First an album I already own/know:
A Ghost Is Born (2004) by Wilco
I suppose YHF is a bit better than this album but both are classics in the best sense possible. Also this album is just filled with excellent tracks with Handshake Drugs as one if the greatest songs every written in my opinion. There are only a few tracks which keep this album from the absolute top with the overlong Less Than You Think as the best example. But this album just has to go from the 11th to the 2nd rank of the year (maybe I should revise Funeral which is now at the top 😈 ).
Probably me favourite Wilco album.
At Least That's What You Said is one of the great track one, side ones of all time.
First an album I already own/know:
Two Against Nature (2000) by Steely Dan
Their comeback album after a long hiatus and there's two kinds of reactions to it by Steely Dan fans: misses the old magic and too cold or just as great as the old albums. And I tend to be of the second school: this is just another great and very jazzy one. Especially the closer West Of Hollywood stands out with very interesting sax work and just a very good song. I like it more than I thought when the album was released and it rises from the 64th to the 20th rank of 2000.
I'd go along with that. I think that this was a great album. maybe not quite up there with
First an album I already own/know:
The Shepherd's Dog (2007) by Iron & Wine
In hindsight not a very memorable album but they do go from the 66th to the 56th rank.
And an album from my wishlist:
Kapitulation (2007) by Tocotronic
Already the 4th album of this German band and I like them better and better. Maybe not very original but the fact that they sing in German with btw very good lyrics adds something extra to the very infectious songs and many songs have that je ne said pas quoi which makes them a bit special. Four of the tracks stand out even more and this album just enters my year chart at a whopping 4th rank. I can' t wait to hear more of them.
First an album I already own/know:
Crossing Dragon Bridge (2008) by Steve Wynn
Allmusic calls this "Wynn's masterpiece". I'm a fan and I don't think so: his earlier work is so much better. Not that this is a bad album: it simply doesn't contain the ingenious songwriting and delivery I know from his older albums. It still climbs from the 59th to the 47th rank but this is still rather mediocre for a Steve Wynn album.
And an album from my wishlist:
Haven't Slept All Year (2008) by Cobra Verde
I'm listening to both Cobra Verde (with John Petkovic at the helm) and the solo albums of Doug Gillard and while I think that the latter is an artist I'm really starting to discover and appreciate and should have done earlier I don't think the same about the Cobra Verde albums around this period. They do peruse different styles and are good at it but I miss the real spark. So all in all a good album and it still deserves its 31st rank but I expected more of this particular album.
First an album I already own/know:
Crossing Dragon Bridge (2008) by Steve Wynn
Allmusic calls this "Wynn's masterpiece". I'm a fan and I don't think so: his earlier work is so much better. Not that this is a bad album: it simply doesn't contain the ingenious songwriting and delivery I know from his older albums. It still climbs from the 59th to the 47th rank but this is still rather mediocre for a Steve Wynn album.
I've been a fan of Steve's since the early 80's and I'd agree with what you have said. Not a masterpiece by any stretch. Decent though
If I had to chose a SW studio album, discounting Dream Syndicate or Miracle Three I'd go for either
First an album I already own/know:
Crossing Dragon Bridge (2008) by Steve Wynn
Allmusic calls this "Wynn's masterpiece". I'm a fan and I don't think so: his earlier work is so much better. Not that this is a bad album: it simply doesn't contain the ingenious songwriting and delivery I know from his older albums. It still climbs from the 59th to the 47th rank but this is still rather mediocre for a Steve Wynn album.
I've been a fan of Steve's since the early 80's and I'd agree with what you have said. Not a masterpiece by any stretch. Decent though
If I had to chose a SW studio album, discounting Dream Syndicate or Miracle Three I'd go for either
First an album I already own/know:
My Old, Familiar Friend (2009) by Brendan Benson
I like his songs and his singing, nothing much more, nothing much less, and this album is no exception and it moves up from the 49th to the 21st rank.
And an album from my wishlist:
Call From Restricted (2009) by Doug Gillard
And another of his solo albums I should have discovered a long time ago: guitar rock at its best with From What I've Done as the best track. Definitely in the same league as what he's doing with GBV but definitely doing his own thing here and the album enters my year chart at the 13th rank.
First an album I already own/know:
Avi Buffalo (2010) by Avi Buffalo
The ultimate highlight on this album is what's It In For?, a wonderful gem of a song but this is also by far the best track. Not that the rest is bad, just not very memorable. But it goes up from the 79th to the 56th rank.
And an album from my wishlist:
Love & Desperation (2010) by Sweet Apple
Doug Gillard collaborated a lot with one of my musical heroes, Robert Pollard. John Petkovic collaborated with another musical hero of mine, J Mascis. And of course especially with this band with this album as their first. J Mascis was the drummer (not the main guitar player because a lot of tracks are dominated by some oversteered guitar playing clearly not in his style) and was the second voice. But the songs on which he did his typical guitar solos are the best of album and especially on Can't See You he really shines. And of course there are the Roxy Music references and to grasp this you only have to look at the album art. Overall a good album which enters my year chart at the 17th rank.
First two albums I already own/know because I had started with:
Suck It And See (2011) by Arctic Monkeys
I'm not a big fan of Arctic Monkeys but I can't deny that on most of their albums there are a good track or two on this one this is the opening track She's Thunderstorms. Otherwise not their worst album but it still moves down from the 54th to the 63rd rank.
And then I discovered that I should also cover that second Lifeguards album:
Waving At The Astronauts (2011) by Lifeguards
Because it is one of those Bob Pollard's side projects but here together with Doug Gillard and focused on rather psychedelic songs which on their first album Mist King Urth didn't really come out well but on this second album they just rock. The songs are somewhat longer than on your average GBV album which makes them more groovy and sometimes songs like have a sort of weirdness which emit some Pixies vibes. One of the better Robert Pollard (and Doug Gillard) albums and it moves up from the 20th to the 14th rank.
And an album from my wishlist:
Dragon Dicks (2011) by The High Strung
And at first I thought this was another Pollard side project because they have a lot of references to the early GBV albums but it is not. The songs are fairly basic and some of them not really good but I like the general vibe. he album enters at the 61st rank.
First an album I already own/know:
Following Sea (2012) by dEUS
I'm a fan of this fantastic Belgian band but this is not their best album. Let's leave it at that and it moves up from the 60th to the 51st rank/
And an album from my wishlist:
The Shallows (2012) by I Like Trains
This critics of this album were not very positive but I like it very much. Although the baritone of the singer is not as deep as Matt Berninger's, the sound and the music of this album has some similarities with The National and has nothing of the postrock atmosphere of their other albums. So no wonder this album enters my year chart at the 25th rank.
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