![[Wolf Hall - Tudor Music Soundtrack]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/VariousArtistsSoundtracks200510_f-300x300.jpg)
I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.
In addition to big scores at the thrift shops, I headed up to Vancouver, BC to visit Sikora’s Classical Records before it closed down for good.
New releases
CD
- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENEARTION, Hometown
- Wayne Horvitz, Those Who Remain
Catalog
CD
- Alarm Will Sound, Modernists
- Anton Webern, Complete Webern (Pierre Boulez)
- Bob Mould, Workbook
- Cocteau Twins, Heaven or Las Vegas
- DJ Shadow, The Private Press
- Fugazi, Instrument Soundtrack
- George Antheil, Symphony No. 4 ‘1942’ / Symphony No. 5 / Over the Plains (John Storgårds, BBC Philharmonic)
- ISIS, Panopticon
- John Adams, Absolute Jest / Grand Pianola Music (Michael Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony)
- John Rutter, Requiem
- mclusky, mclusky do dallas
- The Dillinger Escape Plan with Mike Patton, Irony Is a Dead Scene
- The Mars Volta, De-Loused in the Comatorium
- Tweet, Southern Hummingbird
- yMusic, Balance Problems
- Soundtrack, Star Wars: A New Hope
- Soundtrack, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
- Soundtrack, Wolf Hall: Tudor Music
Vinyl
- Giovanni Palestrina, Missa Papae Marcelli / Missa Brevis
- The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet, Voodoo
- William Byrd, Mass for Five Voices / Mass for Four Voices
- Witold Lutoslawski, Concerto for Orchestra / Funeral Music / Venetian Games
- Witold Lutoslawski, Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2
- Witold Lutoslawski, Symphony No. 3
Reissues
Vinyl
- Kate Bush, Remastered in Vinyl IV
Tags: alarm will sound, anton webern, asian kung-fu generation, bob mould, cocteau twins, dj shadow, fugazi, george antheil, giovanni palestrina, isis, john adams, kate bush, mclusky, mike patton, purchase log, soundtrack, the dillinger escape plan, the mars volta, the sonny clark memorial quartet, tweet, wayne horvitz, william byrd, witold lutoslawski, ymusic
![[Madvillain - Madvillainy]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/MadvillainMadvillainy2004167285_f-300x300.jpg)
A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.
The first half of the 2004 list has remained unchanged. The last half has undergone extensive revision.
- Arcade Fire, Funeral
- Eluvium, An Accidental Memory in Case of Death
- Kicell, Mado Ni Chikyuu
- Dylan Rice, Wandering Eyes
- The Killers, Hot Fuss
- Madvillain, Madvillainy
- Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose
- The Streets, A Grand Don’t Come for Free
- Mindy Smith, One Moment More
- STRAIGHTENER, LOST WORLD’S ANTHOLOGY
Other favorites from the year:
- Pinback, Summer in Abaddon
- SUPERCAR, ANSWER
- Kanye West, The College Dropout
- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Solfa
- Bonnie Pink, Even So
- Fuji Fabric, Fuji Fabric
- Sacha Sacket, Shadowed
- m-flo, Astromantic
- The Butchies, Make Yr Life
- Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters
- ZAZEN BOYS, ZAZEN BOYS II
A lot of these revisions are retrospective. I listened to SUPERCAR’s ANSWER when it was reissued on vinyl, and I didn’t find the album as engaging as I originally thought. I’ve come to like Hot Fuss more as time has passed, and I don’t feel as much attachment to Van Lear Rose.
My growing appreciation for hip-hop means Madvillain and The Streets knock Quruli’s Antenna off the list entirely.
I’m still a bit skeptical about keeping Mindy Smith in the Favorite 10, or bumping STRAIGHTENER into the upper echelon. I picked up Pinback’s Summer in Abaddon from Goodwill out of curiosity, and I have a sense that in short time, it will nudge Smith or STRAIGHTENER down to the extended list.
As we go further back to the start of the Aughts, the extended list grows longer. A lot of great music came out at the start of the century. If the Internet hadn’t splintered the mass market, it might have been a galvanizing golden age of popular music.
