What new music did you get for Christmas?


...I'm enjoying Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now" at the moment. Highly recommended kind of like a 'dark' Lucinda Williams. Her first CD, "Filth and Fire" is great too. Got a handfull of other new music...I'll add to the thread as I listen to them.

Anyone else get new music they can recommend...?
jax2
System of a Down's "Mezmerize" on LP this album seems faster than the CD version I had. Especially B.Y.O.B.(Bring Your Own Bombs) "why do they always send the poor!"
Z by My Morning Jacket on Vinyl. Excellent.

On CD:
Pernice Brothers, Discover a Lovelier You.
Blue Nile, High
Aerial is easily Kate Bush best album since Hounds Of Love-ok there's only been two but it a very strong return.
One thing I will say about Aerial, even on the CD, the recording/mixing is excellent and her voice does sound great. I just prefer her more dramatic range from the albums I mentioned. This stuff all sounds pretty similar, cut-to-cut, and is very low-key and silky in comparison to her earlier stuff which reached out and grabbed you and didn't let go. With all the nature sampling in Aerial it kind of reminds me of watching grass grow. Even the mixes that start to hint at the old Kate, like "Sunset" go back to slow and even. Still, I've often find giving an album many plays I sometimes become more engaged by it...sometimes not. I think I just need to drop my expectations....We'll see.

Marco
I just received Kate Bush "Aerial" from England on LP. The artwork is stunning and this double album worth the price for side B alone, (as far as I've listened while writing this).

I'm gonna' need to listen a few more times to that one. Just didn't move me at all, especially with expectations built by the likes of "The Dreaming" and "Hounds of Love". I really found Aerial quite boring on first listen...nothing really grabbed me as it did you. I'll take another few listens. Thanks for the input Albert.

Marco
I just received Kate Bush "Aerial" from England on LP. The artwork is stunning and this double album worth the price for side B alone, (as far as I've listened while writing this).

The cut "How to be Invisible" is as beautiful as anything she did on her albums in the 1980's and sent chills all over my body while listening.

Bless her heart, this babe still has it working for her.
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Bavarian Fruit Bread

Kings of Confidence - Riot on an Empty Street

John Coltrane - The Bethlehem Years

Wayne Shorter - Footprints Live!

Wes Montgomery - Movin' Wes

The Best of Miles Davis and John Coltrane (1955 -1961)
Miles Davis boxed set: The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis, 1963-1964 Columbia Legacy 2004

The recording quality of these discs is spectacular and of course the music is at the highest level of jazz.
Raiatea Helm - SWEET & LOVELY
Dennis Pavao -THE GOLDEN VOICE OF HAWAI`I - VOL 1
Na Palapalai - KE`ALA BEAUTY
Eddie Kamae- SONS OF HAWAI`I
Jake Shimabukuro -WALKING DOWN RAINHILL
Albert,

I know what you mean about In Between Dreams. I've been listening to it for about a week and can't stop. I love the way Jack draws you into a song and hooks you. I've owned his other two lp's for a while now and still enjoy them very much.

Lp's I received for Christmas:

Eric Clapton - Me & Mr. Johnson
Nat King Cole - Just One of Those Things
Sublime - Sublime's Debut Album Picture Disc
Nicole Henry & Eddie Higgins Trio - Teach Me Tonight

Steve
I'll pick up that Jack Johnson Albert. I like his stuff, and haven't heard the new one. Thanks.

Marco

PS I saw Ernestine Anderson play Jazz Alley about eight years ago. Damn, what a voice!
(1) Jack Johnson "In Between Dreams"
(2) Mino Cinelu "Quest" (45 RPM)
(3) Ernestine Anderson "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" (45 RPM)
(4) Louis Prima "Strictly Prima" (With Sam Butera and The Witnesses) Mono.

All my purchases are LP but are available as CD as well.

The first three were purchased new and all are stunningly good recordings and great music. The Jack Johnson is the surprise album of the year for me, can't stop playing it.

