Coming In 2008!!!

[dgp11776]

I guess it's time for this one now.

Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfort (4/1)
The first song I've heard is pretty good.  I'm always excited about something from the D boys.

Edison Glass - Time Is Fiction (2/5)
This album is awesome.  I'm quite sure it will end the year in my top 10, maybe even top 5.  Murlough, Brenden, TheWanderer, and bloop all need to check this out.

Jon Foreman - Winter EP (1/15)
If it's anything like the Fall EP, count me excited.

Leeland - Opposite Way (2/26)
I hope it improves on Sound of Melodies, but I'm fearful of them taking notes from recent tour-mates Casting Crowns.

Listener Project - Return To Struggleville (1/15)
I'm losing excitement for this one.  The more I listen to songs on his website, the more he's starting to sound like a clone of mewithoutYou.  I want Ozark Empire and Just in Time For Christmas-era Listener back!

The Myriad - With Arrows, With Poise (3/4)
The Prelude to Arrows EP released this year was great.  This should be rather fantastic.

Olivia the Band - Where We Come From It Never Snows (1/8)
I've listened to this about 3 times.  I like it quite a bit.  A tad rough around the edges, but pretty solid.

Sanctus Real - We Need Each Other (2/12)
Nobody else except murlough would even care about this, methinks.  The title track is enjoyable.

[murlough23]

I'd be glad to help get this thread going. Let's see if I can break my list down into more specific categories...

---ALREADY DIGESTING---

Fireflight - Unbreakable (March)
I only have the pre-release because Essential continues to torture me with their special level of hell. This one's like a bad Evanescence/12 Stones/Superchic[k]/Skillet hybrid or something.

Olivia the Band - Where We Come From It Never Snows (1/8)
Fairly inane, and the whole "Hawaii is happy and sunny and pretty and we wish we were there!!!" theme is wearing a bit thin (even if the nostalgic part of me totally agrees), but I have a soft spot for OTB and they do catchy pop/punk better than a lot of bands. Bonus: I don't have to buy their 2006 EP again!

---PROJECTS WITH CONFIRMED TITLES OR RELEASE DATES--

Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfort (4/1)
I'm not as big of a fan as I used to be, but every Delirious? album is guaranteed to have several solid anthems that will stick with me for years. So I'm still on board.

Edison Glass - Time Is Fiction (2/5)
This was on my "Make a note to check 'em out" list for 2007; I hadn't realized that it had been pushed back.

Jon Foreman - Winter EP (1/15)
I still haven't heard the Fall EP, so I have some catching up to do. Apparently other seasons are due out later in the year.

Leeland - Opposite Way (2/26)
I don't have high expectations for these guys, but what they got right on their debut was quite memorable. Ditto the Casting Crowns comment. Yikes.

Alanis Morissette - Flavors of Entanglement (2/19)
Supposedly this record is going to be more dance-oriented? You're weird, Alanis. And I think I still love you for it.

The Myriad - With Arrows, with Poise (3/4)
This band really impressed me when I saw them open for David Crowder in October. They've got sort of a Future of Forestry vibe, sharing some of the same Sigur Ros influence, but a bit murkier than FoF on the lyrical side (which for me is a plus).

Andrew Peterson - Resurrection Letters
Not sure when this one's due, but the title is intriguing. Andrew's emphasized the storytelling to the deteriment of the music on his more recent albums, which is why I'm not as big on him as I used to be, but he always manages a few songs which are truly sublime each time around, so I still have hope for him.

P.O.D. - When Angels and Serpents Dance (3/25)
Looking forward to hearing them with Marcos back in the band, but I'm not sure whether they're going to go back to their harder roots or synthesize that with the poppier approach of Satellite, or what. As long as it doesn't sound like Payable on Death, I can be open-minded.

The Punch Brothers - Punch (2/26)
A collaboration between Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) and the members of his How to Grow a Band. I'm sure it'll be positively overflowing with his usual alterna-folk quirkiness.

The Real SeanJon - Betrayal
A collaboration between Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek) and Jon Foreman (Switchfoot). Hard to go wrong there!