Tags: arcade fire, asian kung-fu generation, bonnie pink, dylan rice, eluvium, favorite edition, fuji fabric, kanye west, kicell, loretta lynn, m-flo, madvillain, mindy smith, pinback, rewind, sacha sacket, scissor sisters, straightener, supercar, the butchies, the killers, the streets, zazen boys
![[BORIS - PINK]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/BorisPink2006191101_f-300x300.jpg)
A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.
At the time, SLOTH LOVE CHUNKS edged Utada Hikaru for the top spot of 2006, but Ultra Blue has proven far more durable. This list has gone through quite a number of changes.
- Utada Hikaru, Ultra Blue
- SLOTH LOVE CHUNKS, Shikakui Vision
- VOLA & THE ORIENTAL MACHINE, Waiting for My Food
- Furukawa Miki, Mirrors
- Tokyo Jihen, Otona (Adult)
- Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
- Boris, Pink
- The Roots, Game Theory
- Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, Neruda Songs
- Nick Lachey, What’s Left of Me
Other favorites of the year:
- ACO, mask
- J Dilla, Donuts
- Hajime Chitose, Hanadairo
- Now It’s Overhead, Dark Light Days
- Envy, Insomniac Doze
- The Gossip, Standing in the Way of Control
- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Fan Club
I’ve known about Boris for as long as I’ve been following Japanese music, but I never made time for them until I picked up Pink at Goodwill for $2. Well, hell …
I wouldn’t have listened to the Roots or J Dilla at the time. Hip-hop had diversified to have its own underground, and that was just so much history that I wasn’t willing to unpack. I’ve only started exploring hip-hop with any seriousness in the last year.
Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson was quite the late discovery. I didn’t pick up Neruda Songs till 2008, but it quickly became a favorite, dislodging Ex-Boyfriends completely off the list.
When I was first introduced to ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, I dismissed them as “eastern youth lite”. The joke was on me — I don’t even own an eastern youth album anymore, and I’ve purchased ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION on vinyl.
Tags: aco, asian kung-fu generation, boris, envy, favorite edition, furukawa miki, gnarls barkley, gossip, hajime chitose, j dilla, lorraine hunt-lieberson, nick lachey, now it's overhead, rewind, sloth love chunks, the roots, tokyo jihen, utada hikaru, vola and the oriental machine
![[Santigold - Santigold]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SantigoldSantigold200852394_f-300x300.jpg)
A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.
The Favorite Edition 2008 spurred this exercise to revisit lists from 10 years ago. While the Favorite 10 has only one change, the other favorites include a number of new discoveries.
- Santigold, Santigold
- MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS, MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS
- The Magnetic Fields, Distortion
- Emmylou Harris, All I Intended to Be
- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, World World World
- Girl Talk, Feed the Animals
- Sam Amidon, All Is Well
- Leo Imai, Fix Neon
- Nico Muhly, Mothertongue
- Spangle call Lilli line, ISOLATION
Other favorites from the year:
- Matt Alber, Hide Nothing
- ZAZEN BOYS, ZAZEN BOYS 4
- Utada Hikaru, HEART STATION
- Perfume, GAME
- Jennifer Koh, String Poetic
- Janelle Monáe, Metropolis: The Chase Suite
- Chris Walla, Field Manual
It took me a year and a half to get around to Santigold. I’m not sure why I hadn’t, and I can’t remember what finally spurred me to do so. I’m just glad I did. Chris Walla, unfortunately, must make way.
Perfume, Jennifer Koh and Janelle Monáe are retroactive entries, replacing hey willpower, Bob Mould and VOLA AND THE ORIENTAL MACHINE.
I must have really been tough on Utada Hikaru’s HEART STATION — it didn’t even rank at the time.
Competition for this list was tough. Matt Alber and ZAZEN BOYS could have squeezed into the Favorite 10, and even Janet Jackson and R.E.M. turned out some decent work that year. The cup runneth over.
Tags: asian kung-fu generation, chris walla, emmylou harris, favorite edition, girl talk, janelle monae, jennifer koh, leo imai, mass of the fermenting dregs, matt alber, nico muhly, perfume, rewind, sam amidon, santigold, spangle call lilli line, the magnetic fields, utada hikaru, zazen boys
![[Cody ChesnuTT - Landing on a Hundred]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/CodyChesnuTTLandingOnAH58620_f-300x300.jpg)
A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.
