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Purchase log, 2023-11-07

[Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass]

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.

New releases

Vinyl
  • Roomful of Teeth, Rough Magic

Catalog

CD
  • Fountains of Wayne, Out-of-State Plates
  • Geri Halliwell, Schizophonic
  • Right Said Fred, Up
  • Sam Sparro, Return to Paradise
  • Slint, Tweez
  • Wilco, Kicking Television
Vinyl
  • Toto, Fahrenheit

Reissues

Vinyl
  • bloodthirsty butchers, banging the drum
  • bloodthirsty butchers, birdy
  • Eluvium, Lambent Material
  • Hajime Chitose, Kataritsugu Koto
  • Kronos Quartet, Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass

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Favorite edition 2023: Year Half

[Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Weathervanes]

Half way through the year, and I have to admit the favorite list isn’t looking too solid for the last six slots. I definitely like albums by SYML, Kelala, Eluvium and Jason Isbell. I like the first album by Everything But the Girl in 24 years, but it’s not my favorite of theirs. The remaining slots are up for grabs, although Kesha’s album has enough rawness to hold onto its spot.

Here’s how 2023 is shaping up so far:

  • SYML, The Day My Father Died: Brian Fennell has a gorgeous voice, and this album feels singular to that voice.
  • Kelela, Raven: This album needs a few listens before it burrows deep.
  • Eluvium, (whirring Marvels in) Consensus Reality: Probably the most epic album in the Eluvium discography.
  • Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Weathervanes: This could be Isbell’s best album since Southeastern. It’s raw.
  • Everything But the Girl, Fuse: Welcome back, Ben and Tracey.
  • Kesha, Gag Order: Drag them, girl.
  • Sufjan Stevens / Timo Andres / Conor Hanick, Reflections: I saw a number of reviews complaining about the fact this album is essentially modern classical music. Which, of course, is a selling point for me.
  • Danish String Quartet, Prism V: I wish the Danish had chosen a more modern Webern work in the way they had with Schnittke and Shostakovich, but it’s an impeccable pairing with Beethoven and Bach nonetheless.
  • Queens of the Stone Age, In Times New Roman…: This album actually reminds me a lot of … Like Clockwork, with which I also recently caught up.

Catalog

  • Thomas Frank, “Burn the Sails”: Thomas Frank is a productivity YouTuber, but this first foray into singing is really impressive.
  • Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen: I overlooked this album in 2022.
  • Queens of the Stone Age, … Like Clockwork: I remember this album getting good reviews around the time it came out.
  • Luscious Jackson, Electric Honey: I reviewed this album back in 1999 but let it go for cash. I’m glad it’s back in the collection
  • Nena, ? (Fragezeichen): A number of tracks on this album served as a foundation for the multilingual album 99 Luftballons.
  • System of a Down, Toxicity: This band is pretty operatic, no?
  • Daryl Hall and John Oates, Private Eyes: There are way too many hits on this album for it not to be enjoyable.
  • Rosanne Cash, King’s Record Shop: This album holds up pretty well.

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Purchase log, 2023-05-16

[Emmylou Harris - Stumble Into Grace]

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.

New releases

CD
  • Eluvium, (whirring marvels in) Consensus Reality

Catalog

CD
  • Randy Travis, Storms of Life
  • Tracey Thorn, Love and Its Opposite
Vinyl
  • Painkiller, Execution Ground

Reissues

Vinyl
  • Emmylou Harris, Stumble Into Grace

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Purchase log, 2021-03-09

[Riz Ahmed - The Long Goodbye]

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.

New releases

Files
  • Wayne Horvitz, Live Forever, Vol. 1: The President – New York in the ’80s

Catalog

CD
  • Björk, Telegram
  • Heiner Goebbels, The Man in the Elevator
  • Ikara Colt, Chat and Business
  • Marilyn Manson, Mechanical Animals
  • Steve Reich, Reich Remixed 2006
  • Talitha Mackenzie, Indian Summer
  • The Darkness, Permission to Land
  • Tone Lōc, Lōc-ed After Dark
Files
  • Adam Neely, “…it ain’t my fault”
  • Adam Neely, “7:11”
  • Adam Neely, “a.i. lo-fi #1”
  • Adam Neely, “Clarity” (with Little Kruta)
  • Adam Neely, “g a r o t a”
  • Adam Neely, Gig Vlog M I X T A P E vol. 1
  • Adam Neely, “no pride (leonard bernstein remix)”
  • Adam Neely, “polytonal lo-fi”
  • Adam Neely, “the ’15 minute’ tune”
  • Adam Neely, time//motion//wine
  • Adam Neely, “two microtonal lo-fi jams”
  • Adam Neely, “we got people playing pianos”
  • Adam Neely, “優待 k m a r t ジャズ”
  • Duran Duran, “Five Years”
  • George Walker, Sinfonia No. 5 (Seattle Symphony, Thomas Dausgaard)
  • Riz Ahmed, The Long Goodbye
  • sungazer, sungazer vol. I
  • sungazer, sungazer, vol. 2
  • sungazer, “want to want me”
  • Test Pattern, “This Is My Street”
File upgrades

These albums were previously purchased as MP3 downloads and upgraded to FLAC.

  • Duran Duran, “Boys Keep Swinging”
  • Eluvium, Shuffle Drones
  • Kronos Quartet, Plays Sigur Rós
  • Shaprece, COALS
  • TV Mania, Bored with Prozac and the Internet?

