Disappointed

Interpol: I'd probably have checked them out anyway because I'm a sucker for hype but I had actual expectations cos "NYC" is so good. Unfortunately the rest of it is scrappy and sketchy, "Studies For Young Men And Record Collection, No.s 1-13". The Smiths pastiche is particularly horrible. Grebt guitar noise on track 1!

Oxide And Neutrino: They're back with some incredible future funk, great! (70 mins later) Why is it all so fucking SLOW??

yeah and Oxide and Neutrino was a let-down after "Shoot to Kill"'s excellence.

Just to put this in perspective, I have bought a few things that came out last year which were hugely disappointing. Notably, that American Analog Set singles and rarities collection - god, that was dire. Why do I listen to recommendations from fellow Stereolab fans? They all have rubbish taste except me! ;)

Flaming Lips - Yoshimi = one great song at the start, and then it's just okay, and they seem to forget about the robot concept halfway through.

I would say the Interpol album, but I should never have got it in the first place.

that american analog set thing not worth getting then? some people seemed to think it was good, i had flirted with the idea of getting it

Mr Scruff - Trouser Jazz - Not bad, so to speak, but just not a patch on his debut.

Badly Drawn Boy - Both albums - I loved the first one, but... yawn.

Layo and Bushwacka - Nightworks - Despite two utterly, utterly amazing singles (Let The Good Times Roll and Love Story, obviously), the rest was turgid, polished coffee-table prog/jazz-house. Still love the singles, mind.

I can't agree abt the Missy alb, tho' I think I like the image/packaging as much as the actual rec.

I await the new Nas album with interest.

I think I can safely say that I was a little disappointed by Geogaddi but maybe I should still wait before making such a bold statement. It is less thrilling than previous efforts by Boards of Canada and their idyllic electronica thing has worn out a little I find.

All those new bands starting with "The" in a similar retro vein as The Strokes didn't really disappoint me. I didn't expect anything from them and that is exactly what they delivered.

Bowie made another ok album but nothing to get crazy about.

So in the end nobody really deceived me this year up to now. Weird.

"Studies For Young Men And Record Collection, No.s 1-13".
huh? fully crystallised, superbly crafted songs, I think... great "instrumental" timing, if that makes sense. e.g. the way the guitars come in after that dry drum-intro to PDA, gorgeous!
if you're interested (which obv. you are not, Tom, no offence) in the "real" "Studies For Young Men And Record Collection, at least No.s 1-3, search for the ep's on slsk. you can hear PDA go from a sketchy blueprint to the head-on killerversion that appeared on the alb.

QOTSA's pop touch deserted them a little bit on the new one. Definitely an album that I'd use my stereo's program function on: some good stuff, but lots of drivel.

Geogaddi fell a little short of expectations, but it's still good. Less light on its feet than "Music Has...", but it's murky and rewarding.

The best song on the new one is the closer Inches Away. I think The World Is Flat is more mature and wiser in a way. The overall theme is more serious and less light than on the first.

I enthused about the new one here in my blog if you are interested, Jerry.

I expected so much after the debut album, Lowlife. I built my expectations up and then .....crash it just didn't deliver as I wanted/expected.

also, piano magic, missy, i fear the new jay-z without even hearing it, rjd2 massive let down considering how much i liked that "def jux baby t" track (dear rjd2: please continue to rip off pete rock, lose the sub-dj shadow "let's take a journey" affectations, as well as the sub-skratch pikl "wackiness." do you really want to be the dj version of tmbg?), i really liked the first track on the interpol album and everything else sounded exactly like tom suggests...

you have to actually be looking forward to something to be disappointed by it (cf. wilco, flaming lips, other high profile magnet "best album of the year" bullshit.)

V/A- In the Beginning There Was Rhythm- What was sparked in my head when this was announced VS. what Soul Jazz actually pulled off come nothing close to each other. It seems like such a good premise, but they just couldn't come through with it (I'd probably have felt different aboot the comp. had I not already owned a good chunk of it, though).

Oh, and put me down for Mr Scruff as well.

And any album that has "Skidoos" can't be all bad.

also "Yes, you can make an OK hook stitching togther small radio samples, now how about making a great one with a keyboard and a live vocalist? "

this totally misses the point.

can we have a reverse thread wherein records u thought might be okay at best, by bands u didn't much care for turned out to be fantastic,
cause mine'd be cornershop's.

I too agree with Tim F about the sequencing/repetitiveness. My Way still stands a good chance of making my Top 10 list at year's end tho'.

He's not operating in exactly the same sphere, but I think with someone like Herbert, you can take or leave the baggage of his methods and just appreciate the tracks on their own -- they don't ever sound as if they're less than they could have been, despite the rules he makes for himself (no sampling of instruments, etc.) I had that feeling w/ the Akufen record, that he seemed limited by his concept.

Loved "No More Shall We Part", though. And the new Missy too!

The Chemical Brothers album is in no way bad but I'm normally still playing their last album by the time their next one comes around.

> Am I the only person who thinks that Geogaddi is BETTER than MHTRTC?

