For most of the year, one record yelled "play me again, Joseph!" That record happens to be the fine new At The Ballroom by Swedish husband and wife duo Moonbabies. When my good friend Sean Padilla released a cassette by them back in the late 1990s, they were a band heavy on the shoegaze, and their songs were coated in reverb, noise, and all-out bliss. They don't sound a thing like that any more; instead, they're a pretty blissed-out straightforward pop band; a comparison to The Cardigans certainly would not be inappropriate. "War on Sound" made it onto some TV shows here in the states, and is most certainly a song worth your time, but there's much more to the band than that one moment of pure pop clarity. Any album that can deliver such highs as the wonderful acoustic balladry of "Walking On My Feet"--a "Solsbury Hill" for the 21st Century--to the "And Then He Kissed Me"-referencing melancholy orchestra pop of "Shout It Out" deserves your attention. Swedish pop made a splash in 2007, and Moonbabies might not have garnered the attention of, say, Shout Out Louds, Peter Bjorn and John, or Jose Gonzales (those last two are former Moonbabies labelmates!), but just because you didn't hear about it doesn't mean their record is any less wonderful.

Listen To: "Walking On My Feet"

At the Ballroom is available now on Parasol/Hidden Agenda

Labels: A Hidden Agenda, Moonbabies

posted by joseph kyle @ 11:24 AM 0 comments

Robbie Fulks Revenge!

2007 was the year Robbie Fulks unleashed his revenge on his fans...or, I should say, his Revenge!. The man is a fine country singer; he blends wit, humor, and weepers into a brilliant whole. While later records back away from his sarcastic, sassy, clever salad days humor, he's still an amazingly wonderful musician. Revenge! is a two-disc live set, though it's not a complete show; instead, the two discs contain two different forms of Robbie Fulks live; disc one finds him with a rather tight four-piece country-rock band, while the second disc finds him in stripped-down, acoustic mode.

It's an interesting dichotomy, for both discs excellently display his talents. When you hear him with a full band, you hear him as a front man, and he sounds really damn good in front of a band--especially one with as much power as his. When you hear him in the acoustic setting, you discover that he's an excellent guitar player and lyricist, and you realize he doesn't need a damn band to impress you. Disc one contains several of his "hits," with wonderful takes on early hits like "Good-bye Good Lookin'," "Let's Kill Saturday Night," and "Busy Not Crying." Disc two contains a number of songs that contain his wit, but the disc also contains some of his most affecting, most beautiful work. I mean, try not to have a damn tear in your eye on "On A Real Good Day." When his band does bluegrass on "The Bluebirds are Singing for Me," it sounds good...it sounds real good. In fact, this second disc finds him exploring those bluegrass and country roots of his in a way heretofore unexplored, and honestly, I'd like to hear him go more "roots" like he does. The only downside to the whole damn set is his cover of Cher's "Believe" (!!!) because it just seems too damn ironic for my taste. Though, I have to say, I find his vocal imitation of her vocoder-laced singing hilarious.

I don't know if or when Robbie Fulks will ever come to my town, but I take solace in knowing that he's a damn good live act, as proven by Revenge!.

Listen To: Let's Kill Saturday Night"
Listen To: I Like Being Left Alone"

Revenge! is available now on Yep Roc

Labels: Robbie Fulks, Yep Roc

posted by joseph kyle @ 7:40 AM 0 comments

Julia Kent Delay

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Speaking of Antony & The Johnsons, Antony's cellist Julia Kent, (who is as well a former member of Rasputina), released Delay, her solo debut. It's an all-instrumental affair, mixing beautiful melodies with found sound, to a varied effect. While her compositions are undoubtedly wonderful, the brief field recordings between the songs are both superfluous and distracting. She's a talent, and it's interesting to hear her by herself. Pay no mind to those little brief distractions; program them out or give them no thought, and focus on the beauty within. The songs will lull your mind into a beautiful place, and it's easy to understand why Antony has called upon her to add her creative voice to the Johnsons. I have thoroughly enjoyed Delay; I've let it play quietly in the room, especially at night, and most definitely during my post-surgery recovery days, and it helps me rest my soul.