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Purchase log, 2021-02-16

[Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert]

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.

Catalog

CD
  • Cabaret Voltaire, The Voice of America
  • Johann Sebastian Bach, Violin Concertos 1 & 2 / Concerto for 2 Violins (Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music)
  • Siouxsie and the Banshees, Tinderbox
  • Yo La Tengo, Painful
Vinyl
  • A Taste of Honey, Another Taste
  • Eluvium, Talk Amongst the Trees
  • Keith Jarrett, The Köln Concert
  • MONO, Before the Past
  • Robbie Dupree, Robbie Dupree

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Purchase log, 2020-03-03

[Sam Sparro - Boombox Eternal]

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.

New releases

CD
  • Sam Sparro, Boombox Eternal
Vinyl
  • Eluvium, Virga I

Catalog

CD
  • Ciccone Youth, The Whitey Album
  • DJ Krush, Kakusei
  • Gabby Pahinui, Gabby
  • Soundtrack, This Is Spinal Tap (Remastered)
Vinyl
  • Kendrick Lamar, untitled unmastered.
  • The Roots, Phrenology

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Purchase log, 2020-02-18

[Freedy Johnston - This Perfect World]

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.

Catalog

CD
  • BABYMETAL, Metal Galaxy
  • Bronski Beat, The Age of Consent
  • Eluvium, Talk Amongst the Trees
  • Gossip, Movement
  • MC Solaar, Prose Combat
  • Philip Glass, Solo Piano
  • Solange, Sol-Angel and the Handley St. Dreams
  • The Alarm, Strength
  • The Album Leaf, In a Safe Place
  • The Faint, Danse Macabre
Vinyl
  • Freedy Johnston, This Perfect World
  • Roberta Flack, First Take
Files
  • Andrew Norman, Sustain (Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel)

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Purchase log, 2019-06-11

[Amanda Shires - To the Sunset]

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.

New releases

Vinyl
  • Eluvium, Pianoworks

Catalog

CD
  • Amanda Shires, To the Sunset
  • Charles Ives, Symphony No. 4 / The Unanswered Question / Central Park After Dark / Symphony No. 3 (Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot)
  • Colin McPhee, Symphony No. 2 / Concerto for Piano with Wind Octet / Nocture / Balinese Ceremonial Music (Brooklyn Philharmonic, Dennis Russell Davies)
  • Cypress Hill, III (Temple of Boom)
  • Florence + the Machine, Lungs
  • Franz Schubert, The Last Four String Quartets (Quartet Italiano)
  • Franz Schubert, Winterreisse (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau)
  • Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove
  • Kansas, The Best of Kansas
  • Ladytron, 604
  • Ladytron, Witching Hour
  • Living Colour, Collideoscope
  • Living Colour, Stain
  • Michael Jackson, Bad
  • Re-Flex, The Politics of Dancing
  • The Temptations, The Ultimate Collection
  • The The, Infected
  • Soundtrack, Battlestar Galactica: Season 4

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Purchase log, 2019-06-04

[Eluvium - Pianoworks]

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.

New releases

CD
  • Eluvium, Pianoworks
  • Shiina Ringo, Sandokushi

Catalog

CD
  • Arnold Schoenberg, Pierrot lunaire / The Book of Hanging Gardens (Jan DeGaetani)
  • Bill Laswell, Invisible Design II
  • David Del Tredici, I Hear an Army / Night Conjure-Verse / Syzygy / Scherzo
  • David Del Tredici, Steps / Haddock’s Eyes
  • Guided By Voices, Mag Earwhig!
  • Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, Facing Future
  • MONO and World’s End Girlfriend, Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain
  • Olivier Messiaen, Turangalîla Symphony (Toronto Symphony, Seiji Ozawa)
  • Robert Palmer, Double Fun
  • The Highwaymen, Highwayman
  • Soundtrack, Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu Ka?
Vinyl
  • Anthony Braxton, Anthony Braxton with Robert Schumann String Quartet
  • Charles Mingus, Pithecanthropus Erectus
  • Dolly Parton, Best of Dolly Parton
  • Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat
  • Ornette Coleman, Dancing in Your Head
  • Skeleton Key, Obtainium

Reissues

Vinyl
  • Nakamori Akina, Cross My Palm

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Looking ahead, May-June 2019

[Shiina Ringo - Sandokushi]

Sting, My Songs, May 24

I had high but cautious hope for 57th and 9th. That will learn me.

Shiina Ringo, Sandokushi, May 27

This album adds six new tracks to the seven already released in various downloads and singles. Does anyone else get the sense Ringo-chan is phoning it in? I would think a 20-year anniversary would warrant a big reissue campaign in addition to a new album.

Eluvium, Piano Works, May 31

The deluxe edition vinyl release of this new album of piano works includes a sheet music book of Eluvium’s keyboard works.

Madonna, Madame X, June 14

Rebel Heart turned out better than I expected, but that seems to be the exception than the rule in recent years.

Prince, Originals, June 21

This compilation brings together demos of songs Prince wrote for other singers. I wonder if in the distant future we’ll hear The Family with Prince’s vocals.

Sigur Rós, Ágætis byrjun (Deluxe Edition), June 21

I like Sigur Rós, and Ágætis byrjun is a fine album. I’m not sure I love it enough for 4-CDs or 7-LPs.

Vinyl

James Blake, Assume Form, May 31

I hesitated on getting James Blake’s latest album till I found an unopened copy at the thrift store for $3. It’s turned out to be one of the better releases of 2019.

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