Idle Time's Best of '04 continued...
15. Maritime - Glass Floor
This is a personal favorite of mine. I've been a Promise Ring devotee for years now, and following the post-Wood/Water break-up, nothing vonBohlen composed with his Vermont side project came close to bringing back the feel-good sadness of mixtape-era TPR. Until now. VonBohlen, years after recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor, is reunited with Dan Didier, and this resulting full-length is fantastic. Following the operation, vonBohlen was quoted as saying, "They took out my fast songs." Luckily, they left in the beautiful ones.
14. Will Johnson - Vultures Await
The frontman for Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel with yet another solo effort. Raspy, acoustic love songs with witty lyrics like, "If we had nothing but Godzilla, would you help me fight him?" "Just to Know What You've Been Dreaming" is a standout track.
13. Ted Leo + Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
Ted is back down to a three-piece, and the result is pure 90s-era Chisel: a distillation of D.C. post-punk and 70s new wave that rattles the auditorium. Every time. I love this guy. Love him too, and listen to "Me & Mia" or "Bleeding Powers."
12. Tom Waits - Real Gone
Remember that this list is a consensus project, so not everything on here is something I necessarily agree with. This record would be a good example of an album that makes the cut despite my best sabotage efforts. I don't hate Tom Waits... but I don't always get the appeal. Especially on this record.
11. Saturday Looks Good To Me - Every Night
Fred Thomas's masterpiece. And Betty Barnes is fucking hot. I know that doesn't translate well over the record, but it needs to be said. Every track on this album is fun: pop songs with a fresh wall of sound reminiscent of 60s bounce and 90s lo-fi camraderie. "The Girl's Distracted," "Empty Room," and "All Over Town" are all gems. And once you've been digging the CD for a bit, you can pick up the vinyl version for a whole new set of vocals. Yay.
More tomorrow!
15. Maritime - Glass Floor
This is a personal favorite of mine. I've been a Promise Ring devotee for years now, and following the post-Wood/Water break-up, nothing vonBohlen composed with his Vermont side project came close to bringing back the feel-good sadness of mixtape-era TPR. Until now. VonBohlen, years after recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor, is reunited with Dan Didier, and this resulting full-length is fantastic. Following the operation, vonBohlen was quoted as saying, "They took out my fast songs." Luckily, they left in the beautiful ones.
14. Will Johnson - Vultures Await
The frontman for Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel with yet another solo effort. Raspy, acoustic love songs with witty lyrics like, "If we had nothing but Godzilla, would you help me fight him?" "Just to Know What You've Been Dreaming" is a standout track.
13. Ted Leo + Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
Ted is back down to a three-piece, and the result is pure 90s-era Chisel: a distillation of D.C. post-punk and 70s new wave that rattles the auditorium. Every time. I love this guy. Love him too, and listen to "Me & Mia" or "Bleeding Powers."
12. Tom Waits - Real Gone
Remember that this list is a consensus project, so not everything on here is something I necessarily agree with. This record would be a good example of an album that makes the cut despite my best sabotage efforts. I don't hate Tom Waits... but I don't always get the appeal. Especially on this record.
11. Saturday Looks Good To Me - Every Night
Fred Thomas's masterpiece. And Betty Barnes is fucking hot. I know that doesn't translate well over the record, but it needs to be said. Every track on this album is fun: pop songs with a fresh wall of sound reminiscent of 60s bounce and 90s lo-fi camraderie. "The Girl's Distracted," "Empty Room," and "All Over Town" are all gems. And once you've been digging the CD for a bit, you can pick up the vinyl version for a whole new set of vocals. Yay.
More tomorrow!
I'm waiting for some Saturday Looks Good To Me to download right now . . . and have you heard about Frank Miller writing All-Star Batman and Robin?