MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL ($19.99 BluRay; Sony) -- This is Monty Python at its absolute peak. Their show just ended its 5 year run on the BBC and now their first movie with all original material was opening in theaters. Quite simply, it's one of the funniest comedies of all time and signal moment in the career of one of the most influential groups of comics in history, ranking alongside fellow Brits the Beyond The Fringe fellows, Canada's SCTV and Saturday Night Live. It looks surprisingly good on BluRay for such a low-budget, throw anything against the wall and see if it sticks movie. New extras (like some bonus footage and bloopers as well as animated bits, sit alongside extras from earlier editions. It's a complete pain in the neck to access the app with a making-of story and tons of bonus material (you have to pay for it and then get a rebate), but this physical copy is loaded as is. The movie? Brilliantly silly, stupidly clever as always. I jumped randomly to one scene to check picture quality. King Arthur is asking peasants who lives in the castle nearby and the levels of humor are breathtaking. He calls an old man "old woman." The peasant reacts angrily and then later says, "I'm 37," also taking offense at being called old. Arthur tries to steer the conversation where he wants, but they're puzzled by his claim of being King of the Brits. Who named him king? He launches into a speech about the Lady of the Lake who handed him Excalibur and the peasant rudely interrupts with a discussion of feudal systems and his preference for a vaguely socialistic set-up. Arthur tries again, and finally in anger demands the peasant stop talking, who then explodes in mock anger, exclaiming "I'm being oppressed!" All throughout this, the peasants are mindlessly kneeling on the ground, slapping mud into little piles. If the peasant were so clever, it wouldn't be funny. But in amongst all the other levels of humor, the peasant is really rather annoying, much like a college student who is spouting off with his newly discovered knowledge about power structures as if he's the first in the world to discover it. Python, Monty both celebrate erudition but also mock their cerebral ways. Of course, much of the film involves farts and flying cows and maidens who like to be spanked and knights who say "Neee!" How I love it.
VANYA ON 42ND STREET ($39.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- I think Anton Chekhov is a much better source for great movies than great plays. I know, he's one of the most acclaimed playwrights of all time. (And his short stories are where his greatest achievement lies.) Nonetheless, his plays are notoriously difficult. I've seen great productions but far more often -- even with the most talented cast in the world -- I've seen Chekhov plays that remained emotionally inert. I think that's because his material works best in close-up. His rich language is best delivered very, very quietly. Perhaps that's why this adaptation of Uncle Vanya works so beautifully. It's certainly a late career peak for director Louis Malle and a signal work for the entire cast. They share their stories in a new substantial documentary. Malle is missed, but like Chekhov his work will live on. Chekhov's The Duel was another terrific film from 2010. He's one of our greatest writers and film I think is the ideal medium for his dramatic work. Criterion's usual care presents the film beautifully.
OUT OF AFRICA COLLECTOR'S SERIES BLURAY ($39.95; Universal) THE DEER HUNTER COLLECTOR'S SERIES BLURAY ($19.95; Universal) -- These two films have swapped places in my estimation since i first saw them. Enthralled wth Meryl Streep (quite rightly), I ignored the picture postcard thinness of Sydney Pollack's romance when it first came out and put it on my best of the year list. Streep is very good but having since read many of writer Isak Dinesen's stories, I feel the film is even wider of the mark compared to what it might have been. (Though any true depiction of Dinesen and her work would be complicated by her maternalistic attitude toward Africa). I was a little cool to The Deer Hunter at first, but its power in key scenes has only grown with the years. Both it and Apocalypse Now are problematic for me, but both have a strange mystery that keeps me watching. Director Michael Cimino never had the major career one might have expected, but watching this reminds you of why people expected it. Both films look very good, thanks to Universal's celebration of its 100th anniversary by presenting some of its key films as lovingly as possible.
AMERICAN PIE 1/2/WEDDING ($19.98 each on BluRay; Universal) -- Far less prestigious but probably far more profitable than Out Of Africa is the American Pie series, the raunchy comedy that made home-made pie lovers wary forever.The series gets a new edition with the inevitable American Reunion and that's an excuse to put out all three in the series onto BluRay with the big new extra a three-hour (!) making of documentary about the series on the original film's release. Thin stuff, though Seann William Scott is amusingly perfect for this sort of stuff.
ANATOMY OF A MURDER ($39.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- Director Otto Preminger often made self-consciously "important" films, like Advise and Consent (Washington corruption) and The Man With The Golden Arm (drug addiction). This may be a process film -- showing how murder trials really work -- but it's pure fun as well and his greatest movie. Jimmy Stewart as the righteous defense attorney is pitch perfect but it's a great cast up and down the line. This loaded release contains strong extras from new interviews with a Preminger biographer and Gary Giddins on the landmark score by Duke Ellington to a fun 10 minute segment showing Preminger debate William F. Buckley Jr. on film censorship. One of the greats in a worthy presentation.
SPIDERS ($29.95; Kino) SCARLET STREET ($29.95 BluRay; Kino) -- Director Fritz Lang had a hell of a career from his early silents to German peaks (M and Metropolis) to a heady Hollywood period. Two new releases from Kino capture that breadth. Spiders is a two-part movie that plays like one of those old serials, following an Indiana Jones-style adventure (oddly named Kay Hoog) who is often on a search for treasure while combatting gang of criminals known as the Spiders. It's a bit creaky but fun. Better is his late period noir Scarlet Street (1945) with Edward G. Robinson as a timid little man thoroughly transformed by an obsession with street-walker Joan Bennett. Both look strong, given their provenance.
NIJINSKY ($24.95; Olive/Paramount) -- Director Herbert Ross followed his smash hit The Turning Point with another dance melodrama. Nijinsky contains some strong dance scenes but was far less successful, due perhaps to the gay love story at its heart. In the early 1900s, Nijinsky is at his peak, but torn between a ballerina and the imperious Diaghilev (Alan Bates) and the pressure drove him bonkers. Literally. Also notable is Jeremy Irons in his film debut right before The French Lieutenant's Woman and Brideshead Revisited made him a star.
