Archives

Purchase log, 2023-04-25

[Carlos Ponce - Carlos Ponce]

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
  • Everything But the Girl, Fuse
Vinyl
  • Amanda Shires, Live from Columbia Studio A
  • Hüsker Dü, Tonite Longhorn
  • Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, The Sound Emporium EP
  • Taylor Swift, folklore: the long pond studio session

Catalog

CD
  • Carlos Ponce, Carlos Ponce
  • Maná, ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños?
  • Moya Brennan, Two Horizons
Vinyl
  • Anderson .Paak, Venice
  • Outkast, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
  • Radiohead, OK Computer

Reissues

Vinyl
  • Craig Armstrong, As If to Nothing
  • Duran Duran, Rio Carnival
  • M, “Pop Muzik”
  • Nena, 99 Luftballons (40th Anniversary EP)
  • The Donnas, Early Singles 1995-1999
  • The Magnetic Fields, I
  • Tom Tom Club, Tom Tom Club (Expanded Edition)
  • TV Mania, Bored with Prozac and the Internet?
  • Wilco, Crosseyed Strangers: An Alternate Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log picks, fourth quarter 2022

[Taylor Swift - Midnights]

Hilary Hahn, Eclipse

Jesus, that Ginastera concerto is a monster!

Taylor Swift, Midnights

I don’t know if Taylor Swift has a Dirty Computer or Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana in her, but it feels like she’s tip-toeing in that direction. I doubt she’d ever go fully weird because her branding is too big to fail.

Judy Tenuta, Buy This, Pigs!

I’ve known about Judy Tenuta since high school, but my media consumption somehow managed never to cross paths with her stand-up. YouTube has since rectified that, and upon hearing the news of her passing, I felt compelled to seek out her comedy debut album, which has so far never been reissued on CD or fully digitized on a streaming platform.

Huey Lewis and the News, Picture This

Sports is the 800-pound gorilla in the Huey Lewis and the News oeuvre, but Picture This is no slouch either. I rather thank it’s been unfairly overshadowed by its immediate descendant.

Hajime Chitose, Shima Kyora Umui

It’s taken me 20 years to purchase an actual physical copy of this album. Hajime’s major label career has mostly ignored these earlier youthful recordings, but they’re super informative on her singing style, let alone how well she adapted it to a pop setting.

Royal Wood, What Tomorrow Brings

Wood calls this album the first he’s didn’t abandon, paraphrasing the quote: “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” It definitely shows. He makes some slight but adventurous tweaks to his sound, incorporating more synths and drum machines without losing his folk crooner vibe.

Miami Sound Machine, Primitive Love

The singles from this album were ubiquitous at the time, which dissuaded both my brother and me from staking claim on it. Enough time has passed to reveal those singles to be incredibly durable and fitting well with the album on the whole.

The Dismemberment Plan, Emergency & I

You kinda need to have this album if you remotely like Changes.

These fourth quarter picks can be found in the Favorite Edition 2022 Year Final:

  • Charlie Puth, CHARLIE
  • Robin Holcomb, One Way or Another, Vol. 1

And one more pick can be found in the Favorite Edition Catalog 2022:

  • Club Nisei, Japanese Music of Hawaii

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2022-11-08

[Chris Isaak - San Francisco Days]

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
  • Luke Evans, A Song for You
  • Robin Holcomb, One Way or Another, Vol. 1
Vinyl
  • Taylor Swift, Midnights
  • UA, Are U Romantic?

Catalog

CD
  • 10cc, Original Soundtrack
  • Dismemberment Plan, Emergency & I
  • Grace Jones, Island Life
  • John Vanderslice, Life and Death of an American Fourtracker
  • Johnny Cash, American VI: Ain’t No Grave
  • Miami Sound Machine, Primitive Love
  • The National, High Violet
Vinyl
  • Madonna, Music

Reissues

Vinyl
  • Chris Isaak, San Francisco Days

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2022-10-25

[Hajime Chitose - Shima Kyora Umui]

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
  • Taylor Swift, Midnights

Catalog

CD
  • Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath
  • Brodsky Quartet, Brodsky Unlimited
  • Brothers Johnston, Greatest Hits
  • Club Nisei, Japanese Music of Hawaii
  • Hajime Chitose, Shima Kyora Umui
  • Sarah Brightman, The Songs that Got Away
  • Tim McGraw, Everywhere
Vinyl
  • Everything But the Girl, Love Not Money
  • Prefab Sprout, Two Wheels Good
  • RJD2, Deadringer
  • Queen, The Game
  • We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Going to User It, “What’s the Point (The Boisterous One)”

Reissues

Vinyl
  • Kylie Minogue, Impossible Princess

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2020-09-29

[Keola and Kapono Beamer - Honolulu City Lights]

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
  • Taylor Swift, folklore
Vinyl
  • Brandi Carlisle, A Rooster Says
  • Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
  • Son Volt, Live at the Orange Peel
  • Suzanne Ciani, A Life in Waves

Catalog

CD
  • Cat Power, Moon Pix
  • Cat Power, You Are Free
  • Cloud Nothings, Life Without Sound
  • DJ Shadow, Preemptive Strike
  • Keola and Kapono Beamer, Honolulu City Lights
  • Mogwai, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
  • Simple Minds, Real Life
  • Son Volt, Wide Swing Tremolo
  • The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour
Vinyl
  • The Dismemberment Plan, Change

