Well. Some newer releases this time. :) And a couple of vintage ones that are just new to me. However, for most of the CDs, I list no favorites because... all the tracks are worth listening to and having.
Eels - "Useless Trinkets", "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations":
Woo! The BL&OR one is such a bargain! 6.99 for a double CD and a huge number of great Eels songs. The night of the concert, the group of us waiting by the tour bus were discussing favorite Eels songs, and so many were from this album. Way too many to list. It's absolutely a must-have. Period.
Useless Trinkets is.. far from useless. :) Also a double CD (but not priced so attractively), it still would be a treasure-trove for the serious Eels collector, and at least half of it are treasures for an only half-serious collector like me. ;)
Moby - "Last Night": He's at it again. I love this guy, and this latest CD is top shelf. It has a bit of a retro throwback feel to it, though not as much as, say, a Stereolab. But it hearkens back to the disco era while staying squarely in the modern electronic music genre. Terrific CD. I'd have liked it even better without the two songs with rap vocals, but then.. that's me. Need that melody. :)
Matt Pond PA - "Last Light": Picked this up at the concert, and it's a bit like his stage show.. rougher around the edges than his earlier work, but still really good. A lot of upbeat material, even though the lyrics don't always match the tempo and chording of the music. It's still very catchy and appealing. It's not mainstream pop like Maroon 5, don't get me wrong. But.. it's almost that good musically and the songs are mostly fun and accessible, if here and there a little melancholy.
It's almost as if he has all these bittersweet feelings to deal with, and copes with them by playing mostly happy music. Yeah. I kind of relate to that. ;) Great CD, and a fine one to pop in the CD player in your car for a road trip. If, for instance, you were driving, say, from Green Bay to Milwaukee someday and feeling sort of down.. if you played this CD, by the time you got there you might feel like you'd dealt with some of it and were a little better. Should such a situation ever arise.
Girl In A Coma - "Both Before I'm Gone": Eh. iTunes was hawking this one at 6.99 as an Editor's choice for a great band at a great price. I don't know. To me, 6.99 is about the right price. And faced with the choice of this for 6.99 and The Eels "Blinking Lights" for the same price.. there's no comparison. None. But all that said, it's not like it's bad music. It's interesting. It's just.. not my style. :) Pretty dark and gloomy, with a bit too much angst in the vocals, more dissonance than I care for, and a lack of coherent structure to many songs. But other than that... it's swell. :P
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "Master and Everyone", "Ask Forgiveness":
Hey boys and girls! Can you say "Iron and Wine?" You can? Goooood. Because that's what this is. :) If you like Iron and Wine (which I really do - going to see them live in June), you will like Bonnie Prince Billy (which I also really do.) It's the same great acoustic guitar and earthy male vocal with occasional female help, except perhaps a bit less true to folk and with a little more lyrical variety. Very, very nice.
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