andrew's leakage

Hot Chip - Made In the Dark

2008-01-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Release Date: February 6, 2008

Expected beats and thumps and beeps and actually a section where they stop and tell you that the song will sound better on headphones. It would sound better if they weren't overrated.

The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride

2008-01-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

February 19, 2008

Blah. It's good. I don't care about this guy anymore though.

Cat Power - Jukebox

2008-01-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Release Date: January 22, 2008

Really monotonous. More of a showcase of her voice more than anything else, though I can listen to that for hours. Only thing outstanding is the one original song.

Black Mountain - In The Future

2008-01-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

Release Date: January 22, 2008

Psychedelic prog rock to a tee. Lots of organ. Feels less ambitious than the s/t though. Still rockin.

The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust

2008-01-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Release Date: February 19, 2008

Sounds exactly like a Raveonettes album. I swear the melodies are even re-used. But it's still really good, like Chain Gang good and not that Pretty in Black shit.

Top Ten in 2007

2007-12-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

1. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
2. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
3. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
4. Radiohead - In Rainbows
5. Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian
6. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
7. Daft Punk - Alive 2007
8. Miracle Fortress - Five Roses
9. Fiery Furnaces - Widow City
10. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour

2007-09-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

Release Date: September 25, 2007

Sounds a little recycled.

Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

2007-08-29T22:09:00.000-06:00

Release Date: October 9, 2007

More grand, majestic than Gulag, and pretty good. But by the end, it all kinda sounds the same. Needs a scenic world to mix it up a little.

The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City

2007-08-11T17:44:00.000-06:00

Release Date: October 9, 2007

Favourite Fiery Furnaces album since Blueberry Boat. They kinda let loose, just like Blueberry Boat, and that's what I like. And man, the melodies plus Elenor's voice is fantastic shit.

The Go! Team - Proof of Youth

2007-08-11T17:40:00.000-06:00

Release Date: September 11, 2007

Not much different from Thunder, Lightning, Strike. But who cares, it's still awesome!

Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

2007-08-08T10:26:00.000-06:00

Release Date: October 9, 2007

Just WOW. I'll be really surprised if this doesn't end up as my favourite album this year. Besides this one crazy space age song in the middle, every song is just incredible.

Okkervil River - The Stage Names

2007-07-24T09:40:00.000-06:00

Release Date: August 7, 2007

It's alright. Kinda missing the emotion that I liked in the Black Sheep Boy series.

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

2007-07-17T21:03:00.000-06:00

Release Date: September 11, 2007

I always liked Animal Collective albums, but I sometimes found them repetitive. This one keeps me interested all the way through. I think I'm starting to get it now.

Liars - Liars

2007-06-20T22:40:00.000-06:00

Release Date: August 28, 2007

The opening song absolutely destroys me every time. There are about four other tracks that are great, and the rest is just that tribal chanting shit that I still can't deal with.

Tegan and Sara - The Con

2007-06-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Release Date: July 24, 2007

Shut up I like Tegan and Sara, I don't care what you think. Anyways, this has even more hooks and is even slicker than that last one.

Architecture In Helsinki - Places Like This

2007-05-30T15:43:00.000-06:00

Release Date: August 7, 2007

What an abomination. Totally ditched their old style. I can't even tell what they were going for, but I know it sucks.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

2007-05-30T14:53:00.000-06:00

Release Date: July 10, 2007

Although no song really stands out, they are all consistently great. Better than the couple-sweet-tracks-and-the-rest-sucks-balls methodology of Gimme Fiction.

Handsome Furs - Plague Park

2007-04-12T12:36:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 22, 2007

Surprisingly awesome.

Stars - Do You Trust Your Friends?

2007-04-03T23:25:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 22, 2007

It seriously sounds like each artist spent 12 seconds making their track. Like they took a cut of some work in progress or some old demo and then mixed Stars vocals over it. While drunk.

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

2007-03-31T15:41:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 15, 2007

Nels Cline wanks on his guitar during much of this album, which is a spectacle in a live setting, but boring as fuck on record.

Bright Eyes - Cassadaga

2007-03-31T15:35:00.000-06:00

Release Date: April 10, 2007

It's pretty obvious that he stopped slitting his wrists, so now it all seems kinda bland. That was his thing, ya know. Anyways, nothing stands out here, but it has exceeded my super low expectations.

