Happy New Year!

Hi guys,

This is the last day of 2006. Here I just want to thanks for all your support in the past 7 months. I will try my best to make my site better and introduce more good music in 2007. Just like what i said before: Variety is a good and you will get more if you listen more.

Happy new year and good luck! :)

Contact: echen812@hotmail.com

Lee

World albums sales chart of 2006 is out...

Hi guys, just want to remind you that the world albums sales chart of 2006 is out...

MediaTraffic published "World albums sales chart of 2006" yesterday. James Blunt's Back To Bedlam is the bestselling album with 6.201.000 copies sold in 2006 and the soundtrack of High School Musical and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium take the second and the third place.

You can find the whole countdown here: http://www.mediatraffic.de/year-end-albums.htm

By the way, MediaTraffic.com is just a non-governmental site(More like a charts-fan site) and its datas are not official.

Laura Gibson--If You Come to Greet Me (2006)

Artist-Laura Gibson
Album-If You Come to Greet Me
Release Date-Nov 14, 2006
Label-Hush
Genre/Style-Neo-Traditional Folk Americana
Size-52M
Quality-HQ

Biography-
Laura Gibson lives in Portland, Oregon, sings songs and plays a nylon-stringed guitar. She is 26 years-old...she grew up in a small isolated logging town in the south coast of oregon, the daughter of a forest ranger and the town's kindergarten teacher. She was a state champion high-jumper, and went to college on a math scholarship and later studied counseling in graduate school...

she couldn't tell you what band put out what particular album in what year, but she could probably describe where she was, how she felt and what you talked about, when she first met you, or what the trees looked like the last time her heart was broken...she likes trees.

In November 2004, she self-released an ep called Amends, produced and engineered by Drew Grow, on a lap-top, in a house in Newberg, Oregon. She began playing shows around that time (unless you count playing shows at local nursing homes, which she has done for some time). since then, many have been endeared to her voice and her songs. she has performed at such fine establishments as the Doug Fir Lounge and the Triple Door, The Tractor Tavern and the Hotel Cafe. She has toured the west coast, and has shared the stage with both old folksters and indie kids. Her music has been featured by West Coast radio stations, and at show-and-tell in her nephews kindergarten class. she thanks her lucky stars for these opportunities...

Gibson is recording her debut full-length album with Adam Selzer (Norfolk and Western, M Ward, Decemberists) at his Type Foundry studios in Portland, and Dylan Magierek (Badman Records - Mark Kozelek, The Innocence Mission) at Closer Recording studios in San Francisco. Recorded completely on analog tape, the full-length highlights Gibson's delicate voice and guitar performance. Gibson found the perfect backing band in the members of Norfolk and Western, arrangements varying from bare-bones guitar and voice, to an orchestra of trumpets, piano, vibraphone, saw, violin, cello, banjo and found sounds. The songs themselves are haunting portraits of nostalgia and intimacy, of loneliness and wide-eyed hope hope. The release is tenatively planned for Fall, 2006. The song Hands in Pockets was selected for the 2006 Pdx Pop Now! compilation, and will be available July 2006.


Official Site-http://www.lauragibson.net/

Personal Rating-I bought this album online. It's rare and recommended.

Review-In the years since their biggest early act, the Decemberists, made the jump first to Kill Rock Stars and then to Capitol Records, the tiny Portland, OR, indie Hush Records has quietly turned into one of the most consistently interesting small labels in the country. Although Hush has its share of pop bands (Norfolk & Western, featuring ex-Decemberists drummer Rachel Blumberg; the flat-out terrific Parks & Recreation), the label has also developed an impressive stable of folk and country-tinged singer/songwriters, including Casey Dienel, Shelley Short, and now, Laura Gibson. Gibson's second album and first for the label (her 2004 debut, Amends, was self-released), If You Come to Greet Me is a textbook Hush release. Folk-based but not in the self-consciously "weird" tradition of the Devendra Banhart wing of the current folk-rock revival, these nine intimate songs are centered on Gibson's close-miked nylon-string guitar and warm, appealingly scratchy voice. (Imagine Joanna Newsom singing much lower than her trademark Betty Boop register, and more assuredly on pitch.) However, Gibson's backing band on this album is the core of Norfolk & Western (Blumberg on drums and vibes, Peter Broderick on various stringed things and musical saw, Cory Gray on piano and trumpet, and leader Adam Selzer on electric guitar and samples; Selzer also co-produced and mixed), and the album has the same rich alt-folk vibe as their own recent releases, like a less trippy and emotionally fragile Neutral Milk Hotel. The resulting combination of singer/songwriter directness and subtle but exquisitely detailed chamber pop arrangements gives If You Come to Greet Me greater musical depth than many similar neo-folk albums.


Product-http://www.hushrecords.com/onlinestore.html
Download-
http://www.savefile.com/files/377164
or
http://www.verzend.be/v/3299077/Laura_Gibson.zip.html

Badgerlore--Stories for Owls (2005)

Artist-Badgerlore
Album-Stories for Owls
Release Date-Oct 4, 2005
Label-Free Porcupine
Genre/Style-Instrument
Size-64M
Quality-HQ

Biography-Badgerlore is the collective effort of Rob Fisk(ex-Deerhoof, 7 Year Rabbit Cycle), Ben Chasny(Six Organs of Admittance, Comets on Fire), Tom Carter(Charalambides) and Pete Swanson(Yellow Swans). Each of these distinguished artists comes from a very different background, however in Badgerlore all their skills are focused into a very beautiful collection of sound. Operating under the Free Porcupine Society label, run by Rob Fisk, Badgerlore has so far only had two releases, Of Things to Sorrowful to be reminded of, and things too beautiful to Possess and Stories For Owls.

Badgerlore's sound is distinctive, never straying too far from contemplative, meandering psych-folk. Not one of the four pushes their particular sound upon the group, and the perfect blend of all 4 of these artists, coming from their very different background, makes Badgerlore quite an interesting listening experience. As the 4 artists all have their own projects and tours to worry about, it's never certain when or where Badgerlore will pop up next, but it's always anticipated.

