Albums of the Year - The halfway point

Considering how excited I was about the quality of records released during 2013, I have to say that overall I have felt a bit underwhelmed by the releases I've heard thus far in 2014. BUT, if I had to pick the ten that have given me something, then these would be them. The top 3 are indeed the three records I've enjoyed most, the other 7 are in no particular order.

1. The Hold Steady – Teeth Dreams .
2. St Vincent – St Vincent.
3. The Pretty Reckless – Going to Hell.
4. Pixies – Indie Cindie.
5. The Both – The Both.
6. Kelis - Food.
7. The Amazing Snakeheads – Amphetamine Ballads .
8. I Break Horses – Chiaroscuro .
9. Baby Metal - Baby Metal.
10. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence.

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Substack: the new blogging and a new music newsletter

Hello again my old blogger blog. Just checking in to plug the new substack newsletter I'm doing. It is also home to the CTTB Music podcast and its archive too. Why not pay me a visit and sign up for future editions of the newsletter (free)

The Decemberists - 'The Hazards of Love'

Whilst the Decemberists have been around for a number of years, and a friend of mine is a big fan, I have to confess - a few tunes aside - they have never really made much of a splash with me. With their fifth album - 'The Hazards of Love' - a 17-track concept album that sort of tells a story about a fair maiden ravished by a shape-shifting demon (no, really) - however, I am suddenly find myself surprisingly won over. On some levels - like most concept albums - it is utter tosh, but with its repeating musical motifs and reprises, making you quickly think that actually there are only about five actual songs on the album - a clever trick. Like with all good concept albums this makes listening on shuffle not the ideal way to digest this album - especially as their are short 'interlude' pieces joining all the songs too. Added to all this the fact that the band seem to have a love for early 70's British folk/prog/heavy metal and this walks right up my street - and will ...

So Far Away

Another interesting use of Todd samples (A Dream Goes on Forever and Elpees Worth of Tunes) in this song by a young british girl being tipped for big things

Todd is God

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