New Music - January 2008

Along with my goal to blog more, I’ve also made resolutions to listen to new music. My initial goal of five new albums a month may seem a little lofty, considering I probably only listened six or seven new albums all of last year. Here I am after a month:

Yael Naim – Yael Niam – 4.2/10

Half of the songs she sings in French, which feels lost on me- although I can appreciate a good melody. At moments her voice sounds like Liz Frazier (Cocteau Twins) or Beth Gibbons (Portishead) it’s almost interchangeable as Yael switches back and forth. The format in which 90% of the album is presented is very singer-songwriter, which is something similar you might find on a Tori Amos album. For me, the memorable moments are: Too Long, New Soul, and Toxic (yep a sulky slow-beat trip-hop esque cover of Britney Spears). The Toxic cover is worth the price of admission alone and “New Soul” is the song featured on the MacBook Air commercial- so you will be familiar with it.

The Cardigans – Best of – 6.7/10

I know technically compilations shouldn’t count, but there are about 5-6 of these songs that are new to me. Not enough people actually care about The Cardigans, but they should, as they really hit their stride in the latter part of their musical career. Unfortunately we live in a society where Lovefool, Erase/Rewind, and My Favorite Game are all they will be known for. When the reality of it is “Long Gone Before Daylight,” their second to last album, is an absolute gem. This would explain why it is so well represented on this Best of collection. Not really a review, but more of a rant. The Cardigans are great, and I feel like I’m the only person who actually believes this.

Feist – The Reminder – 3.3/10

My wife loves those VH1 top twenty music video shows, so after the millionth time hearing “1234” I decided to give the album a shot. Heartfelt- I must admit. It’s got that “after the rain” vibe down perfectly, but unfortunately it doesn’t leave a lasting memory. As I sit here and reflect after 3-4 listens I can’t recall anything that is worth talking about. When I asked my friend Scooter about Feist he called this album a “take it or leave it” experience. I think I’ll be leaving it.

Brian Eno – Music for Airports – 5.6/10

How can I call something new when it came out almost 30 years ago? Well it’s new to me, and it’s coming from the ambient genre which isn’t very well represented in my collection. Music for Airports is work music, nothing abrasive enough to distract you from the task at hand. It’s difficult to really describe this album, as it doesn’t follow conventional music structure. It’s a cleansing and refreshing experience, that does its thing while you do your thing, if that makes any sense (which I’m sure it doesn’t). I’ll just let Brain Eno properly describe this- “I'm struck by the insidious, computer-driven tendency to take things out of the domain of muscular activity and put them into the domain of mental activity.” –Eno

That’s about right.