Sections: Music Reviews Mar 22nd, 2007 Yeah it’s been awhile since I’ve done this. As before, all scores are out of five.
LCD Soundsystem / Sound of Silver /5.0
The Good, The Bad, The Queen / The Good, The Bad, The Queen / 4.25
Wilco / Sky Blue Sky / 2.5
That last one breaks my heart. But at the end of the day, Sky Blue Sky is a very mediocre record.
That aside, Sound of Silver will surely be one of the best albums of 2007. It’s easily the best so far. Pitchfork just gave it a 9.2 (out of 10) and I’m not convinced they weren’t a little too critical.
The last good album Wilco had was A.M.
For better americana/alt-country/rock check out Toronto based href=”http://bluerodeo.com”>Blue Rodeo. Five Days in July is considered by many to be their best work. Their last studio release, Are You Ready is also really good. And their live albums do a great job conveying the energy they bring to their shows. Check them out next time they swing by Chicago!
Actually I’m a firm believer that A Ghost is Born, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Being There are three of the best rock albums of all time :)
But I’ll check out Blue Rodeo.
LCD Soundsystem is good. You may also like Supergrass, Mika, and Guided By Voices.
Yes - I have all of the above as well. In fact I have a huge GBV collection and am pretty sure I own everything SG has released in the US. So you’re spot-on in suggesting those :)
Really? I haven’t heard of anyone else (other than me) that’s even heard of Supergrass. I also find it amazing how MANY Guided By Voices cd’s there are. I’ve been trying to build my collection through LaLa (lala.com).
Ok, I’ll throw a few others out there for you then: Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, Editors, The Fratellis. The Editors were my favorite new band of 2006; the Fratellis sing the new song from the ipod commerical.
Yeah I’m a firm believer in the Arctic Monkey’s and Arcade Fire (what I’m listening to as I type this). Fratellis & Editors are solid but I’m not a big fan of either.
I’m blame a roommate in college for getting me into GBV. However I go through phases where I either need to listen to Pollard or I want nothing to do with him.
Perhaps I’m being too hard on Wilco. I’ll put YHF back onto my playlist and give them another spin ;)
just listened to Sky Blue Sky straight through. it’s by all accounts an excellent record. not as progressive (if that’s the right word) as their last couple albums, A Ghost Is Born continues to be my favorite all time album, period. perhaps they phoned this one in, but it’s still very very good. maybe, as a long-time fan, you’re being a little to critical of Wilco?
upon further listening. it’s still good, but doesn’t have the legs of the others. certainly not as good.
Gabriel Bridger is an associate creative director, and part-time blogger living in Chicago. Bridger.us is a rambling collection of thoughts, comments, and various media in no particular order and, at times, of no particular merit.
