Album of The Moment Archives
Some Great Reward by Depeche Mode
November 25, 2005 | 
20 Comments
The Artist: Depeche Mode
Featured Song: Stories of Old
[Launch Player]
The Album: Some Great Reward
Released 1984
Recommended if you like: New Order, The Rapture, The Faint, The Cure, Cause and Effect, Red Flag
Some Great Reward is burned into my brain. I know the album like the back of my hand and probably always will. It was my first introduction to pop/wave and the first Depeche Mode album I ever owned.
Depeche Mode was one of the bands that defined my teenage years. They weren’t my favorite, but I owned just about everything they put out and while Black Celebration was probably my favorite, Some Great Reward will always hold a special place in my heart.
Listening to it now, years later, still evokes vivid memories of junior high, high school and my early-teen years. Tracks like “Lie To Me”, “If You Want” and “Blasphemous Rumors” can bring back memories that I can feel, taste, see and smell. Seriously, if I close my eyes I can take myself back in time. Heck “People are People” was the first song I ever asked a girl to dance with me to.
I think part of it was me being an impressionable youth. However, listening to DP today I can see that they really had a knack for song writing and the “dark side” of pop. In their prime they were f’n great and years later I realize their music is timeless.
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Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus by Cloud Cult
September 30, 2005 | 3 Comments
The Artist: Cloud Cult
Featured Song: Living on the Outside of Your Skin
[Launch Player]
The Album: Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Arcade Fire, Pixies, Modest Mouse, Sufjan Stevens, Badly Drawn Boy, Decemberists
Let’s go with another band whose initials are C.C. and has a penchant for long titles.
I’m not really sure where to start with this one. I first heard Cloud Cult on KEXP a month or so ago. I don’t remember the song, might have been “Car Crash”, but I do remembering making a point to remember the band. I picked up Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus the next day and I’ve been digging it ever since.
The album isn’t new, and neither are Cloud Cult. I like them so much I’m kind of surprised I’ve never heard them before. They’re creative, fun, cover a multiude of genres (perfect for my tastes) and the album is one you can listen to and enjoy front to back.
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Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV... by Coheed and Cambria
September 16, 2005 | 19 Comments
The Artist: Coheed and Cambria
Featured Song: The Suffering
[Launch Player]
The Album: Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: The Used, Mars Volta, Saves The Day, Rush, Brand New
Coheed and Cambria is one of those strange bands that I’m sure has a huge following but I can’t seem to find anyone who likes them much.
I love them. These guys are putting out some of the most original, most interesting music this side of Tool. I’ve greatly enjoyed—and played the hell out of—all their albums and the latest, Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness, might be the best so far.
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Late Registration by Kanye West
September 02, 2005 | 29 Comments
The Artist: Kanye West
The Song: Touch The Sky (Featuring Lupe Fiasco)
[Launch Player]
The Album: Late Registration
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Common, Jay Z, Mos Def, Nas, Pharcyde, Outkast
Late Registration is one of the best hip-hop albums of the year, and could become a true classic. Kanye is a strange bird, but he knows how to make good music. That is for sure.
It’s that good. I wanted to bust something great out for my return to the “Album of The Week” (now called “Album of The Moment”) and I’d planned on doing something else. But then I picked up Later Registration and was blown away.
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A Certain Trigger by Maximo Park
July 14, 2005 | 8 Comments
The Artist: Maximo Park
The Song: Apply Some Pressure
[Launch Player]
The Album: A Certain Trigger
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Bloc Party, Futureheads, Kaiser Chiefs, Gang Of Four, Ultravox
I was hooked when I first heard “Going Missing” on KEXP. My immediate thought was, “wow another really good Neo-Post-Punk song!” You know I love Bloc Party, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, etc. and I think there is still room for more quality bands in that same vein.
And while there are obvious similarity to bands like the aforementioned Bloc Party and post-punkers Gang of Four and XTC, there are also some highly original tracks on A Certain Trigger and quite a bit of their stuff reminds me more of bands like Ultravox and Roxy Music than it does XTC.