The Louis Prima is a 1959 pressing I won at Ebay, It's unbelievable sound and so fun I laugh out loud every time I listen.
Some nice recommendations in here. Having listened through my stack a few times now, I'll stick with a strong recommendation for Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now" as well as Rickie Lee Jones "Naked Songs" (if you are a fan of her music). The latter is a great live acoustic recording of Rickie jamming with just one instrument (guitar or piano). I have to say that as much as I like her earlier work, Kate Bush's new double CD "Aerial" did not grab me. Gone are the theatrical extremes and though I didn't think I might miss them, I do. I can understand why Kevyo fell asleep twice. I've been digging on some old John Denver stuff too. It's like Chris Rock says..."Whatever you were listening to when you first got laid is going to stay with you forever". I got a soft spot in my soul for John Denver. There I said it.

Marco
On LPs
-Norah Jones' Feels like home'- Great sounding recording, good music
-Time out 'Dave Brubeck Quartet' - I had to have for comparison to CD, haven;t got to it yet
-Mediski,Martin and Wood ' End of the World Party'- These guys are good, cool sounding jazz. Excellent recording to work out your system.
- Autechre ' Untilted' Great music, also have on CD.
- Fischerspooner ' The Odeyssey' - great electro clash music.
On CD
- MIA 'Arular' -One word ' Wow'
- Boards of Canada's latest- five stars IDM music!!
- Ordered bunch of jazz and classical music from latest releases from Mapleshade and Referenece recordinigs
Stvncar.. they made an anniversary edition of that??? 25th???

Guess I was young when that came out... still have a copy of it! That and Minutemen double nickels on the dime are some of my fave's from that era..
Ray Brown-Soular Energy (Pure Audiophile)LP. This LP will test the limits of your analog system!!

Karrin Allyson-Ballads (Pure Audiophile)LP. Killer Sound!

Karrin Allyson-In Blue (Pure Audiophile)LP. Ditto.

Ben Webster-At the Renaissance (Analogue Productions)

Sonny Rollins-Way Out West (OJC)LP.
-Bill Evans "At the Montreux Jazz Festival";
-Scott Hamilton "Back in New York";
-Herbie Hancock "My Point of View;

-Bach "Kantanten BWV 2, 20 & 176" by the Collegium Vocale Gent directed by Phillippe Herrewghe;
- Mozart "Piano concertos nº 12 K414 & nº 17 K453" by Alfred Brendel (piano) and Charles Mackerras (conductor);
-Puccini "Madama Butterfly" directed by Karajan with Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti and Christa Ludwig;
- Pierre Boulez " Notations & Strutures(livre 2)" by Pierre Laurent Aimard and Florant Boffard (pianos);
I gave my sister and brother in law "Mercy Now" this year on vinyl. Also gave them the self titled "Duhks" cd and "Tijuana Sessions 3" by Nortec Collective. These are my faves for 05'.
I didnt receive any music this year but Im about to look at vinyl so who knows what I will come up with.
Happy Kwanz-Christ-Haka!
Nina Simone, good recommendation to Slappy. I received "The Essential Nina Simone" for Christmas and am listening to it again right now. WOW. Such emotion in her voice. I can't wait to get out and pick up the anthology. It's nice to find something outside your comfort zone that really grabs you and leaves you wanting more....thought I'd chime in.

Happy Holidays.
Dead Kennedys--Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 25th anniversary edition. f@cuking awesome!!!!
White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan.
Nice to see someone who is a REAL muscian is making some REAL rock in roll. Much different than there other albums.
I got Frank Zappa's Burnt weenie sandwich on CD, as well as a collection of 80's underground music (actually qa great compilation) so I will be going old school today...
The Cream Live at Albert Hall on DVD. Excellent.
Born to Run: Bruce Springsteen 30th Anniversary edition w/live concert dvd
included is also excellent.