Feist - The Reminder

2007-03-13T13:43:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 1, 2007

Opposed to Let It Die, this has enough variety and punch to stop me from getting bored halfway through.

Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian

2007-02-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Release Date: May 1, 2007

A steadier rhythm and more obvious melodies, though it's the keyboards that make this album for me. They're craaaaaaaaaaazy. Maybe the best thing I've heard this year. Just maybe.

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

2007-02-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Release Date: March 20, 2007

Modest Mouse is killing me. I was praying for a return to their old sound. Didn't happen. But I still like this dancy catchy accessible bullshit. Stop playing with my feelings Modest Mouse.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

2007-02-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Release Date: March 6, 2007

Less emotion. Less epic. Still somehow really good. Just don't start comparing to Funeral. "No Cars Go" rocks so hard.

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

2007-01-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

Release Date: March 20, 2007

I have nothing else to say besides that this is really really really good.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder

2007-01-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Release Date: January 30, 2007

A little less straightforward, and Ounsworth does that voice cracking thing a bit more...but I like it. Some pretty sweet hooks in there.

Top Ten in 2006

2006-12-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

1. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
2. Joanna Newsom - Ys
3. Swan Lake - Beast Moans
4. Destroyer - Rubies
5. Danielson - Ships
6. Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
7. Islands - Return to the Sea
8. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
9. Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
10. The Knife - Silent Shout

Explosions In the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

2006-12-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

Release Date: February 20, 2007

Good ol' explosions in the sky.

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity

2006-11-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

Release Date: January 23, 2007

This album pisses me off. The first 24 minutes are so sweet and brilliant, but the last song, which takes up a third of the entire album, is so sprawling and stupid that it leaves a bad taste.

Bloc Party - A Weekend In the City

2006-11-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Release Date: February 6, 2007

I just vomited. Haha, what did you expect me to say? To tell you the truth, I only listened to the first three songs. And then I vomited.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

2006-10-23T09:49:00.000-06:00

Release Date: January 23, 2007

It's like they took that famous Shins sound and added and expanded on it...making a Super-Shins sound. Well worth the long wait, Kevin Spacey.

Swan Lake - Beast Moans

2006-09-26T20:02:00.000-06:00

Release Date: November 21, 2006

Listen to it in the background and it's a mess. Pay attention to it, and every song is absolutely fucking mind-blowing. Met my impossibly high expectations.

The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America

2006-09-14T22:47:00.000-06:00

Release Date: October 3, 2006

Just moved into andrew's elite group of favourite awesomest bands that he likes. Best album of 2006. Hands down. Only Swan Lake could possibly even come close.

Joanna Newsom - Ys

2006-09-05T11:35:00.000-06:00

Release Date: November 14, 2006

The orchestral arrangements are ridiculously awesome and brilliant. She's 2 for 2. This baby is 5 songs, about 10 min. each. Top 10 for sure.

Hurry up and leak...

2006-08-30T10:54:00.000-06:00

Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America and Swan Lake's Beast Moans better leak soon. Its lack of leakage is killing me. Do your job, you stupid internet.

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

2006-08-30T10:47:00.000-06:00

Release Date: October 3, 2006

The 12 min. long track 2 is EASILY the best thing the Decemberists have ever done. Kinda serious, well for a Decemberists album.

Blood Brothers - Young Machetes

2006-08-06T23:03:00.000-06:00

Release Date: October 10, 2006

Classic Blood Brothers level 15 billion insanity. I don't think it's hitting me like the last two did though.

Thunderbirds Are Now! - Make History

2006-08-06T16:12:00.000-06:00

Release Date: October 3, 2006

Big letdown. The energy of Justamustache is gone, and that's what made that album so great.

Ratatat - Classics

2006-07-28T14:59:00.000-06:00

Release Date: August 22, 2006

Background music.

The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely

2006-07-17T19:38:00.000-06:00

Release Date: August 11, 2006

John Darnielle still continues to make super sappy music without being emo. He's a genius. But anyways, it's another tearjerker as expected.

