Spoon

Totes Magotes: Spoon – They Want My Soul

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Totes Magotes

Random thoughts on what I’m listening to or thinking about lately

Ah Spoon. I didn’t really like their first albums, really liked a few songs off of Gimme Fiction and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and didn’t like Transference at all. But now you’re back with They Want My Soul and I’m completely sold on this one. So good. Front to back, I love it.  I have listened to it while running (opening of Rent I Pay is perfect for starting a run), while mowing the lawn, while driving, while cooking…what can’t this album do?!
Go get it.
Some samples:

Albums you Must own (for $5 a piece!) Nr. 04

desertislemixtapes Albums You Must Own , , , , , , , , , ,
Amazon.com is constantly running $5 album deals for mp3 albums..  Each month or so, they post a new list of 100 albums.
Here are a few albums from their list that should 100% be in your music collection.
Did I mention these are all only $5
1.
 2.
 3.
4.
 5.
Others you should probably pick up while they are cheap:
 

Albums you Must own (for $5 a piece!) Nr. 03

desertislemixtapes Albums You Must Own , , , ,
Amazon.com is constantly running $5 album deals for mp3 albums..  Each month or so, they post a new list of 100 albums.

Here are a few albums from their list that should 100% be in your music collection.

 1.
Local Natives
Gorilla Manor
 

2.
Minus the Bear
Menos el Oso

3.
Coconut Records
Nighttiming

4.
Spoon
Kill the Moonlight

Best Albums of 2010 (1 of 4) (amended)

desertislemixtapes Best Albums of the Year lists , , , , , , , , , ,

This is an amendment to my previous post.  I recently have been listening to the new Mumford & Sons album, and didn’t include it on this list because I saw that it had been released in October of 2009.  But, a friend (Ryan of You Look Nice Today Photography) just mentioned that October 2009 was the UK release, the US release was February 2010!!!  Hooray!  That means I can include it on this years list, and at #1 on less!

Here are my favorite albums for the first 3 months of 2010.  Rather than monthly editions, I am only doing 4 this year. 

LPs

  1. Mumford & Sons – Sign No More
  2. Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
  3. Rocky Votolato – True Devotion
  4. Jonsi – Go 
  5. Vampire Weekend – Contra
  6. The Weakerthans – Live at Burton Cummings Theatre
  7. The Morning Benders – Big Echo
  8. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
  9. Beach House – Teen Dream
  10. Spoon – Transference
  11. Drew Danburry – Goodnight Gary
  12. Galactic – Ya-Ka-May
  13. Rogue Wave – Permalight

EPs

  1. Cold War Kids – Behave Yourself
  2. Bright Eyes & Neva Dinova – One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels (Reissue with new tracks)

    Best Albums of 2010 (1 of 4)

    desertislemixtapes Best Albums of the Year lists , , , , , , , , , ,

    Here are my favorite albums for the first 3 months of 2010.  Rather than monthly editions, I am only doing 4 this year. 

    LPs

    1. Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
    2. Rocky Votolato – True Devotion
    3. Jonsi – Go 
    4. Vampire Weekend – Contra
    5. The Weakerthans – Live at Burton Cummings Theatre
    6. The Morning Benders – Big Echo
    7. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
    8. Beach House – Teen Dream
    9. Spoon – Transference
    10. Drew Danburry – Goodnight Gary
    11. Galactic – Ya-Ka-May
    12. Rogue Wave – Permalight

    EPs

    1. Cold War Kids – Behave Yourself
    2. Bright Eyes & Neva Dinova – One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels (Reissue with new tracks)

    Albums you Must own (for $5 a piece!)

    desertislemixtapes Albums You Must Own, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , ,
    Amazon.com is constantly running $5 album deals for mp3 albums – some really great deals.  They are currently featuring 100 albums.  Here are my top 5 albums that should 100% be in your music collection and if they are not, your music collection is NOT complete.
     1.
    Give Up
    2.
    Kid A (Collector's Edition)
    3.
    The Creek Drank The Cradle
    4.
    Everything All The Time
    5.
    Document (R.E.M. No. 5)
      Here’s a couple other good albums on the list and worth checking out.

    Belated 2007 Albums rundown

    desertislemixtapes Best Albums of the Year lists , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

    Ack! I have been so busy that I failed to offer my Best albums of 2007 list to the deluge of other lists that have been circulating around the blogosphere. I have a tough time ranking albums, so I am going to base my decisions largely upon the following questions:

    1. What is the album’s play count in my iTunes?
    2. How long has my excitement about the album lasted?
    3. Does it work as an “album,” or are there just specific songs that I like?

    Top 5

    • Band of Horses – Cease to Begin
      • This album got me more excited about music than anything has in a long while. I had sampled their Everything All at Once last year, but for some reason, it didn’t stick. I must have played Cease to Begin 10 times through, back to back, when I first got my hands on it. I have subsequently come to enjoy their previous release as well. I love the indie-croon, I love the harmonies that remind me of something off the O Brother Where Art Though soundtrack. The beard frightens me, but I can get past that.
    • Bright Eyes – Cassadaga
      • Along with the Four Winds EP, Connor Oberst has again impressed me with Cassadaga. I can even forgive the country twang on a few songs due to the overall strength and musicmanship of the rest of the album. I LOVE the strings on the album, am still impressed with Oberst’s poetry, and am very glad that his vocal skills have improved yet again, as with each previous succeeding album. My wife still says he sounds like a Billy goat, but thats fine with me.
    • Radiohead – In Rainbows
      • I hope all of the hubbub about this album doesn’t leave a bad taste in peoples’ mouth. When Radiohead is “on,” I love them. When they are “off,” I can’t stand it. Kid A didn’t do it for me. In Rainbows takes what they do best and projects it down fresh and new paths. It is an odd album in that respect. It all feels very familiar, but doesn’t smack of repetition. It doesn’t feel like they are simply repeating tired formulas. With each listen I like it more.
    • Domo – Baby Mercury
      • Why hasn’t anyone heard of this band? I have readily admitted my penchant for indie-punk-pop. This Tempe, AZ 3-piece packs a mighty punch! Guitarist and main vocalist Captain Advantage – AKA Jason Sukut (previous keyboardist for fifteen minutes fast) has an unbelievable talent of consistently writing some of the most catchy hooks I have ever heard. Their previous 2006 self-released Sweet Creepy is equally impressive. I hope this band breaks big. I also hope that Sukut’s membership in the Source Victoria doesn’t distract him from giving us some more Domo albums!
    • Minus the Bear – Planet of Ice
      • This album was a pleasant surprise. I liked their Menos El Oso, but I didn’t love it. However, I love Planet of Ice. It features the best parts of the pre-Menos El Oso era, and incorporates the good innovations from Menos El Oso. It seems like a reconciliation of two styles – like the band was trying to sort through and come to terms with the various sounds they have been toying around with. However, in being such, Planet of Ice fails to break much new ground. Thats fine with me though, because it rocks my socks off! Also, I don’t know what it is about the albums title, but it perfectly fits the feel of the music. Weird, I know, but true.

    Close Runners-Up

    Good enough to get significant play-time in my iTunes

    OK, but disappointing