Your favorite 2009 releases so far

[gekokujyo]

Originally Posted by cjhobbies00

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.

I'd just like to say that that album was pure MAGIC, and it's probably my favourite album so far of the year. My list looks like any typical's hipster list, but regardless, my favourite albums so far:

1. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
2. Sanmon Gossip
3. Actor, St. Vincent (though tbh I really preferred her first album)
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Lisztomania is fking dope single; can't get enough of it
5. It's Blitz, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. If there is one thing that is important, Sandee Chan
7. Immortal, Cheer Chen
8. Orange Moon, Khalil Fong (I suppose technically this really came out in Dec '08)

Some songs that I really liked from this year, thus far:
1. Daniel, Bats for Lashes (the rest of the album didn't quite measure up for me)
2. Black Hearted Love, PJ Harvey and John Parish
3. The Fear, Lily Allen (great video, too)
4. Umareyuku monotachi e, Do As Infinity (what a great comeback single!)
5. Riding on a white horse (身騎白馬), Lala Hsu
6. Heartbeat, Lee-hom Wang

Really looking forward to:
1. New Mew album!
2. New Onitsuka Chihiro album!

[Jesse]

Hmm.. I've been thinking about this recently...

Albums so far that I've loved are:

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
Shiina Ringo - Sanmon Gossip
Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
Passion Pit - Manners


Albums I've liked, or I think I could like once I've listened to it more:

Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Utada - This is the One
BoA - BoA
Koda Kumi - TRICK
Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
The Field - Yesterday & Today
NIRGILIS - RGB
Polly Scattergood - Polly Scattergood
Royksopp - Junior
St Vincent - Actor
The Temper Trap - Conditions
The Fiery Furnances - I'm Going Away (Pretty disappointed with this one so far, but hopefully it grows on me)
Asobi Seksu - Hush (This just makes it on... even though it's dissapointing there's still a number of nice songs)
Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted to Sin (If I got rid of all the songs I didn't like, there'd still be enough songs to make up an album, lol)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! (Another disappointing one for me, but some good songs)


Hopefully some upcoming releases can make it into the loved category!! Looking forward to Flaming Lips, Mew, Radio Dept., Avalanches, Imogen Heap, Muse (maybe!), Missy Elliott, etc

[Maou]

Originally Posted by cjhobbies00

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.

I haven't heard the full album yet, but I loved the few songs I've heard so far. I'm going to check out the rest of the album tonight.

[frecklegirl]

Originally Posted by gekokujyo

Really looking forward to:
2. New Onitsuka Chihiro album!

Which hasn't been announced yet, but yeah, it's probably coming!

[justriiingo]

Gonna have to agree with chobbies about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Phoenix, I love the direction they're going with their sound. Dancey electronicish band music, always fun. Great job Phoenix!

Mayer Hawthorne for sure, absolutely in love with his brand of soul revival. Green eyed love is a gem. Only 2 singles so far, can't wait for his album to finally drop.

Fredrik is another great discovery this year. I would describe their music as post-pop/rock, though it can get pretty intense. Na Na Ni could be described as an instrumental headbanging song... it's syncopated as well so it's even more fun. Their album veer towards a more radio friendly pop sound but its their EPs that contain those lovely instrumental gems...

The Whitest Boy Alive had their 2nd album Dreams released this year, and it's full of catchy dancey electronic music; I especially like the track 1517.

I don't think The Raah Project have any official albums out yet, but judging from their shortened concert on youtube, the album is probably gonna be awesome.

And I'm definitely diggin Kira-Neris's A frozen second... great downtempo music that's a far cry from elevator music, this one requires active listening to take in all the sonic textures!

And speaking about soundcloud...FLOATINGPOINTS! Listen to Vacuum, I wannna partttyyy!

[Superficial Fan]

Thanks for all the replies. Since I can't answer my own question with more than one title, here are my favorites from 2008 (a list I'm sure will be longer when I finally get a chance to hear everything I want to hear from last year):

e.s.t. (Esbjorn Svensson Trio) – Leucocyte

Jazz that sometimes veers into rock territory quite strongly, in addition to adding layers of electronic sounds and effects. It's mostly a dark, brooding album, and it's frequently very slow-paced. The last part was what first drew me in, with its drift into a quasi-minimalist (a la Steve Reich even) approach, but with chaotially placed sounds as well. I had not (knowingly) heard anything by e.s.t. before hearing this album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItOwk...layer_embedded