The Dears - Gang of Losers

2006-06-23T14:53:00.000-06:00

Release Date: August 2006

Stripped down. Some good songs, some not so awesome. But it makes me miss the layers of sounds and strings that made the Dears so great in the first place.

The Hidden Cameras - Awoo

2006-06-21T11:51:00.000-06:00

Release Date: August 15, 2006

Joel Gibb and friends just keep getting better at making gay folk church music. That's a good thing. Man, I wish that was a Grammy category.

MSTRKRFT - The Looks

2006-06-21T11:38:00.000-06:00

Release Date: July 16, 2006

Jesse Keeler's (from DFA79) side project. If you like Daft Punk, DFA stuff (that other DFA), and synthetic handclaps (I like these the most), give this a try.

Thom Yorke - The Eraser

2006-05-31T21:42:00.000-06:00

Release Date: July 11, 2006

Blippity bloop bleep blip bloop. Exactly what I expected.

The Pipettes - We Are the Pipettes

2006-05-21T17:01:00.000-06:00

Release Date (UK): July 17, 2006
Release Date (US): TBA

A girl group trio pulled straight from the '60s (and Phil Spector's ass), with synchronized hand waving, matching polka-dot outfits and everything. And you know what, it actually works. It's kinda fun.

The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off

2006-05-18T19:35:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 23, 2006

It's like the singer decided to make his best Dylan impression on this album. A little annoying.

Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche

2006-05-12T14:35:00.000-06:00

Release Date: July 25, 2006

Outtakes and extras from the Illinois album. Wow, the b-sides from this album are better than 99.9% of all music out there these days. Suj-fan is a god.

The Futureheads - News and Tributes

2006-05-11T17:35:00.000-06:00

Release Date (UK): May 29, 2006
Release Date (US): June 13, 2006

I'm sorry, I don't listen to gay music. Really, who still listens to this stuff?

Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds

2006-04-06T00:35:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 9, 2006

Owen Pallett ditches his violin in this one. Just kidding. He increases his instrument count by 800% on this album for some string-y, violin-y madness. I like.

The Stills - Without Feathers

2006-04-04T20:43:00.000-06:00

Release Date: May 9, 2006

Meh.
Just remember, when you are listening to the Stills, you are listening to these guys.

Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming

2006-03-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

Release Date: May 2, 2006

Holy Frog Eyes, Batman! Haunting. Slicker than previous work, still pretty bloody lo-fi. If Spencer Krug had a baby with Carey Mercer, it would be the same dude.

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

2006-03-03T01:17:00.000-07:00

Release Date: TBA

If you like TV on the Radio, you'll probably love this album. I sorta lost interest in these guys. Quick. And this album didn't win me back. Too bad.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

2006-02-28T01:04:00.000-07:00

Release Date: March 28, 2006

Karen 0 doesn't orgasm as much in this one. Less screaming. Less POW! Solid from start to finish though. I think I heard an acoustic guitar in there somewhere.

Built to Spill - You In Reverse

2006-02-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Release Date: April 11, 2006

Back to the sound of Perfect From Now On. Means back to the sound of awesome.

Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops

2006-02-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Release Date: April 18, 2006

Less "spacey" as Nowhere. Still love it. I have a feeling critics will bash this album though.

The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea

2006-02-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Release Date: April 18, 2006

Crazy reverse vocals everywhere. A little more simplistic. Will make up for the debacle that was Rehearsing My Choir. ~~One of the best albums~~ THE BEST album this year so far.

Islands - Return to the Sea

2006-02-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Release Date: April 4, 2006

ISLANDS, ISLANDS, ISLANDS!!! "Rough Gem" makes me dance. Favourite song this year.

The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics

2006-02-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Release Date: April 4, 2006

Great record. I don't think it has the same epic feel of Yoshimi, but still great overall. Not overly impressed, not disappointed.

Mogwai - Mr. Beast

2006-02-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

Release Date: March 7, 2006

Rocks out hard. Back to what Mogwai does best.

Liars - Drum's Not Dead

2006-02-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Release Date (UK): February 20, 2006
Release Date (US): March 21, 2006

Fucking retarded. Take out the Halloween noises from Drowned and replace them with a bass drum and chanting. I've given up on these guys.