Official Site-http://www.last.fm/music/Badgerlore

Personal Rating-Rare!

Review-http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/badgerlore/stories-for-owls.htm
or
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/15271/Badgerlore_Stories_for_Owls

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000B5XSW6/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S5PJJ11A
or
http://rapidshare.com/files/10073811/B-Stories_For_Owls.zip.html

The Frames--Cost (New!)

Artist-The Frames
Album-Cost
Release Date-Feb 20, 2007
Label-Anti
Genre/Style-Indie Rock
Format-mp3
Quality-HQ

Official Site-http://www.theframes.ie/

Personal Rating-New and Recommended!

Review-2006 Issued Sixth Album by the Irish Band featuring the Lineup of Bassist Joseph Doyle, Violinist/Keyboardist Colm Mac Coniomaire, Lead Guitarist Rob Bochnik, Drummer Graham Hopkins (Subbing for Johnny Boyle) and Vocalist/Guitarist Glen Hansard. The Album was Recorded in France at Black Box Studios. Three of the Songs were Released in Previous Incarnations Prior to the LP Release and have Been Re-recorded by the Band for this Project: "Rise" First Appeared on the 2003 EP "The Roads Outgrown" and "Falling Slowly" and "When Your Mind's Made Up" were First Heard on "The Swell Season", an Album Issued by Guitarist Hansard and Pianist Marketa Irglova. The Haunting Cover Art Comes from a Photograph by Hansard.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000JGF1BI/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-Album download link removed. 400 downloads. But you can still download one song "Sad song" here: http://www.mydatabus.com/public/lee/z/06-Sad_Songs.Mp3

Arnaldo Baptista--Let It Bed (2004)

Artist-Arnaldo Baptista
Album-Let It Bed
Release Date-Dec 28, 2004
Label-Pilot
Genre/Style-Brazilian Pop/Tropicalia
Format-mp3
Quality-192kbps

Personal Rating-Recommended!

Review-After more than a decade of silence, the Brazilian rock legend Arnaldo Baptista made a surprising comeback in 2004 with this release. Even more surprising is that Let It Bed is the strongest and most consistent album that Baptista has released since the breakup of Os Mutantes in the early '70s. The bulk of the album consists of rather short, melancholic, sweet, and sincere songs, gently sung by Baptista, who also plays most of the instruments. Glimpses of Baptista's Monty Python-like humor pop up on several occasions and prevent the record from ever being depressing. There are also two very strong tracks — "Tacape" and "Cacilda" — recorded by Arnaldo in the early '80s that for some inexplicable reason were left out of the albums released by Baptista back then and instead appear here. "Tacape" is a beautiful, bittersweet piano- and voice-only composition with typically dreamy and somewhat absurd lyrics about love. "Cacilda" is a lovely Beatlesque pop song with a modern production and a rather light and catchy melody, but at the same time with a distinct and intriguing sadness (or even desperation) to it. Together, these two tracks add extra dimensions to the newly recorded material. Let It Bed is very nicely produced by John, from the popular and Mutantes-inspired pop group Pato Fu. John undoubtedly played a very important role in creating the special atmosphere of the album.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000682FCC/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-http://www.savefile.com/files/372005

Over the Rhine--Drunkard's Prayer (2005)

Artist-Over the Rhine
Album-Drunkard's Prayer
Release Date-Mar 29, 2005
Label-Back Porch
Genre/Style-Alternative Pop/ Rock Adult Alternative Pop/ Rock
Format-mp3
Quality-192kbps

Review-Out from under the sprawling, ambitious Ohio, where sonic and lyric expanses were truly ambitious yet emotionally taut and controlled, Over the Rhine bring things back to the heart on Drunkard's Prayer. Literally recorded in the living room of Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler, it is the most intimate and personal recording in OTR's catalog. Acoustic guitars, upright bass, and piano are the primary instruments of expression here, though a drum kit, electric guitar, cello, and some sparse horns and organs weave their way through this quietly elegant mix. As a singer, Bergquist is becoming a true stylist. She has always been subtle, but she manages to underscore the maximum emotional intent in a sung line by relying on nuance and an increasingly sophisticated manner of phrasing rather than histrionics. She lets her words drop with full literate articulation, yet she leaves unnecessary weight outside the song's frame. There is no ether on Drunkard's Prayer; songs are relaxed yet fully formed, rooted in a sense of place and time. There is a touch of melancholy even in the most hopeful tomes here, such as on the gorgeous "Born," where Pete Hicks' slippery electric guitar hovers spectrally over the sparse piano and acoustic foundation. Bergquist juxtaposes the seriousness of learning to love and laugh in the midst of living an everyday existence: "Put your elbows on the table/I'll listen as long as I am able/There's nowhere I'd rather be/Secret fears, the supernatural/Thank God for this new laughter/Thank God the joke's on me…." Lines wind together and shimmer in the foreground as voice and instruments become one. On "Spark," amid Detweiler's piano and David Henry's cello, gently yet purposefully strummed six-strings gently urge Bergquist to offer love's manifesto as the only concrete hope in the midst of fear: "You either lose your fear/Or spend your life with one foot in the grave/Is God the last romantic?" Addressing fear is a preoccupation; it is touched on nearly everywhere — not as a physical force, but as an elemental construct in the heart of Bergquist's protagonists, a place inside the individual that needs to be encountered, entered into a dialogue with, and understood if it is to be dismissed — give a listen to "Lookin' Forward" and "Little Did I Know." Love in its different incarnations — from embrace to loss and grief to acceptance — is the other experiential terrain here. "Hush Now," "I Want You to Be My Love," and "Bluer" are fine and varied illustrations where folk, rock, and American roots musics caress and kiss. The set closes with a an original, arresting arrangement of "My Funny Valentine." It is here that Bergquist's discipline as a vocalist is displayed in spades. Drunkard's Prayer is perhaps the only recording that could have followed Ohio. It is tender, poetic, gracious, and in places deeply moving. As mature and assured as it is, it may also be the best place for the uninitiated to get acquainted with OTR.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007QCLPY/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-http://www.rogepost.com/n/0445735006

CocoaMusic Presents--50 Best Tracks of 2006

This is a personal compilation and I'd like name it as "CocoaMusic Presents-The 50 Best Tracks of 2006". All these tracks were published or mentioned in my site before. My choice isn't random, all songs were picked up after my deep and elaborate consideration.

