Some great releases today. I made a number of AM purchases and they paid off for hours of iPod listening at work. Things are still mind numbingly boring at work, but podcasts (er...web-based rss syndicated media) and a couple of today's releases made it much better.
Although Hot Fuss came out mid 2004, it has been a staple in my listening all along. As a music snob, I'm not supposed to respect them, but I think Hot Fuss was/is brilliant and Sam's Town has a lot of the same feel, yet a little more mature. It's accessible and has a little bit for everyone whether you're into lyrics or melodies or instrumentation. I've had a few spins of each song and I've got to say it's great and well worth the price tag.
Buy The Killers - Sam's Town
Buy The Killers - Hot Fuss
Amos Lee successfully suffers from what psychologists term "Multiple Personality Syndrome." Ok, not clinically, don't get bent out of shape. On his self titled debut and his latest release Supply and Demand, he shows off what I'm talking about. He puts together beautiful soulful ballads, classic rhythm & blues, and some straight up folk. Usually I tend to be more critical of musicians who seem to not be able to figure out what type of music they want to play, but Amos Lee pulls it all off.
Buy Amos Lee - Amos Lee
Buy Amos Lee - Supply and Demand
Having grown up in Portland, I'm compelled to pay attention to bands and musicians that come out of PDX. Whether it be Elliot Smith with Heatmiser or on his own, Everclear, M. Ward (who incidentally came out with a fantastic CD a while back), Sleater-Kinney, or even Nu Shooz or Quarterflash; I've continued to pay my dues and pay tribute to my roots. The Decemberists pretty much came along after I had left Portland, but I still have my loyalties. Their latest album, released today, The Crane Wife picks up where they left off with Picaresque. I'm more than impressed with the way this unique sounding band can continue to stay fresh without sounding like an imitation of itself. The Crane Wife is a great investment.
Buy The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Buy The Decemberists - Picaresque
Buy The Decemberists - Her Majesty The Decemberists
No comments:
Post a Comment