MY MAN GODFREY ($14.98; Universal) SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS ($14.98; Universal) -- Universal's 100th anniversary has meant a fine excuse to provide fine new prints of some of the key films in its library. My Man Godfrey is a classic example of the screwball comedy. William Powell is perfect as a down on his luck bum who becomes the perfect butler -- and more -- to a madcap heiress (Carole Lombard). It's Hollywood at its very best. Many hold Sullivan's Travels in equally high esteem. It's the most personal movie from the great Preston Sturges. Here Joel McCrea is a director tires of making silly comedies and yearns to go out and find the "real" America and tell a real story. Rather insultingly, to my mind, he finally accepts that the lowly common man wants frothy comedies to take their minds off mundane reality. It's heavy-handed Hollywood satire. I'll take the real deal of My Man Godfrey over a movie about a man who spends most of his movie thinking Godfrey is a waste of time.
THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI ($29.95 BluRay; Criterion) -- My interest is always raised when Criterion adds a film I'm not familiar with to its lineup. Three Outlaw Samurai, I'm happy to report, is a corker. It's the spin-off from a wildly successful Japanese TV series and is a key film in the "chanbara" genre. I'm not quite clear how chanbara differs from other samurai films, but it's great fun. Released in 1964, it's the origin story of how the three traveling do-gooders first got together. One is an unemployed ronin who stumbles upon some peasants that have kidnapped the local leader's daughter to try and force him to pay attention to their desperate straits. He's amused by their haplessness and stands by while they flounder until he accepts the dignity of their cause. The other two are in the employ of the evil leader but are soon won over by the code of honor they've almost entirely abandoned. It's pure narrative fun, beautifully shot and with some excellent fight scenes and above all terrifically vivid characters. Any fan of spaghetti westerns and classic samurai movies should jump.
THAT SHOW WITH JOAN RIVERS ($24.98; Synergy) LAWRENCE WELK CLASSIC EPISODES 1-4 ($39.99; Synergy) -- Neither one of these releases will win any points for picture quality. They're just old episodes tossed onto DVD. The Joan Rivers show is a genuine time capsule. Rovers hosted a local show in NYC that followed a familiar pattern. Rivers performed a monologue, brought in an expert to discuss a topic (like Nudism, Natural Childbirth, the Jet Set and the like) and then brought in a personality to expand the discussion. It's great to see Rivers coming into her own here on these 18 shows. The Welk set has 12 hour-long episodes of his easy listening show from the early 1960s when it was broadcast in black and white. It's of rather so-so picture quality but those hankering for a shot of nostalgia will care more about memories stirred up than sharpness on the DVD. Others should stay away.
CHARADE ($14.98; UNIVERSAL) TO CATCH A THIEF ($22.99 BluRay; Paramount) -- We all know Cary Grant is a great actor. Even with the best actors, it's not always clear who will have chemistry with whom. Sometimes great stars simply bump up against each other on screen rather than complementing one another. So that brings us to another remarkable element of Grant's movie success. He had off-the-charts chemistry with more co-stars than almost anyone else in history, from Katharine Hepburn to Doris Day. Here are two classic examples: Grant is charming with Audrey Hepburn in the lighter-than-air caper film Charade and sizzling with Grace Kelly in one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser entertainments To Catch A Thief. Quite simply, like the best athletes on a team, Grant made everyone around him better. The BluRay transfer of Thief, by the way, is exceptionally good.
MOST TITLES LISTED HERE WILL BE AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE FORMATS AND IN MULTIPLE COMBINATIONS, INCLUDING DVD, BLURAY, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, VOD, STREAMING AND THE LIKE. THE FORMAT LISTED IS THE FORMAT PROVIDED FOR REVIEW, NOT ALL THE FORMATS AVAILABLE. IT IS OFTEN THE MOST EXPENSIVE VERSION WITH THE MOST EXTRAS. DO CHECK INDIVIDUAL TITLES FOR AVAILABILITY IN ALL THEIR VARIOUS GUISES AND PRICE POINTS.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs and BluRays with the understanding that he would be considering them for review. Generally, he does not guarantee to review and he receives far more titles than he can cover.
GAME OF THRONES FIRST SEASON ($79.98 BluRay; HBO) -- Game Of Thrones may be the biggest roll of the dice in TV history. It's based on a series of novels that tell one long story...and they haven't even all been written yet. In fact, if author George R.R. Martin continues at his new slow pace, the show may have to go on hiatus for a number of years before the series can reach its finale. And that finale will take seven seasons to satisfy fans. It's also one of the most expensive shows in TV history, telling a story laced with fantasy and set in a medieval era with all the lavishness of a feature film. Now that's bold and I look forward to future seasons. I just wish the first one were better. The story is one of intrigue, based loosely on the War of the Roses. Numerous royal families are vying for power while a supernatural threat from the North slowly works its way towards the "civilized" world. You get backstabbing, scheming, incest, swordplay, lots and lots of nudity and a clutch of fine actors. The problems? Casting and costuming. No expense was spared but the costumes and makeup quite often fall far short. Hair, makeup, clothing -- they should all invisibly denote the power and prestige of the wearers (or the lack). Instead, too often the costumes look just like that: costumes. Jaime Lannister is meant to be the most handsome, dashing man in the world but his clothing often looks like a Members Only jacket and the haircut and demeanor of actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau remind you of Malibu Ken, not Lancelot. Harry Lloyd also falls quite short as the intended to be menacing Viserys Targaryen. With his bleached white hair and petulant manner, he seems like Draco Malfoy's cousin, not a threat to the throne. These weaknesses continue for other minor characters and illustrate an unusual feature of GoT. Except for Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, almost all the "bad" guys in the series are far less interesting than the "good" guys. That's rarely the case for a genre piece like this where the villains often get the best lines and the most dastardly deeds. In contrast, the Stark clan is well cast up and down the line, from Sean Bean as the family head to Maisie Williams in the challenging role of Arya (with a special shout out to an excellent Kit Harington as the bastard Jon Snow). TV rarely tackles fantasy and almost never does it well, so that and the appeal of the books will keep me watching. Stronger tech work and some better casting (luckily, lots of people die so the show always has a chance to inject fresher, stronger talent) could turn GoT from a guilty pleasure into a genuine one. P.S. Maybe it's the slowdown in DVD sales, but it's great to see the cost to consumers for an entire season of a show like this come down in price, especially on sale. Less than $40? That used to be a fantasy, but no more.
