1/2 Year report card?

[Dusty Chalk]

What are your favourite disks from this year so far? Mine:

!!!, Myth Takes

The Secret Meeting, Ultrashiver

More that I'm forgetting, but these are the flyaway top two.

[deepak]

Exceptional:

The National - Boxer

Dungen - Tio Bitar

Ghost - In Stormy Nights

Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

The New Pornographers - Challengers

Nest - Trail of the Unwary

Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow

The Bad Plus - Prog

Great:

Aa - gAame

NIN - Year Zero

Battles - Mirrored

Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I miss Everyone

John Zorn - Six Litanies for Heliogabalus

Circle - Panic

Boris with Merzbow - Groon/Walrus

Feist - The Reminder

Average:

Bjork - Volta

Circle - Tower

Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

[wjat]

jazzy jeff - the return of the magnificent

[en480c4]

Considering this is a report card, I guess I'll give out letter grades.

And I know... Nothing here is below a B-, meaning I'm easy to please or I've just been lucky so far. But I guess it makes sense, in this day and age when you can try out almost anything before you buy it, that most purchases will be worth it. And the stuff I've tried out that I didn't like didn't get enough attention for me to really give it a grade.

Anyway, my report card, alphabetically per grade, descending...

• A | Catherine Anne Davies - The Piano EP
  Another haunting collection of songs from Ms. Davies. Nothing groundbreaking here, but the simple and straight-forward songs and her voice create a haunting atmosphere that's difficult to describe but not easily forgotten.
  
• A | Joanna Newsom - Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band EP
  I love "Colleen," and her touring bands contributions to the reworks of "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" and "Cosmia" are welcome additions to her catalog. After listening to the bootleg "Live at Bottletree" so much, I've really grown to love what her band brings to the table.
  
• A | The New Pornographers - Challengers
  I'm admittedly a late-comer to TNP, and only checked them out because I knew Neko Case (who can do no wrong in my eyes) contributes vocals on a number of tracks. And while "Challengers" and "Go Places," the two tracks she sings on are my favorites, the rest of the album is pretty spectacular from start to finish. I'm not familiar with their discography enough to rank it, but from what I've heard, it's another near-flawless release.
  
• A | Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
  I can understand the issues people have taken with this album... Short on hooks, high on repetition. But to me it's probably strikes the best balance of angst and accessibility of all of the NIN albums. I find it very listenable, with a number of memorable songs. The mood and tone are just right, and as always, the layering of textures and sounds always keeps things interesting.
  
• A | Rasputina - Oh Perilous World
  I'm a huge fan of Melora Crager's Neo-Victorian Chamber Rock, and have loved pretty much everything she's put together. But losing Zoe Keating and the prospect of a concept album had me a little worried. And I have to admit, after the first listen, I was less than impressed. But a few more listens has revealed an album that while less accessible, is just as enjoyable as the rest of their albums.
  
  
• A- | Feist - The Reminder
  I was a little late to the game on this album. After reading so much praise in so many places, I was hesitant to buy in. But I'm sure glad I did, because this is a great collections of songs. I've since picked up Let It Die, and this has been one of my favorite finds of '07 thus far.
  
• A- | Norah Jones - Not Too Late
  I'm glad she decided to take a chance and contribute more to songwriting. The mood is definitely darker here, and the album is better for it. Not as immediately accessible as her first two albums, but I think it's the strongest of the three.
  
• A- | Moonsorrow - V-Havitetty
  A full-length album with 2 tracks usually screams of pretentious, self-absorbed musicians whose ambition exceeds their abilities. This is not the case on this album... Not at all. The 2 tracks actually feel like 4, and the balance of folk metal, viking metal and black metal make for an amazing musical journey. I think I still prefer Verisakeet, if only for "Jotunheim," but V-Havitetty is stunning.
  
• A- | Tristania - Illumination
  To my ears, this is their best album since Widow's Weeds. I know World of Glass is often referred to as their best, but it never did much for me. Illumination is pretty straight forward, but they have the best post-Morten male vocals and it's probably the best Vibke has ever sounded... Which will only make me miss her more.
  
• A- | Virgin Black - Requiem - Mezzo Forte
  While I've enjoyed parts of their previous albums, this is their first release that really works for me as a whole. The male vocals are much improved, the addition of classical female vocals really fleshes out the sound, and the guitar sound is still to die for. I'm really looking forward to the other two parts of the Requiem project.
  
  
• B+ | Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
  I really wanted to give this a higher grade. There are some songs on here that are the most enjoyable she's written in ages. But it's a little too uneven to move it up, and after listening to A Piano a lot recently, I realize that just because it's the best she's done in a while doesn't mean it's among the best she's done. Still an enjoyable album, and it gives me hope for what's to come.
  
