'08's Music to Love More Than Music: Love More, Pt. 9

Love More (<3)
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
The '08 Disco revolution was short lived. In fact I'm pretty sure that it was entirely confined to this album in fact. The thing with disco and the reason it died was because it was/is lifeless and completely electronic and unchanging. It's like Funk, but without the Soul. Andy Butler saw these the bad things about disco, cleaned them up and pushed a bit of the old xxx into the music and I have to say this is the sexiest album of the year. The song Blind was, and will continue to be for a very long time, my favorite song off this album. It is an epic and fully genius work art.
Hercules and Love Affair - Blind
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules' Theme

The Indelicates - American Demo
There were few songs on this album that didn't get turned into singles, and for good reason (my count says 6 singles). The songs on this album are all pop hits, even the ones that didn't get pushed as singles or EP tracks. This is a rock band, to no doubt, so it's hard to really delve into what their sound is like without using words that have been used too many times by too many people, myself included. Heck, I even too often say "It's just good," so what do I do? The hits are hits, and the other songs are pretty good too, and I have to say I recommend it. If you go for it, you'll have these songs stuck in your head, fo sho.
The Indelicates - The Last Significant Statement To Be Made in Rock'n'Roll
The Indelicates - America

Tilly and the Wall - O
I think Tilly and the Wall have been flirting around with making album like this for a while now. In their first album, it seemed like they were just getting the hang of playing with each other, and their second album, I felt they were trying too hard to be a rock band, but this album really feels like all of them coming together and just getting comfortable with each other and focusing on sounding like them.
Tilly and the Wall - Cacophony
Tilly and the Wall - Falling Without Knowing

Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
One of the most consistently good bands in the music business today, in my opinion. Each song on this album is actually fairly short and sweet, averaging around two and a half minutes, which makes me think that a lot of time and energy went into slimming these songs down and making them pure indie rock, with no fat and no cholesterol. The songs are also quite full sounding without sounding over produced. All these things said, I think it's a brilliant album, but I don't find myself being drawn to it, so I can't place it any higher on my list than this.
Tokyo Police Club - Centennial
Tokyo Police Club - In a Cave

The Dø - A Mouthful
This album caught me earlier this year, and every time someone, at some point over the year, asked me what was one of the best albums to have been released this year, I brought this one out. There are indie-hip-hop songs, there are indie folk songs, there are songs that use what appear to be traditional African rhythms, I mean, this album is a fairly hectic album, but the songs flow nicely from one to the other, so it works out in the end.
The Dø - At Last
The Dø - Stay (Just A Little Bit More)
The Dø - Tammie

YMCK - Family Genesis
I like Chiptune music. I'm not the biggest fan ever, but I enjoy it. I have a profound respect for a group of people who can get together and make such interesting compositions in such a limited realm. The group is made up of what has become a traditional three-person-chiptune act, meaning one person composes, one person sings, and the third person makes the music videos that go along with the live performances and double as music videos. Think that's doesn't make him a part of the group? Think again. The album is chiptune, plain and simple. If you don't like it, then this is not for you.
YMCK - 錆びた扉の第８天国 (Sabita Tobira No Dai 8 Tengoku)
YMCK - 8番目の虹 (8 Ban Me No Niji)

B(l)ogged Down, Pt. 2

Eric Matthews - The Imagination State
Verdict: Indifferent (~)
The songs remind me of the slow, mocking songs that Dog Fashion Disco did for their album Adultery, which isn't a good sign. Maybe I've just not got the right mind frame to really enjoy his music.
Eric Matthews - That Kiss of Life

Foxy Shazam - Introducing...
Verdict: Love More (<3)
What a fun album :). It's just unabashedly out of control Power Pop (ish) Piano Dance Punk. Really crazy and epic at times too. This album sometimes sound like like what would happen if the Electric Six went Hardcore, sometimes if it was Bruce Springsteen who'd gone Hardcore. Heck, sometimes it's 1950's pop influenced. Hecka fun.
Foxy Shazam - Introducing Foxy
Foxy Shazam - The Rocketeer
Foxy Shazam - It's Hair Smelled Like Bonfire