Sanctus Real - We Need Each Other (2/12)
You're right, I do care. But only because about half of The Face of Love was really solid. Their past albums have been one-or-two-hit wonders for me, so I'll approach with cuation.

Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV - Earth & Air (April)
For all I know, this might be six tracks of lo-fi acoustic demos and six tracks of farting around with ambient synths or something. I'm hoping it's better than that. I'm not really a big fan of separating out the various elements of Thrice's music, since they sound better when these things are all combined and anything can happen. But it's still an interesting experiment, and I did enjoy the Fire and Water volumes.

---NO DATES YET, BUT I'LL BE FERVENTLY KEEP TRACK OF THESE GUYS---

Anathallo
Apparently having your song used in a cough medicine commercial goes a long way toward funding a follow-up album.

Anberlin
Seems kinda soon, but hey, they got signed!

Burlap to Cashmere
This may just be Delopoulos and Phillipidis instead of a full band, but who knows.

Green Day
Yeah, I'm a Johnny-Come-Lately fan who wants another American Idiot. So sue me.

House of Heroes
Forget what I said earlier; they're apparently going the indie route.

Matisyahu
Thanks, bloop!

Mute Math
If new song "CLockwork" is any indication, this oughta be at least as awesome as the first time around.

No Doubt
Please, does this mean Gwen Stefani will stop torturing us with her solo albums?

Sleeping at Last
Apparently having your song used in Grey's Anatomy proves that you can still get attention despite having little to no distribution for your album.

Sufjan Stevens
He didn't have a major album release in '07, so he's gotta have something in the works by now. I don't care if it's a state or whatever, just give me something.

Switchfoot
Jon Foreman is apparently one busy dude!

U2
Their albums always take forever, but 4 years since How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sounds about right.

Sara Watkins
I swear, Nickel Creek is on their way to being the next dc Talk, what with the prolific releasing of solo albums.

---NOT ALL THAT EXCITED, BUT I'LL GIVE 'EM A LISTEN ANYWAY---

Coldplay
Reportedly this album will feature NO PIANOS - reactionary much?

Dave Matthews Band
If it's as bad as Stand Up, then consider me done with the DMB

Jason Mraz - Touch Your Tongue to Mine
I hope to God that's just a working title. Knowing Mraz, it probably isn't.

Shaun Groves
I think I like Shaun Groves more for his thoughtful blogs than his actual music, but I still like his music somewhat.

Rachael Lampa
I'm not even sure if she's on a label any more? It's a shame. Her self-titled was a real breakthrough for a former "teen pop" type singer.

Nichole Nordeman
Her songwriting's gotten rather bland lately, but I can always hope some unexpected life experience gives her a good shot in the arm.

R.E.M.
I started to get into a lot of their classic stuff right around when Around the Sun was released, and it seems like even a lot of their most devoted fans hated that one, so I'm not sure if now's the time to become invested in R.E.M.'s future, but what the hey, they deserve another chance.

---HAVE BEEN IN LIMBO FOREVER, AND WILL LIKELY GET PUNTED TO THE 2009 LIST, TOO---

Kat Bode
The female voice of Eastmountainsouth - she promised an EP or something a while back, but her website hasn't been updated in forever.

Dakona
They had some new stuff on their MySpace but don't seem to be making any headway on a new record deal. Their debut was solid, albeit nothing remotely resembling "new".

Five O'Clock People
They re-emerged briefly last year with the promise of new material, but seem to have gone dark again.

Peter Gabriel - I/O
Yeah, right. We'll probably get this in 2012 at the rate he's going.

Tait - Loveology
This title's been floating around forever and the album is supposedly more R&B/pop-oriented like Maroon5. It hasn't been released either because they haven't had the funds to finish it, or because it sucked so bad that the label rejected it, which is possible given the title and the suckfest that was Lose This Life.

Vertical Horizon
Also likely to be a suckfest, at least if we use Go as a barometer. But they've supposedly been working with Neil Peart from Rush. Maybe a bit of musical sophistication will rub off on them.

