Happy Birthday am/fm!: 10 Best CDs from '10 CDs' 2007
10 CD Thursday is the blog's occasionally regular feature. I've been pretty bad at it of late, just because my Thursdays are so hectic (I'm considering moving it to Sunday ... we'll see). Anyway, the gist is, I listen to 10 CDs from my ever growing slush pile (unsolicited advances sent to me by publicists, or sometimes the band itself) during the course of the day and comment snarkily on them. I generally like 2 out of the 10, and truthfully not many of them make it into regular rotation. But here's a bunch that, against all odds, permanently wowed me.
1. The Harlem Experiment s/t
"Jazz from above 125th Street, this album meanders funkily on an actual musical journey."
2. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings "100 Days 100 Nights"
"I am absolutely loving this album. Funky old Motown with an energetic freshness."
3. Liars s/t
"I like this, very much. Deconstructed rock with palpable menace."
4. Alaska! "Rescue Through Tomahawk" [Release date: March 8, 2005]
"It's slow burning awesomeness."
5. Jens Lekman "Night Falls Over Kortedala"
"A very stylized production, with a big band disco throwback feel. It's like a modern day musical, with some very dark undertones."
6. Common "Finding Forever"
"I love Common, and I am so glad that he is finally getting national, widespread attention. He is so talented and totally deserves it. Maybe it was that Gap commercial that did it."
7. The Budos Band "The Budos Band II"
"An instrumental funkgasm from the fine folks at Daptone Records."
8. John Vanderslice "Emerald City"
"A gifted singer/songwriter with an ear for despair, Vanderslice a master of 'wallow music.' But it's not so depressing that it will drag you down out of a good mood. I just love it." (That's two)
9. Why? "Sanddollars" (EP)
"Pleasant downer rock with barbed lyrics. It's kind of what I imagine living in the center of the country sounds like."
10. Thee More Shallows "Book of Bad Breaks"
"There's a lot of complexity to this album, and mixing of elements that you might not think would go together: some electronica noise over top of a straightforward rock score in a way that doesn't mesh, but totally works."
eh.www.amNY.com
