[rroseperry]

I haven't had a chance to listen to all suggestions in this thread, but I'm working on it. I skipped ahead to this one, perhaps because the cover was intriguing. I found it on Spotify, and it met my criteria as a 2012 new release, so I did sit down and listen to the entire album. I also looked it up on Amazon, so I could get a little background on it. I learned that it is an experimental project between a classical violinist and a person who plays modified pianos.

I found it interesting, but I'm not sure how often I'll come back to it. Because it is so experimental and improvised, it does seem to lack song structure. I'm not sure that any particular song really sticks out in my mind as memorable. However, it did have a somewhat pleasing "background music" element to it that I didn't find distasteful. I think the brief description of "21st century art-music" is fitting. While I was listening to it, I thought that if I was a painter who was going to display my paintings in a gallery, I might have this music playing softly on a stereo in the background. I'm not a painter, but I imagined people browsing a gallery and looking at different paintings while this music played quietly for ambiance. I also found that I could listen to this music through headphones while working on other things on my computer. Rather than intensely focusing on the music, I found it had a pleasant but not too distracting sound that worked well as listening material while my primary focus was my computer tasks.

Thanks for posting it and giving me a chance to listen to it. 

Glad you liked it. I'm a big fan of Hahn and think Hauschka's the weak link in this pairing, though it's an interesting effort.

If you like classical at all, I completely recommend her albums, especially the Ives piano and violin sonatas and the Higdon violin sonata..

 

[ibage]

Quote:

I checked out this thread to see if anyone had mentioned this release yet. I am totally smitten with the album and have already listened to it about a dozen times. I just can't get enough of it! I am the only Rush fan in my household and don't have anyone to gush on and on about it to. I was hoping to find a few kindred spirits here at least.

I feel your pain. It took me so long to get my dad to even listen to them... I've only met one other person who actually liked them and seriously, third best selling band of all time! How could their fans be so scarce? 
 
From my experience, people have one of two reactions when Rush hits the radio. Both start with "Oh god, it's Rush!". One however goes, for the knob to turn it up and the other guns for the one that changes the station. 
 
Trust me, I know how you feel. I was all giddy the day they released Headlong flight last month and no one seemed to care

 

[mutabor]

Quote:

 

 
The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullets Love
 
This is the debut album by The Bombay Royale. I've never heard anything quite like it. Apparently, it was made by some Australian musicians who are fascinated with old Bollywood movies. The album was made as if it's the soundtrack to a movie, however, the movie doesn't exist. What it sounds like is themes from a bunch of old James Bond movies, if those movies were made in India. Almost all of the vocals are in Hindi or Bengali, as far as I know. It has plenty of horns, synths, and electric guitars and an infectious groove. If you want to hear something truly different, check it out.

 
That's how Indians do it themselves. It's a spin off of an 1978 Bollywood movie "Don".
 

 

 

 

[StratocasterMan]

Quote:

Katie Melua - Secret Symphony
 
Good stuff for anyone who's a fan of hers.
 

 
Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts
 
Also good stuff for Norah fans. I like the edgier style she has on this album compared to previous ones.
 

 
Nicola Benedetti - Italia
 
Latest album from this classical violinist who I discovered just last year. I like her playing style and the album has some very nice selections along with good sound quality.
 

 
I haven't had a chance to look for Katie Melua or Nicola Benedetti yet. I did, however, take your suggestion and listen to Norah Jones' Little Broken Hearts. In fact, I'm on my third time through the entire album. Now, for a little background, let me first explain that I have never heard anything by Norah Jones until now. I know I must be the last person on the planet who had never heard her music. I had heard of her as she is quite famous, but I had never heard her music. I don't watch much TV or award shows, so I hadn't seen her there either. For some reason I had mentally dismissed her as someone I probably wouldn't like, so I had never given her music a try. When I came back to your post, I decided to listen to Little Broken Hearts since I'd never heard her.
 
