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And All the Colors- Ian Moore Well,
hell, it's my #1 CD of all time, of course it's going to be my best
of the year. Please
see my Top 10 CD's of all-time section.
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1.
Float Away
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Breach- The Wallflowers Oh
no! Have I gone mainstream? No way, and it's interesting to see that
The Wallflowers sold a lot less records on this one while their music
got better. Not a shock in today's music industry. I thought the band
was okay, but way overplayed with Bringing Down the Horse, but this
cd is a real treat. Jakob Dylan, like his father, proves he has some
real songwriting chops, and a cool, mellow voice to boot. Not a long
cd, but every song has a different take. Standouts include the incredible
"Witness", which could be the peak of any cd, and the haunting
last song "Birdcage" which is divided into a hidden track..The
hidden track is brilliant because it uses such a unique method to
portray the message....Smart pop is often tried but rarely sucessful
these days, and "Breach" is a breath of fresh air. |
1.
Letters From The Wasteland |
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Haunted- Poe Who the hell is Poe? I had vaguely heard of her before, but knew nothing about her or her music.This was a "listening-station" find- I was in Tower Records and it was featured in one of the stations so I gave it a shot....WOW...This chick is talented! I compare her to a much smarter version of Madonna......emphasis on the MUCH....Brilliant melodies and beats throughout the whole cd.. A perfect combination of rock, pop, and electronic music....It's sort of a "concept" record, but that doesn't mean that the songs can't stand out on their own..."Haunted" could very well be song of the year....I thoroughly recommend giving this at least one listen all the way through, it's quite a ride. I listened to her first cd from 1995 and didn't like it too much, so it's probably the biggest quality jump from record to record that I've ever seen.....I think if people find out about her, she could definitely have a very large impact, and we wouldn't be saying "Who the hell is Poe?"
Figure 8- Elliott Smith Elliott Smith changes and evolves with each record which makes him a the impressive musician that he is. He kind of tries everything on this record and greatly succeeds for the most part. A lot of Smith fans didn't like this one because it doesn't sound too much like previous releases, but that doesn't bother me. It takes a few listens to sink in, but it does sink in. All the songs are original and meaningful like always. The last two songs are my favorites- "Better Be Quiet Now" and "Can't Make A Sound"...One being mostly simple acoustic and the other more orchestrated...But the whole cd is solid with songs like "Son of Sam" and "Taking the Easy Way Out" also standing out...It's nice to see that someone who got a good record deal like him didn't sell out his music.He continues to be one of the best in delivering smart pop with feeling...
The Man Who- Travis This cd is a beautiful listen. They are as Scottish as they come, but they don't come across as overly British like some bands like Blur. I saw them live this fall and they are great live as well. Fran, the lead singer, is quite an entertaining guy...These songs are the least complex of anything I listen to, but that's not bad at all.They are still smart and melodic and flow together to create a great listening experience.The gem of this cd is "Driftwood" (I wish I could write a song like that)...But other standouts include "Writing to Reach You" and "Turn".The hidden track is also definitely worth checking out (Why do bands put some of their best songs as hidden tracks? I don't get it). Travis also has a huge number of B-sides that weren't released that are great.In sum, it's really hard not to like this cd or this band and I hope they are around for awhile.
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Exploration B
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Son of Sam |
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Writing To Reach You |
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