Listen To: "Schiphol"

Delay is available now on Important Records

Labels: important records, Julia Kent

posted by joseph kyle @ 10:37 AM 0 comments

Michael Cashmore The Snow Abides

Michael Cashmore's The Snow Abides EP is a triumvirate of musical beauty: Michael Cashmore wrote the music, David Tibet wrote the lyrics, and Antony sings the songs. Cashmore's piano music is soft, supple, and lulling, while Tibet's lyrics are sad, melancholy, and heartfelt. Of course, there's really no words that fully describe Antony's beautiful voice. Though the three songs on which he sings are not radically different, he makes them his own. His is one of the greatest voices of the 21st Century, and these songs prove it, especially the painfully beautiful "How God Moved at Twilight." The songs that bookend the record, "My Eyes Open" and "Snow No Longer," are beautiful instrumental passages that remind me equally of Harold Budd and This Mortal Coil; Antony might be the attraction here, but these songs show Cashmore doesn't need Antony to make beautiful, affecting music.

Listen To: How God Moved at Twilight

The Snow Abides is out now on Durtro/Jnana

Labels: Michael Cashmore

posted by joseph kyle @ 10:36 AM 0 comments

Shout Out Louds Our Ill Wills

Monday, December 17, 2007

Our Ill Wills, the second full-length album from Sweden's utterly wonderful Shout Out Louds, was one of this year's surprises...not so much for being a good record, but for being a lotdifferent than what was expected. The band's debut, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff was a wonderful mixture of pop and crunchy indie-rock, and it owed more than a bit of a debt to Pixies. This time around, the harder rock elements are gone, and in its absence is sophisticated, intelligent, lush, downbeat pop.

Over the course of 48 minutes, Adam Olenius leads his band through tales of woe and sadness. The songs range from the deceptively upbeat ("Tonight I Have to Leave It"), to melodramatic ("You Are Dreaming"), with themes of jealousy ("South America"), regret ("Normandie"), nostalgia ("Your Parents Living Room") and even that long-lost musical theme, the car accident weeper ("Time Left for Love"). Unlike their previous work, the musical backing is very lush, soft, and dreamy; mixing orchestration throughout, at times, the music is so damn dreamy, Olenius and pianist Bebbon Stenborg's vocals lose out to the music behind them. "Impossible" is the kind of pop song that don't get made any more, with a gorgeous fade-out and an ethereal dance beat. The epic "Hard Rain" closes the album, and it feels more like a quiet hurricane than a hard rain; while it's not noise, it's a quiet-loud ending that leaves the listener white-hot and bothered in a melancholy way.

Merge Records once rescued another band with a Pixies fixation from the major-label rejection pile, and they subsequently turned them into the Big Thing. Our Ill Wills proves that Merge may well have struck gold again; saving this Swedish band from obscurity was a smart move, and this record is one of the best of 2007.

Listen To: You're Dreaming

Labels: best of 2007, Merge Records, Shout Out Louds

posted by joseph kyle @ 12:28 PM 0 comments

Euros Childs The Miracle Inn

Friday, December 14, 2007

Euros Childs was the front man of the wonderfully underrated (at least in this country) Welsh pop/folk/weirdo collective, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. For The Miracle Inn, his third solo record, he's taken a decidedly straightforward folk-rock approach; he's improved upon and polished up the good qualities of his previous two solo records, though, for this outing, he's singing in English. While this might rightfully be called a mini-album, it's a very fulfilling and satisfying collection.

Childs possesses a smooth, satisfying vocal style; his voice is soft and sensuous, without being too lusty or overwhelming. I'm reminded a bit of Bryan Ferry, especially on the delightfully catchy "Horse Riding." His compositional style matches his voice; the songs on The Miracle Inn is easy and unforced; Childs is obviously a master of his craft, as his songs sound so effortless. The songs found here fall into two categories; catchy 70s-style pop, like "All Day" and the aforementioned "Horse Riding," and quiet, hushed ballads, both folk-based, like "Think I'll Run Away," and more contemporary fare, like "Outside My Window." Then there's the epic title track, a reminiscence about a pub.
It's a fun piece, and it blends the records diverse musical styles into one interesting, fascinating whole.

This is a lighthearted, catchy record, one that is worth seeking out, because it's one of the prettiest, most unpretentious and most sincere records I've heard all year.

Listen To: "Horse Riding"

The Miracle Inn is available now on Wichita Recordings

Labels: Euros Childs, Wichita Recordings

posted by joseph kyle @ 5:06 PM 0 comments

Fire on Fire

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Fire on Fire arises from the ashes of Cerberus Shoal, and is presented for your consideration by the people who rescued Lisa Germano from unfair obscurity...and who also brought you that long-haired Daveendra dude. (Whatever happened to him? I sorta kinda liked his music.) All hipsterism aside, though, this record is...and I hate to be so succinct...brilliant. Confession time, though: I don't know much about the musicians behind Fire on Fire, and I don't pretend to; attempts to find much information about them, it's not so easy. So bear with me.