However, based on my personal interest, most of tracks belong to Indie-Rock, Country , R&B and Folk genre. I hope you like this persoal "Greatest Hits". Enjoy the music and happy new year!

By the way, most of songs are copied directly from my records and they are of good quality. (192kbps-320kbps even higher)

Here is Tracklist:

Part1

Midlake-Roscoe
Vienna Teng-Nothing Without You
Michael Chandler-Damage
The Concretes-Grey Days
I'm From Barcelona-Treehouse
The Dresden Dolls- Backstabber
The Raconteurs-Together
Basement Jaxx-Take Me Back to Your House
The knife-We Share Our Mother's Health
The Mountain Goats-Woke Up New
Califone-A Chinese Actor
Peter bjorn and john-Young Folks
Bitter:sweet-Faith
Joanna Newsom-Only Skin
Barenaked Ladies-Home
Annuals-Complete or Completing
Montgomery Gentry-Redder Than That
Kaye Styles & Johnny Logan-Don't Cry
George Strait-She Told Me So
The Blow-Parentheses
Brandon Patton-Counting The Paces
Dan Wallace-Back of My Mind
Van Morrison-Till I Gain Control Again
Zero 7-futures
Nelly Furtado -All Good Things

Part2

Mew-The Zookeeper's Boy
Eric Anders-How Low and Why
Liars-The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack
Tapes 'n Tapes-Omaha
Van Hunt-The Night Is Young
Pinto-Never Leave
Cat Power-Lived in Bars
Barth-The last wig
Camera Obscura- Tears For Affairs
Scritti Politti-Cooking
Jewel-Goodbye Alice In Wonderland
TV On The Radio-Wolf Like Me
Regina Spektor-Hotel Song
Guster-Satellite
Blood Meridian-In The Forest, Under the Moon
Donald Fagen-H Gang
Herbert-Something Isn't Right
Brightblack Morning Light-Everybody Daylight
M.Ward-Post-War
The Feeling-Strange
Amos Lee-Night Train
Shawn Colvin-I'm Gone
Oneida-Up With People
Laura Gibson-Hands In Pockets
Josh Ritter-In The Dark

Download:
Part1:150M
http://www.sendspace.com/file/wxv2q4
or
http://www.mooload.com/new/file.php?file=files/261206/1167175270/best+50+part1.zip
or
http://depositfiles.com/files/479628
or
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EXTUFQO5

Part2:180M
http://www.mooload.com/new/file.php?file=files/261206/1167173327/best+50+part2.zip
or
http://depositfiles.com/files/479558
or
http://www.sendspace.com/file/164xi9
or
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0ZPVQIIO

CocoaMusic Presents--24 Best Albums of 2006

CocoaMusic Presents--24 Best Albums of 2006.

This is a personal list, and all of them are my favourite in 2006. All of them had been posted or mentioned here before except Donald Fagen's Morph the Cat and Laura Gibson's If You Come To Greet Me. If you need this two albums, please let me know.

I spent 3 days on this project and all albums were picked up after my deep and elaborate consideration.

They are listed below in random sequence.


Donald Fagen-Morph the Cat

Laura Gibson-If You Come To Greet Me

Joanna Newsom-Ys

Eric Anders-Tethered To The Ground

The Blow-Paper Television

Mew-And The Glass Handed Kites

The Knife-Silent Shout

Brandon Patton-Should Confusion

Lady & Bird-Lady And Bird

Barth-Under the Trampoline

Cat Power-The Greatest

Guster-Ganging Up on the Sun

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's-The Dust of Retreat

Barenaked Ladies-Barenaked Ladies Are Me

Camera Obscura-Let's get out of this country

Midlake-The Trials of Van Occupanther

Basement Jaxx-Crazy Itch Radio

Vienna Teng-Dreaming Through The Noise

The Raconteurs-Broken Boy Soldiers

The Mountain Goats-Get Lonely

M.ward-Post War

Montgomery Gentry--Some People Change

The Format-Dog Problem

Shawn Colvin-These Four Walls

Year-end Critic Top Ten Lists

Verious music magazines and sites have published their lists of "The best albums of 2006".

I'm starting to prepare to my list of "The best albums of 2006", but i'm aslo curious about your choice. If you have free time, maybe you like to write it down and let me know your choices. You can left messages on my message board or email to: echen812@hotmail.com

Thanks!

Here are the lists come from Uncut, Stylus, Spin, Q, Rolling Stone, Prefix, Pitchfork and Observer Music Monthly.

Uncut
1. Modern Times by Bob Dylan
2. White Bread Black Beer by Scritti Politti
3. Avatar by Comets On Fire
4. Ys by Joanna Newsom
5. Living With War by Neil Young
6. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
7. The Trials Of Van Occupanther by Midlake
8. The Warning by Hot Chip
9. The Avalanche by Sufjan Stevens
10. The Eraser by Thom Yorke

Stylus
1. Fishscale by Ghostface Killah
2. The Warning by Hot Chip
3. Silent Shout by The Knife
4. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio
5. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse
6. Orchestra Of Bubbles by Ellen Allien & Apparat
7. Boys And Girls In America by The Hold Steady
8. Dedication 2 by Lil' Wayne & DJ Drama
9. So This Is Goodbye by Junior Boys
10. Ys by Joanna Newsom