Heck a few tricks scream “Chris and Cosey” to me. “Acrobat” comes to mind. How’s that for breaking the mold?
When it comes down to it, Maximo Park is a bit different. And honestly—they’re also better.
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Gods and Monsters by I Am Kloot
July 08, 2005 | 12 Comments
The Artist: I Am Kloot
The Song: Over My Shoulder
[Launch Player]
The Album: Gods and Monsters
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Travis, Badly Drawn Boy, Cake, Placebo, Elbow
If there was one band I missed that I really wanted to see at SXSW it was I Am Kloot. Funny name, lots of hype, Pitchfork dissed them—I was sure to love it! At the time I’d never heard them, and the way they were being talked about I’d assumed they were in the same vein as Bloc Party or Franz Ferdinand.
They’re not. At all.
When I got back home I picked up their self-titled release and was really impressed. Since then I’ve tried to get my hands on as much of their stuff as I can.
(It’s actually a bit hard to come by.)
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Mezmerize by System Of A Down
July 01, 2005 | 22 Comments
The Artist: System Of A Down
The Song: B.Y.O.B.
[Launch Player]
The Album: Mezmerize
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Tool, Trapt, Janes Addiction, Alice Cooper, White Stripes
I’ve been a fan of SOAD since their first album, and while I am a fan, I’ve kind of got a love/hate relationship with them. I’ve got no problems with their music at all. I find it to be some of the most creative hard rock around and there’s no doubting the quality of the song writing and musicianship.
What bugs me is that I’ve never seen them in concert. Why? Because they book the most ridiculous tours and venues. I’m not sure how they got lumped in with the rest of that neu-rock stuff, but to me their much more than that.
They’re more like Tool (probably my favorite rock band ever) than they are like Limp Bizkit. Ahh, anyway, they piss me off.
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Black Dialogue by Perceptionists
June 17, 2005 | 5 Comments
The Artist: Perceptionists
The Song: Let’s Move
[Launch Player]
The Album: Black Dialogue | Buy it from iTunes
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Mr. Lif, Dilated Peoples, Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, Lyrics Born
Whether you like your hip-hop mainstream or underground, artsy or hard hitting, you’ll find something you like and probably much more on Black Dialogue by The Perceptionists.
The Perceptionists are one of those killer rap supa groups. This time made up of MC’s Mr. Lif, Akrobatik and DJ Fakts One with guest appearances by Guru, Phonte, El-P and Humpty himself, Shock G.
I was familair with Lif’s work, from the amazing I Phantom and he leads the way here, but I’ve got to say I was very impressed, on first listen, with Akrobatik and Fakts One as well. Black Dialogue is the real deal.
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Set Yourself on Fire by Stars
June 11, 2005 | 3 Comments
The Artist: Stars
The Song: The Big Fight
[Launch Player]
The Album:Set Yourself on Fire
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Broken Social Scene, New Order, Arcade Fire, The Dears, Ivy, Postal Service
I’m not sure what they put in the water up in Montreal, but can I get some? That city is putting out simply the best music around. You’ve got The Dears, The Arcade Fire, The Stills, and one of my recent favorites Stars.
Keeping on with the theme from last week, they’ve got a kind of lighthearted, New Order-ish feel, if a bit more sugary and a bit less cluby. Torquil Campbell, the male vocal half, really reminds of Bernard Sumner and when combined with Amy Millan’s they’ve got the best pop harmony this side of the Postal Service.
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Waiting For The Siren's Call by New Order
June 04, 2005 | 9 Comments
The Artist: New Order
The Song: Dracula’s Castle
[Launch Player]
The Album:Waiting For The Sirens Call | Buy it from iTunes
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Interpol, The Killers, The Faint, Bloc Party, Stars
New Order was my favorite band for quite a few years back in the mid 80s. I remember getting Low Life on tape when I was about 15 years old and I played it until it broke. Over the years I had a love/hate relationship with New Order as I had a hard time with some of their later 90s music.
