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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Jim Connelly's
Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Monday, January 15, 2007
Jesse Steichen's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Friday, January 12, 2007
Bill Bentley's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Tom Ridge's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Lee Templeton's Favorite Recordings Of 2006
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Anthony Carew's 13 Fave Albums Of 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
SXSW 2006: Finding Some Hope In Austin
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Letter From New Orleans
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Jennifer Przybylski's Fave Albums of 2005
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Music For Dwindling Days: Max Schaefer's Fave Recordings Of 2005
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Sean Fennessey's 'Best-Of' 2005
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Lori Miller Barrett's Fave Albums Of 2005
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Lee Templeton's Favorite Recordings of 2005
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Michael Lach - Old Soul Songs For A New World Order
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Found In Translation — Emme Stone's Year In Music 2005
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Dave Allen's 'Best-Of' 2005
Monday, January 2, 2006
Steve Gozdecki's Favorite Albums Of 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Johnny Walker Black's Top 10 Of 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Neal Block's Favorite Recordings Of 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Jenny Tatone's Year In Review
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Dave Renard's Fave Recordings Of 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
Jennifer Kelly's Fave Recordings Of 2005
Thursday, December 8, 2005
Tom Ridge's Favorite Recordings Of 2005
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Ben Gook's Beloved Albums Of 2005
Monday, December 5, 2005
Anthony Carew's Fave Albums Of 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Prince, Spoon And The Magic Of The Dead Stop
Monday, September 12, 2005
The Truth About America
Monday, September 5, 2005
Tryin' To Wash Us Away
Monday, August 1, 2005
A Psyche-Folk Heat Wave In Western Massachusetts
Monday, July 18, 2005
Soggy But Happy At Glastonbury 2005
Monday, April 4, 2005
The SXSW Experience, Part 3: All Together Now
Friday, April 1, 2005
The SXSW Experience, Part 2: Dr. Dog's Happy Chords
Thursday, March 31, 2005
The SXSW Experience, Part 1: Waiting, Waiting And More Waiting
Friday, March 25, 2005
Final Day At SXSW's Charnel House
Monday, March 21, 2005
Day Three At SXSW
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Day Two In SXSW's Hall Of Mirrors
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Report #1: SXSW 2005 And Its Hall Of Mirrors
Monday, February 14, 2005
Matt Landry's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
David Howie's 'Moments' From The Year 2004
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Lori Miller Barrett's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Noah Bonaparte's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Kevin John's Fave Albums Of 2004
Friday, January 14, 2005
Music For Those Nights: Max Schaefer's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Dave Renard's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Neal Block's Top Ten Of 2004
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Jenny Tatone's Fave Albums Of 2004
Monday, January 10, 2005
Wayne Robins' Top Ten Of 2004
Friday, January 7, 2005
Brian Orloff's Fave Albums Of 2004
Thursday, January 6, 2005
Johnny Walker (Black)'s Top 10 Of 2004
Wednesday, January 5, 2005
Jennifer Przybylski's Fave Albums (And Book) Of 2004
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
Mark Mordue's Fave Albums Of 2004
Monday, January 3, 2005
Lee Templeton's Fave Recordings Of 2004
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Lori Miller Barrett's Fave Recordings Of 2004
Lori Miller Barrett writes: Several Neumu writers who submitted top-10 lists wrote about how hard it was to whittle down their choices to 10. I had the opposite problem. As a member of a busy and noisy family of four, I found it hard to listen attentively to much of what I bought. And I found it hard to buy,
with the knowledge that for every CD I spent money on, my little ones
might have to spend another day in too-small shoes... or, more likely,
another day insisting on wearing too-small hand-me-down formal wear to
school.
The Stills, Logic Will Break Your Heart, (Vice): It came out in 2003, but late 2003, and dominated my disc player for the first half of '04.
The echoes of the '80s and the angst of the lyrics take me to the
time in my life when I would sit and do nothing more than listen to
music. Sometimes when I put this disc on, the multitasking adult in me
doesn't mind pausing for a while to listen.
Blonde Redhead, Misery Is a Butterfly, (4AD): It has the same fairy-tale feel as the Fiery Furnaces' disc, but doesn't get weighed down by
meandering theatrics. The swirling layers of sound and lyrics about
butterflies, angels and magic are tempered by a mathematical rock.
Instead of floating off into the ether, these songs fill the room with
mood and mystery.
Interpol, Antics, (Matador): There are a lot of bands out there mining the '80s for inspiration. Interpol do it with intelligence,
appealing to both my nostalgic ear and my inner ear. And I love their suits.
On!Air!Library!, On!Air!Library!, (Arena Rock): Another Brooklyn-based band awash in reverb. The singing twin sisters prompted some comparisons to the Cocteau Twins, which led me to listen. It's admittedly
derivative, but also very modern. In between the backward glances there
is a lot of experimentation. The song "Feb.," one of the disc's finest,
has a male voice, in place of the sisters, and violins.
Lambchop, Aw C'mon and No, You C'mon, (Lambchop and Merge Records): Johnny Cash goes to Motown. I can't believe Lambchop don't rule the world — or at least make more top-10 lists. I always feel there's a mirrorball in my living room when I listen to Lambchop; and Kurt
Wagner's deep voice makes me swoon.
Rilo Kiley, More Adventures, (Brute/Beaute): Jenny Lewis packs a lot of personality in her voice; she's both a wide-eyed girl and a jaded cynic,
wanting to settle down and then running away in disgust from the love
she thought she wanted. Sometimes I catch wind of her making fun of me,
with my husband, two kids and giant drooling dog. But before I can take
offense, she winks and offers to prop me up when I'm wilting.
Tanya Donelly, Whiskey Tango Ghosts, (4AD): Give Jenny Lewis 10 years and a few more ghosts, and she may release something like this. The aches are a little closer to the surface here. "Every Devil" is one of
my favorite songs of 2004: a bittersweet love song with demons and
dancing competing for the space around the bed.
Danger Mouse, The Grey Album, (Self Released): I never heard all of Jay-Z's Black Album, but loved the radio version of "Dirt Off Your
Shoulder." So, for me, these remixes weren't like remixes. This
collection of songs has just enough rock to keep me coming back, and
just enough catchy foul-mouthed rhymes to send me off feeling I could
kick someone's ass. And, like Jay-Z, I got 99 problems, but a bitch
ain't one.
Various artists, "Ella Enchanted" Soundtrack, (Hollywood Records) : This was my favorite as a listening parent. It's the disc that moved my children away from the
Wiggles and their ilk, and toward the next step in a kid's listening
life: bouncy pop. Most of the songs are covers of '70s and '80s radio hits
and are fun to listen to, especially Anne Hathaway's rollicking version
of Queen's "Somebody to Love."
The InsiderOne Daily Report appears on occasion.
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