• B+ | Emilie Autumn - Laced/Unlaced
  While she is a classically-trained violinist, her music has strayed away from that more and more. This double album is an interesting work... The first disc, Laced is a collection of recordings of straight forward violin pieces. Some are your standards you'd expect someone to record, while others are original compositions. Unlaced, however, is the collision of her classical training and the "Victoriandustrial" direction she's exploring. Electric violin, noise, distortion and no vocals makes the 2nd disc a lot to swallow, but there are some very enjoyable moments to be found here.
  
• B+ | Kelly Clarkson - My December
  Yeah, I know... It looks a little out of place on this list. But I'm a big fan of her voice and the stand she took wanting to release songs she co-wrote instead of just continuing to record songs from hit factories. While nothing is as catchy as "Since U Been Gone," and there's definitely nothing that would be considered complex or groundbreaking, it's definitely a well put together album that I've really enjoyed.
  
• B+ | Dean & Britta - Back Numbers
  I don't know how else to describe this album other than just striking me as cool, hip and fun. The lush arrangements and Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham's detached vocals really work well to create an atmosphere I enjoy.
  
• B+ | Lumsk - Det Vilde Kor
  After discovering this band last year, I was really looking forward to hearing what they came up with next. This album sounds little like their first two releases, with no metal influences at all. But what's left is a beautiful folk sound with stunning female vocals.
  
• B+ | Swallow The Sun - Hope
  The balance of the heavy and melodic reminds me a lot of Opeth, as do the clean vocals. However the sound is a bit different, with deeper growls and a sound that's more doom than death metal. The songwriting is great, production is strong and everything sounds just as it should.
  
  
• B | Callisto - Noir
  What should sound like a pale imitation of Isis really holds its own with a better sense of atmosphere than any of the Isis releases and some interesting choices in instrumentation and song structure keeps you on your toes.
  
• B | Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
  To be honest, this probably deserves a higher grade. I've just been listening to other stuff, and this just hasn't grabbed me like her previous releases. If anything, she's just the victim of her own consistancy, where everything she puts out is great. I'm hoping to spend more time with this soon.
  
• B | Sleepytime Gorilla Musuem - In Glorious Times
  This sounds to me like a pretty big step forward. I enjoyed Grand Opening and Closing, but it's a pretty challenging listen and wasn't something I reached for often. This is much more accessible, and an album I've really been enjoying.
  
• B | Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower
  This is another album that doesn't have any real flaws, but just hasn't connected with me. I still love her voice, and there are some great tracks on here. But it's another one that's just not the kind of stuff I've been listening to lately.
  
  
• B- | Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
  I really like this album when it's on... Her voice is beautiful, the songs are pleasant enough and there's nothing wrong with it. It's just that other than the chorus of the title track, I've found it kind of forgettable. It strikes me as background music... Excellent background music, but background music none the less. So the B- might be a little tough, but until something from this album really clicks with me, here is where it stays.
  
  
• INC | Blonde Redhead - 23
  I really like what I've heard so far, but I'm new to the band and just don't have a good enough feel for what I think of them.
  
• INC | Pelican - City of Echoes
  I'd like to think of myself as a pretty big fan of Australasia and The Fire In Our Throats..., but I haven't listened to this much since picking it up. Knowing how much I've enjoyed their other stuff, I'm looking forward to giving it some more spins. I just haven't been in the mood to listen to it much.
  
  

I know there's a lot there, but I've really enjoy a lot of great music so far this year. And this isn't even counting some strong '06 albums that I didn't discover until this year. There's defnitely no shortage of great music out there if you're willing to make a bit of an effort looking for it.

[JBLoudG20]

Ian, Thanks for the list, there are a lot of things on it I'm going to check out.

[en480c4]

It was actually a lot of fun to put together, even if it did take a while. I was surprised how much new music I had picked up this year. Definitely follow up and let us know what you think of the stuff you pick up.

[humanflyz]

Is that New Pornographer record out already? How are you guys getting it?

Speaking of Neko Case, I'm going to see her on August 16th in DC. Schweet

[en480c4]

It's leaked... Not out 'til August, so I guess I'm cheating a bit. I am looking forward to the official release.

As for seeing Neko, consider me very jealous.

[humanflyz]

It's leaked... Not out 'til August, so I guess I'm cheating a bit. I am looking forward to the official release.

As for seeing Neko, consider me very jealous.

Yeah, I think you posted a link to a NPR show she did a while back, and that's when I knew that I had to see her live.

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, I realized I haven't said it yet -- really nice write-up! You reminded me of a couple I forgot, and added even more to my wish list. Even with all the gushing, you still managed to provide enough information to let me know which ones I would be interested in, even if they were outside my usual purview.

[en480c4]

What can I say? I like what I like, and I definitely gush about what I like! I really enjoyed putting together some thoughts on each album. While I could've been a little more critical about some of them, that would've been considerably less fun. And if something connects with me for whatever reason, I tend not to look for the warts.

That said, I really can't imagine listening to something that I honestly think deserves a C... If I really think it's average, it's just not worth my time. Thinking back, there are a number of '07 releases I checked out, either through online samples or downloading, that were probably deserving of a C or worse but were purged from my memory and my HD.