[bloop]

From Wiki, because my mind just can't take any more:

In Rainbows physical release by Radiohead (obviously, already in the 2007 list, but still sure to be the first music purchase I make in '08)
The Bedlam in Goliath by The Mars Volta
Between the Beautifuls by Hawksley Workman
Untitled by AC/DC
Untitled by Flight of the Conchords
Detours by Sheryl Crow
Untitled by Chris Thile & the Punch Brothers
Coldplay's fourth studio album by Coldplay
Untitled by Matisyahu
Flavors of Entanglement by Alanis Morissette
Rising Down by The Roots
Atlantis by Gnarls Barkley
Weezer's sixth studio album by Weezer
Untitled Hank Williams Project by Bob Dylan, Jack White, and others
Untitled by Carbon Leaf
Untitled by Green Day
Madonna's forthcoming studio album by Madonna
Mariah Carey's eleventh studio album by Mariah Carey
Untitled by Nine Inch Nails
Oasis' seventh studio album by Oasis
Untitled by The Police
Untitled by Shakira
Untitled by The Streets
Untitled by Van Halen
Untitled by Portishead
Chinese Democracy?

[murlough23]

Chinese Democracy?

Well, that one trumps everything in my "Don't hold your breath for a 2008 release" list.

More likely to happen in 2008: Actual democracy in China.

[dgp11776]

P.O.D. - When Angels and Serpents Dance (3/25)
The Real SeanJon - Betrayal
Anathallo
Anberlin
Burlap to Cashmere
House of Heroes
Sleeping at Last
Sufjan Stevens
U2
Coldplay
Rachael Lampa

I'll be happy to hear any of these albums. 

House of Heroes seems to be going the indie route, if I'm not mistaken.  I think I read that they completed recording already, and hope to have it out in the spring. 

Also, I should add that, in the non-titled albums category, I'm adding Switchfoot.  They have scheduled February & March as studio months, and plan on releasing their album in the fall.

I'm also interested in Children 18:3, a new band with a release scheduled in spring.  They're rather infectious.

[murlough23]

Doh! I almost forgot about Mute Math.

[bloop]

I did forget about them.  What can I say, I play it by ear.  I don't always know an artist has one coming out until they actually release it and the internet is on fire over it.

[murlough23]

I did forget about them.  What can I say, I play it by ear.  I don't always know an artist has one coming out until they actually release it and the internet is on fire over it.

OK, so I'm a bit obsessive about checking the band's official sites and Wikipedia, etc., for rumors of possible future releases, especially when it's been 2 years plus since the last one.

But in Mute Math's case, they announced it at a concert and played a new song from the upcoming album, so I really should have remembered that one.

NP: "Last Transmission II", Mae

[Josh]

In alphabetical order:

Anberlin
Blur (maybe?)
David Bowie
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-- Dig, Lazarus, Dig! (March)
Coldplay (February/March)
Rodney Cowell (produced by Joe Henry)
Death Cab for Cutie
Drive-by Truckers
Bob Dylan-- Anchor (rumored, but I really doubt it)
Elbow
Emmylou Harris
Peter Gabriel-- i/o
Gnarls Barkley
Malcolm Holcombe-- Gamblin' House (January)
The Hold Steady (Spring/summer)
Jolie Holland
The Killers
Stephen Malkmus-- Real Emotional Trash (March)
Aimee Mann-- Smilers (Spring)
Nada Surf-- Lucky (February)
No Doubt
Passengers (U2, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois)
Sam Phillips-- Don't Do Anything (February)
Portishead
Cat Power-- Jukebox (Jan. 23)
The Raconteurs
REM (February/March)
The Roots
Ron Sexsmith (February)
Steely Dan-- Suffice to Say... (Summer)
U2
Loudon Wainwright III-- Recovery
Weezer (March)
Gillian Welch
Woven Hand

[enemy anemone]

Gillian Welch. *sigh* I think I will just quit waiting and let them surprise me.

say, whatever happened to the rumored Scarlett Johansson album of Tom Waits covers?