Reissues

CD
  • Prince, Sign O the Times
  • Wire Train, In a Chamber / Between Two Worlds / Ten Women
Vinyl
  • Nas, God’s Son
  • The Replacements, The Complete Inconcerated Live

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2020-03-10

[The National - Boxer]

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
  • Björk, Selmasongs
  • Bill Frisell, The Intercontinentals
  • Herbie Hancock, Future Shock
  • Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters
  • Julieta Venegas, MTV Unplugged
  • Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift
  • Teresa Stratas, The Unknown Weill
  • XTC, Mummer
  • Soundtrack, The Book of Mormon (Original Broadway Cast)
Vinyl
  • Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again
  • The National, Boxer

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2019-12-17

[Various Artists - Rubáiyát]

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
  • Shiina Ringo, Sandokushi
Blu Ray
  • Shiina Ringo, Seiteki Healing Sono Go~Nana

Catalog

CD
  • Bob Mould, The Last Dog and Pony Show
  • Digital Underground, Sex Packets
  • Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell!
  • Midnight Oil, Earth and Sun and Moon
  • Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
  • Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto (New York Chamber Symphony, Gerard Schwarz)
  • Old 97s, Satellite Rides
  • Philip Glass, Low Symphony (Brooklyn Philharmonic, Dennis Russell Davies)
  • Roxette, Look Sharp!
  • Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Cast)
  • Sting, If On a Winter’s Night …
  • Tag Team, Whoomp! (There It Is)
  • Taylor Swift, Speak Now
  • Technotronic, Trip on This: The Remixes
  • Various Artists, Living In Oblivion, Vol. 2
  • Various Artists, Rubáiyát: The Originals
Vinyl
  • Chic, Risqué
  • Conlon Nancarrow, Complete Studies for Player Piano, Vol. 2
  • Conlon Nancarrow, Complete Studies for Player Piano, Vol. 4
  • Foreigner, Agent Provocateur
  • Hüsker Dü, Land Speed Record
  • Sonic Youth, Confusion Is Sex
  • Soundtrack, This Is Spinal Tap

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2019-07-09

[Everything But the Girl - Amplified Heart]

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
  • Benjamin Britten, Peter Grimes
  • Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, 101 Damnations
  • Dawn Upshaw, Angels Hide Their Faces
  • Duffy, Rockferry
  • Easterhouse, Waiting for the Redbird
  • Emma Kirkby / Anthony Rooley, Olympia’s Lament
  • Frank Zappa, Strictly Commercial: The Best of Frank Zappa
  • Hans Abrahamsen, Schnee
  • Jay-Z, The Blueprint
  • Ludwig Van Beethoven, Beethoven Sonatas: Opp. 53, 54, 57 (Richard Goode)
  • Ludwig Van Beethoven, String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130 / Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 (Fitzwilliam Quartet)
  • Natalie Merchant, The House Carpenter’s Daughter
  • Olivier Messiaen, Par lui-même
  • Various Artists, Living in Oblivion: The ’80s Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
Vinyl
  • Falco, Falco 3
  • Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Liverpool
  • Harry Partch, The Bewitched
  • Taylor Swift, 1989
  • The Beatles, Abbey Road
  • Was (Not Was), What Up Dog?
  • World Saxophone Quartet, Plays Duke Ellington

Reissues

Vinyl
  • Everything But the Girl, Amplified Heart

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Favorite Edition Rewind: 2014

[Huck Hodge - Life Is Endless Like Our Field of Vision]

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 2014 list has already gone through one revision, and this version expands it slightly.

  1. D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah
  2. John Luther Adams, Become Ocean
  3. Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds of Country Music
  4. Royal Wood, The Burning Bright
  5. The Bad Plus, The Rite of Spring
  6. Meredith Monk, Piano Songs
  7. Inventions, Inventions
  8. MONO, Rays of Darkness
  9. Shiina Ringo, Gyakuyunyuu ~Kouwankyoku~
  10. BADBADNOTGOOD, III

Other favorites from the year:

  • Juanes, Loco de Amor
  • The Drums, Encyclopedia
  • Cocco, Plan C
  • Shaprece, Molting EP
  • Huck Hodge, Life Is Endless Like Our Field of Vision
  • Taylor Swift, 1989
  • Sam Amidon, Lily-O
  • U2, Songs of Innocence

The year started with Juanes topping the list. He’s now been bumped off the Favorite 10 in favor of BADBADNOTGOOD. Despite that change, the Favorite 10 is pretty solid. The remaining list, however, has expanded to include The Drums and Taylor Swift.

You read that right.

I’ve been curious about 1989 for a while, but I felt no desire to stream it. Yet, a thrift store copy selling for $2 was more incentive to check it out. I wonder why that is? I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

The Drums’ Encyclopedia didn’t start out as a favorite, but when I stopped expecting it to be a carbon copy of the self-titled debut, its strengths became apparent. That said, it’s really a strange album.

The last addition to the list is an album by Huck Hodge, a University of Washington music composition professor from whom I took a number of classes. I actually heard most of this album in class, so it made sense to own a copy of it.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,