Green River - Dry As A Bone/Rehab Doll
Verdict: Indifferent (~)
Kind of Classic Rock influenced frat party grunge. Really didn't strike my interest all that much. despite it's cultural importance.
Green River - Hunted Down

The Do - A Mouthful
Verdict: Love More (<3)+
Wow. This shit is all over the place. It's like Feist, Nellie McKay, a female fronted Kings of Leon, the Pierces, CocoRosie, Lily Allen, and a few others I can't recall. Super impressive.
The Do - At Last
The Do - Stay (Just A Little Bit More)
The Do - Tammie
The Do - Unissasi Laulelet

The Epochs - The Epochs
Verdict: Love (<)
This one took a while to grow on me too, but it really did grow on me. It reminds me of TV on the Radio, and I like that. But they're enough of their own band that they're actually pretty charming.
The Epochs - Opposite Sides
The Epochs - Right On
The Epochs - Mouths to Feed

Bob Mould - District Line
Verdict: Indifferent (~)
When I listened to this album, I got the feeling like if I'd been a long time fan of Bob Mould, I would be in love with this album. But I'm not, and, really, an album shouldn't rely on that to be a good album. It was all right I guess.
Bob Mould - Stupid Now

Chris Joss - Teraphonic Overdubs
Verdict: Like ()
It's groovy and jam-tastic and really reminiscent of the Blue States actually. I'm kind of a fan.
Chris Joss - Count The Daisies
Chris Joss - Get With It
Chris Joss - A Room With a VU Meter

Clark - Turning Dragon
Verdict: Like ()
The first thing I thought was "huh, kind of sounds like Justice." As the album progressed I could tell Clark had his own "voice," and that it was actually more enjoyable that Justice's at times. Granted, I only really really like 1 Justice song, so that's not saying much, but I did like this album. IT was pretty dancy and grimy and mashupy.
Clark - Volcan Veins
Clark - New Year Storm
Clark - Truncation Horn

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - The Hard Sell
Verdict: Love (<)
The album, which is broken up into 2 tracks, is basically a music time line, so that's pretty rad. It goes from 50'sish pop to 90's hip hop ... I'm pretty sure. Some of the stuff is hard to pin down. Super well mixed and genius for any party.
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Clip 1
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Clip 2

Get Set Go - Sunshine, Joy And Happiness: A Tragic Tale of Death, Despair...
Verdict: Indifferent (~)
Campy and fun at the start, but the gimmicky power pop sound kind of got old kind of fast. Granted, the sometimes brutal lyrics matched up with poppy music is kind of fun, but all in all it reminds me too much of Sublime, and I don't much like Sublime.
Get Set Go - Hell On Earth

Willie Nelson - Moment Of Forever
Verdict: Didn't Like (ø)
You know, I think we don't really need another Willie Nelson album, but I guess that's just one man's opinion. That's what it is though, slow, kind of sad sounding country, sung by Willie Nelson. And can I just say it's awkward to hear Willie Nelson talk about getting over a relationship...

Heaven Shall Burn - Iconoclast (Part 1: The Final Resistance)
Verdict: Love More (<3)+
I was skeptical at first because I've started to be come wary of bands who are trying to be a little too "evil" because it usually end up just looking dumb. But I was thoroughly impressed with this album. This album really got me thinking about what makes a good or great or amazing Death Metal album, and I've come to the conclusion that I have no idea, and probably never will. In some regards it's just as brutal as a whole bunch of other albums, and if you turn them up loud enough, all albums are essentially just as loud, and all Death Metal albums have plenty of blast beats and guttural screams and chugging guitars ... so what sets this album apart? The only thing that I can think of is that it's well composed. It's actually quite beautiful. I honestly could have randomly picked any songs off of this album and I would have given you a good taste of the awesomeness this album represents.
Heaven Shall Burn - Endzeit
Heaven Shall Burn - Murderers of All Murderers
Heaven Shall Burn - Quest for Resistance
Heaven Shall Burn - Against All Lies

The Heavy Circles - The Heavy Circles
Verdict: Indifferent (~)
It didn't hold my interest, but that doesn't mean it's not good. I just moved on quickly.
The Heavy Circles - Confused