Spin
1. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio
2. St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley
3. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
4. Fishscale by Ghostface Killah
5. Welcome To The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
6. Ys by Joanna Newsom
7. The Greatest by Cat Power
8. Okonokos by My Morning Jacket
9. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse
10. The Information by Beck

Q
1. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
2. Black Holes & Revelations by Muse
3. Razorlight by Razorlight
4. Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Sam's Town by The Killers
6. Under The Iron Sea by Keane
7. Modern Times by Bob Dylan
8. Empire by Kasabian
9. Ta-Dah by Scissor Sisters
10. St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley

Rolling Stone
1. Modern Times by Bob Dylan
2. Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. Rather Ripped by Sonic Youth
4. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio
5. Fishscale by Ghostface Killah
6. The Greatest by Cat Power
7. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse
8. Boys And Girls In America by The Hold Steady
9. Blood Mountain by Mastodon
10. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards by Tom Waits

Prefix
1. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse
2. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio
3. Scale by Matthew Herbert
4. Drum's Not Dead by Liars
5. Ys by Joanna Newsom
6. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards by Tom Waits
7. Donuts by J Dilla
8. Modern Times by Bob Dylan
9. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood by Neko Case
10. Doctor's Advocate by The Game

Pitchfork
1. Silent Shout by The Knife
2. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio
3. Ys by Joanna Newsom
4. Fishscale by Ghostface Killah
5. Boys And Girls In America by The Hold Steady
6. Drum's Not Dead by Liars
7. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse
8. Yellow House by Grizzly Bear
9. Pink by Boris
10. The Drift by Scott Walker

Observer Music Monthly
1. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
2. Savane by Ali Farka Toure
3. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards by Tom Waits
4. Damaged by Lambchop
5. Back To Black by Amy Winehouse
6. Modern Times by Bob Dylan
7. Ys by Joanna Newsom
8. Fishscale by Ghostface Killah
9. Jarvis by Jarvis Cocker
10. Alright, Still by Lily Allen

The Coup--Pick a Bigger Weapon (2006)

Artist-The Coup
Album-Pick a Bigger Weapon
Release Date-Apr 25, 2006
Label-Epitaph
Genre/Style-Political Rap/Alternative Rap
Format-mp3
Size-90M
Quality-192kbps

Personal Rating-Recommended!

Review-If you look hard enough at the cover of Pick a Bigger Weapon, you can see dangling legs through a hole in the wall of a ransacked Omnimart corporate office. DJ Pam "The Funkstress"' holds a bat, Boots Riley holds a pen, and bottles of a product called Ass-Breath Killer are on a desk and the ground. It's evident that this cover isn't likely to put them in hot water, like the original cover of Party Music did almost five years prior, unless someone prominent and silly finds the legs shocking. The Coup's long-standing balance between humor and righteous anger remains on this, their fifth album, and they still deliver the laughs and rants over juiced synth-funk. This time out, they use the band format more than before, with the likes of Audioslave's Tom Morello, Tony! Toni! Toné!'s D'Wayne Wiggins, and a few funk vets chipping in on occasion. The album's press sheet draws comparisons to Prince's Dirty Mind and Too Short, and while that's not inaccurate, the references could just as easily be Digital Underground, Paris, Above the Law, E-40, late-'70s Parliament/Funkadelic, any previous Coup album, or just about any other funk-steeped rap album that has come from the West Coast. Nursery rhyme-style choruses like "Bush and Hussein together in bed, giving H-E-A-D head/Y'all muthaf*ckas heard what we said/Billions made and millions dead" will get some attention, while complex verses that are not as easy to digest (or quote) will not. Boots is as lyrically pointed as ever, dropping dozens of resonant rhymes that rail and educate, and he's even better when he punctuates his messages with humor, as he does in a faux-uppity voice on "We Are the Ones": "The one university I knew was Yale, so I cooked it, bagged it, put it on sale/Now, philosophically, you'd be opposed to one inhaling coke by the mouth or nose/But, economically, I would propose that you go eat a dick as employment had froze." Even "Ass-Breath Killers" has a much deeper meaning than the title indicates — ass breath comes from kissing ass, and if you use the product, you'll grow a spine and maybe die for speaking your mind. Some fans might hastily skip past the sleazy romantic interludes ("Ijuswannalay..." seems to exist only to segue smoothly into "Head"), but the album is perfectly capable of rattling trunks and energizing activists.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000EQ46PK/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-Links in comments!

Liars--Drum's Not Dead (2006)

Artist-Liars
Album-Drum's Not Dead
Release Date-Drum's Not Dead
Label-Mute
Genre/Style-Indie Rock
Format-mp3
Size-70M
Quality-HQ

Review-Continuing to explore the noise rock/prog rock fusion they pioneered with They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, Liars return with another concept album, Drum's Not Dead. The idea behind this album is even more abstract than They Were Wrong's conflation of witch trials and pagan rituals: Drum's Not Dead revolves around the yin-yang relationship of two forces in the creative process, personified as Mt. Heart Attack (who represents stress and self-doubt) and Drum (the embodiment of creative energy and productivity). While this is an intriguing concept, unfortunately the actual music doesn't always live up to it. Drum's Not Dead borrows pages from the urban-pagan, atmospherically noisy playbooks of both Black Dice and Animal Collective, although the album isn't as evocative as the former band's work nor as cuddly-weird as the latter's. Nothing here is nearly as abrasive, or immediate, as "There's Always Room on the Broom" — throughout the album, Liars stay away from their comfort zone of dynamic noise-rock. This "quiet is the new loud" philosophy is admirable, but too often, Drum's Not Dead sounds oddly blurred and subdued. Interestingly enough for an album that uses mountains as a motif, its terrain is actually more like a valley, starting and ending with powerful tracks and dipping sharply in the middle. Drum's Not Dead begins with "Be Quiet Mt. Heart Attack," which is not only the album's best track, but one of the finest things Liars have ever done. With dark, shimmering guitars that recall EVOL-era Sonic Youth and minimal but monumental drumming, it's full of beauty and brooding that is immediately exploded by the growling drones and heavy, tribal polythrhythms of "Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack," which conjures up images of fiery, twirling drumsticks and sinister rites. It's tempting to say that Drum's Not Dead gets its point across in just the first two tracks, but that would ignore how well "To Hold You, Drum" mixes noise and whispery negative space and sets up the album's surprisingly sweet, hopeful resolution, "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack," which also ranks among the band's finest work. They Were Wrong, So We Drowned might have been too densely packed with ideas and sounds, but Drum's Not Dead errs in the opposite direction: too many tracks feel like variations on the album's themes that don't really go anywhere. Though there are many moments of primal energy (the eerie, hypnotic taunting of "Hold You Drum," "Drum and the Uncomfortable Can"'s climactic doom) and beauty (the flowing water and brooding melody on "The Wrong Coat for You Mt. Heart Attack," "A Visit from Drum"'s expansive guitars and emotional vulnerability), they never quite jell into something that goes beyond being momentarily impressive. Drum's Not Dead is undeniably interesting, but somehow unsatisfying; arguably the best thing about it is how it shows Liars are willing to keep pushing themselves into unknown creative territory, even if the results aren't always consistently great.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000CNFB0O/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-Download links in comments.