Thanks for the flashback guys.
Got a nice vinyl budget from Santa. Spent it at Lpsnow and Backtrack Records. Now I'm waiting for delivery.
Miles Davis, "In A Silent Way", Columbia, SACD;
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, "Ugesto', Riverside, 20bit K2 remastered;
Herbie Hancock,"Canteloupe Island", Blue Note;
Dexter Gordon, "Dexter Calling", Blue Note, RVG edition;
Wynton Kelly Trio/Wes Montgomery, "Smokin' at the Half Note", Verve, 24 bit, 96 kz reissue;
Vince Guaraldi Trio, "A Boy Named Charlie Brown", Fantasy, 20 bit K2 reissue, mostly for my wife who keeps asking me whenever I play a jazz piano trio if it's the Charlie Brown music; thought I would get her the real thing.
Led Zeppelin II & III on Classic Records 200 gram LPs.
Also picked up Rossini Overtures & The Planets on XRCDs
(already own these on vinyl).
Dug out my humble Music Hall MMF-2 (packed from a move) and, wouldn't you know it, couldn't find the anti-skate counter weight. Expect new one any day now ($17).
Santa also brought a shiny new Nitty Gritty 1.0 cleaning machine! (Did I mention Santa will be eating a lot of dog food if he ever retires?)
I want a whole-lotta-love....
Hey Slappy, welcome back! Haven't seen you post for a while. Hope all is well!
New Coltrane and Monk at Carnegie

Ahmad Jamal, The Legendary Okeh & Epic Recordings - early arrangements of a lot of the Cross Country Tour numbers

Mahalia Jackson sings Christmas

Santana's newest

Mariah Carey (hey, we all have a few we listen too when no one's around)

It was a very, very good year
Got a Billi Holiday box set.

Cool beans Slappy! Didn't peg you for a fan. Do you like Nina Simone as well? If you haven't heard her stuff, check her out too. here's a good introductory collection of her stuff.

Marco
Pehare - Thanks for the Jesse Sykes heads-up (and for the second Fujindemon). I just happened to have a copy of "Oh Girl" that a friend had given me (probably for the very reason you'd recomended her) that was sitting in my small stack of things to listen to. It's on right now and indeed I do like it very much.

Kevyo - Kate Bush's "Aerial" is among the Xmas booty I have yet to listen to. I'll make sure I do it when I'm not tired, though I can't imagine falling asleep to her dramatic voice.

Enjoyed a new (to me) Townes Van Zandt album, "Rear View Mirror", but the recording/acoustics of that live album aren't that great. Can anyone recommend a good introductory CD to his music that is a better recording. Also enjoyed John Prine's "Fair&Square". I guess I had a country theme going this Xmas.

Marco
Hey Pehare,

I agree, Jesse Sykes is some good listening.
Just uploaded Reckless Burning onto my iPod again.

Check out Shelley Campbell 'Blue Ridge Reveille" and Caitlin Cary/Thad Cockrell "Begonias" if you haven't already.

Got Ryan Adams "29" for Xmas myself.
Jackson Browne "Solo acoustic" vol. 1

Great recording, and Browne's intros are informative and funny....
.
Kate Bush =Aerial. I love her voice. The only problem is that I listen to the album twice so far and both times i fell asleep. It has a very lush sound that puts me to sleep.

Kevyo
The new "rediscovered" Monk and Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. Great sound and great music!
I purchased last month on the internet and received on the 20th The Mission Uk "Lighting The Candles" a 2 DVDs set including a 2004 concert, solo performances, rare footage, photos, interviews and a bonus cd with live tracks.
"Mercy Now" is indeed great.....musical gifts I'm currently enjoying are...

Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, Oh Girl...if you like Lucinda & Mary Gauthier this is a must hear.

Jonathan Edwards & the Seldom Scene, Blue Ridge...two great talents merge for this release from 1988, soon to be one of my alltime favorites.

Ryan Adams, 29

Oliver Nelson, The Blues & the Abstract Truth, a jazz classic from 1961 with an allstar cast (Haynes, Evans, Dolphy, Chambers, Hubbard)

Soundtrack from the Big Lebowski, She bought me this & the DVD

I just wanted to mention my favorite Holiday music for those who have not had the privilege of hearing...A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

cheers & enjoy