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE ($39.99 BluRay; FOX) -- This intriguing drama stars Elizabeth Olsen as the wayward sister who shows up looking for a place to crash but unwilling to talk about where she's been or what she's done. In flashbacks, we see her get slowly drawn into a cult led by John Hawkes (in another excellent performance). Then the phone calls and the mysterious strangers make clear that this cult doesn't let its members take off so easily. More quiet tale than thriller, the film isn't an out of the park success but delivers on its quiet premise quite nicely.
HUGO ($44.99; Paramount) -- I enjoyed the graphic/novel by Brian Selznick, which had the much more evocative title The Invention Of Hugo Cabret. Changing that to just Hugo was the first sign this movie wouldn't deliver. The second was hiring director Martin Scorsese, a man not known for gentle family fare. But it's not entirely his fault. The appeal of the book rested entirely on how the story was told: a clever combination of images a la a graphic novel (sometimes dozens of pages would go by without any text at all, just pictures advancing the story) and text (at other times the images would stop and the text would dominate a la a traditional novel). The story itself was rather flat and unimaginative, with very little action or change of any consequence: in essence, a kid hiding in a train station discovers the man running a toy store used to be a film director. That's about it. To bump up the action, lame subplots are introduced to the movie like a romance between two older characters and a bumbling cop given a greatly expanded role and his own attraction to a flower girl. That's interspersed with all sorts of chases and fancy camerawork. The movie looks just as artificial on 2-D at home as it did in 3-D at the theater though it's a blessed relief not to have to wear those bulky glasses when the effects were so minimal. Heavy-handed touches (like mixing the sound of a film projector unspooling early on in the movie to subliminally remind us of the pleasures of movies) can be found throughout. Dramatically static, cartoonishly acted, Hugo is not one for the ages, though a number of critics enjoyed it far more than me. Well, they're wrong.
PUSS IN BOOTS ($39.99 BluRay; DreamWorks) -- I've never been a huge fan of the Shrek films (my favorite one is their made-for-tv Christmas special; the movies I find too enamored with random pop culture references). But thank goodness they spun off Antonio Banderas's witty character Puss In Boots. I would not want to have sat through a movie about Eddie Murphy's Donkey. This movie breathed a little creative life into a very tired franchise. It wasn't the massive success of the Shrek movies, but $535 million is probably enough to guarantee another adventure.
SUPER BOWL XLVI CHAMPIONS ($34.93 BluRay; NFL/Vivendi) -- More. That's my sole comment about this highlight DVD, which does a good job of recapping the entire season of Super Bowl champs the New York Giants and (finally) includes the extras you'd expect like post-game ceremonies, media day and the like. NFL Films really does excellent work in capturing unlikely and striking footage of games that's superior to what you see in a live game and during most movies about football. BUt why just recaps? This should be a 2 DVD set with one DVD including the entire Super Bowl game day hoopla (with commercials that aired as a bonus feature -- why not?). That should be the cheap option. But they should also offer a boxed set with every regular season game of the Giants plus the 2 DVD Super Bowl package as well. And for about $70. Max. Finally, why not have a release for the Patriots. The heartbreaking story of the losers can make for compelling drama too. They've got the footage. Why not? This one-disc release is more complete than in past years but still feels skimpy compared to the goodies lying in their vaults unused and unseen.
TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE ($29.99; Zeitgeist) - Multi-director omnibuses -- with multiple short films strung together around an over-arching theme -- are one of the least-loved ideas in movie history and rarely worth the bother. But this one comes from Romania, one of the most innovative and exciting sources of movies in the past few years. Overseen by Cristian Mungiu (director of the acclaimed 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), this pulls together urban myths and legends that sprang up around the final years of the brutal Ceausescu regime, a terrible era the government propaganda machine defiantly dubbed "The Golden Age." Mungiu teams with other talented filmmakers to spin multiple, mordantly funny tales. It's funny how suddenly a country can become a hotbed of filmmaking for no discernible reason, but that's exactly what's happened in Romania, making even a project like this seem a tantalizing prospect. Yes, when it comes to cinema, Romania truly is in a Golden Age.
IMMORTALS ($39.99 BluRay; FOX) -- Director Tarsem Singh has a remarkable ability to create striking imagery and it's on full display in this 300-ish epic tale of a Theseus (Henry Cavill), a young villager handy with weapons who takes on the mad king (Mickey Rourke) threatening to destroy the world. It looks amazing, if you just turn off your mind and glance at the screen in a daze. But story? Characters? Dramatic involvement in their fates? Tongue in cheek fun? Nope. Not on the menu. But what you do find on the DVDs menu are tons of extras like an alternate beginning and two alternate endings, which should tell you something right there.
THE BRIEF COMPLETE COLLECTION ($59.99; Acorn) MIDSOMER MURDERS SET 19 ($59.99 BluRay; Acorn) -- Alan Davies of the gently charming Jonathan Creek series paired with the team behind TV's Inspector Morse about a barrister with a messy personal life (gambling debts, an affair with the wife of a politician, etc) and far more successful legal one. Nothing groundbreaking, but Davies does have his appeal. Meanwhile, Midsomer Murders -- the long-running British cozy mystery series (that is, crimes set in a village setting that are gently humorous) -- continues along wit no signs of stopping after its latest four installments, each one a self-contained movie of about 100 minutes. Unlike most "cozys," the murders are rather brutal in nature at times, but the general tone is still amiable if not quite Murder, She Wrote.
