Best Rock Albums in 2009, so far

Unsound,

I think you might be pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Jesse Sykes (I can only speak to the vinyl issue however).

-Richard

Dgarretson,

As a big M. Ward fan, I'm a bit underwhelmed by Hold Time. I like the tunes, but the recording is not in the same class as previous efforts, especially "Transistor Radio" or "Transfiguration of Vincent". Maybe it will grow on me.

I've been enjoying an eclectic singer songwriter album by Jesse Sykes and the Great Hereafter "Like, Love, Lust, And The Open Halls of the Soul". This is from late 2008, but I'll count it. Her voice is, er, unique but the songwriting really grows on you with repeated listens. Nice 2-LP set on Southern Lord. And, despite the band name, album title and record label, this recording is completely secular in nature ;--))

-Richard

Just acquired Jenny Lewis' "Acid Tongue" and gave it my first spin last night. In a word: excellent. Stellar performance and recording on 3 sides. Again from late 2008, but what the hell.

Also have been enjoying the latest Marianne Faithful (great tunes, but the recording is a bit disjointed...her vocals sound strange in comparison to the rest of the band), new Bonnie Prince Billy and the recent reissue of Man or Astroman's "Experiment Zero" a band I always enjoyed back in the early 90's. Heavy retro-surf/camp in a Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet kind of way. The latest Dan Hicks LP (who is slowly morphing into a Leon Redbone-esque vocal style), "Tangled Tales" is quite decent as well, speaking of campiness.

After waiting for them for a dozen years, I also picked up the reissues of the first two Ben Harper albums. Great tunes, but shitty remasters - though the second album (Fight for Your Mind) is better than the first. They sound flat, undynamic and digital - feh. Given the excellent and obviously analog nature of the sound off of CD, the remastering engineers ought to hang their head(s) in shame - these should have been blistering.

-Richard