(In case you didn't catch it, the title is based on the phrase "in one ear and out the other.")
In this new addition to the review I will list off the ten most recent albums to come out of my speakers including brief reviews on each one. It's pretty much like listening to someone judge people at random except better because it's on the internet!
Without further ado...
1) Tom Waits' Orphans: Bawlers, Brawlers & Bastards
This triple disc release includes enough Tom Waits material to freak out both you and your friends. It's got some of what you'd expect, the signature whisky-gravel-cigarette-smoke-soaked voice singing long laments about things gone wrong and right, as well as a moving spoken word piece called "Nirvana" and a song all about different kinds of bugs.
2) Flying Lotus' Los Angeles
SO freaking good. This guy can drop you into a beat quick and he's not afraid to keep it short. This release is pretty damn good if only because it has even more stuff on it than his other albums. The whole hip-hop/ambient/oldies/dj scene really fascinates me. I mean just who the hell are these guys, anyway?
3) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
If you don't want to spend the better part of an hour listening to covers of The Smiths then don't listen to this album. If you eat up every word Pitchfork spits out, then go for it.
4) Times New Viking's Stay Awake
This five track EP is all I have by them, and I've been spinning it a lot lately. The first time I heard them I couldn't get past the whole in the red thing, but then I saw them live and... well, that all changed. If you base albums on how many dB's your dollar gets you (rough economy) then this is definitely your winner.
5) Man Man's Little Torments
So f*cking excited to hear this thing in big version. Just has two tracks, one is a recorder freak out and the other one makes me want to preorder their next LP right now.
6) Ratatat's Mirando
Includes the infamous Animal Collective remix as well as another pretty good one by YACHT. It's a good thing they include the original un-remixed "Mirando" on this thing 'cause you can see just how far YACHT and AC can stretch its thread.
7) Devendra Banhart's Rejoicing in the Hands of the Golden Empress and Nino Rojo
The man's got a vision, and you can see (hear) it when you take a listen to these two. The songs are unique in their own right, but they each carry a little gene that ties them together well as LP's. At the end of each are spoken word pieces that underscore his gift as a writer first.
8) John Coltrane's Giant Steps
Though I don't hold a PHD in the history of jazz, I feel pretty safe saying this is one of the most influential (and my favorite) jazz albums of all time. If you've got the ear for the stuff, follow him through his solos on this album. The way I look at it, you can consider this "easy listening" because of its shear beauty or you can consider it a study in how to break the rules and reinvent jazz. It's really up to you.
9) Fleet Foxes' Fleet Foxes
Ok, maybe I'm a little late in admitting it, but this album is really beautiful. The choral work is captivating in its own space, and at the same time you can get lost in the rich tones and reverb for pretty much the whole day. This album has been getting me from point "a" to point "b" for the past week or so.
10) Pretty Lights' Taking Up Your Precious Time
I was initially skeptical downloading this thing (it was free, ok?!) but when I gave it a listen my negativity disappeared. The album includes some danceable beats as well as some colorful tonework, not to mention some really sweet Motown-esque bits here and there. I got lost somewhere towards the end of the album, but it's still pretty damn good.
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