Boris – Smile

I had been getting interested in Boris before Smile came out, on the basis of Feedbacker, if I recall correctly. (If I recall incorrectly, then I didn't even listen to Feedbacker until I heard Smile.) Boris sometimes gets lumped in with metal. I'm not much into metal, and this particular album is much broader than that, though it does have its heavy passages. Psychedelic, stoner rock, but with dashes of what seems to me like industrial-style electronic touches, lots of drone. Sometimes pretty, sometimes quite noisey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njnmjeKunDw


Soneros All Stars Featuring Cesar “Pupy” Pedroso – La Timba Soy Yo

Cesar Pedroso is one of the only figures in contemporary Cuban music who has put out a fair amount of material I like, though I would never exactly have called myself a fan before, since his hit rate was still pretty bad (I might only like one track on a whole album). However, this album, which bears his imprint, has a lot of great music on it, even if it still has some of the timba mannerisms I don't care for. Lots of people who are really into Cuban music think he is one of the best things going right now. If you click on this link, I would recommend immediately pausing the player that automatically starts up, and play the full album further down. (I actually really hate the sounds at the very beginning of both of these first tracks.) Actually, you might want to skip to "De Esa Manera," which is one of my favorite tracks here, and has a harder feel than some of them. (Unfortunately, this vocalist, Pepito, is no longer working with Cesar Pedroso, and he was one of the bigger draws for me.)

http://www.myspace.com/sonerosallstars


Grupo Fantasma – Sonidos Gold

I was not familiar with this band before a couple of their cumbia tracks from this album caught my attention when I heard them on the radio (but apparently Prince has been a fan for a while). They do a mix of different types of dance music, but mostly Latin: cumbia (the main rhythm I hear here), salsa, samba, afrobeat, funk, bolero, etc. (mostly not too much etc. though). Horns, electric guitar, keyboards, violin, and plenty of percussion.

http://www.myspace.com/fantasmatics


Ghada Shbeir – Syriac Chants

A cappella liturgical music from the Syriac church, a specialized taste I suppose. (It's not so different from certain strands of Lebanese music in Arabic, and I'm sure it's a source for some music I've heard sung by Fairouz or written by Marcel Khalife.)

http://www.zamanproduction.com/zaman...hp5?ref=4&l=en


Suspected favorites that I have not yet heard in their entirety:

Pupy y Los Que Son Son - Tranqilo Que Yo Controlo

See above. Some samples here ("La Machucadera" especially rocks):

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/2...?Z4434QjD;;246


Ricardo Gallo - Urdimbres y Marañas

Colombian Latin jazz, with sometimes dissonant piano work and really interesting rhythms (that remind me of Sun Ra, actually, but perhaps they have Colombian roots).

http://www.stumbleaudio.com/#ricardogallo2/2


Spring Heel Jack - Songs and Themes

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7620835


Kasai Allstars - In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic

Heard some of this on the radio and liked it:

http://crammed.greedbag.com/buy/in-t...hief-turned-1/


Various: Pacifico Colombiano

Heard some of this on the radio and liked it, plus I was already interested in this style of Afro-Colombian music:

http://mp3.mondomix.com/pacifico-colombiano-artists

[chibijelly]

BoA - BoA
The Horrors - Primary Colours
IAMX - Kingdom of Welcome Addiction
PUFFY - Bring it!
Ringo Shiina - Sanmon Gossip
Utada - This Is the One

[BanFan]

Favorite Albums:

01. Chara - Carol
02. The Smith Westerns - The Smith Westerns
03. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

Favorite Songs:

01. Ramona Falls - I Say Fever
02. Shiina Ringo - SG~Superficial Gossip~
03. Amuro Namie - WILD

[isxahopas]

So far:
"Promise In Love" / DJ Mitsu the Beats feat. Jose James
"Never Can Say Goodbye" / The Jackson Five (from Michael Jackson: The Stripped Mixes)
JZX and Seoulsuperbaadasssssssss (mini-albums) / J Z X (aka Jazzy IVY)
J*Davey's "Slooow" video


Still waiting for:
Khalil Fong's cover album (August)
The World of DALALA / DJ Motive (August, c'mon)
aaaaaaaaaand they say SADE is putting out a new album this November. I haven't been able to turn offStronger Than Pride since I heard the news.

[Orenji]

Originally Posted by BanFan

Anticipated Releases:

UA - ATTA (July 22nd)

I'm dying to hear this!!! 2 days left, and a PV was released today (tho I can't download it T_T.)

EDIT: Just noticed Émilie Simon's releasing a new album in September! OMG, I'm so excited!