Indie-Rock singers recommended--Mew

A person who worked in Decentx record company wrote a letter to me and would like to recommend some artiststo you through CocoaMusic. I recommended "The Cat Empire" several days ago, and today i'd like to recommend another band--Mew.

Maybe their album cover isn't so good (for my part), but their music is really amazing. "And the Glass HandedKites" is the best Space Rock albums i have heard in 2006.


Official Site-
http://www.mewsite.com/site_fr.html
and
http://www.myspace.com/mew (You can hear several songs online here)

Who is Mew?

The members of space pop innovators Mew first met in the seventh grade in Hellerup, Denmark. Before they could even play instruments, the ambitious youths — singer Jonas Bjerre, guitarist Bo Madsen, bassist Johan Wohlert, and drummer Silas Graae — were ready to make music together, although they initially failed as a band called Orange Dog. Madsen briefly spent time in the United States before the guys came back together in their late teens as Mew. Inspired by My Bloody Valentine, the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., the Pet Shop Boys, and Prince, the Danish quartet's first gig impressed a book-publishing agent in the audience so much that he promptly convinced his company to change their business plan and release Mew's debut album.

Limited to only 2,000 copies, A Triumph for Man was issued in 1997 to critical acclaim. Making things even more dramatic for their gigs, the Mew live experience came to incorporate background animations created by Bjerre. The band followed up three years later with Half the World Is Watching Me, released on their own newly created label, Evil Office. The album saw a limited release in Sweden before the band hooked up with Sony for an international deal. As a result of the deal, the album was ultimately pulled so that they could re-record their best work to date for a worldwide release.

The resulting well-received Frengers appeared in 2003. That same year, the band picked up Album of the Year and Band of the Year honors at the Danish Music Critics Awards. Mew's expansive pop dramatics, intricate passages, and shimmering atmospheric sound were further elaborated on for album number four, And the Glass Handed Kites. The record was issued in Europe and the U.K. in September 2005; an American release followed in July 2006. Wohlert had exited the group that spring to be with his growing family, though Mew continued touring during the summer on U.S. dates with the Bloc Party.


About "And the glass handed kites"

Danish quartet Mew's dense and occasionally difficult And the Glass Handed Kites is old-fashioned only in the sense that it's meant to be eaten in a single sitting. This is not a single-driven record — though "Special," with its bouncy, moody chorus and octave vocal delivery, sounds like an emission from a time machine parked dead center within the heydays of early-'90s alternative rock — rather, it's a single organism. Kites takes the wisdom and volatility of the Delgados ("Chinaberry Tree"), the sonic scope of Sigur Rós ("White Lips Kissed"), and the angular guitar attack of early Ride and Dinosaur Jr. ("Circuitry of the Wolf") and melds them all into a cathartic post-rock epic that's so electrifying and unpredictable that it's almost impossible to take in with one or two listens. Fans of OK Computer-era Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, and Disintegration-era Cure will find And the Glass Handed Kites one of the most breathtaking things to come along since the dawn of the dream pop/post-punk genres themselves.


Download links-http://www.savefile.com/files/355263
(2 songs just for reviewed purpose. Like it? please purchase the album. It deserves your money. Thanks!)
Where to buy-http://www.recordstore.co.uk/mew/

The Blow--Paper Television (2006)

Artist-The Blow
Album-Paper Television
Release Date-Oct 24, 2006
Label-K
Genre/Style-Indie Rock/Lo-Fi
Format-mp3
Size-41M
Quality-HQ

Biography-The Blow is really visual artist and performer Khaela Maricich, who formerly released recordings under the name Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano, after which she recorded (with the help of some guests) for K under the name the Blow. The Blow set lyrics that sound like unverbalized thoughts to herself to minimal, often electronically textured basic pop melodies. Maricich's debut as the Blow was 2002's Bonus Album, which she followed the next year with The Concussive Caress, or, Casey Caught Her Mom Singing Along with the Vacuum. In 2004, Maricich teamed up with musical tech-geek Jona Bechtolt for the recording of the limited-edition EP Poor Aim: Love Songs, released late that same year. The results were much to their liking, so much so that the Blow decided to thus remain a duo. Everyday Examples of Humans Facing Straight into the Blow arrived early in 2005 and contained material that had previously been released under Maricich's earlier Volcano moniker. The Portland-based duo then returned in October 2006 with a full-length of new music entitled Paper Television.

Personal Rating-Recommended!