Well, let me say, I found out what I've been missing! I'm very impressed with Little Broken Hearts. This is definitely a record I wish I had found sooner, so thanks for your post. I found out that she has an incredible voice. To me, her voice sounds strong, yet somehow fragile at the same time. I like how she never sounds strained in her vocal delivery. She makes it sound easy.
 
I really like the sound of this record. It's very stripped down without any unnecessary instrumentation. It just lets her voice shine. I like how a lot of songs feature a "reverb-y" electric guitar sound as the main accompaniment. I like the whole breathy, reverb-y, open-room sound of the recording.
 
If I had to pick a record this reminds me of, it would be Beck's album Sea Change, which is one of my favorites. Obviously, Little Broken Hearts is a break-up record, with all of the songs being about that topic. That same is true of Sea Change. To me, Little Broken Hearts seems like a female version of Sea Change. Although the records don't really sound the same and one has male vocals and one has female vocals, they both explore the same topic in a sort of downbeat manner.
 
Thanks very much for posting the suggestion. I definitely like Little Broken Hearts. I will try to get to your other suggestions when I can. 

 

[mutabor]

Beach House
"Bloom"
 

 

 
One of my favorites this year. The Bloom album is airy, melodic and despite consistency is not monotonous. 
 

 

 

[catherine]

Quote:

I feel your pain. It took me so long to get my dad to even listen to them... I've only met one other person who actually liked them and seriously, third best selling band of all time! How could their fans be so scarce? 
 
From my experience, people have one of two reactions when Rush hits the radio. Both start with "Oh god, it's Rush!". One however goes, for the knob to turn it up and the other guns for the one that changes the station. 
 
Trust me, I know how you feel. I was all giddy the day they released Headlong flight last month and no one seemed to care

Same here. I know one person who is a huge fan as I am but I have been out of touch with him for years.
 
I was the same about Headlong Flight! Still love it, and The Anarchist is probably in a tie with that one as my favorites on the album. The Garden makes me cry almost everytime I listen to it. In a good way.
 
I am also psyched that they recorded Caravan and BU2B here in Nashville. Yes, I am that geeky. LOL

 

[Brooko]

Subbing - thanks Stratocaster - great thread.
 
O/T - - if you're enjoying Norah's new album (Little Broken Hearts), give "The Fall" a listen - I know everyone raves about "Come Away With Me", but I really think The Fall has been the best album she's released to date.
 
Sorry about that - back on topic - 2012 releases .... Fiona Apple - "The Idler Wheel ..." (full title is actually "The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do") - I kid you not.
 
 

 
I brought this on the recommendation of someone else - had never heard of her before - and so far really enjoying it.  The music is complex, can be moody, at times disturbing, but surprisingly cohesive.  The genre is (I guess) indie pop/rock - piano based.  I need to spend more time with it - but first impressions are good.

 

[mutabor]

Quote:

 

 
I brought this on the recommendation of someone else - had never heard of her before - and so far really enjoying it.  The music is complex, can be moody, at times disturbing, but surprisingly cohesive.  The genre is (I guess) indie pop/rock - piano based.  I need to spend more time with it - but first impressions are good.

 
I remember Fiona from late 90s. She was young, energetic and interesting. But now? Is she taking drugs or something? And it is her first album in 7 years.

 

[Oteil]

 
Just a few albums this year that I can't stop listening to lately

 

[StratocasterMan]

Quote:

 
That's how Indians do it themselves. It's a spin off of an 1978 Bollywood movie "Don".
 

 

 

 
Thanks for the video links. I watched all of them. I'm a little confused. Are they doing a remake of the 1978 movie now? Or are those videos just spin-offs of the original movie? The videos you posted seem to be quite modern. I enjoyed the visuals in the videos, but the music didn't seem quite as engaging to me as the stuff on The Bombay Royale's record...
 

 

[StratocasterMan]

Quote:

Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts
 
Also good stuff for Norah fans. I like the edgier style she has on this album compared to previous ones.
 