It’s not that I didn’t like it, I did. It just wasn’t my New Order and it took me awhile to get used to. See, while they were known for some pretty hard driving club tunes, I felt they were going a little too electronic. I mean, you’ll notice that Peter Hook and his (in my case) life changing (I was a silly teenager) bass hooks are almost absent in some of those later works.
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U.S.E. by United State of Electronica
May 27, 2005 | 10 Comments
The Artist: United State of Electronica
The Song: Vamos a la Playa (Live)
[Launch Player]
The Album: U.S.E. | Buy it from iTunes
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: LCD Soundsystem, Len, Goofy Dance-Pop
This weeks entry for the Album of The Week is going to be a quick one. I’ve got lots going on as I’m getting ready for a long weekend over at The Sasquatch! Music Festival.
They’ve got a great line up this year. Pixies, Modest Mouse, Kanye West, Wilco, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Smoosh, Blue Scholars, Visqueen, and this week’s artist U.S.E.
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So Jealous by Tegan & Sara
May 20, 2005 | 5 Comments
The Artist: Tegan & Sara
The Song: Walking With A Ghost
[Launch Player]
The Album: So Jealous | Buy it from iTunes
Released 2004
Recommended if you like: Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, Eisley, Sleater-Kinney, The Killers, Lush
What’s the deal with Tegan & Sara all the sudden? In the last few weeks I’ve been asked about them several times. They’ve been around for a bit, they’re on their third album now, and I wish I could have featured them when I first got So Jealous back in November 2004 or so, as it’s a really, really great album.
I figured they’d have gotten a bit more attention for this one early on, but it seems like people are just now noticing. I’ve been hearing them more and seeing more press on them than ever before. It’s kind of strange for a band with an album 6 months old now.
Maybe it’s that they’re touring with The Killers, or maybe it’s their recent exclusivity on iTunes (iTunes link), but they’re finally getting some well deserved interest. Which is great. So Jealous is jam-packed with great songs and it was one of my favorites of last year and is still in pretty heavy rotation.
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Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady
May 13, 2005 | 10 Comments
The Artist: The Hold Steady
The Song: Hornets! Hornets!
[Launch Player]
The Album: Separation Sunday | Buy it from iTunes
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Lifter Puller, Bruce Springstein, Elvis Costello, Pavement, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Built To Spill
This week I’m going to throw it over to my little brother, SZA. Be gentle with him, it’s his first time. But he’s got a itch he’s gotta scratch and I can back him up on this one, if you’ve not checked out The Hold Steady, you’re missing out, plain and simple. Take it away SZA…
Ok, first let me reiterate what Keith posed last April when he reviewed The Hold Steady’s “Certain Songs” off the album Almost Killed Me for his Song of the Week. They could be your new favorite band.
Judging by the comments left (zero), not too many of you took him up on the recommendation. However, soon after Keith’s review, both Spin and Rolling Stone named Almost Killed Me as the best album you didn’t hear in 2004.
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In Between Dreams by Jack Johnson
May 06, 2005 | 15 Comments
The Artist: Jack Johnson
The Song: Never Know
[Launch Player]
The Album: In Between Dreams
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Donavon Frankenreiter, Beck, Ben Lee, Jason Mraz, Citizen Cope
You simply can’t go wrong with Jack Johnson can you? Just when I thought he was going to go down that boring, old, everything-sounds-the-same-lane, he releases In Between Dreams—a great album that, while not really offering up too much in the way of the new and unique, makes you realize that every Jack Johnson song is a good song.
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Arular by M.I.A.
April 29, 2005 | 5 Comments
The Artist: M.I.A.
The Song: Pull Up The People
[Launch Player]
The Album: Arular
Released 2005
Recommended if you like: Dizzie Rascal, The Streets, Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy, Tricky
M.I.A. (Maya Arulpragasam) was a war refugee from Sri Lanka.
Now she is one of the biggest and brightest coming out of London’s dancehall scene. Her debut album Arular is critically acclaimed, highly popular and totally bombastic. It’s great stuff, full of dancehall rhythms, amazing and exotic vocals and enough “bleeps” and “blaps” to please just about any geek.
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