requests for help from Jesus are slightly irritating. As a whole, though, this one gets stronger with each listen. Stick with it for a bit. Will check out Sountrack... as I've seen a few of you listening to it recently and may have already done so myself but don't recall it.

For something completely different, certainly more mainstream, Adele-like, though quite good, is Lianne La Havas. Probably too many songs on the album but some really great soul/pop and a good summer listen. Believe this is one Derek spotted/saved.

Kyle, though I love Spiritualied, and even some of jason piercves earlier group spacemen 3...I have not gotten into the new one after a number of listens on rdio...I find it lacking in good tunes...he is a master of burying melody so it unfolds after repeat listens , but maybe i have not spun it enough...I will try again...
that said another band I have gotten into over the last 3 or 4 years is soundtrack of our lives...whom i recently discovered were Swedish...somehow i thought they were brits... at any rate behind the music is a fave of mine....for me this is a "song band" ...the sound is very straight ahead but lyrically and melodically they add a strokes like twist to stones based music, but damn do they ever stick around in your head...
Uncut recently gushed about the last album throw it to the universe being a 10/10...however the album is invisible on other sources, such as allmusic   ....no pr for it...... Though not 10/10 for me it is still very consistent....this album is more acoustic then rcent ones...
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Also, 'Django Django' is pretty damn great. Thanks to whomever brought that to Stu's. (Stu, Derek?)

One album which I quasi-dissed at Stu's, labelling much too stylistically close to other gauzy, dreamy, slightly jangly guitar bands I'd be listening to this year (Porcelain Raft, Lower Dens) is Lotus Plaza's Spooky Action From a Distance. On subsequent listens, I think this is a gem. Reminiscent of Deerhunter at times, Stone Roses (vocally, some of the arrangements) at others. Definitely worth a listen and one I wish I'd played that evening.

Other big summer releases for me have been the latest from The Walkmen, which is great through and through. Listening right now to "The Witch" on Rdio confirms this. Another is the latest Spiritualized. Check these out if you haven't already done so.

Also, the most recent Arcade Fire disc, 2010's The Suburbs, has somehow really grown on me this summer. Seems to get better with each listen, which is somewhat rare. Not sure if any of you concur/differ.

WARNING: List-wary, avert your eyes!

With a handful of exceptions, this 100 list of best from 96-11 could easily be either mine or Derek's. Hot Snakes, Liars, Jay Reatard, D'angelo, and Baskinski are the only ones I don't own. You can make your own list here but I'm not gonna bother. Will make it seem like I'm riffing on Ryan's.

More prog rock discussion. Love the 'Yes' summary from the Rolling Stone excerpt.

In honour of Stu's post, your morning cup of insincere, though in no way prog rock, music:

Kyle, i find prog rock to be hard to nail down as a category because except for a few bands like yes and king crimson, many of the bands accused of this tend to be more complex then that one label purports...
I tend to use it as an adjective that means the music jumped the shark in terms of ; musical virtuosity , far reaching lyrical oddessys; and keyboards being usually a  (if not the ) primary musical statement....in short all these elements pushed to a point of pretension that it overwelms the music..... That said I love early, genesis, , Yes, King Crimson, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd.....all bands that at one time or another get roped into that category, and yes have aspects of this, but alsso have great melodic songwritting.....
It was an contrast to the 90's use of irony as the overwelming musical statement....until Arcade fire brought back that it was ok to be sincere in your music.....   but.... you know....... Arcade fire are a unimportant and overrated band...
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And of course, this.

Thanks for posting the list, Stu. Sorry for bringing down the swirly psych pop mood with my post punk pick that evening. Back in the office for a few weeks and will look into ways to make some improvements to our blog. In the meantime, there's a series on Slate this week on prog rock that I think you'll enjoy reading, possibly provocative. Enjoy

well if ever there was a day to this to this ....today is it...
Olafer Arnalds-eulogy
Gold leaves-Ornament
The weekend-house balloons
Kathleen edwards-voyager
Damien jurado-magupqua
Naked and famous-all of this
Jonathon wilson-gentle spirit
Breton-other peoples problems
Phoenix foundation-buffalo
bart davenport-searching for bart simpson
soft swells-??
wilco-the whole love
grimes-visions
djaneo-djaneo- self titled
bridget st john-ask me no questions
oshin-Diiv
disappears-pre language
rae spoon-i cant keep all of our secrets
noah preminger-before the rain

Derek there is a new doc out on Rodriquez....called search for sugarman or something like that....Im still loving his music thanks for the intro and any of you who missed this guy check him out...late 60's early 70's latin influenced pop

Better late, than never.  Quite the task to pick out the best of the past 16 years.  I used several criteria. 

1) the album had to have been released within the last 16 years
2) The album needed to still be in regular rotation to this day.
3) Most importantly, the album needed to be significant to me for one reason or another.
I have listed my top 16 as well as the short list that followed. 16 great years!

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra	Talkatif
Arcade Fire	The Suburbs
SOIL&"PIMP" SESSIONS	PIMP OF THE YEAR
Bran Van 3000	Glee [US version]
DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo	Ki-Oku
Kruder & Dorfmeister	The K&D Sessions
Mike Ness	Cheating at Solitaire
Brad Mehldau	Live at the Village Vanguard
Interpol	Antics
Garbage	Version 2.0
M. Ward	Post-War
Lucinda Williams	Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Talvin Singh	OK
Moby	Play
Macy Gray	On How Life Is
Femi Kuti	Shoki Shoki
Various Artists	Run Lola Run
Bon Iver	For Emma, Forever Ago
LCD Soundsystem	Sound Of Silver
Buena Vista Social Club	Buena Vista Social Club
Amon Tobin	Bricolage
Nightmares on Wax	Carboot Soul
Bugge Wessteltoft	New Conceptions in Jazz, FilM ing
Propellerheads	Decksanddrumsandrockandroll
Clinic	Walking with Thee
Interpol	Antics
Jack Johnson	On and On
Suba	Sao Paulo Confessions
Koop	Waltz For Koop
Jolie Holland	Escondida
Wilco	A Ghost is Born
Outkast	Stankonia
The White Stipes	Elephant
The Strokes	Room On Fire
South	From Here On In
Avalanche	Since I Left You
Slick Sixty	Nibs And Nabs