What I find most remarkable about the 2012 list is the number of albums listed under honorable mentions. The revised list has culled a lot of those titles. I probably listed so many because I didn’t feel passionate enough about any of them.
- Solange, True
- Santigold, Master of My Make-Believe
- Jeremy Denk, Ligeti/Beethoven
- … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Lost Songs
- Frank Ocean, channel ORANGE
- Cody Chesnutt, Landing on a Hundred
- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Landmark
- ZAZEN BOYS, Stories
- Tokyo Jihen, Shinyawaku
- Duran Duran, A Diamond in the Mind
Other favorites from the year:
- Scissor Sisters, Magic Hour
- Roomful of Teeth, Roomful of Teeth
- Gossip, A Joyful Noise
- Tokyo Jihen, Tokyo Collection
- TOUMING MAGAZINE, TOUMING MAGAZINE FOREVER
- OBLIVION DUST, 9 Gates of Bipolar
- Gaytheist, Stealth Beats
Cody ChesnuTT dislodges Scissor Sisters from the original list, and Frank Ocean jumps up a few spots. Otherwise, there are no remarkable changes.
If anything, 2012 has turned out to be something of a dud year. When I review my purchases in subsequent years, 2012 releases are scant, and most of the albums I bought that year only garner no more than a 3-star rating.
Tags: and you will know us by the trail of dead, asian kung-fu generation, cody chesnutt, duran duran, favorite edition, frank ocean, gaytheist, gossip, jeremy denk, oblivion dust, roomful of teeth, santigold, scissor sisters, solange, tokyo jihen, touming magazine, zazen boys
![[Gaytheist / Rabbits - Gay*Bits]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/GaytheistRabbitsGayBits14329923YW_f-300x300.jpg)
A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.
2015 started strong with the return of Sleater-Kinney, and it stayed strong all the way through the release of the Hamilton cast recording. That said, the list goes through quite a number of changes, consolidating some stragglers and bouncing a few titles off.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton: An American Musical
- Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly
- Sleater-Kinney, No Cities to Love
- Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free
- Torche, Restarter
- Björk, Vulnicura
- Deebs and Jarell Perry, Shift
- Steve Grand, All-American Boy
- Janet Jackson, Unbreakable
- Gaytheist/Rabbits, Gay*Bits
Other favorites from the year:
- Software Giant, We Are Overcome
- Miguel, Wildheart
- Madonna, Rebel Heart
- Duran Duran, Paper Gods
- Enya, Dark Sky Island
- The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
- Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Wonder Future
- Andrew Norman, Play
- Troye Sivan, Blue Neighborhood
The Favorite 10 sees one title switched out — Gaytheist and Rabbit’s split EP for Miguel’s Wildheart. Father John Misty, Takaakira Goto, Seattle Symphony and Kronos Quartet make way for Andrew Norman, Troye Sivan and Software Giant.
Eight years into 2010s, 2015 is so far turning out to be my favorite year for the decade. The hierarchy of the list gives a false sense of preference — some of the albums outside of the Favorite 10 got as much play time as those at the top of the list.
Duran Duran and Enya could have occupied spots in the Favorite 10 if the field weren’t so crowded.
Tags: andrew norman, asian kung-fu generation, bjork, courtney barnett, deebs, duran duran, enya, favorite edition, gaytheist, jarell perry, jason isbell, kendrick lamar, lin-manuel miranda, madonna, miguel, rabbits, rewind, sleater-kinney, software giant, steve grand, the weeknd, torche, troye sivan
![[Kate Bush - The Red Shoes]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/KateBushTheRedShoes19951110_f-300x292.jpg)
Just in time for the holiday season, a whole slew of box sets make it on the release calendar.
Thought Gang, Thought Gang, Nov. 2
So essentially a Julee Cruise album, minus Julee Cruise? David Lynch and Angelo Badalamanti recorded the material on this album from 1992-1993, but only now does it become public.
Midnight Oil, Armistice Day: Live at the Domain, Sydney, Nov. 9
You can’t watch a Midnight Oil performance without wanting to be Rob Hirst when you grow up.
Kate Bush, Remastered on CD 1, Nov. 16
Kate Bush, Remastered on CD 2, Nov. 30
Kate Bush’s early works suffered the fate of many albums rushed to a CD release — the vinyl masters were used without any consideration of the medium’s expanded dynamic range. Fans have been clamoring for better sound, and in fell swoop, Kate unleashes her entire catalog remastered.