 

 
Since I've been listening to Little Broken Hearts, the track "She's 22" has become a real favorite of mine. I took a look around on YouTube, and I found this video of her performing that song live on Letterman. Enjoy!
 

 

[ibage]

Quote:

Same here. I know one person who is a huge fan as I am but I have been out of touch with him for years.
 
I was the same about Headlong Flight! Still love it, and The Anarchist is probably in a tie with that one as my favorites on the album. The Garden makes me cry almost everytime I listen to it. In a good way.
 
I am also psyched that they recorded Caravan and BU2B here in Nashville. Yes, I am that geeky. LOL

 
I'll admit to shedding manly tears listening to The Garden... It's a beautiful song to tie up the album. Halo Effect and The Wreckers also get to me. That feeling of shattered reality strikes pretty hard. Overall though, my favorite tracks are BU2B and Clockwork Angels. Clockwork Angels reminded me of their earlier epics and BU2B sounds so much fuller on the album instead of the original version released. 
 
By the way, I had no idea those two were recorded in the states. 

 

[Sarah]

Most of my favorite releases this year have been in a world-music vein... which is strange because I don't tend to listen to a lot of world music.
 
The Tel Aviv Session - The Toure-Raichel Collective
http://idanraichelproject.bandcamp.com/releases
I bought a ticket to this concert because I needed a fourth to qualify for a subscription, and the description seemed like you couldn't really go wrong with it. The concert was phenomenal! By far the best out of all the ones in the subscription. I immediately went home and bought the album. It's just great. A really rich sound, laid-back, foot-tapping, head-nodding, nicely recorded... love it.
 
Canibalismo - Chicha Libre
http://barbesrecords.com/Canibalismo.html
Described by NPR as 'a psychedelic mash-up of surf guitar, cheesy analog keyboard sounds and a funky Amazonian take on cumbia'. I'd call it something like a retro electronic surf mariachi band. I can't deny that this music is kind of bizarre. But it's really fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu6yHxQgQQ4
 
Lisboa Mulata - Dead Combo  (I think this was released in Portugal/Europe at the end of 2011, but the US release was 2012, so I'm calling it 2012!)
http://deadcombo.bandcamp.com/
This is a band from Portugal, not the American "Dead Combo" which I think is some kind of punk band (confusing if you are trying to look into their back catalog on Amazon.) Beautiful, mostly instrumental guitar-heavy music (both electric and acoustic). Kind of an exotic sound. One of those bands I came across in a totally random way, and listened to a sample or two and knew in about 60 seconds I would love the album. I'm not much good at genres, but wiki says "Their music mixes fado with spaghetti-western-inspired music (especially the compositions of Ennio Morricone), jazz, alternative and world music." Sounds about right...
 
Oddly, I think my absolute favorite new music this year was a live recording that VPRO broadcast a few months back, but it was recorded in 2009 and you can't buy it anywhere, so it probably doesn't count for this thread...

 

[golgi]

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16304-frankie-rose-interstellar/

 

[KneelJung]

Great thread StratocasterMan, this is perhaps more of what I was shooting for with a thread I started not to long ago. Lot's of great new music being released right now. That Dr. John album is indeed very good, picked that one up when it first came out, and the John Fullbright record sounds exactly like the sort of stuff I like, I'll be giving that one a go on MOG very soon. In the mean time I'll start with a couple of 2012 releases that are great listens.
 

 
Joe Bonamassa ~ Driving toward the Daylight: Joe Bonamassa is my personal favorite, and this record ranks right up there as one of his best. He just released a great record with Beth Hart not to long ago, as well as another Black Country Communion record. It's crazy how much material he cranks out, and it always satisfies. If you like old school guitar driven bluesy rock, Joe will have your head bobbin and toes tappin in no time.
 

 
Joe Walsh ~ Analog Man: Joe's first record in twenty years...welcome back Joe!