THE SKIN I LIVE IN ($45.99 BluRay; Sony Pictures Classics) -- One of the most baroque plots in director Pedro Almodovar's history (pulled from a not terribly interesting novel) is unfortunately treated with deadly dull seriousness. Almodovar long ago started making the movies he used to lovingly send up and this is a prime example, with Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeon who has a mysterious but beautiful woman trapped in his home. It's silly from the stilted beginning to the ludicrous finale, but unfortunately the movie doesn't realize how silly the story is and we never get to have any fun.
JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN ($34.98 BluRay; Universal) JACK AND JILL ($40.99 BluRay; Columbia) FOOTLOOSE ($44.99 BluRay; Paramount) BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD VOLUME 4 ($26.99 BluRay; Paramount) -- Do we need another James Bond spoof? No, we do not, but Rowan Atkinson's non-Bean creation Johnny English is a lot more popular overseas so he will return. Are Adam Sandler's fans unthinking automatons? No, they are not because even they handed him a rare commercial flop with this tepid comedy about an annoying sister who comes to visit. Did anyone want to see a remake of the dated-the-day-it-was-released movie Footloose? Do they did not. I know it's nominally based on a true story but I always felt this story would have worked better set in the 1950s.Will I laugh at Beavis and Butt-head? No, I will not. Hey, I like South Park and even enjoyed Beavis and Butt-head Do America, probably because they played actual characters and had an actual story of sorts. But their TV show I find relentlessly...well, I can't say stupid because they would laugh at me and say "duh!' Dull? Yes, dull. No change but fans will enjoy these all new episodes. I guess.
MOST TITLES LISTED HERE WILL BE AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE FORMATS AND IN MULTIPLE COMBINATIONS, INCLUDING DVD, BLURAY, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, VOD, STREAMING AND THE LIKE. THE FORMAT LISTED IS THE FORMAT PROVIDED FOR REVIEW, NOT ALL THE FORMATS AVAILABLE. IT IS OFTEN THE MOST EXPENSIVE VERSION WITH THE MOST EXTRAS. DO CHECK INDIVIDUAL TITLES FOR AVAILABILITY IN ALL THEIR VARIOUS GUISES AND PRICE POINTS.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs and BluRays with the understanding that he would be considering them for review. Generally, he does not guarantee to review and he receives far more titles than he can cover.
I've traveled to the future and can reassure you that Adele will have a fun night at the Grammys on Sunday. Her album is one of those inevitable triumphs at an awards show that feels right. Adele has dominated the charts and the radio and critics; if she'd been able to tour, we'd probably be saying how much better her songs sound in concert than they do on the album and realize she has room to grow. Her smash hit 21 is in every sense the album of the year.
So I was surprised in my recent trip down South to realize how few people actually own it. Five million copies is nothing to sneeze at in the North American market, but a lot more people should snap it up. If and when they do, here are some other albums you might want to consider purchasing as well. These days, you can check them out first on Spotify or MySpace so you won't have to take my word for it before spending your precious entertainment dollars. I have an embarrassing lack of classical music this year (I just wasn't exposed to much), but there's something for almost everyone -- pop, rock, country, jazz, gospel, world music, film scores, ambient, folk and more. If you've liked the artist before or enjoy the genre, I'll bet it's worth your time.
Now make sure you read the list and immediately chide me for not including so and so (Wilco! Jayhawks! Tuneyards!) or for foolishly including so and so (Panic! at the Disco? Really?) or for having one act too high (Glen Campbell in the Top 10?) or too low (Frank Ocean at the bottom?). Hey, it wouldn't be fun if we didn't argue. I'm especially looking forward to getting tips about any albums I haven't heard yet. Chances are if an act is on a lot of year-end lists that I probably already gave it a listen. But little known favorites of yours are very welcome comments indeed. That's certainly all I hope to achieve with my picks: point you in the direction of an album or two I think you'll love. And now, the list! Come back over the weekend and I promise to add in some comments explaining my choices.
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011
1. FLEET FOXESHelplessness Blues (CSN rocks out)
2. TOM WAITSBad As Me (bohemian troubadour in top form)
3. KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINSDiamond Mine (quirky concept album, gorgeously done)
4. GILLIAN WELCHThe Harrow and the Harvest (simple, straightforward, striking folk)
5. TEDDY THOMPSONBella / kd langSing It Loud /RON SEXSMITH -- Long Player, Late Bloomer (pure pop by pure pros)
6. WYNTON MARSALIS AND ERIC CLAPTONPlay the Blues / BRANFORD MARSALIS AND JOEY CALDARAZZOSongs of Mirth and Melancholy (trad jazz)
7. GLEN CAMPBELLGhost on the Canvas (haunting country pop)
8. BOMBINOAgadez (Tuareg rocks!) / BOUBACAR TRAOREMali Denhou (gentle African guitar) / LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZOSongs From a Zulu Farm (ecstatic and playful children's music)
9. VARIOUS ARTISTSThis May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African American Gospel on 45 RPM (1957-1982) (lo-fi, high flying gospel that's so good you'll convert)
10. ADELE21 (unstoppable soul diva)
***
11. GROUPLOVENever Trust a Happy Song (raucous LA pop-rock)
12. PANIC! AT THE DISCO Vices & Virtues (sterling but overlooked pop-rock)
13. NICK LOWEThe Old Magic (vintage wine, vintage bottle)
14. WILD FLAGWild Flag (giving super groups a good name)
15. BRAD MEHLDAUModern Music (dependably adventurous jazz trio)/COLIN VALLON -- Rruger (bold EU trio following in Mehldau's wake)
16. JAY-Z AND KANYE WESTWatch the Throne (braggadocio taken to new heights)
17. BON IVERBon Iver (stares down success with quiet confidence)