[murlough23]

say, whatever happened to the rumored Scarlett Johansson album of Tom Waits covers?

My advice: Don't wait for it.

[Josh]

A few comments:

-- REM's new one comes out on April 1st, and Michael Stipe-- who has admitted that the past few records haven't been up to par-- says it's great, and "a big change." My response: It'd sure BETTER be!

-- In the liner notes to his new solo record, Rivers Cuomo says the new Weezer album is much more adventurous than the last three-- he talks a bit about a couple of more traditional, more mundane power-pop songs they dropped from the album in order to make room for a six-minute, experimental thing called "Daydreamer." Sounds promising!

-- Sam Phillips' new album is supposedly a rock affair, and a far cry from her last two.

-- Loudon Wainwright's new one is a collection of songs from his first three albums, newly recorded with full-band arrangements... and produced by Joe Henry!

-- Speaking of which, Joe produced some songs for Rodney Cowell last year that are supposed to be really hot, but there's really no word on an official release at this point... but here's hoping.

-- I've heard some of the new Hold Steady songs. This one could be a change of pace; the new songs are much less punk and much more blues, much less Springsteen and much more Led Zep.

[plvarona]

I'll go ahead and chime in on what I'm anticipating this year:

DEFINITELY TRACKING

Anberlin:
They have a proven track record with me, and I'm curious to hear their major-label debut.

Burlap to Cashmere:
Regardless as to whether it's just Steve and Johnny, or a full band, I'm still highly anticipating it.

Edison Glass:
A Burn and a Shiver made my top 5 CDs for 2006, and what I've heard from the Let Go EP sounds at least as good.

Jon Foreman:
I've heard the Fall and Winter EP's will be combined into one CD when it goes for release in hard copy, so I'll probably snag both of them then.

Shaun Groves:
Shaun seems to have a knack for saying what I'm thinking/feeling and also does so in a way that relates to me easily, so I'm always interested when he has new music.

House of Heroes:
They showed a lot of promise on their first effort.  Let's see if they can come up with a more consistent album.

Rachael Lampa:
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Rachael, and I'm hoping her self-titled album is an indication of her future musical direction.

Mute Math:
Their self-titled CD highly impressed me, and I don't anticipate a major drop-off.

The Myriad:
I liked You Can't Trust a Ladder quite a bit, and what I've heard from their upcoming album sounds even better.

Andrew Peterson:
He previewed two new songs when I saw him in concert last July, and I really liked what I heard.

The Real SeanJon:
I'm very intrigued to see what Jon and Sean come up with when working together at length.

Sleeping at Last:
These guys keep shooting up my list of favorite bands, and another strong album would solidify their standing near the top of that list.

Sufjan Stevens:
I'm with murlough: I don't care if it's a state CD or something else - just put something out!

Switchfoot:
I'm intrigued to see how their indie debut turns out.

U2:
It seems like they are due for a new one soon.

NOT AS EAGER ABOUT THESE, BUT STILL KEEPING AN EYE ON THEM

Marie Miller:
I like her sound, but what I've heard of her music isn't exactly screaming "buy me."

Nichole Nordeman:
I think her songwriting over the last few years has gotten a bit stale, although she's greatly impressed me before so I won't write her off just yet.

R.E.M.:
I was a huge fan of theirs back in the day, so I'll at least give their new one a listen.

Sanctus Real:
This may end up being a "buy if you see it cheap" proposition.

Smalltown Poets:
I'm only intrigued because their original lineup has gotten back together, and I honestly felt their older songs were their better ones.

Thrice:
I wasn't too crazy about the first two volumes of The Alchemy Index, but they have too much talent for me to ignore.

[ajyouthguy]

Anticipating:
Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfort (4/1)
Edison Glass - Time Is Fiction (2/5)
Leeland - Opposite Way (2/26)
The Myriad - With Arrows, with Poise (3/4)
Andrew Peterson - Resurrection Letters
P.O.D. - When Angels and Serpents Dance (3/25)
The Real SeanJon - Betrayal
Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV - Earth & Air (April)
Anberlin
Burlap to Cashmere
Mute Math
Sleeping at Last
Sufjan Stevens
Switchfoot
U2
Coldplay
Shaun Groves
Nichole Nordeman
Dakona
Five O'Clock People
Smalltown Poets

[murlough23]

Passengers (U2, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois)

What's with this Passengers business? They didn't learn their lesson the first time around?

