WO05 - Serena Maneesh

Another band I was really pretty excited about - shoegazers usually get a bad rep & here was one that was getting great reviews. But in the end it was just a record that pitchforkmedia 'discovered' before everyone else: " We understand that some records recommended by Pitchfork can be difficult to find. Please visit Honeymilk for more information on this release, including how to purchase it." Well, wish I was that cool. Strange though how albums featuring blonde Norwegians always get a great reviews.... recall Annie? At any rate, new shoegazers are sprouting like mushrooms (paik comes recommended) and this not among the tasty ones. Serena-Maneesh does the shoegazing bit pretty well - and there are bits and pieces that sound splendid - but you can't really get more derivative like this. There is a my bloody valentine song, a stone roses one, a primal scream (crappy gospel area) one, and you can go on. This is just pure nostalgia with not an original idea in sight. Here is to hoping that they will come up with some of their own songs next time around.

BO05 - Bohren & Der Club of Gore

I don't know how I stumbled upon this one but nothing could have prepared me for this. And frankly I wasn't sure what to think. Almost painstakingly slow. Sort of funeral jazz. Or just your slowest jazz record 72rpm played at 33rpm. Sort of the perfect David Lynch soundtrack. Needlessly to say, this is a record best listened to in the dark. Preferably with a cigarette and a beer.

WO05 - M.I.A.

Technically, not one of the worst albums of '05 but I just really feel like bitching about the music that is being hyped out of proportion. And I was excited to hear this album. But I wish I hadn't. C'mon, this is just shit. Ok, it is cool to go postpone the release because she felt like contributing the vocals to an album with Diplo and, yeah, she has some political opinions to express - though I don't know why we should give a damn about the political opinion's of musicians. Music and politics have never mixed particularily well and, well, maybe I'm old fashioned but music should be about emotions and feelings and all that shit but not about politics or reason or logic. If you have something so profound to say, wouldn't it make sense just to write a book. At any rate, the music did nothing for me and I find the whole album kinda annoying, neither hard enough not poppy enough.

BO05 - The Duke Spirit

Well, I guess it is about time to start deciding what was good and what was bad in 2005 - and since I've taken such a good time to think about it, you can be sure that, well, that I have indeed thought about. So, to kick of the new year in style (at last) I'm gonna list my favorite albums from last year in no particular order. In no particular order because it is to time consuming and the order would be pretty arbitrary since I pretty much change my mind every day. And I'm not going to be mentioning some of the albums that are on everyone's list (hello, Sufjan, Antony) b/c, well, you have already heard them or you know you should check them out. At any rate, The Duke Spirit album was a disappointment. But only because it came on the heels of such an excellent ep that promised the world. Initially it never occurred to me that this album would become one of my favorites for the year. Basically, straightforwards "bluesy" rock. The closest comparison is early-PJ Harvey, which is a big recommendation in my book. At first, I was drawn to the singer's voice, which is sexy as hell (if you find women who smoke and drink whiskey sexy), but the music is pretty solid as well. In fact, a damn perfect combination.