18. BALLAKE SISSOKO AND VINCENT SEGALChamber Music (delicate instrumentals)
19. PAUL SIMONSo Beautiful or So What (mortality, musically)
20. BETH HART & JOE BONAMASSADon't Explain (the blues, thumpingly good)
***
21. PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND AND DEL MCCOURY BANDAmerican Legacies (an institution finds new life via collaboration)
22. AMBROSE AKINMUSIREWhen the Heart Emerges Glistening (quietly probing jazz)
23. JAMES BLAKEJames Blake (trippy pop)
24. VARIOUS ARTISTSLive From the Old Town School (folk's beating heart)
28. DARI0 MARINELLI WITH JACK LIEBECKJane Eyre soundtrack (the year's best traditional score)/ MATTHEW COOPERSome Days Are Better Than Others (the year's best untraditional score)
29. THE CORALButterfly House/THE MAGIC NUMBERSRunaway (pop, unimported, unrecognized)
30. PISTOL ANNIESPistol Annies / MIRANDA LAMBERTFour The Record (country's top gal and friends)
***
31. THE LOW ANTHEMSmart Flesh (brainy Americana)
32. CHARLIE HADEN AND QUARTET WESTSophisticated Ladies (female singers, jazz swingers)
33. THE BLACK KEYSEl Camino (rock, no fuss)
34. M83Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (ambient pop)
35. ALISON KRAUSS AND UNION STATIONPaper Airplanes/ JOHN HIATTDirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (old dogs, old tricks, happily so)
36. BEASTIE BOYSHot Sauce Committee, Part Two (feisty hip-hop from the old-timers)
37. BEN HOWARDEvery Kingdom (gentle pop)/MIKE BLOOMKing Of Circles (WARM singer-songwriter vibe for this solo debut)
38. VINICIUS CANTUARIA AND BILL FRISELLLagrimas Mexicanas (two great guitars, one great voice equal haunting Latin music)/
39. THE GOURDSOld Mad Joy (rootsy celebration) / MARC BROUSSARDMarc Broussard (bluesy rock)
40. SUZANNE VEGAClose-Up Volume 3: State Of Being (acoustic songs, electric songwriting)
***
41. VARIOUS ARTISTSThose Shocking, Shaking Days: Indonesia Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk (1970-1978) (rock and roll knows no borders)
42. VARIOUS ARTISTSThe Book of Mormon Original Cast Album (religiously funny)
43. DRAKETake Care (emo-rap)/ SHABAZZ PALACESBlack Up
44. BRAD PAISLEYThis Is Country Music (yes it is) /STEVE EARLEI'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (determined, focused country)
45. MEGAFAUNMegafaun ('70s-ish rock)
46. FATOUMATA DIAWARAFatou (Malian guitar talent combined with impeccable vocals)/ KHAIRA ARBYTimbukto Traab (country to Diawara's city sound; not locale so much as the gritty, rawer feel)
47. HOUSTON PERSONSo Nice (late period capper for understated jazz blower)
48. REAL ESTATEDays -- (shimmering indie pop)
49. EILEEEN JEWELLQueen of the Minor Key (sneakily impressive)
50. FRANK OCEANnostalgia/ultra (backward/forward looking moody pop)
***
EARLY 2012 FAVORITES
RUMERSeasons of My Soul
CHARLIE HADEN AND HANK JONESCome Sunday
DAMIEN JURADOMarqopa
LEONARD COHENOld Ideas
BEN KWELLERGo Fly a Kite
KATHLEEN EDWARDSVoyageur
BEST ALBUMS OF 2011 -- THE EXPANDED LIST
1. FLEET FOXESHelplessness Blues (CSN rocks out) I really struggled with which album to put on top this year. Usually it's simply the album I played the most. But this year I was just crazy about all the album in my Top 5 (and Adele at #10 certainly didn't need more promotion from me). Finally, it was the pure sonic beauty of Fleet Foxes that sealed the deal. Every single time I put it on I got chills and the gorgeous vocals, stirring arrangements and wave of emotions they brought out in me. Are there albums just as good from 2011? Yes. But none were prettier.
2. KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINSDiamond Mine (quirky concept album, gorgeously done) Very few in the U.S. paid attention to this odd little album; in the U.K. it appeared on more lists but not with the fervor it deserves. it's a concept album about life in a fishing village, complete with muttered voices, people grabbing a bite in the local greasy spoon, various characters stepping forward to tell their story and so on. But what a gorgeous, fragile thing of beauty this is. It's just a little over half an hour long but the experience is so intense and enveloping, you'll feel like you've just sunk into another world and wake up slowly and reluctantly. I'm playing it again and feel tempted to put it on top all over again. People have heard of Fleet Foxes but this will surely be new to virtually everyone reading it. If you like Robert Wyatt (I don't know what else to compare this unique work to), jump. (Seriously, I've been writing this list while Diamond Mine plays and it's breaking my heart with the vulnerability and empathy on display. Great melodies. Simple but somehow perfect vocals with just the right sonic touches. A real keeper.)
3. TOM WAITSBad As Me (bohemian troubadour in top form) Just one song kept the great Waits from the top. I've liked so much of what he's done over the years, including the industrial strength clamor of much of his work in the past decade. Here his sonics are more restrained so fans who haven't visited Waits in a long time should dive back in. This is one of his strongest works in years, from the typically clanging opener "Chicago" (it settles down soon enough) to the heart-breaking closer "New Year's Eve," the sort of drunken elegy Waits does so well we take it for granted. So what song spoiled it ever so slightly? "Last Leaf On The Tree," a fine little ditty that simply repeats itself to distraction. At two minutes this slight tune would go by quickly. At four minutes it's a bit of a distraction given the limited melody on display. Keep this in perspective: I was niggled by a few bars of one song on an otherwise marvelous work that shows Waits as deeply in command as ever. Like Neil Young and Bob Dylan and other greats, time is not dimming his talent in the least.
4. GILLIAN WELCHThe Harrow and the Harvest (simple, straightforward, striking folk) Well, if Welch is gonna make us wait years and years for a new album, at least she delivers the goods and then some. This follow-up to Soul Journey is impeccable folk-rock. It could just as easily have been my Album of the Year.