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Hometown, Dec. 5
Yeah, it seemed about time for a new AKFG album.
MONO, Nowhere Now Here, Jan. 19
Tamaki on vocals? Electronics? Are they going glitchy like tourmates Low?
Vinyl
Brian Eno, Ambient 1: Music for Airports, Nov. 16
I was wondering when this album was going to get reissued on vinyl.
The Police, Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings, Nov. 16
In addition to the five studio albums remastered at 45 r.p.m., this box also includes a disc of rarities. I just might find an old copy of Message in a Box instead.
Kate Bush, The Red Shoes, Nov. 16
Kate Bush, Aerial, Nov. 30
Kate Bush, Remastered in Vinyl, Nov. 30
The remastered releases also include vinyl issues, but in the UK, the records will be available in four boxed sets as well as individually. One box set includes remixes and covers. I don’t feel the need to upgrade the vinyl I already have, but I’ve had my eye on The Red Shoes and Aerial.
Tags: asian kung-fu generation, brian eno, kate bush, looking ahead, midnight oil, mono, the police, thought gang
![[Shiina Ringo - Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana]](http://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ShiinaRingoKarukiZaamenK21432_f-298x300.jpg)
I balked when Barsuk Records released a 10-year anniversary edition of Give Up by the Postal Service. Yes, add 10 to 2003 and you get 2013. But 2003 didn’t seem so distant from 2013, as 2003 did from 1993.
That’s the thing about getting older — there’s more past to remember. In 1987, I had barely any memory of 1977. In 1997, I had only 1987 as a clear reference. Only in 2007 did 1987 start to feel distant. And now I’m shocked to think 1997 — the year I moved away from home — is pretty far chronologically from where I am today.
So yeah, 2007 still feels like yesterday, although 2002 does feel more like history.
Tokyo Jihen, Sports
Shiina Ringo’s albums from earlier in the decade saw her batting a hundred, but with Tokyo Jihen, it took a few albums before the band came into its own.
… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Century of Self
Source Tags and Codes was the obvious choice to include on this list, but recent spins of the album revealed a number of dead spots. Lost Songs wouldn’t show up till the next decade, which leaves The Century of Self next in line on my list of favorite … Trail of Dead albums.
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, World World World
At first, I dismissed ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION as a watered-down version of Eastern Youth. Then World World World came out, and I became a convert.
Explosions in the Sky, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
It took a while for me to warm up to The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, but All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone had a clarity that hooked me for good.
Utada Hikaru, ULTRA BLUE
Utada Hikaru’s US debut Exodus went too far to rub out the alt-rock influence in her music, so it was refreshing to hear it come roaring back on ULTRA BLUE.
Sigur Rós, Takk …
I was unfamiliar with Sigur Rós when this album was released, so I asked a friend of mine to describe their albums to me. He told me to imagine a cold, flat icy land, and that was Ágætis byrjun. Then he told me to picture 1,000 angels appearing in bursts of blinding light. That was Takk …
Shiina Ringo, Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana
I’m convinced if this album had been released in the US, indie rock fans would have abandoned their Flaming Lips albums.
Molotov, Dance Dense and Denso
US promoters tried and failed to conflate Latin American rap-rock bands as epitomizing Latin alternative rock. Molotov stood head and shoulders above the rest, and they shared more with Café Tacvba and Aterciopelados than with Puya or Control Machete.
Hatakeyama Miyuki, Diving into your mind
The year I started working for Waterloo Records was the year Norah Jones made a splash with her debut album. I wasn’t convinced, mostly because I had spent weeks listening to Hatakeyama Miyuki instead.
AJICO, Fukamidori
UA and Asai Kenichi came together for only one album, but boy is it a keeper. UA had found success on the Oricon charts before this collaboration, but afterward, she embraced a more challenging sound.
fra-foa, Chuu no Fuchi
Every time I put this album on, I feel the need to fuck shit up. It’s that intense.
Tags: ajico, and you will know us by the trail of dead, asian kung-fu generation, explosions in the sky, fra-foa, hatakeyama miyuki, molotov, music discovery, shiina ringo, sigur ros, tokyo jihen, utada hikaru