[Wildcatblue7]

Untitled by Nine Inch Nails
Untitled by The Police
Untitled by Van Halen

?!?!?!?!

Really?  Didn't Year Zero release this year?

and although I would LOVE for it to happen...I'm not holding my breath about an actual new Police album.  And I want to hear new Van Halen just to see if Sober Eddie still got it...

[bloop]

I'm not holding my breath about an actual new Police album.

Are you trying to set up bad puns?

[murlough23]

Are you trying to set up bad puns?

That was kind of a subtle, hidden pun. A sort of message in a bottle, if you will.

[Josh]

I'm not sure if it's really another Passengers album or not, David, but Bono has said that, in addition to a new U2 album, they are working on a side project featuring all four band members, plus Eno and Lanois-- which is, of course, the original cast of Passengers, but Bono never mentioned that name, so maybe it's something with a very different flavor.

[murlough23]

I'm not sure if it's really another Passengers album or not, David, but Bono has said that, in addition to a new U2 album, they are working on a side project featuring all four band members, plus Eno and Lanois-- which is, of course, the original cast of Passengers, but Bono never mentioned that name, so maybe it's something with a very different flavor.

I'm up for hearing both (I suppose I should hear the original Passengers album at some point, too), but I'd have been a bit disappointed if the side project had meant that the actual U2 album wouldn't show up until later.

[Wildcatblue7]

Are you trying to set up bad puns?

....there was a pun there?

[murlough23]

....there was a pun there?

I'm assuming he thought the "Holding my breath" bit was a reference to "Every Breath You Take", but that's a bit of a stretch.

No one commented on my obvious Police pun that followed it, though. (Which is probably everybody's way of trying to deter me from making them.)

NP: "Neon Bible", Arcade Fire

[bloop]

Not so much that it was a reference, but that it would be made into an obvious groan-worthy reference to that very song by those with a propensity to go for such things.

[murlough23]

Not so much that it was a reference, but that it would be made into an obvious groan-worthy reference to that very song by those with a propensity to go for such things.

I wouldn't have picked up on it if you hadn't said anything, silly.

On the subject of The Police, I found a YouTube clip of Matisyahu covering "Message in a Bottle". Not bad. He works in a reggae breakdown near the end that sounds like it was modified from his own song "Dispatch the Troops", and the album version of that song does contain the line "Sending out an S.O.S.", so it's likely that "Message" was part of the inspiration for that song.

NP: "World on Fire", Luna Halo

[Ian]

hi im new lolz

Now that that's out of the way, here's the stuff I'm looking forward to:

CONFIMED FOR '08

The Mars Volta - Bedlam in Goliath
It better be better than Amputechture, that's all I have to say.

MuteMath
I loved the S/T, however I'm not confident about this one.  It'll be good, but judging from the 2 songs (Clockwork, Voice) I've heard from it, it may not be as good.  However, they are redoing Without It, which was one of my old favorites.  Hopefully they don't mess it up.

Death Cab for Cutie
For some reason I love this band, and they've been very consistent in putting out good releases.  Judging from the new video clip, this won't be an exception.

Postal Service
Not as much a fan as I am of DCfC, but anything that Gibbard works on is usually quite good.

Coldplay
All 3 of their releases so far have been good, and I expect this one will be too.  But what's that about no featured piano?

Switchfoot
Didn't care for Oh!Gravity, but I can't ignore this band.  TBS was great, the first half of NiS was the best music they've ever made, so I still consider myself a fan.

Jon Foreman
Haven't heard Fall in it's entirety, but what I have heard sounds quite good.

Sanctus Real
I did not care for TFoL, but FtT was great.  I'm hoping they'll return to form.

