11 Good Albums from the Past Couple Months

Sorry I've been on hiatus as of late.  Had some family stuff come up.  Followed by the Giants unbelievably making it to the World Series...and winning.  A work crisis.  And finally topped it off with some good old fashioned stomach flu.  There's one thing I realized while having my untimely bought with the stomach flu...there's a band, an album, or a song for every situation.  As I slowly recovered from my annoying illness after wallowing on the floor in crippling pain.  I was able to get onto my computer for a few minutes to check some emails...and play some Facebook games (need to have priorites, right?).  My itunes popped on with an album I had been listening to recently...Fistful of Mercy.  For some reason, at that moment, while every noise...light...movement...shake of my body made me want to run to the bathroom and pray to an unHoly devil...that album hit the spot.  It was the perfect momentarily distraction.

The reason the album was up on my computer was because I was lucky enough to attend Fistful of Mercy's private "first live show ever" last week.  For those unfamiliar with the band, it's Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur, and Dhani Harrison.  I can't say enough good things about the band...and would have done a more formal list if this hadn't been their first album.  That said, there have been a few new albums over the past couple of months that did not get a list since there were not enough songs by the band to do a proper list yet.  Therefore, here's a nod to them.

PS.  Pardon my crappy cellphone camera picture...but that is a shot from the show.

11 Good Albums Worth Checking Out From the Past Couple Months:

1.  Fistful of Mercy - As I Call You Down
2.  Warpaint - The Fool
3.  John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!
4.  Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
5.  Klaxons - Surfing The Void
6.  Efterklang - Magic Chairs
7.  Tired Pony - The Place We Ran From
8.  Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
9.  Bonobo - Black Sands
10.  The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Acoustic Sessions
11.  Twin Shadow - Forget

Buy these albums and more...here.

The 11 Best Albums of 2007

Okay, yes, I own a calendar. I know it's only February. But just yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine who said 2007 was the worst year in music he's ever lived through. Granted I thought he was talking out his ass and was accidentally saying 2007 when he really meant 2006. But he didn't. He claimed that usually by February there has been at least 2 or 3 great records released. This year, the best thing he heard was the new Shins and he hates the Shins. He challeneged me to come up with the 11 Best Albums so far this year...so, for Zack...here you go.

1. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City - It's not as commercial as their debut but that's what makes this album so good. Scoping musical tracks push the band's sound in way that makes you think that these guys will surely outlive the 80s revival trend.
2. Bloc Party - Another Weekend in the City - Their internet only album is every bit as digestable as their debut. If that's the Bloc Party you want, then hunt this puppy down.
3. The Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future - A new generation of dance rock has been born. And these guys are leading the way. Think of them as the opening act for the new LCD Soundsystem out in March.
4. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - It's not a dance record but it sure as hell moves like one. Stuck somewhere between Beck and the Flaming Lips, it's one helluva good time. Helluva? I sound like a freaking teenage girl.
5. Explosions in the Sky - - 10 years after the math rock trend was in it's last throws, EITS re-invents the genre by mashing it with emo grooves.
6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder - Not as delicious as their first album but ten times more mature. It's like the band concentrated more on making interesting ever-evolving music rather than 3-minutes pop ditties.
7. Vietnam - Vietnam - They sound like a stoned version of Kings of Leon. Vietnam reminds of the cool guy at all the high school parties who would always share his weed with you.
8. The Good, The Bad, And The Queen - The Good, The Bad, And The Queen - No, I didn't just pick them because of their clever band name (well, sorta). A supergroup, featuring memebers of Blur, The Verve, The Clash, and Danger Mouse. The album sounds like a cross between Blur and Verve, but seriously, were you expecting it to sound differently?
9. The Frames - The Cost - If you're a fan of Damien Rice or Jose Gonzalez, this might be the record for you. A beautiful lo-fi acoustic journey with soft vocals that will melt your ice cream on the coldest of winter days.
10. America - Here & Now - Everybody's likes America, if you don't, then you're a terrorist. The soft rock kings make a pretty hefty comeback with an album produced by James Iha of the original Smashing Pumpkins and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne . If that's not enough cool cred for you, Ryan Adams and Jim James of My Morning Jacket make guest appearences.
11. The Shins - Wincing The Night Away - If you haven't heard of this record then there's no reason to even be talking to you in the first place.