Review-Ever since Khaela Maricich teamed up with Jona Bechtolt for the Poor Aim: Love Songs EP, the Blow's avant-pop leanings have been refined with more structure, more rhythm, and more hooks, resulting in a sound that, interestingly, is more forward-thinking than the group's more concentratedly experimental early work. Paper Television goes even further in this direction, marrying Maricich's charismatic vocals with beats and arrangements inspired by mainstream and urban pop. This bold juxtaposition of sounds pays off more often than not, particularly on Paper Television's first two songs. "Pile of Gold" pairs Maricich's sassy rap-singing with slinky, stuttering rhythms, while "Parentheses" boasts a fantastic chorus and production so bright and immediate that even if the song isn't played on mainstream radio, it certainly could be. However, the daring that makes Paper Television's best moments so unique also leads to some experiments that aren't as successful: "The Long List of Girls" is kinetic, but its beats feel a little contrived and end up stifling Maricich's singing. The glitchy girl-group pop of "Babay (Eat a Critter, Feel Its Wrath)," which likens the end of a bad relationship to being digested and excreted, is original, but also a lot odder than the songs surrounding it, and ends up detracting from Paper Television's flow. Still, the album has more uniquely great moments like the danceable, philosophical breakup song "Fists Up" and witty final ballad "True Affection," than uniquely awkward ones. Even with its subverted mainstream pop productions, the Blow is still very indie pop and very K-sounding; they're just not trapped in any preconceptions of what that means. Paper Television is exciting and accomplished, the album where the Blow goes from being interesting to being addictive.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000I2IRA0/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download Links have been removed. Please go to music store to purchase it.

Neko Case--Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)

Artist-Neko Case
Album-Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Release Date-Mar 7, 2006
Label-Anti
Genre/Style-Alternative Country-Rock Contemporary Singer/Songwriter Indie Rock
Format-mp3
Size-49M
Quality-HQ

Personal Rating-Recommended!

Review-Neko Case hasn't had much need to prove her credentials as a major artist since making her solo debut with 1997's The Virginian, but she's been refining her skills in the recording studio on each subsequent release, and with 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood she's fashioned an album that can cautiously be called a masterpiece. As always, Case's voice, an instrument of impressive strength, grace, and expressive power, is the star of this show, and she's never sounded better than she does here, but what sets this apart from her other fine work is her growth as a songwriter and producer. Case wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and her tales of failed friendship, faith stretched to the breaking point, and love that causes as much ache as comfort are subtle and expressionistic but deeply evocative, conjuring images and feelings that linger long after the album has ended, especially the spectral "Star Witness," the moody yet romantic "That Teenage Feeling" and "Hold on, Hold On," and the darkly beautiful closer, "The Needle Has Landed." And Case and her co-producer, Darryl Neudorf, have assembled a superb cast of musicians to accompany these songs, among them members of the Sadies and Calexico as well as Garth Hudson of the Band, Howe Gelb from Giant Sand, and Kelly Hogan. Together they've sculpted a dozen elegant sonic landscapes that are beautiful and richly detailed while meshing with the moody textures of the songs in their open space and unwillingness to crowd either the singer or the other players. The cumulative effect mirrors both the beauty and the sadness that lurks within the human heart, and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is a rich, mature, and deeply satisfying piece of music that deserves and demands attention — if this isn't Album of the Year material, it's hard to say what is.

Chart Info-
Year Album Chart Peak
2006 Fox Confessor Brings The Flood The Billboard 200 54
2006 Fox Confessor Brings The Flood Top Independent Albums 4
2006 Fox Confessor Brings The Flood Top Internet Albums 54

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000CS4L1E/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download Links have been removed. Please go to music store to purchase it.

Subtle--For Hero: For Fool (2006)

Artist-Subtle
Album-For Hero: For Fool
Release Date-Oct 3, 2006
Label-Astralwerks
Genre/Style-Alternative Rap/Experimental Rock/Underground Rap
Format-mp3
Size-89M

Biography-Formed in 2001 when Amoeba Music record store employees and musicians Jel (Jeffrey Logan) and Doseone (Adam Drucker) — who already made up the Anticon band Themselves — started playing with Dax Pierson, clicking almost instantly. Soon they invited woodwind player Marty Dowers, guitarist Jordan Dalrymple, and cellist Alexander Kort — all of whom Pierson had previously played with — to join the group, and Subtle (with Jel on percussion, Pierson on keys and autoharp, among other instruments, and Doseone on vocals) were born. After a couple of 12" releases and some EPs, A New White was released on Lex Records in 2004. Tragedy struck the band in February the next year when their tour van slipped on black ice, paralyzing Pierson from the chest down. Still, Subtle pushed forward, issuing the remix and collaboration EP Wishingbone in 2006 and signing to EMI, which released the group's sophomore full-length, For Hero: For Fool — which included vocal and harmonica work from Pierson — in conjunction with Lex later that same year.

Personal Rating-Recommended!

Review-Part experimental rock, part electronica, and part hip-hop, Subtle's For Hero: For Fool is a complex, innovative, sometimes bizarre, and usually utterly confusing journey into the minds of lyricist Doseone and his five bandmates. The album weaves its way through stories of a hero whose identity — "another white rapper?" A member of the "middle class?" — although never made explicit, acts as the Everyman in 21st century, post-industrial America. Life is bleak here, full of "guerillas" and other monkeys, of violence and hypocrisy and a slave-like adherence to money. Not every line is completely coherent, even if it's well-enunciated, because there is a great concern with strange and abstract imagery rather than straightforward, comprehensible phrases ("Darwin's bones/Wheeled on the hook to the edge of a cumulus cloud" goes one line in "Nomanisisland"), but the overall effect, the intent of the band, is still very much felt and very much understood. Hollow drums, live, electronic, and beatboxed — the latter coming from Dax Pierson, who was injured while touring with Subtle in early 2005, rendering him paralyzed from the chest down — fold and mix with twisting guitar and synth riffs; the album as a whole a testament to the dangers of urbanity. It's a criticism of man himself and the environment he's created. "The Mercury Craze," the most structured of all the tracks with a catchy, club-ready hook (minus the lyrics: "It seems so few would know just what to do as the new and improved lucky you,/To be courted and prized as someone else's very own personal blood mine" might kill the buzz on the dancefloor) and a sparse, clean beat, questions how far we might go to prolong our lives, but even the songs that are less tangible in their analysis ("Call to Dive," "A Tale of Apes I" and "II") still, through their intensity and sense of purpose, get their points across well. The future looks grim, no matter which way you look at it, and Doseone's distinct, nasally vocals, which switch from sung to rapped to spoken, don't do anything to lighten the mood. It's as if he's sneering at you, sneering at everyone who's ever uttered a word or done anything, sneering at himself for being human, too; it could come off as condescension, but since he's including himself among the perpetrators it just seems like bitter irony and pessimism instead. We're all the ones who've made this mess, and we're all the ones who have to live with it, and though it may end up being dirty, at least we've got ourselves, and Subtle, to suffer together with.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000HIP3ZC/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LUOEM9PP

