Where have I been?!

I know you are asking yourselves where I’ve been for the past two weeks or so. Well, I’ve been here. It’s taken me a bit longer to get to new music. Even though I gave you all my top albums last time, I still have a ton of 2009 music to listen to. So that list could change. I know I would definitely add the Orange Peels and Bobby Emmett to my list, but not sure where. Anyways, I may be a bit slower getting these reviews out, but I’m still hanging around. Enjoy!

Orange Peels – 2020 – ***1/2 –

Audities: Best of 2009

Rank	Artist // Album
1	Brendan Benson // My old, familiar friend
2	Roger Klug // More help for your nerves
3	Chris Richards // Sad sounds of the Summer
3	Jason Falkner // All Quiet on the Noise Floor
5	Green Day // 21st century breakdown
6	Paul Steel // Moon Rock
7	Phoenix // Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
8	David Mead // Almost And Always
8	Tinted Windows // Tinted Windows
10	Wilco // Wilco

Album Review: Diorama Of The Golden Lion by .357 Lover

This album actually came out a few months ago and i’ve been pretty tardy in getting around to posting a review for it.

I first heard of Corn Mo when I saw him supporting Ben Folds and posted an interview; with him back in mid 2008.  He’s back and this time he’s packing a full band.  Prepare yourself for the mighty sounds of .357 lover.

The album elicits the kind of joy you got as a child rummaging around in your Chistmas stocking wondering what you were going to pull out next.  Perhaps something fanstastic or just something silly – but always, always great.

“Thank you” wouldn’t be out of place on the Bugsy Malone soundtrack.  The guitar solo on “Sweet Kentucky Girl” is a joy to behold.  The wonderful oddness of “Junior High” which morphs from ‘Old McDonald had a farm’ to being ‘Who-esque’ to a red-neck type kind of greatness all within the first fifteen seconds.

It’s an album which is just impossible to summarise in a review – and that is exactly what makes it so great.  An album which rings through with the sound of people really having fun making an album – and their joy is infectious.

Standout tracks: Sweet Kentucky Girl, Time Cop, Your NIN Casette (I’m Sorry), Maybe tonite.

KingWart’s top albums of 2009

Hey pals, you’ve read the reviews, and it’s all leading to this moment, my list! So here it is, and keep in mind I’ve got some more 2009 releases to review in the coming weeks, but here’s my list as of this moment:

1 Mandy Moore – Amanda Leigh
2 Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend
3 Roger Klug – More Help For Your Nerves
4 Chris Richards + The Subtractions – Sad Sounds of The Summer
5 The Shazam – Meteor
6 Bleu – A Watched Pot
7 Julian Casablancas – Phrazes For The Young
8 Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much
9 Adam Marsland – Go West
10 Tony Cox – Unpublished

Honorable Mentions:

The Simple Carnival – Girls Aliens Food – Even though this came out in 2008, I didn’t hear it until 2009, but I loved this record this year.
Art Brut – Art Brut vs. Satan
Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears – Mad Valentines
Butterfly Boucher – Scary Fragile
Dan Bryk – Pop Psychology
David Mead – Almost and Always
Duncan Sheik – Whisper House
Elle Macho – Es Potencial!
Office – Mecca
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Breakup
Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane
The Elms – The Great American Midrange
Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows

Something to Say

I always try to think of something interesting to day here. Usually I just resort to a bunch of crazy nonsense. That’s only interesting to me though. So today, I want to present to you the new me. The me who cares about you and your feelings. Here goes… Hey everybody, I hope you are enjoying my reviews as of late. This latest batch should be a fun bit of reviews. I go from indie releases, to more mainstream fare. I understand the need to put music out there that is less known, but to be honest, it is hard for me to differentiate between the two. Good music is good music, no matter how many copies are pressed. If that offends you, well then I’m sorry. (Wow, that did not go well, here’s a palate cleanser… gabba goop goop trappy ly ly!)

Taylor Mills – Under The Surface – *** –

Music Mayhem

Hey there everybody! Ah December! That month of months! All the holiday cheer and joy, it’s enough to make you just jump in the air and scream! But, we don’t do that, do we? We’re just too scared. Scared little babies. Waah Waah! Cry all you want people, it’ll do no good. Stop screaming though…STOP IT! C’mon, we’re in public, people will stare. Oh noooo! You got me, I’m no better than you are. OK, can we make up? I’m sorry. Here, here’s some cool records for you to check out. Will that make things better? Gee, I sure hope so!

