What up?

I forgot about this blog for ten years. Kind of can't believe it's still here. I guess it's true that anything you say on the internet can live forever. See you in 2030. -MB

Blog Fade

My interaction with this blog has faded significantly over the past year or so. But here is a quick update of some music I found recently:

1. Field Music - "Measure" This is a long 20 song album of really nicely crafted well recorded songs. So well done, in fact, that it does not feel like 72 minutes.

2. The Besnard Lakes - "Are the Roaring Night" Still a new album to me, I found this it to be very intersting and epic. I'm looking forward to getting to know it better.

thats all for now!

My Favorite Albums of 2009

I certainly don't listen to enough new music each year to really warrant making these lists, and I lean very heavily on artists I'm already familiar with, but I love making the lists anyway. As usual, I felt that the current year's releases were not as strong as the previous year, and that newer albums by older bands didn't live up to my expectations. But that always happens, and after some time, I'm sure my opinion of some of these records will climb and others will fall. Here are my favorite albums from 2009.

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Haven't gotten sick of "1901" despite the car commercials.

2. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
I may almost like Farm better than 2007's Beyond.

3. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Probably my least favorite Mastodon record, but it's still an awesome powerhouse of a record and better than most metal I'm hearing these days.

4. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
YLT is consistently churning out great albums.

5. Adam Franklin - Spent Bullets
Less exciting than his previous solo album, but still full of cool.

6. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - (self-titled)
A recent acquisition, I can't help but like these songs, even if The Jesus And Mary Chain wrote them 20 years ago.

7. St. Vincent - Actor
Missed out on her previous album, so this one came as a complete surprise.

8. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today...
I hoped for more from this one, but it's still a great combo of prog and pop.

9. Doves - Kingdom of Rust
Not much to say about the Doves.

10. Baroness - Blue Record
I can't listen to Baroness without wishing they were Mastodon, but in the end, this album is pretty good and more interesting than other 2009 releases that didn't make my top 10.

Runner up:
Passion Pit - Manners

Best of 2009 Mix CD

Here is my year-end 2009 mix (CD edit). I left off a couple of longer songs to fit in a few more shorter ones and keep a better flow. I have a longer version in my iTunes of about 65 songs of stuff that didn't make the cut for the CD.

1. Phoenix - Lisztomania
2. Wilco - You Never Know
3. Sloan - Take It Upon Yourself
4. A.C. Newman - The Changeling (Get Guilty)
5. St. Vincent - The Strangers
6. The Hours - Big Black Hole
7. Doves - Winter Hill
8. Trashcan Sinatras - People
9. Weezer - (If You Are Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
10. Dinosaur Jr. - Over It
11. Superchunk - Learned To Surf
12. Yo La Tengo - Nothing To Hide
13. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - This Love Is Fucking Right!
14. Adam Franklin - Bolts of Melody
15. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
16. Built To Spill - Aisle 13
17. Reverie Sound Revue - An Anniversary Away
18. Mew - Beach
19. Royksopp - Happy Up Here
20. Passion Pit - Little Secrets
21. Phoenix - 1901

Yes, Phoenix deserves two spots on this mix.

Lists coming

Very soon, hopefully before Christmas, I'll have a list of my favorite albums of the year, plus a track list of a 2009 song mix. I may or may not finish a list of favorite albums of the decade. It seems like the thing to do, and I love lists, but it's very hard to put them in order. I may just run 'em down alphabetically.

I don't think anyone reads this blog anyway, so I don't know if this post is even necessary. But in case you are out there and wondering, lists are coming.

Heeeeere we are, in a room full of strangers