POSSIBLE IN '08

Muse
One of the best rock bands out there, IMO.  Absolution and OoS were fantastic, and BHaR was really good also.

Newsboys
They have been terrible lately, but my loyalty to this band seems to be forever unyeilding. :/

Anberlin
Cities was another step up for them, and I'm interested to see if they can continue to improve.

NOT ANNOUNCED FOR '08, BUT WHO KNOWS?

Mew
Kites was possibly the best album of '06.  They lost a member since then, but I'm hopeful that they will continue to amaze.

Sufjan Stevens
C'MON PUT SOMETHING OUT PLEASE

mewithoutYou
Always interested in what this band does.



I'm sure there's other stuff I'm forgetting, but w/e for now.

[Aaron]

Theoryc, if you want a band that's like Muse but better check out Editors.  They are one of the top 3 or 4 British bands out there right now along with Radiohead and Elbow.  All above Coldplay who really aren't all that great.

[murlough23]

MuteMath
I loved the S/T, however I'm not confident about this one.  It'll be good, but judging from the 2 songs (Clockwork, Voice) I've heard from it, it may not be as good.  However, they are redoing Without It, which was one of my old favorites.  Hopefully they don't mess it up.

They should have just left "Without It" on the re-released version of their self-titled. It drives me nuts to have multiple versions of albums floating around out there.

Coldplay
All 3 of their releases so far have been good, and I expect this one will be too.  But what's that about no featured piano?

I believe that's called a "knee-jerk reaction to critics". You get slammed for doing something uninventive with the instrument or musical genre that characterizes you most, and misconstrue that as meaning you need to undo your sound completely in order to make the critics happy... and then you end up giving them even more reasons to make fun of you. See Linkin Park.

Sanctus Real
I did not care for TFoL, but FtT was great.  I'm hoping they'll return to form.

I wouldn't mind a return to their more energetic style while maintaining some of the lyrical maturity they discovered on Face.

[Ian]

Theoryc, if you want a band that's like Muse but better check out Editors.  They are one of the top 3 or 4 British bands out there right now along with Radiohead and Elbow.

The Editors is one of those bands I've kinda ignored.  But Muse, Radiohead and Elbow are all great, so I'll have to check em out.

[spacebrat311]

I believe that's called a "knee-jerk reaction to critics". You get slammed for doing something uninventive with the instrument or musical genre that characterizes you most, and misconstrue that as meaning you need to undo your sound completely in order to make the critics happy... and then you end up giving them even more reasons to make fun of you.

While I agree that that may have been the instigator of this, their more guitar-based work has always been more attractive to me. I liked Parachutes a lot, but I've felt that they've noticeably declined with each successive release, becoming more and more an adult alternative ballad band. While I don't think the problem is the pianos per se, I don't think I've liked any of their piano-based songs with the exception of Politik.

[murlough23]

While I agree that that may have been the instigator of this, their more guitar-based work has always been more attractive to me. I liked Parachutes a lot, but I've felt that they've noticeably declined with each successive release, becoming more and more an adult alternative ballad band. While I don't think the problem is the pianos per se, I don't think I've liked any of their piano-based songs with the exception of Politik.

The problem isn't with the pianos at all. "Clocks" and "The Scientist" are among their best songs, and even on the first album they had "Trouble". But I do miss some of the guitar based stuff from their first album, because it had great ambience - "Shiver", "Spies", and "We Never Change" in particular. What happened is that they realized a formula would get them hits and they started copying themselves, which is bad for any band. Then they noticed they were getting criticized for it, and apparently decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I think it's possible to continue to evolve and change without abandoning the things people like you for - X&Y, while a flawed album, showed some willingness to do this with the electronic influence.

[Aaron]

What I'd really like is a mixture of sounds from the first and second Coldplay albums.  I honestly view X&Y as a below average album and rate it in the C+/B- range.  I found no appeal to that record.

[murlough23]

What I'd really like is a mixture of sounds from the first and second Coldplay albums.

No argument there; but at the same time I think they're right to not want to repeat themselves.