This five-piece band should sound good; the members have collaborated a lot over the past decade, releasing some of the most challenging, interesting, and frustrating music "indie rock" ever heard. That they've decided to eschew their noise and experimental side for a sound so diametrically opposite of the progressive sounds of their roots is no matter, nor is it particularly surprising. Hell, the way they tarry over musical styles, they were bound to get there anyway. And, really, the five songs found on this limited-edition EP are not necessarily different from their roots, either.

Starting things off is the beautiful and oddly uplifting, positive message of "Hangman." It's an odd connotation for a song that's ultimately a lesson on friendship; yes, dear friends, even the purveyors of death have loved ones. "Liberty Unknown" is a narrative tale about soldiers and freedom fighters, lovingly and beautifully sung by Colleen Kinsella. With gorgeous wind instruments and a gently plucked banjo, the song evokes the Civil War. Which Civil War? Take yer pick. "Liberty Unknown" is the sort of song Colin Meloy hasn't written in a long, long time.

"My Lady Coffin" continues the catchy down-home picking, though it's a dour lyric, reminding me of The Handsome Family. And the singer--forgive me, I know not your name--reminds me of a cross between Neil Young and Jim Henson's country trio. It took me a little bit to get used to it. Oh, and when all five band members start singing, it sure does sound real nice. "Amnesia" takes you on a squeezebox journey through both the old west and rustic Europe. Then the final song, "Three or More," has such a lackadaisical style, I keep thinking we should somehow resurrect Lee Marvin from the dead for the sole purpose of recording this song.

I've been nerding here, of course, but this record is really good, in a primal, natural way. That this EP quickly, almost instantly, sold out, well, it says a lot about both the band and the music found within its sonic walls. Got this feeling we're going to hear a lot about this band over the next year...

Listen To: "Hangman"

Fire on Fire's debut EP may or may not be available from Young God Records

Labels: cant wait for 2008, fire on fire, young god records

posted by joseph kyle @ 5:43 PM 0 comments

School of Seven Bells

I am genuinely excited about School of Seven Bells' 2008. The band, in case you've missed the hype-machine, consists of Secret Machines/UFOFU mastermind Ben Curtis, as well as members of On!Air!Library! But the band comes together in a way that is something completely different from those bands, yet manages to sound like the kind of music you'd expect from the members of those bands. Face to Face On High Places is the band's three-song debut, and it's really damn good. It mixes dub and rock and pop and noise into this deliciously hot soup of aurally superior music. "Limb by Limb" is a herky-jerky, dubbed out pop song that's heavy on the drums, choppy on the vocals, and heavy on the intrigue. The next song, the title track, is a nine-minute all-out freakout that grows from percussive to seductive to totally blissed-out and noisy. "s.Ada.Licht" sounds like a Stereolab warm-up rehearsal. In other words, it sounds good. It sounds real good. And though I hate to be all obscure, these songs remind me of a 21st Century version of Smart Went Crazy. Without the male vocals. Yeah, there's no Ben Curtis singing on here. Don't fret, though; the songs on the band's Myspace page feature him...and as weird as it is to say, those songs are superior to the excellent songs found on this EP!

So yeah, School of Seven Bells is giving me cause to look forward to 2008.

Listen To: Various Tracks

Face to Face On High Places is available now on Table Of The Elements

Labels: cant wait for 2008, School of Seven Bells

posted by joseph kyle @ 5:28 PM 0 comments

Japancakes Loveless/Giving Machines

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Athens' instrumental country space-rockers Japancakes took a few years off, and in the interim have presented two new albums for your new consideration; one of which you've probably heard of, and the other, probably not. Yes, Japancakes received a great deal of attention for their album Loveless, which, technically, isn't their record at all. It's a song-by-song cover of the seminal My Bloody Valentine album. Instead of overwhelming melodies and blissed-out guitars and righteously wonderful singing drowned out by white hot noise, Japancakes have rendered and reworked Kevin Shields' masterpiece into something soft and tender and sweet and relaxing--at times, their versions almost qualify as Musak. The novelty of this release has earned them some attention, but I'm not entirely satisfied with Loveless. Oh, don't get me wrong, their arrangements are definintely pretty, and it's Japancakes at their always-enganging best, but the original album is such a unique and brilliant work, after a while, I get bored with what they're doing and wish to listen to the original.

