Your favorite 2009 releases so far

[mizer_unmei]

Originally Posted by HEDOfloe

have you heard the drama about that album? one of the girls is complaining that nakata is turning them into his own "capsule 2" with less vocals and a more techno sound. i think i might actually like that album because of that, but they sure don't. should be interesting.

I'd like to see how they turn out without him. He's basically their money ticket as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't like Perfume half as much if they didn't have such catchy songs, and no one's really producing music that caliber save for him.

Originally Posted by kuro_neko

shakira gave an interview recently and she said that the new album will be out in october and have 10 tracks, 3 in spanish and 7 in english. then in first quarter 2010 she will release a spanish album (same as she did with OF, except backwards). she said the new album is very 80's electronic pop fantasy, kind of disco. she also says she really wants a child and plans to do it without getting married since she is a modern woman. go shaki!

That's pretty much my perfect album sound. I really really really can't wait. I've already got "Loba" on repeat.

[frecklegirl]

That's crazy about Shakira saying she doesn't need to get married to have a kid, considering she's been engaged for 8 years now. @_@

[kuro_neko]

well, who else is she going to have a kid with? they might be secretly married...no one really knows. or perhaps marriage just isn't their thing, I understand.

"I believe that, in the 80'S pop there was more fantasy. Now everything is more direct and there LOBA is born, in the quest of that fantasy. Loba has been the reflection of my own individual freedom,as a 32 year old woman that feels it has the right to defend her desires. Loba is also a man of that kind and also the gays, is the human being who has its right to defend what it wants."

[HEDOfloe]

yea, with the whole perfume thing, it is easy to say that they should just write their own songs if they didn't want to do what he was doing but you know, the change in style like that might be bad for them, too. one of the arguments they raised was that they were a live act as opposed to capsule who does more club numbers. they have a different image, even though it is still a cute one, and they're not just dancing techno on-stage but doing more "elaborate" (for lack of a better term) moves. i don't agree with biting the hands that feeds you, but it could hurt their image/sales if the fans actually care about what they make.

as for my favorites so far this year, there are a couple by acts i was already a fan of which i love:

st. vincent - actor (probably will be my favorite of the year)
SR - SG
franz ferdinand - tonight (i'm on and off with this album. sometimes it's too much and sometimes i can't get enough. i dont think it compares with their old ones, but it has some solid songs so i can't complain).
asobi seksu - hush (i was a fan of theirs before this album, but this album really solidified my fandom. i love it)
camera obscura - my maudlin career (similar to asobi seksu, i was a fan of them but this album helped me pay more attention to them and see that i really like them)


then there were some albums by bands that i wasn't a fan of already that turned me into a fan:

phoenix - wolfgang amadeus phoenix
bat for lashes - two suns
george harrison - let it roll (this was a "best of" collection and it's perfect for drawing new fans in. it had some songs he wrote as a beatle but only live versions he did without the band).

there are a couple of albums that came out this year that i still have to check out, both by people i already know and some i dont. people like regina spektor, kaela kimura, grizzley bears and animal collective.

i've been surprised by all these new releases this year by people i'm interested in. and a bunch of them are touring as well. i want to hear something from the strokes, though. still nothing out on them.

[Orenji]

Originally Posted by HEDOfloe

there are a couple of albums that came out this year that i still have to check out, both by people i already know and some i dont. people like regina spektor, kaela kimura, grizzley bears and animal collective.

I really hated HOCUS POCUS so if I were you, I'd try another thing, haha.

[JonnoJ]

Japanese:
Shiina - Sanmon Gossip
Mucc - Kyuutai
Merry - UNDERWORLD
Red Sun - Escape, Please.
Qomolangma Tomato - camouflage

Western:
Procol Harum - In concert with the DNCO&Choir - prob. favourite release of the year.
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
Lily Allen - It's not me it's you
Alexander Rybak - Fairytales (shut up).

Yeeah, haven't been following new music too closely this year :/

[Maou]

St. Vincent's Actor and Silversun Pickups' Swoon are the two best albums released so far this year. Everything else I've listened to has been at least a little disappointing.

[Inaudible-Whisper]

I don't dare make lists half way through a year. My list of 2009 albums just to check out that are already released is currently at 17. So it's impossible to fairly judge until I'm fully up to date at the end of the year because I have such a back log. I can say with some certainty though that thus far my favourite releases of the year have been Animal Collectives Merriweather Post Pavilion and Grizzly Bears Veckatimest. I'm happy to name these as I've already put them forward as such in other threads and whilst I have a reasonably lengthy list of "2009 albums that I like thus far" these two are ahead of the rest by quite a bit. They're not my only favourite 2009 albums, just the two I'm happy to pick out that stand above the rest so far.

I think it's been a pretty good year for music so far. A few surprises, a few that met expectations and a few disappointments (but no unexpected dislikes) plus I have a good few albums I'm really looking forward too. There's no such thing as a year with no good music... if you haven't found anything decent yet you just haven't been looking hard enough.

[cjhobbies00]

I probably left 1 or 2 albums off my list.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
This is the album that helped me through the disappointment of Hush. As far as I'm concerned, this is the third Asobi Seksu album.

Dark Was the Night
Unexpected collection of great songs for a great cause. Album that introduced me to the gorgeous voice of My Brightest Diamond.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Only problem I have with the album? They started the cd with the two best songs, creating a high that was impossible to top.

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
At first I felt that the new album didn't compare favorably to Let's Get Out of this Country. That album had 4-5 songs that hit you immediately over the head with their infectiousness. This album grew on me; songs like Swans, James, Forest & Sands, Honey in the Sun just worked their way into my head and I haven't been able to get them out.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
This is another album that slowly grew on me. It's Blitz is quite a departure from the sounds of Show Your Bones and Is Is. While I prefer my YYYs dirtier and less glam, I can't complain about a sucessful sonic departure by an established band...especially when so many bands fail horribly at the task.

[Entry№1]

Originally Posted by HEDOfloe

have you heard the drama about that album? one of the girls is complaining that nakata is turning them into his own "capsule 2" with less vocals and a more techno sound. i think i might actually like that album because of that, but they sure don't. should be interesting.

Are you talking about this topic?:
http://perfume.ekuseru.net/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2290
It seems like a bunch of hearsay/mis-interpretation to me. The only problem is, if Perfume does issue some type of press release, it will be something along the lines of "A-chan has left" or "Perfume is disbanding"... so I sympathize about the pre-emptive speculation.
Even though I love Nakata's work, I don't feel the least bit sorry for him. If it's anything like the American music industry, he (as the composer) is the one who rakes in the most cash and critical acclaim anyway. But Perfume as a whole is starting to sound a whole lot like Capsule, and that's a mistake on Nakata's behalf. As a composer myself, I feel I'm in a position where I can criticize. Even though I like the more electro/futuristic stuff, he needs to explore Perfume's roots and founding concepts.
People are quick to say that the girls are useless without Nakata when they forget that Perfume existed before he even stepped in. He helped them a whole lot, but now he's beginning to lose sight of their identity in comparison to his other projects. It's like he's turning into Tsunku, but with a lot less blood on his hands...
Don't get me wrong, I love every facet of Perfume - perhaps Nakata especially - but Perfume is far more than just Nakata, and I believe it's naive to think otherwise.

EDIT: I should also mention I really like Shakira's "Loba". I'm really glad she's trying something so different and fresh while still retaining her own style. I am also digging Whitney Houston's comeback single "I didn't know my own strength" and Mariah Carey's "Obsessed".