5. TEDDY THOMPSONBella / kd langSing It Loud /RON SEXSMITH -- Long Player, Late Bloomer (pure pop by pure pros) No, I'm not consistent. Sometimes I get annoyed when the music press genuflects in front of the latest offering from the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, et al in almost an unconscious reflex. On the other hand, when they ignore terrific new music by established acts that aren't at the superstar level, I want them to pay attention. Maybe these artists simply don't have heat. Teddy Thompson hasn't broken through commercially despite getting better and better with every album, so maybe the press has written him off as an act that can't sell magazines. kd lang hasn't come out in a while, so what new can you say about her? And we all know Sexsmith is an impeccable pop craftsman; didn't Elvis Costello tell us so for years? Nonetheless, all three have delivered absolutely top-notch pop albums. If you've ever been a fan, don't hesitate for a moment.
6. WYNTON MARSALIS AND ERIC CLAPTONPlay the Blues / BRANFORD MARSALIS AND JOEY CALDARAZZOSongs of Mirth And Melancholy (trad jazz) Surely the Marsalis brothers hate having all their work linked. Oh well. Wynton has found new purpose and a sense of joy via collaborations with the likes of Willie Nelson and now Clapton. Their jam session brings out the best in both of them. (Who knew "Layla" would prove so malleable?) And does anyone in jazz have a more gorgeous tone that Branford? For sheer sonic beauty, it's the best since Getz. HIs album is also a collaboration and it leans more heavily on melancholy than mirth. Great stuff.
7. GLEN CAMPBELLGhost on the Canvas (haunting country pop) I have no strong affection for Glen Campbell and won't try and retroactively make his career more important than it deserves. I think a strong greatest hits album sums him up very well, which is hardly something to sneer at. Many artists never get even that. So his illness and late period Cash-like recording don't tug at my heartstrings for any reason other than the music. But what music. Campbell's voice -- his greatest weapon -- isn't remotely as good as in his heyday but now we can appreciate what a terrific singer he always was. Like Elvis Presley's album Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old), this combines terrific songs with spoken word passages to spooky, marvelous effect.
8. BOMBINOAgadez (Tuareg rocks!) / BOUBACAR TRAOREMali Denhou (gentle African guitar) / LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZOSongs From a Zulu Farm (ecstatic and playful children's music) Bombino is a guitarist par excellence, a superstar in Africa who draws on traditional sounds along with rock and blues while delivering the seemingly endless pleas for peace and hope that Africa invariably needs but lacks. He surely acknowledges a debt to Traore, a fellow African who suffered not from repression but by seeming linked to oppressors and being out of favor for years because of it. Happily, they can find common ground in their music. Then there's Ladysmith Black Mambazo, an act you know and -- if you've seen them in concert -- love. This album of children's songs they learned as kids growing up in rural South Africa is one of their lightest and most sheerly entertaining in their entire discography.
9. VARIOUS ARTISTSThis May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African American Gospel on 45 RPM (1957-1982) (lo-fi, high flying gospel that's so good you'll convert) This followup to the excellent compilation Fire in My Bones is another revelation. Filled with well-known tunes and obscure songs performed generally by acts only the most devoted gospel listener has heard of (no Kirk Franklin or Mahalia here), it's a delight from beginning to end. The so-so sound quality of many of these rarities actually works to the album's benefit. You feel like you're listening to them via a transistor radio catching a far-away station or maybe down the block from a house of worship. The performances are joyous, foreboding, ecstatic and majestic.
10. ADELE21 (unstoppable soul diva) A great album with a string of singles that get better and better the more you hear them -- that's about as great as pop music gets. Beyonce and Lady Gaga had some great singles, but they couldn't come within a mile of the genuine artistic statement of this album. Here's hoping Adele stays healthy vocally and unhealthy in her choice of men. Yep, it's Mary J. Blige all over again -- do we really want to risk Adele writing about how content she is? Don't worry; we'll be there to comfort you.
11. GROUPLOVENever Trust a Happy Song (raucous L.A. pop-rock) Why this L.A. band isn't the toast of the town simply escapes me. Terrific stuff.
12. PANIC! AT THE DISCOVices & Virtues (sterling but overlooked pop-rock) Am I a sucker for pure pop? Panic! can add or drop the exclamation point as many times as they want as long as they keep creating indelible melodies and stirring rock like they do here.
13. NICK LOWEThe Old Magic (vintage wine, vintage bottle) I've never been deeply invested in Nick Lowe but boy is this a charmer. The only reason it isn't higher on my list is because I haven't listened to it enough yet. This video isn't from his current album. But it's recent and shows Lowe in excellent form.
14. WILD FLAGWild Flag (giving super groups a good name) Sleater-Kinney lives in this new band composed of some of the talent from that group and their friends. Unruly fun.
15. BRAD MEHLDAUModern Music (dependably adventurous jazz trio)/COLIN VALLON -- Rruger (bold EU trio following in Mehldau's wake) Mehldau is consistently great so the strength of his latest is no surprise. Now his influence is seeping out to the continent, not by the obvious tactic of covering unexpected pop songs but simply in their commitment to the piano-led jazz trio.
16. JAY-Z AND KANYE WESTWatch the Throne (braggadocio taken to new heights) Neither is quite my cup of tea but they've delivered great works before. West's last album was the first one I truly loved. Together they indulge in the usual hip-hop obnoxiousness of boasting and putting down bitches, but somehow they're in such good spirits here it kind of won me over.
17. BON IVERBon Iver (stares down success with quiet confidence) Bon Iver's intense publicity surrounding his last album didn't corner him into repeating himself. This album gently expands his sonic palette. I thought maybe he was the flavor of the week, but who knows? He might just be in it for the long haul.
18. BALLAKE SISSOKO AND VINCENT SEGALChamber Music (delicate instrumentals) I could look up all sorts of facts about who they are, where they come from, their instruments and the like. But the simple fact is that their album is lovely.
19. PAUL SIMONSo Beautiful or So What (mortality, musically) I can't remember the last time I put a Paul Simon album on my best of the year last. (Probably Rhythm of the Saints.) And I love the guy! As one of the all-time greats, I hold him to a higher standard. And he meets it here on this pop gem about facing death with wit, resignation and some excellent melodies.
20. BETH HART & JOE BONAMASSADon't Explain (the blues, thumpingly good) The blues make for a stomping good time when performed with such glee.
21. PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND AND DEL MCCOURY BANDAmerican Legacies (an institution finds new life via collaboration) PHJB is an institution and as such, much of its best work was probably behind it. Until 2010 when it collaborated with an all-star cast to celebrate some anniversary or another and the band produced one of its most enjoyable albums in years. One of those collaborators proved so successful, they went and recorded an entire album. The results do not disappoint.
22. AMBROSE AKINMUSIREWhen the Heart Emerges Glistening (quietly probing jazz) A sterling Blue Note debut by one of jazz's best young trumpeters. A clutch of strong originals, a great young quintet, focus,vision -- this is very exciting indeed. For a live performance from his new album, you must go to YouTube.
23. JAMES BLAKEJames Blake (trippy pop) Not my thing usually, but Blake has enough snippets of emotion to keep me returning and every time I do it seems a little more cohesive and satisfying.
24. VARIOUS ARTISTSLive From the Old Town School (folk's beating heart) Sometimes you go out to track down history. Other times you can wait quietly and have it come to you. The Chicago center of folk Old Town School has seen countless legends pass through its doors. Apparently they knew it and recorded everyone who came to town. This 4 CD set contains a truckload of inspired performances from Taj Mahal and Mahalia Jackson to Jeff Tweedy and Peter Case. A fourth CD devoted to world music doesn't have quite the same impact but the overall level of quality and the mix of great and unexpected make this a genuine discovery. Here's a performance (not from the album) by Steve Dawson at the legendary venue.
25. GIRLSFather, Son, Holy Ghost (interesting identity crisis) I loved the first album by Girls but was slightly suspicious nonetheless. Now their proper followup has me even more nervous. Each song seems to come from an entirely different band. Do Girls even know what sort of sound they're going for, if any? It shouldn't work but the album holds together for me out of sheer perversity. You have no idea what to expect but it's all good. I hope they find more direction next time but for the moment the grab-bag approach is working just fine.
26. TINARIWENTassili (bluesy, distinctive, campfire sing-alongs) One of the strongest acts in world music for the past few years, Tinariwen don't disappoint with their latest. I always picture them performing around a campfire in the middle of the desert, the flames the only light for miles around? Am I romanticizing or fetishizing them? Maybe. But their music is bluesy and distinctive enough to travel around the globe so I'm sure it'll withstand my flight of fancy.
27. JOY FORMIDABLEThe Big Roar (noisy pop) A child of Nirvana, they have its gift for making an unholy racket but keeping it reined in with a very strong pop sense. Very good stuff.
28. DARI0 MARINELLI WITH JACK LIEBECKJane Eyre soundtrack (the year's best traditional score)/ MATTHEW COOPERSome Days Are Better Than Others (the year's best untraditional score) The score for the fine remake of Jane Eyre is the best orchestral score of the year. I haven't even seen the indie film Some Days Are Better Than Others, but the pop instrumental score by Matthew Cooper is so stirring and lovely it certainly makes me want to right away.
29. THE CORALButterfly House/THE MAGIC NUMBERSRunaway (pop, unimported, unrecognized) I kept waiting for both of these albums to be released in the U.S. but they never were. Both bands are more appreciated in the U.K. than they are here. The Coral live for nuggets-style garage rock while Magic Numbers savor the gorgeous vocals of Laurel Canyon. Multiple tracks should be big radio hits.
30. PISTOL ANNIESPistol Annies / MIRANDA LAMBERTFour The Record (country's top gal and friends) Miranda Lambert -- the SECOND runner-up on the late, lamented (by me) talent show Nashville Star, just keeps growing. Her latest solo album isn't quite as good as her last. But it's good. And then she turns around and forms Pistol Annies with some friends to fill the gaping hole where the Dixie Chicks used to be. Combine her best work on both of these album and you've got a great work indeed.
31. THE LOW ANTHEMSmart Flesh (brainy Americana) Still waiting to break through to a wider audience a la Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. That good.
32. CHARLIE HADEN AND QUARTET WESTSophisticated Ladies (female singers, jazz swingers) A great lover of classic jazz singers pairs with some of today's best vocalists and hits some standards out of the park. Melody Gardot, Cassandra Wilson and Diana Krall are along for the ride.
33. THE BLACK KEYSEl Camino (rock, no fuss) I respected and admired and appreciated The Black Keys but never quite dug them until last week when I was walking down Fifth Avenue (one of the least Black Keys-appropriate streets in NYC) when it just clicked and I could groove on their music. Sometimes it just takes the right frame of (an open) mind.
34. M83Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (ambient pop) Another act where I need the right setting. In their case, it usually involves a late night, an open highway and the perfect number, like "Raconte, Moi Une Historie."
35. ALISON KRAUSS AND UNION STATIONPaper Airplanes/ JOHN HIATTDirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (old dogs, old tricks, happily so) Two veterans who stepped it up. I didn't appreciate the Krauss for a while because the CD came "burdened" with bonus tracks that made the CD too long and kept me from appreciating the album proper for quite a while. It took my friend Sal at Burning Wood to nudge me into giving the Hiatt a second chance and realizing he's strung together one of his best since that miracle heyday around Bring the Family.
36. BEASTIE BOYSHot Sauce Committee, Part Two (feisty hip-hop from the old-timers) They've still got life in them yet.
37. BEN HOWARDEvery Kingdom (gentle pop)/MIKE BLOOMKing Of Circles (WARM singer-songwriter vibe for this solo debut) Two quiet works of solid tunes that get better with each listen.
38. VINICIUS CANTUARIA AND BILL FRISELLLagrimas Mexicanas (two great guitars, one great voice equal haunting Latin music) A playful, delightful collaboration between the always adventurous Frisell and the Brazilian singer and instrumentalist Cantuaria. Really charming.
39. THE GOURDSOld Mad Joy (rootsy celebration) / MARC BROUSSARDMarc Broussard (bluesy rock) Americana from the front porch, for then Gourds, and from the juke joint for Broussard, who has it all to be a star except the touring and radio that once upon a time would have championed him.