Giving Machines, their latest album, is a much more satisfying affair. Other than a cover of Cocteau Twins' wonderful "Heaven or Las Vegas," it's all original compositions, and it's fine material at that. The band certainly has not lost any of their charm, and the material here is, well, classic Japancakes. It's big, grand instrumental passages that blend quiet harmonies and atmosphers with rustic, simple instrumentation. By that, I mean pedal steel. I am reminded of pedal steel master BJ Cole and his 1990s experiments with electronica. In my mind, that sort of sums up Japancakes: an electronica-composing country band. Much like Loveless, this record is also quiet and pretty and subtle; what they do, they do well.

I'm really can't think of what to say about their music, because, really, what more could I say? Japancakes' music is special, and if you know their music, then you know just how damn good their music is. If you don't, there's really no better place to start than Giving Machines. I do recommend Loveless, but not to the new; there's so much more to this veteran band than a one-off cover album. If you're wanting more, word has it a reissue campaign will soon take place, bringing all of those classic early Japancakes records back to a store near you--so there's plenty of activity going on for those enthralled by them. (I am, can't you tell?)

Listen To: Lalita (from Giving Machines)
Listen To: When You Sleep (from Loveless)

Giving Machines and Loveless are available now on Darla Records

Labels: Darla Records, Japancakes, Loveless

posted by joseph kyle @ 12:16 PM 0 comments

Anna Ternheim Anna Ternheim

Saturday, December 8, 2007

I'm kind of trying to form a decision about how I feel about Swedish singer Anna Ternheim. She's rather well-received and respected in Europe, so this little 5-song EP really serves to introduce we Americans to her, and while it's not a mixed bag, I'm not quite sure it fully illustrates what she's about. She sings pretty, and her songs are dark and a little bit melancholy and well-produced. I don't care for the cover of "China Girl," though; doing a Cat Power-style strip-down cover doesn't really work for this song. But there are some other songs found here that I like, most notably the haunting "Lovers Dream" and the melancholy rocker "Today is a Good Day." Okay, "I'll Follow You Tonight" kind of brings a bit of a tear to my heart, because it's just so irresistibly pretty. Maybe Anna Ternhiem serves Anna better than I initially thought. This is a pretty EP, yes, and I do hope to hear more from her soon.

Listen To: I'll Follow You Tonight

Labels: Anna Ternheim

posted by joseph kyle @ 10:15 AM 0 comments

The Photon Band Get Down Here in the Stratosphere

Crap! The Photon Band's coming back! Art DiFuria's crew of rock stars has ditched some of their heavy-handed psych-rock druthers, remembered that they're from Philadelphia and that Philly offers much in terms of soul, and have blended psych-rock and soul to form an amazingly wonderful sound that's both refreshingly new and downright traditional. Sure, they still have a bit of that ol' Stones-y vibe about them, but it's kind of toned down, too. Their first new release in many moons is a five-song downloadable EP, Get Down Here in the Stratosphere. Of the five songs here, there's fast-paced soul ("Sister (Alright)", "Find a Better Way to Live"), mellow rock, ("Stratosphere") social commentary a la 60s mod rock ("Them Red White and Blues/Hi-Fidelity Suite"), and a wonderful blues-rock ballad, "Words Get in the Way." I have tried to get into The Photon Band before, and they just never connected. This EP, however, shows that the band's return after a few years' hiatus may prove to be a wise decision. Their new record, Back Down to Earth, will be released in January.

Listen To: Get Down Here in the Stratosphere

Get Down Here in the Stratosphere is available now from Empyrean Records

Labels: Empyrean Records, The Photon Band

posted by joseph kyle @ 10:13 AM 1 comments

Throw Me the Statue About to Walk

I have a feeling that Throw Me the Statue is going to suffer from some hefty comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel. But that's missing the point, isn't it? Okay, so Scott Reitherman has a fuzzy warble that might seem similar to Jeff Mangum's, and he has a tendency to write hazy, sunny psychedelic folk songs with all sorts of wonderful little surprises, but not everybody with an orchestra and a Sinatra-like singing voice is Sinatra, you know? About to Walk is their debut EP for Secretly Canadian, and it's a total keeper. The three songs found here are, in a word, magical; starting with the title track, it's extremely difficult not to be hypnotized by Reitherman and his hapless, carefree singing. He then hits you with a "if-you-liked-that-one-then-here's-another" attack of pure pop wonderfulness with "Lolita," a song so laden with handclaps, humming, and guitar strumming that makes you feel the pain and heart of his lovelorn lyrics. "The Old Believer" is pretty good, too; it's not quite as catchy as the other two songs, but the company it keeps certainly makes up for any lacking.