Cat Power--The Greatest (2006)

Artist-Cat Power
Album-The Greatest
Release Date-Jan 24, 2006
Label-Matador
Genre/Style-Singer/Songwriter Indie-Rock Sadcore
Format-mp3
Size-57M

Biography-Cat Power was the alias of Chan Marshall, a Southern-bred singer/songwriter whose father, Charlie, was an itinerant pianist. After dropping out of high school, Marshall found herself in New York; performing under the name Cat Power, she was booked as the opening act for Liz Phair, where she met Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and Two Dollar Guitar's Tim Foljahn, who agreed to become her backing band. Following the release of 1995's Dear Sir and 1996's Myra Lee — both recorded on the same day — Cat Power signed to Matador for 1996's What Would the Community Think?, which won acclaim for Marshall's unsettling, emotional songs and cathartic vocals.

The superb Moon Pix followed two years later, and in the spring of 2000 Cat Power resurfaced with The Covers Record. Released in 2003, You Are Free featured a lusher, more polished sound as well as cameos by Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder; 2006's The Greatest was recorded in Memphis, TN, with legendary soul players including guitarist/songwriter Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, bassist Leroy "Flick" Hodges, and drummer Steve Potts.

Personal Rating-Recommended!

Review-The Greatest (no, it's not a hits collection) makes it clear just how much Chan Marshall grows with each album she releases. Three years on from You Are Free, she sounds reinvented yet again: Marshall returned to Memphis, TN — where she recorded What Would the Community Think nearly a decade earlier — to make an homage to the Southern soul and pop she listened to as a young girl. Working with great Memphis soul musicians such as Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, Leroy "Flick" Hodges, and Dave Smith, she crafted an album that is even more focused and accessible than You Are Free was, and pushes her even closer toward straightforward singer/songwriter territory. The title track is a subtle but powerful statement of purpose: with its lush, "Moon River" strings and lyrics about a young boy who wanted to become a boxer, the song is as moving as her earlier work but also a big step away from the angst-ridden diary-rock that her music is sometimes categorized as. Likewise, on the gospel-tinged "Living Proof" and the charming "Could We," Marshall is sexy, strong, and playful, and far from the stereotype of her as a frail, howling waif. But the truth is, sweet Southern songs like these have been in her repertoire since What Would the Community Think's "They Tell Me" and "Taking People" (You Are Free's "Good Woman" and "Half of You" are also touchstones for this album); The Greatest is just a more polished, palatable version of this side of her music. This is the most listenable Cat Power album Marshall has made, and one that could easily win her lots of new fans. It's also far from a sell-out — The Greatest sounds like the album Marshall wanted to make, without any specific (or larger) audience in mind. And yet, the very things about The Greatest that make it appealing to a larger audience also make it less singular and sublime than, say, Moon Pix or You Are Free. The productions and arrangements on songs like "Lived in Bars" and "Empty Shell" are so immaculate and intricate that they threaten to overwhelm Marshall's gorgeous voice. And, occasionally, the album's warm, soulful, laid-back vibe goes from mellow to sleepy, particularly on "Willie" and "The Moon." Two of The Greatest's best songs show that she doesn't need to be edgy and tortured or gussied up with elaborate productions to sound amazing: "Where Is My Love" reaffirms that all Marshall needs is a piano and that voice to make absolutely spellbinding music. On the other hand, "Love & Communication"'s modern, complicated take on love gains a quiet intensity with judiciously used strings and keyboards. For what it is, The Greatest is exceedingly well done, and people who have never heard of Cat Power before could very well love this album immediately. However, it might take a little more work for those who have loved her music from the beginning.

Product-http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ50328506
Download-http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G2OKM0F8

Sunset Rubdown--Shut Up I Am Dreaming (2006)

Artist-Sunset Rubdown
Album-Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Release Date-May 2, 2006
Label-Absolutely Kosher
Genre/Style-Indie Rock
Format-mp3
Size-67M
Quality-HQ

Personal Rating-Recommended! You can listen to their "Stadiums and Shrines II" freely before you decide to download the whole album, but the song isn't the best one in this album for my part: http://www.absolutelykosher.com/musicfiles/Stadiums_And_Shrines_II.mp3

Review-Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug peppers his songs with the same British affectations that fuel fellow Canadian Dan Bejar's skewed indie pop, but where Destroyer flirts dangerously with pre-Berlin-era David Bowie, Krug's formidable side project Sunset Rubdown seem intent on channeling early Gary Numan. Shut Up I Am Dreaming is pure bedroom art-pop with a thin Britpop glaze that is as poignant and self-effacing as it is self conscious and pretentious. Krug starts things off with a bang on "Stadiums and Shrines II," an explosive piece of self-propaganda that utilizes Wolf Parade's manic energy, Arcade Fire's willful introspection and Frog Eyes' vocal shudder — Krug has moonlighted as a Frog Eye in the past — with the kind of apocalyptic results that are usually reserved for album end pieces. It's a bold move, but it helps the listener to figure out whether or not the road is worth taking in the first five minutes of the record, as what follows both expounds and splinters off from it. Utilizing an arsenal of keyboards, xylophones, treated guitars and compressed drums, Krug can take a line like "If I ever hurt you it will be in self-defense," from the fractured and haunting the "Empty Threats of Little Lord" and make it sound both meek and imposing, showing a real knack for the kind of literate imagery so effortlessly flung by the aforementioned Bejar. Some of Dreaming's tracks meander too far and too long, illuminating the downside of home recording (no editor), but there's a melodious after burn at work here that's missing from Krug's work with the more accessible Wolf Parade, and one that's not likely to flame out over the span of future recordings.