Charlotte Hatherley – New Worlds – *** –

Full of stuffing

Well by now, you should be rolling around helplessly, and that’s a good thing, am I right? Yum Yum food, right? Well, you are so helpless, I would assume, that the only joy you could possibly get today would be from playing records, right? Well, have I got a treat for you!!! Listen to these records! Yes, do it!

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane – ***1/2 –

Thanks Bunches!!

Ah, America. We must celebrate our coming into being this week! We do that by stuffing ourselves!! Too cool! All other countries, just ignore the following, and move on the the reviews. But for you Americans, remember to thank yourself for being so cool and welcoming my awesome reviews pretty much every week. I know how much you readers sit in wait for my next post. Oh boy, you say to yourselves, what amazing releases we he hip us to next? Well, you all just need to calm down. I want to THANK YOU for caring, and reading, and occasionally commenting. It rocks! See ya soon!

Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard – One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Jack Kerouac’s Big Sur – *** –

Get Ready…

Get ready folks, it’s about to get real. Ok, not really. Blah blah blah bleep glorp gloop glop. See, I’m still here, no worse for the wear. OK, but let’s get ready for one thing, and that is, more reviews. We are like a month and a half away from finishing this year, and I still have tons of CD’s to share with you. But, it’s all leading up to that great moment, the moment when I reflect on the albums of the year. Oh, you all are just chomping at the bit for that moment! But you’ll just HAVE TO WAIT!! Rock.

Julianna Raye – Dominoes – *** –

Why oh why?

Well, here we are, the last two months of the year. It seems like we just got into this year, but so it goes, right? So, now, we are going to really kick start this year, and live it up in 2009!! Oh yeah! Let’s make this year HAPPEN!! OK, whatevs… just read some reviews, OK?

Robbert Bobbert and his Bubble Machine – Robbert Bobbert and his Bubble Machine – ***1/2 –

Yippee!!

Hey everybody! Halloween is just around the corner. This time of year brings to mind one thing and one thing only. PUMPKINS! Nobody cares about pumpkins any other time of the year. I mean, what’s up with that? They are like orange and junk, you can totally cut out awesome faces from them, and cook up the seeds for a flavorless treat! Who can ask for more? So this year, carve out a space for a boom box in your pumpkin, pop in one of these CD’s and you’ll have a singing pumpkin! Won’t that be cool??

Wes Cunningham – Everyone Wins – ***1/2 –

Rock To It!

Hey everybody! I am just cooking with these reviews lately! It’s insane! or is it just inane? I guess we’ll never know for sure! But one fact remains, and that is that if music be the food of love, then play on! Because love is VERY hungry right now, and it needs to gorge on a huge heaping platter of music, deep fried in a harmonic batter, drizzled with melody, double-dipped in a chorus of voices, served hot and fresh. Dig in!

Among The Oak & Ash – Among The Oak & Ash – ***1/2 –

Wasting Time

Well, if you haven’t been able to tell from my previous blogs, I sure like wasting time. However, I consider all my time well used. I’m not sure what it’s all for, but I always try to do things I want to do whenever I can. I get the most stressed out when I am expected to spend time doing something I don’t really do. I try to subvert it if possible, which of course leads me to listen to music while working, have some process running on my computer, I always have something in the back of my mind that needs doing. Maybe I’m crazy, but that’s just the way it is. And that wraps up the non-specific generalization hour, come back next time for more! Review it!

The Dead Weather – Horehound – *** –

Fun Time Go!

Hey pals, what’s going on? So I think we all said some things last time that we regret. I’m sure there are things we’d like to take back. But you know what? It’s over, it happened. There’s no going back. All we can do is keep going and try to get past it. I mean, I guess if there would have to be a “winner” in this situation, I think it’s pretty clear who that is. So I mean, I guess an apology from your side, wouldn’t be disregarded. No, I mean, like, it doesn’t matter, but I mean, right is right, right? So I guess, just do the right thing. I mean, it doesn’t matter, though. Wait… OK, listen, just read these reviews, we’ll talk more next time. Thanks.

Kyle Vincent – Where You Are – *** –

End of Summer

Well dang it. Summer’s over now. Now time for me to fall into a crippling depression and hibernate until next spring. Can’t wait, can ya? Ah well, we will keep chugging along so I can at least give you all a taste of the new music that came out like three months ago. But hey, what else are you gonna do? Have a fun and festive fall friends!

Ninja Gun – Restless Rubes – *** –