About to Walk is a wonderful year-end treat, a teaser for greatness yet to come when then band releases its debut album, Moonbeams. From these three little songs, I have a feeling 2008's going to be a great year for Mr. Reitherman.

Listen To: "About to Walk"

Labels: Secretly Canadian, Throw Me the Statue

posted by joseph kyle @ 10:08 AM 0 comments

Monahans Low Pining

Friday, December 7, 2007

When I heard that Milton Mapes mastermind Gregg Vanderpool had started a new band, it excited me. He's been an underrated talent, and though I vaguely knew of him when I lived in Lubbock, I've always said he's captured the darker essence of West Texas. Or, as I once told a friend, Milton Mapes is to West Texas what Centro-matic is to Denton. Though Vanderpool cannot compare to Will Johnson in the prolificacy department, musically speaking, the two bands tread the same ground, both specializing in no-frills hazy, stoned, and often superior rock music. To carry the comparison to Centro-matic a bit further, Monahans is not unlike South San Gabriel. Not only does the name derive from one of Texas' most beautiful natural attractions, but both bands allow their members the ability to explore hazier, mellower, and more intricately detailed sounds. Low Pining doesn't contain much of the power-pop/country/coolest bar band in the world-style material of Milton Mapes. Only one song, "Undiscovered," kinda-sorta does...but that's it. Okay, "Along My Shores" does, too.

Throughout the record, Vanderpool and company meld classic country-rock with a more modern sense of atmosphere, so what they're doing sounds both modern and traditional. Occasionally, like on "Blind Tide Sails & Weather Vane Hearts," and "End of Night" they dive straight into the Blues. When they explore the heavy, dark instrumental passages, like on "Traveling Song," Vanderpool leads Monahans even further towards Bruce Springsteen territory. I made the comparison years ago to Milton Mapes' Westernaire. "Traveling Song" sounds like an outtake from Springsteen's latest, Magic. It also finds the band heading towards the bigger sounds of, say, U2 circa Joshua Tree. I'm also hearing a bit of Cowboy Junkies, but that's a bit too easy of a comparison, as the Junkies' Margo Timmins adds her vocals throughout.

In other words, Monahans' Low Pining seems to indicate that Vanderpool's musical palate is starting to expand and grow in directions heretofore unknown. This is a good start, and whether Monahans is a completely new band or is a one-off and a new Milton Mapes record is on the way, the songs found here make me eagerly await Vanderpool's next creative step. Low Pining is quietly one of the better records of the year.

Listen To: "Traveling Song"

Low Pining is available now on Undertow Music

Labels: Monahans, Undertow Music

posted by joseph kyle @ 12:13 PM 0 comments

Brad Laner Neighbor Singing

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Go find Shot Forth Self Living. Listen to it for weeks on end. Your life will change. You will experience music in a completely different light. Then seek out the rest of Medicine's catalog, and prepare to change your mind about how you listen to music. Then ponder how damn quiet the mastermind behind the band Medicine has been.

Damn shame, isn't it?

As long as the genius is happy doing what he's doing...or not doing, then I really don't waste my time "missing" an artist. All in due time, kid. All in due time.

You won't find any Medicine-style shoegazing or noise on Brad Laner's Neighbor Singing. Hell, you wouldn't think this guy had anything to do with Medicine or any other kind of noise-based alt-rock scene, because the music found upon Neighbor is so quiet, so gentle, so peaceful compared to his younger, extremely louder days...but guess what? His sound might be quieter, but the song writing style is nearly the same.

Let's examine "Lovely World." Sure, you're hearing him pluck a guitar, you're hearing the sound of empty space, and you're hearing gorgeous vocal harmonies, but if you listen closely to the little sonic gadgets and do-dads, and you compare them to those blisteringly distorted, loud guitars from the 1990s, you'll quickly realize that they're exactly the same thing. See, Laner could be loud, he could destroy your eardrums with some power chords and some distortion, but he chose not to. He chose to demonstrate that, underneath the noise and effects, he's a really good writer and composer, one who is adept at writing catchy melodies. "June Gloom" not catchy enough for you? Just skip back to "Out Cold." But he also teases the longtime with a hint of those great.