I honestly view X&Y as a below average album and rate it in the C+/B- range.  I found no appeal to that record.

See, this is why I think we get into quibbles about how we rate things. I'd give it about that exact same grade (my review says four stars because there's no option for three and a half), but to me a C is average, so a B-/C+ means they at least did a little bit to stand out or interest me. Consequently, something like a B+ coming from you indicates a lot more of a deficiency on the artist's part (because otherwise you'd have given it an A) than that same grade coming from me (I rarely give out A's these days despite hearing a lot of really good albums that I end up rating a B+). It's all a bit subjective, so we might assign different grades but really mean the same thing (or close to it).

NP: "Intervention", Arcade Fire

[Ian]

I thought X&Y was a overall a good album (B+/A-), but I do enjoy their guitar based stuff, especially those 3 murlough mentioned.  Still, I'm not going to fault them for stopping doing something that people said was getting old.

[spacebrat311]

The problem isn't with the pianos at all. "Clocks" and "The Scientist" are among their best songs, and even on the first album they had "Trouble".

Meh, those are probably my 3 least favorite songs of their first two albums.

[murlough23]

Meh, those are probably my 3 least favorite songs of their first two albums.

Sounds like you're not a fan of the piano taking precedence over the guitar. Which is fine as a preference, but it's not really a good reason to criticize the band.

[spacebrat311]

Sounds like you're not a fan of the piano taking precedence over the guitar. Which is fine as a preference, but it's not really a good reason to criticize the band.

Oh, trust me it's not that. To be perfectly honest, it's just a matter of their piano arrangements being decidedly uninteresting, and therefore drawing attention to shoddy lyricism that I might be more tempted to forgive in a song with more intricate, or at least dynamic, arrangement.

In other words, the piano's precedence isn't the problem for me. The fact that they use the piano badly is.

[dgp11776]

Speaking of Coldplay, it looks like the name of the album is going to be Prospekt, and it will be released 5/19.  Here is the tracklist:

[spacebrat311]

Speaking of Coldplay, it looks like the name of the album is going to be Prospekt, and it will be released 5/19.  Here is the tracklist:

42... Douglas Adams reference perhaps? I seem to remember them referencing him before.

[murlough23]

Oh, trust me it's not that. To be perfectly honest, it's just a matter of their piano arrangements being decidedly uninteresting, and therefore drawing attention to shoddy lyricism that I might be more tempted to forgive in a song with more intricate, or at least dynamic, arrangement.

In some of their songs, the piano does get a bit boring and plodding, but they have dull guitar songs, too. Their problem is that they construct songs that are all climax, and just ride that through to the end, and that only works when the climax is a really good one.

But I don't always equate a lack of intricacy with shoddy work. "Clocks" is a really repetitive and simple song, but darned if it's not one of the most euphorically beautiful things I've ever heard. What works in their favor there is that the lyrics are a bit mysterious, rather than some of the straightforward romantic glop of songs like "What If" that makes it sound like they're trying too hard to get people to cry. Even a love song like "The Scientist" (which has an arrangement that only turns dull for me when the electric guitar comes in, actually) avoids the "shoddy lyricism" problem with its talk of, well, science. They added something interesting to it to make the lyrics less generic, but still easily relatable as a love song.

In other words, the piano's precedence isn't the problem for me. The fact that they use the piano badly is.

I think their music in general is more about what sort of emotions they can wring from the sound of their instruments, rather than demonstrating amazing amounts of proficiency on those instruments. It's not like their guitar parts are any more complex than their piano parts. Just because something's not hard to play doesn't mean it's dull and boring.

42... Douglas Adams reference perhaps? I seem to remember them referencing him before.

Yes, it was in the song title "Don't Panic". Though "42" is also one of the Lost numbers, so maybe they're fans.

As for the album title... what's the deal with their obsession with the letter "k"?

NP: "Magic", Fauxliage

[bloop]

Oh yeah, and they're changing their name to "Koldplay".

I think I liked their last two albums a bit more than most people, but I wasn't on the "instant classic" bandwagon I saw some others boarding.