40. SUZANNE VEGAClose-Up Volume 3: State Of Being (acoustic songs, electric songwriting) Vega has been recording her catalog over again so she can own the masters to these new versions and profit from them at least a little (is that asking so much for an artist?). Out of necessity has come fresh proof about her exceptional catalog of songs and Vega's gifts as a performer. After her debut, Vega quickly proved she was no folkie, thanks to an adventurous gift for sonic experimentation and great pop sense. But here she is stripping her songs down again mainly to a voice and a guitar. The results are gripping, mixing older and fresher tunes side by side till all you can see is the impressive breadth of her career. Plus each volume works beautifully on its own terms.
41. VARIOUS ARTISTSThose Shocking, Shaking Days: Indonesia Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk (1970-1978) (rock and roll knows no borders) Truly, rock and roll is everywhere and always has been. If there's a better example of world music than Indonesian acts pounding out these thumping originals back in the 1970s while singing lyrics like "I like the Rolling Stones," well I don't know it. Is there no end to the riches produced around the world we're barely aware of much less listened to? Apparently not.
42. VARIOUS ARTISTSThe Book of Mormon Original Cast Album (religiously funny) I believe it's more fun to see the show in person and some of the weaker comic numbers truly do need the context of the show to work best. But the best numbers like "Hello," "Turn It Off" and "I Believe" are a blast to sing any time. (What a great moment for Andrew Rannells on the Tonys. He and the original cast is with The Book Of Mormon for another year so get to it if you can.)
43. DRAKETake Care (emo-rap)/ SHABAZZ PALACESBlack Up Not a banner year for me and hip-hop. But Drake kept compelling me to listen in to his thoughts whereas Shabazz seemed to be pushing me away. Of course, nothing piques interest in feeling like you're not wanted.
44. BRAD PAISLEYThis Is Country Music (yes it is) /STEVE EARLEI'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (determined, focused country) Paisley does an amazing thing on his new album. The first track details all the things you shouldn't do in a country song (like say the word "cancer") in a song that's wonderfully catchy and a heartland statement of purpose. Then he spends the rest of the album doing a song about each and every "forbidden' scenario he mentioned. It's a quiet tour de force of songwriting, delivered with Paisley's typical understated charm. Earle, meanwhile, just pounds 'em out with righteous focus and energy, a modern day Woody Guthrie.
45. MEGAFAUNMegafaun ('70s-ish rock) Dreadful name and dreadful (truly dreadful) album cover make this exceptionally quirky album look like some anonymous Boston rip-off. They start boldly early on with a Seventies slice of AM radio heaven called "Get Right" that goes on for eight minutes. Before and after is a lot of great stuff that is anything but anonymous. You'd never know it from the packaging or that stupid name.
46. FATOUMATA DIAWARAFatou (Malian guitar talent combined with impeccable vocals)/ KHAIRA ARBYTimbukto Traab (country to Diawara's city sound) I have no idea about the actual provenance of either act or the musical pedigree. But to my Western ear, Diawara's music sounds uptown and sweet whereas Arby's call and response feels more downtown or rather out of town in some rural area. Both are striking albums any fan of world music would do well to catch.
47. HOUSTON PERSONSo Nice (late period capper for understated jazz blower) I trust Person isn't going anywhere, but this feels like a valedictory for a journeyman player given a chance to shine one more time and delivering in spades. Here's a recent performance in New York City featuring a standard not on his album.
48. REAL ESTATEDays -- (shimmering indie pop) Jersey lads delivering the pop goods with just a dash of fading beauty.
49. EILEEEN JEWELLQueen of the Minor Key (sneakily impressive) Americana with a nod to 50s rock and torch songs that grow on you.
50. FRANK OCEANnostalgia/ultra (backward/forward looking moody pop) A trendy, hyped act that then slipped from view for many. Like many I'm wary of hype but each dip into the water with this album was intriguing. The really positive sign is when you return to an album months later and the first track sounds exceptionally familiar, as if you've been playing it for weeks on end when in fact you haven't played a note. That's the sign of an album that could continue to deepen and reveal itself over time. Ocean seems like a patient artist, so we should be too in listening to his music before passing judgment.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Dario Marinelli – Jane Eyre soundtrack featuring Jack Liebeck (the year’s best score)/ Matthew Cooper Some Days Are Better Than Others (shimmering gauzy pop score to indie film)
Pistol Annies – Pistol Annies/Miranda Lambert – Four The Record (country’s top gal and friends)
The Low Anthem – Smart Flesh (brainy Americana)
Charlie Haden and Quartet West – Sophisticated Ladies (female singers, jazz swingers)
Black Keys – El Camino (rock, no fuss)
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (ambient pop)
Alison Krauss and Union Station – Paper Airplanes/ John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (old dogs, old tricks, happily so)
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two (feisty hip-hop from the old-timers)
Ben Howard – Every Kingdom (gentle pop)/Mike Bloom King Of Circles (Seventies singer-songwriter vibe for this warm solo debut)
Vinicius Cantuaria and Bill Frisell – Lagrimas Mexicanas (two great guitars, one great voice equal haunting Latin music)/
The Gourds Old Mad Joy (rootsy celebration) / Marc Broussard – Marc Broussard (bluesy rock)
Suzanne Vega – Close-Up Volume 3: State Of Being (acoustic songs, electric songwriting)
Various Artists – Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesia Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk (1970-1978)
Original Cast Album – The Book Of Mormon (religiously funny)
Drake – Take Care (emo-rap)/ Shabazz Palaces Black Up
Brad Paisley – This Is Country Music (yes it is) /Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (determined, focused country)
Megafaun – Megafaun (seventies-ish rock)
Fatoumata Diawara Fatou (more Malian guitar talent combined with impeccable vocals)/ Khaira Arby Timbukto Traab (country to Diawara’s city sound; not locale so much as the gritty, rawer feel)
Houston Person – So Nice (late period capper for understated jazz blower)
Real Estate Days – (shimmering indie pop)
Eileen Jewell – Queen Of The Minor Key (sneakily impressive)
Frank Ocean – nostalgia/ultra (backward/forward looking moody pop)