Isn't that great?

Laner could have made Neighbor Singing into something noisy. But he didn't. Instead, he focused the energy on making something pleasant, something gorgeous, something that doesn't coast on his storied reputation. He's not laying on his laurels, either. He could blast your brain into aural heaven, but gorgeous harmonies and melodies are so much more compelling, wouldn't you say?

I do.

Listen To: "Lovely World"

Neighbor Singing is available now on Hometapes

Labels: Brad Laner, Home Tapes

posted by joseph kyle @ 1:03 PM 0 comments

Cannonball Jane: Knees Up!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The coolest damn elementary school music teacher returns, and it's about damn time, too! I love the music of Cannonball Jane, and that was well before it was hip to love the fun, cute, and downright groovy melodies of Sharon Hagopian. Ah well, cool factors aside, Ms. Jane's new record, Knees Up!, is a short, brief EP of her brand of pop. Frisky and fun electro-pop with a smidgen of girl-group vocals, the seven songs found here--three of which are remixes, including one by the Beastie Boys' Adrock--are utterly delightful. Okay, I wish there was more new stuff--"Slumber Party" was a highlight of her debut LP, but I really enjoy it, all these years now. And "Breaker Breaker" is a pleasant, lilting mid-tempo popper. I featured it on a Mundane Sounds New Music Sampler a few years ago, so it's one that I've loved for years now."Secret Handshake" and "Bossa Tug" are pretty numbers, though a bit less poppy and a bit more melancholy than the other songs. The key song here, though, is "Take It To Fantastic," a loud, raucous, and downright CONTAGIOUS dance song with grooves that will make your body move. I'm still waiting for that new full-length, because, damn it, it's about time for Cannonball Jane to firmly conquer the world!

Listen To: "Take It To Fantastic"

Knees Up! is available now on Gaddycat Records

Labels: Cannonball Jane

posted by joseph kyle @ 12:18 PM 0 comments

Math & Physics Club Baby, I'm Yours

Saturday, December 1, 2007

I haven’t received any loving parcels of pop goodness from indie-pop mavens Matinee Recordings in nearly a year. But when I discovered that Math & Physics Club had released the EP that they had discussed in my interview with them a while back, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the label’s still around and releasing good music. So I quickly bought this EP, because I want to support this wonderful band and the label. And I have to say that that the music found on this little record is simply wonderful. If anything, they’ve blended the best pop records from the Sire Records roster circa 1989 into a pleasantly modern pop record. Seriously, I know people focus on MAPC as carrying on the torch for the Smiths, but, honestly, these ears hears The Ocean Blue, especially on the wonderful "Nothing Really Happens." The title track is a fast paced little pop-rocker; "In This Together" is a snappy little song, and I really think that the departure of the final song, "Do You Keep a Diary," is a direction worth pursuing. There’s a reason people love Math & Physics Club, and this record proves it. A fine little record, this.

Listen To: Baby, I’m Yours

Labels: math and physics club, matinee recordings

posted by joseph kyle @ 9:59 AM 0 comments

A Note!

Holy Spicoli, is it December already? It's been an exciting, interesting, and sometimes hard year. What started off in one direction twisted and turned in ways I would not have expected a year ago. Things change, people change...yet things remain the same. Like the fact I still love music, for one.

Sadly to say, I spent too much time not writing about music in 2007, and I am not happy about that. This is due to reasons not important and not your concern; health played a large part in this. Unfortunately, I haven't talked about several of my favorite records. For December, I am going to talk about a few older records, a few newer records, all of which have one thing in common: I like them. That's my only criterion for my content. I am going to eschew the ubiquitous 'end of the year' list, because every record I talk about is, in my opinion, worthy of being on that list. It is not my intention to short shrift said records, though; I just don't think I could conclude 2007 without telling you about the wonderful music of Monahans, Utah Carroll, The One AM Radio, The Chrysler, Ryan Groff, or Julia Kent? I can't do that. So expect a bit more in the next few weeks.

So I hope you enjoy this month's "look back/look forward" format. If you happen to be familiar with these records, I apologize in advance. I do hope, though, that you enjoy the music...that's the only reason I do this.

posted by joseph kyle @ 9:46 AM 0 comments

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