Album of the Year Thread - 2022 - Winner - For the Sake of Bethel Woods - Midlake

[RobMCFC]

I'm crap at doing album reviews but I'll just say that Fontaines D.C new album (Skinty Fia) and Kurt Vile's new album (Watch my moves) are hits for me.
There's a few songs on each album that will probably grow on me and one or two that I just don't like.
But, overall, I'm enjoying them both.

I listened to the Kurt Vile album last week. It's not bad, a few of the tracks seem to meander and go nowhere, but that's his style. I'll have a few more listens before voting.

 

[bennyboy]

Downloaded and listeni

NOMINATION

Widowspeak - The Jacket (released 11th March)

View attachment 40658

Widowspeak - The Jacket / Captured Tracks from Piccadilly Records

Widowspeak - The Jacket / Captured Tracks from Piccadilly Records

www.piccadillyrecords.com

Best track I’ve heard so far this year^

Total class this album, from start to finish; BULLSEYE for me!

Listening to the first track after playing Martha Wainright.
Had to check it was not Martha which is no bad thing.

An update.
Sadly after a great start the tunes all sounded the same.
A change in direction tune wise and it could have been a great album.
Sadly never happened so I don't think I will listen again.

 

[RobMCFC]

A couple of hits for me: 2nd listen to the Kurt Vile album, and whilst it's too long and has a few tracks that could be chopped, I enjoyed listening to it meander by this afternoon.

Also, the Widowspeak album is very good. Not heard of them before but I like the electric/acoustic textures and instrumentation in general, so it's a hit.

I've also upgraded my own nomination of Ian Noe's new album to BULLSEYE as it gets better with each listen.

 

[journolud]

Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever-Endless Rooms

What a great band these are, they’ve already got two superb albums of what I’ve seen described as “jangly guitar pop” as well as two EPs that preceded them and there is hardly a duff track on them.

Third album today, just enough difference to suggest a band evolving but without losing that knack of churning out great tunes. I’ve had tickets to see them for a concert first scheduled at the time of their last album, now on 31st May, can’t wait.

This latest album is a definite hit, first listen this morning apart from the pre release songs. Will give it heavy airtime over the weekend and give another comment or two

 

[RobMCFC]

Nomination
Thunder Dopamine.
So a new Thunder album lands, and a look at the track listing 16 tracks double album, now I like Thunder but doubt anyone needs a double album, bound to be fillers and samey sounding songs. This will be a hit /miss I suppose.So let give it a go
Wrong Blueparrot, oh very wrong, I played this it flew by and wanted more, Yes it's a Thunder album with great hard rock songs, but there are jazz tinged songs gospel tinged song, southern rock sprinkles, a Paisian cafe sounding song, whatever that means. Danny Bowes on great form as is Luke Morley's exceptional guitar playing.
If this isn't the Hard rock album of the year I'll be shocked.

BULLSEYE

Going to mark this as a miss. Not because I didn't like it, just that it felt like a bit of a slog for the few standout songs. There's nothing wrong with most of the songs, and I like melodic rock, but a lot of it felt like a retread of earlier efforts by Thunder and others. Enjoyed "Big Pink Supermoon" and "Just A Grifter".

Just to re-iterate, in my case, I'm looking for those 15 or 20 albums in a year that really stand out and I don't think that this would make my personal list.

Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever-Endless Rooms

What a great band these are, they’ve already got two superb albums of what I’ve seen described as “jangly guitar pop” as well as two EPs that preceded them and there is hardly a duff track on them.

Third album today, just enough difference to suggest a band evolving but without losing that knack of churning out great tunes. I’ve had tickets to see them for a concert first scheduled at the time of their last album, now on 31st May, can’t wait.

This latest album is a definite hit, first listen this morning apart from the pre release songs. Will give it heavy airtime over the weekend and give another comment or two

I liked this one and I'll mark it a hit. Across the two threads, it's the second decent album by an Aussie band I'd never heard of at the start of the week. Like you say, lots of jangly guitars and energy and certainly not run-of-the-mill.

 

[RobMCFC]

NOMINATION

Crooked Tree - Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway.

I'm guessing that this one's not going to be hugely popular on here, given that it's a bluegrass album, but it's a HIT for me. Interesting songs backed by some lightning fast banjo, mandolin and guitar. I think the first half is where all the best songs are but there's enough to keep me going back for repeat plays.

 

[Coatigan]

Arcade Fire - WE

A band who for me never managed to match their brilliant debut album Funeral. I keep trying each release though, and so with this one. It has some good stuff on it, yes it might be over produced and busy, thats kind of what they do. Bits of it are almost late beatlesy at times. Has at least two songs that I can listen to again and again though so for that I'll go Hit for now. Unconditional - Look out kid is the stand out track.

 

[RobMCFC]

Arcade Fire - WE

A band who for me never managed to match their brilliant debut album Funeral. I keep trying each release though, and so with this one. It has some good stuff on it, yes it might be over produced and busy, thats kind of what they do. Bits of it are almost late beatlesy at times. Has at least two songs that I can listen to again and again though so for that I'll go Hit for now. Unconditional - Look out kid is the stand out track.

Had a listen to this today and quite enjoyed some of it: "Age of Anxiety II", "The Lightning II", "Unconditional I - LookoutKid" and the title track all decent. Probably not enough to mark it as a hit on my harsh scoring approach but not bad at all.

 

[Coatigan]

Had a listen to this today and quite enjoyed some of it: "Age of Anxiety II", "The Lightning II", "Unconditional I - LookoutKid" and the title track all decent. Probably not enough to mark it as a hit on my harsh scoring approach but not bad at all.

I don't disagree with your harsh scoring, overall not as strong as a couple individual songs.

If you haven't listened to Funeral (first album) btw, give it a go

 

[RobMCFC]

I don't disagree with your harsh scoring, overall not as strong as a couple individual songs.

If you haven't listened to Funeral (first album) btw, give it a go

I might have listened to it years ago because I actually own Neon Bible (which I really like) and I remember going back and listening to previous stuff. I've also listened to The Suburbs a few years ago on Spotify, which isn't bad (really like the track "Month of May").