Since 2003, I’ve made discs and MP3 playlists of my favorite music of the year to swap with friends. But this year, I just haven’t been feeling it.
I really like In Ear Park and The Walkmen’s new album, and I’ve listened to Dodos’ “Fools” a couple dozen times (my tastes are skewing folky in my dotage). And it may be too early to say, but “Single Ladies” is percussive and weird and anthemic enough to be this year’s “1 Thing.”
But mostly I’ve been tuned out. So, I ask the Snarkmatrix: What have I missed? What do I need to hear?
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Fleet Foxes and School of Seven Bells
My current likely favorites of the year are Girl Talk, Sigur Ros, Foals, and Bon Iver.
A couple notes of skepticism: I like the Fleet Foxes album, but I wish they had a Neil Young to throw some gravel in their sound.
The Girl Talk album is a lot of fun.
I don’t understand the excitement about Bon Iver at all.
Agree w/ josh on Sigur Ros — I’ve been listening to that one a lot.
My other big find of the year has been Nico Muhly. His album “Mothertongue” is fun, interesting, and different from anything else you’ve been listening to. Unless, uh, this was a big Philip Glass/John Adams year for you. Which on second thought, given the characteristics of the snarkmatrix, might be the case.
Larger point: I am about ready to unsubscribe from all these music blogs. They’re simultaneously a fountain of great new stuff… and… totally homogenous.
What’s the best new choral CD this year? Who is making the weirdest, craziest, avante-garde-iest sounds in the world today? Who plays a tuba like nobody’s business? These are things I cannot learn by reading MP3 blogs.