No you're not, I don't understand the disappointment here, though I surprise the thrill of the new has gone.

Sutekh Fell - I can't even remember what I heard, just that it was DUD.

Pan American's album was oddly stillborn. It's hard to describe why, because anything you say could be said about his first two. Yet somehow they come to life, and this one never does.

Seaworthy, from Macha's frontman, was so dull I have to wonder whether gamelon exotica was all that Macha had going. Somehow, Macha had a really sensual sound, and without that, Seaworthy, er, sinks.

Neko Case Blacklisted - Canadian Amp was great, but ballads are not her strength.

Also, Studio One Scorcher, Noonday Underground, Sybarite Nonument, Heavy Blinkers, Beth Gibbons (I may need to hear this one again)

File under Magnet AotY Bullshit (although I held out hope they might surprise me or I wouldn't have listened): Enon, J Mascis, Ladytron, Laub, Skeleton Key, St. Etienne

Still, I am not complaining. It's been a good year!

i was really dissapointed by mr scruff's trouser jazz at first, but it's been growing on me. only one song ("ug") anywhere near as good as the first album, so far...

most things i was after this year have at least been consistently decent. and little has gotten my expectations up high enough that they were dashed by actually listening to it.

Rubbish! That's a strong word. I actually love "Heathen". I think it's a fine album. Love the new Neko Case too! She's born to sing ballads!

Yup. Besides, it's so six months ago. ;-)

Fair enough, it's not rubbish but the reviews had me anticipating a return to his glory days. I think I should point out that in my opinion (that's IMHO, internet users) Bowie 1970-80 is untouchable, so a return to his glory days would be the Second Coming.

gogogoairheart - exitheuxa (what happened to them?)

I agree completely. This track is so so great. Nothing else on the record comes close. In an insane coincidence, I happened to bring this album on the bus with me today, and I just listened to it at lunch. First track I find really boring (see Murcof: Martes for a much better example of same vibe), second is OK, but holy shit “Skidoos” is good.

Almost as much as the Eagles' greatest hits! Actually, that would make a Dave Q-worthy taking sides.

Anyway, of course it's selling that much. He's a rock star now, remember? He should have just flat out covered "Dream On."

I too fear the new jay-z.

The new 3lw was a letdown at first, but now I really like it. The single put me off more than anything else coz it was pretty okay but nowhere near as good as their track with naughty by nature.

Marcello: I think the missy and tlc will totally grow on you coz I read your reviews and it seems like you were engaging other moods when you got them as well as the music, and it colored yr. articles.

No real disappointments though because I've given up on the whole tracking artists thing.

And the Oxide & Neutrino was totally great.

My biggest letdown is probably that I can't get at all into most of the nabisco-hyped electroclash even tho I'm trying and the latest finney tastes in garage are similarly not spectacular to me, though horsepower productions is pretty good. Like even Menta -- I see why I should like it but I just don't.

I am so very glad that the Ja Rule didn't disappoint or I would have been really heartbroken because I have been really building it up to myself.

Also most of the recent work of ludacris, and thug holiday was a letdown from the last album and from the single -- like only about 1/2 good.

Is it? I haven't given it much of a chance, partly because it's far too long, but I might give it another go. The first album is still The Future, they seem to have rush-released this one with no need. (I was hoping their next LP would be the modern Music For The Jilted Generation).

"Some of our peers seem to be introducing too much irony into their music and things become a bit of a joke and we find that really offensive. Especially in Daft Punk's last record I thought that they were making fun of the listener. Also, with acts like Britney Spears it reflects badly on music as a whole because it dumbs everything down. It's a shame."

the QotSA has to be one of the BEST things i've heard in along time!!!
beck following closely behind. hell, i think i'm one of the ONLY people that really enjoyed the Breeders. Murray St.'s good but nothing to jump around about. Trail of Dead's album still kicks my speakers in!
and Faux/Real sorta set the tone for the rest of the year...

in other breaking news, I just discovered there's a record inside the Lush Gala sleeve set! ;-)

I still like it. I don't know what the hell everyone was expecting from it, but they're all insane.

I hate the Streets, despite everyone talking it up, what is that about? It was like the most boring thing I've heard all year.

Also: The Dillinger Escape Plan/Mike Patton disc was OK but nothing spectacular. New Meshuggah also seemed like more of the same but played really freakin' S-L-O-W. Just kind of unpleasant to listen to and it makes me feel fat and sweaty when I do.

Kompakt Total 4 was a bit "meh" too. I think I still like the second one best of all, but maybe because I really killed the tracks I love off of Total 3 through overplaying 'em.

Most disappointing thing of all: Where is the Vooredoms album???

Total shit.

Bright Eyes' Lifted - I loved Fevers and Mirrors and the Desaparecidos album, but I haven't been able to listen to this more than twice. You'd think Conor Oberst would have learned something about pop brevity playing with Desaparecidos and doing the split EP with Britt Daniel, but apparently not.

Metoos: Beck tries to do something different, Flaming Lips try to do something similar, both make boring albums and then go on tour together. And some people say there's no harmony in the cosmos.