Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Half the way there

We're now six months into 2008, and 188 days into the 366 day leap year, so it's the perfect date for me to list some of my favorite albums of the first half of the year.



Ten albums alphabetically by artist. Most of these albums are on emusic, my primary source for new music these days.

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
If you're answer is "yes", then.. you know the rest.

Flight Of The Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
All the songs from the TV show re-recorded in full rock band glory.

Robert Forster - The Evangelist
Forster without McLennan is like half of that pizza without the other half, but half a pizza is infinitely better than no pizza at all!

The Morning Benders - Talking Through Tin Cans
East Bay locals follow up their great EP from last year with an even better full-length CD (RIYL: The Shins, Rogue Wave)

Nada Surf - Lucky
More of what they do best, and then some.  

Pugwash - Eleven Modern Antiquities
A good one by Pugwash (aka Irishman Thomas Walsh) with help from Andy Partridge (who co-wrote two tracks), Dave Gregory, Eric Matthews, Michael Penn, and Jason Falkner. Recommended for fans of any of the listed artists.

R.E.M. - Accelerate
Greatest R.E.M. album of the 21st century? Almost definitely!

School of Language - Sea From Shore
SoL is David Brewis from Field Music, and this is the more experimental side of the band. His brother Peter's new project/album The Week That Was is the accessible/poppy side of the band. Put together, they're like two full Field Music albums!

Shake Some Action! - Sunny Days Ahead
I liked the first SSA album, but wasn't sure if they could keep the intensity up for another album. Turns out that they can.

Sloan - Parallel Play
Never Hear The End Of It condensed and cut in half. 13 songs in 39 minutes makes an ideal album and song length.

Looking forward to: The Hold Steady, Brian Wilson, Bye Bye Blackbirds, and more.

Obligatory Food Content
Today's Lunch: Jack in the Box (2 tacos for 99 cents and an Orange Sunrise Smoothie).
Tonight's Dinner: A shrimp-vegetable curry made with frozen vegetables, pre-cooked shrimp, and Trader Joe's Thai curry simmer sauce. Pan-Asian stir-fried lazyness!

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