Product-http://www.absolutelykosher.com/sunsetrubdown.htm
Download-http://www.rogepost.com/n/6575241037

Brakes--The Beatific Visions (2006)

Artist-Brakes
Album-The Beatific Visions
Release Date-6th November 2006
Genre/Style-Alternative/Indie-Rock
Format-mp3
Size-42M
Quality-HQ

Official Site and biography-http://www.brakesbrakesbrakes.com/
Personal Rating-You can hear several songs online before you decide to download the whole album. Here is the link: http://www.myspace.com/brakesband

Review-The Beatific Visions is indie supergroup Brakes’ follow-up to Give Blood and comprises 11 tracks of sometimes dizzying intensity, rattled out in a spritely 28 minutes. Rather like Give Blood, it’s a bold, sometimes brilliant and occasionally ramshackle experience that mostly impresses. But the best thing that can be said about it is that you’ll be desperate to hear it all over again almost as soon as it’s finished. It’s a blast that demands repeated listens, especially in light of his trim running time.

Product-http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/1871182/The_Beatific_Visions/Product.html
Download-http://rapidshare.com/files/8022135/Brakes-The_Beatific_Visions.rar.html

Thomas Dybdahl--One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City (2006)

Artist-Thomas Dybdahl
Album-One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City
Release Date-Jun 6, 2006
Label-Recall
Genre/Style-Singer/Song-writer
Format-Rock
Size-53M
Quality-192kbps

Official Site-http://www.thomasdybdahl.com/
Personal Rating-Recommended!

Biography-Thomas Dybdahl went out to become something what is called a shooting-star in Norway. As a solo artist, the former guitarist of the band Quadraphonics released his first single EP Bird in 2000. His first release did not have much success, and his second EP from 2001, John Wayne, was also unsuccessful.

Beginning with the release of his first album, ... That Great October Sound, the first part of his gold and platinum selling October series, in 2002, Thomas Dybdahl received national and even international appreciation for his unique work. Since then, and especially after the European release in 2004, Thomas Dybdahl's notability has increased significantly. The mostly positive reviews tout Dybdahl as a new pop wonder comparable to Nick Cave, Jeff Buckley and other important solo artists. He received the Spellemannprisen and the Alarm Award for his outstanding work.

The release of his next two albums Stray Dogs (European release in 2005) and One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City further increased his standing as a respected artist.

In 2004, he teamed up with artists from the Jaga Jazzist and Bigbang on the project The National Bank, which immediately entered the Norwegian charts with the project's self-titled debut album. To date, it hasn't been released outside Norway.

Product-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000FIGGMS/onmeta2-20/ref=nosim
Download-http://rapidshare.com/files/8027986/Thomas_Dybdahl.rar.html

Indie Singers Recommended--Barth and His "Under the Trampoline"

Today I'd like to recommend Barth to you. Actually i knew him several days ago when a guy came here and requestedhis songs. His music is really fabulous and romantic like the city he comes from--Paris.

Official site-http://www.myspace.com/barthroom
Video of "The last wig"--http://youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-b9WoqaaQ


Biography and Review about his latest album--"Under the Trampoline"

Barthelemy Corbelet learnt to play guitar at the age of 11. Quiet school life. Degree in anthropology brilliantly cut short. Everything spiralled from then on. Barth found himself working as shop assistant at Cash Converters in order to survive. Here he developed his penchant for dressing up, helping himself to objects lying around the stock cupboard : flippers, wigs etc …Everything spiralled from then on. Barth found himself working as shop assistant at Cash Converters in order to survive. Here he developed his penchant for dressing up, helping himself to objects lying around the stock cupboard : flippers, wigs etc …

Of an irritable nature, a non-smoker due to never having felt the need, Barth went on to become courier for an elderly persons’ association, a job that didn’t steer him too far away from the human element, bringing him that bit closer to what he wanted to do later on : make music. Still struggling to make a living (decidedly) he started making music for tv, adverts, credits…

Until he glimpsed the light at the end of the Euro tunnel : first album in England released by Boss Music “Essence of giraffe”, signed by Andy Ross the founder of English label “Food Records” (Blur, Jesus Jones, Idlewild…). Autodidact and partisan of the do-it-yourself approach, Barth cobbles his work together using second-hand material (drum-kit, old-fashioned keyboards, his guitar, an analogical 8- track tape recorder and pure gold in his hands…). The album was recorded at his flat in Paris-Bastille.“Barking but brilliant” the Sunday Times would say. Nice.

Concerts. Many. Including opening for the Pretenders during the Franco-English leg of their European tour. Axel Concato, life-long friend, would accompany him on keyboards.

For his second album “Under the trampoline”, Barth would leave the confines of his bedroom and go into the studio, recording with Mike Pelanconi (Graham Coxon, Gregory Isaac) who co-produced the project.

Result : a pop jewel , sparkling glints of surrealism, cut Jamaican style by an Anglo-Italian freebooter.

In a fancy dress costume of his choice, lovingly put together after raiding his drawers. Bonnie Prince Billy’s moustache. Lee Perry’s moon boots. The supple, bouncy hairdo of Beck. The Gretsch of Rob Orbison. The side smirk and tights of Damon Albarn. Simply Barth.

Barth likes football too. He’s remarkable in attack.

“Under the trampoline” is a shining example of class, nonchalance, precision, vivaciousness and panache: pop gems contoured by dub music, his own voice permeating his own lyrics.



Product-http://www.diva-music.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=177
Download-http://www.savefile.com/files/341719 (Size-38M/Quality-HQ)