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A Month In Records: July 2008
Wait, wait… stop everything, some guy who isn’t President yet is coming for tea. Look, sharp, tidy that clutter away and stop with all that racket. You’ll give Barack – what the fuck _is_ a Barack? – a headache.
While newscasters the world over have gotten themselves into a dizzy spin over a certain somebody’s trip to Europe, DiS has been down in its bunker listening to the best music July had to offer. We’d like to shake hands but, y’know, it’s grubby down here. Dirty work, and someone’s got to do it.
To the tunes of the following picks from the month of July 2008.
The Hold Steady
Stay Positive
(Rough Trade)
Says Dom Passantino: “It’s just a Hold Steady album at the end of it. They’ve never let us down so far, and they’re not liable to do it any time soon. They turn critics into gibbering wrecks unable to write proper reviews and leave us forced to just string together our favourite lyrics like a damn teenage girl scribbles Tokio Hotel choruses onto her bed headboard. But, y’know. Hairier. It’s an album that, like The Hold Steady themselves, is some straight-up grown man shit…”
Read the full DiS review HERE
Harvey Milk
Life… The Best Game In Town
(Hydra Head)
Says Mike Diver: “Grin ‘til the shit falls through the gaps in your teeth, gaps you didn’t have before_ Life… _busted your face up so brilliantly. Bash the knuckles ‘til white goes red, goes loose and shredded. And then go around again. *Harvey Milk *are the acceptable sound of violence – you will not demand to batter your fellow man as this record reveals itself, but you just might want to witness something ugly unfold before your eyes ahead of its final notes fading…”
Read the full DiS review HERE
The Bug
London Zoo
(Ninja Tune)
Says Adam Anonymous: “Sleeping in his wrong-side-of-the-tracks studio, too poor to afford residential rent as well, The Bug’s Kevin Martin observed the urban cauldron of London at first hand. A methadone clinic down the road, human excrement littering the building, smackheads injecting each other in broad daylight: all that and a whole lot more bleeds into London Zoo’s confines…”
Read the full DiS review HERE / vote for London Zoo to win our Pluto Prize HERE
She & Him
Volume One
(Double Six)
Says Will Dean: “Volume One, the debut from Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward’s She & Him project, is deeply sentimental record, its closest modern relation being Feist’s The Reminder. It’s the sound of Chuck Schultz’s Peanuts, dusky ‘70s Californian sunsets and the sound of a talent above your average movie star turned singer transcending her artistic straitjacket. Here’s to volume two…”
Read the full DiS review HERE
Micah P Hinson
…And The Red Empire Orchestra
(Full Time Hobby)
Says Emily Moore: “Gravel-voiced Texan Micah P Hinson has seen his share of tragedy. Much has been made of the prescription-drugs addiction and jail stint that marked his teenage years, and the redeeming achievements of the two albums he released soon afterwards. Yet on his third LP, … And The Red Empire Orchestra, sorrow and apprehension seem to dog him still…”
Read the full DiS review HERE
**High Places
03/07-09/07**
(Thrill Jockey; read the full DiS review HERE)
**The Melvins
Nude With Boots**
(Ipecac; read the full DiS review HERE)
**Beck
Modern Guilt**
(XL; read the full DiS review HERE)
**Leila
Blood Looms And Blooms**
(Warp; read the full DiS review HERE)
**Secondsmile
Years**
(Big Scary Monsters; read the full DiS review HERE)
Feral Children
Second To The Last Frontier
(Sarathan Records)
Says Tom Milway: “Second To The Last Frontier is an eclectic and varied debut, amongst the cream of current sounds emanating from the Pacific-Northwest. Feral Children (think: Modest Mouse, Wolf Parade, Animal Collective) have succeeded in creating an accessibly melodic album that lacks none of the ambition many of their better-known peers have demonstrated to a commercially successful level…”
Read the full DiS review HERE
DiScuss: Again, a number of thoroughly decent albums have missed the cut (we can’t let everyone in!) – what’s your favourite record of July 2008?
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The Bug, High Places & Micah P Hinson
are all wicked records. The Bug and High Places are my favourite. Harvey Milk looks interesting I might check that out. Hold Steady are just bad.
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Apart from The Bug
I don't think I much like anything else on here. Crikey - I'm grumpy.
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Ooo that Micah P Hinson
seems right up my [depressing] street! can't believe I haven't checked it already ... thanks for the tips DiS ;)
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It's all about
Ida Maria.
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Did anyone else think
the new Melvins album didn't sound filthy enough?
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Is it good?
General impression I got (...oh alright, I read it on Pitchfork) was that it was a pretty by-the-numbers Melvins album. Was surprised to see it make the cut here.
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oh, it's filthy alright
however it is merely a continuation of the filth from (a) senile animal rather than a new heap of filth. with more buzzo and less big business.
i like it.
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That image
is hilarious x'D
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The Dodos
deserve a mention for this month's albums
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Yes, but
it officially came out in March (in US)
I really am enjoying Feral Children - nice one on that guys!
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that hold steady band
jeez they are so rubbish!
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yep
that is true
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whoah
That feral children video is pretty fucked up actually.
kinda like taxi driver meets eraserhead meets, well, a music video.
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I'm with you
Don't understand anything about The Hold Steady being good
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Yes but
She & Him came out months ago in the USA too. And that's listed here
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is it just me,
or was last month not exactly overflowing with great albums...one of the least inspiring months this year....
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Feral Children
are great - nice find guys - this is what i like to see on dis...less of the Hold Steady!
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July Wuz Also Good 4
Various Production! I knew there was a remix CD that was exciting knocking about and it was released this very month. Fucking amazing. But, apparently, not on DiS. Which is a shame cuz it's more indie friendly than The Bug.
Well, no, that's not true. Their album proper was more indie friendly. The remix album does have Foals on, though.
Wicked, wicked stuff.
_
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when was sons of noel and adrian out
thats the best thing ive heard recently...other than the acorn, but thats not out on this side of the pond till next month
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The Melvins
Nude With Boots is the only onw worth a mention on that list in my opinion, nothing COMPLETLEY terrible on there except the hold steady, that is just complete dogshit record
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