Digging up old treasures...

There's nothing quite like the feeling of rediscovering an album you once loved but for some reason or other let fall by the wayside. It happens to us all! You just keep finding new music and gradually that favourite record falls further and further down your list until one day you are exploring your record collection (or itunes as the case may be these days!) and you come across something that spreads a smile across your face and makes you think "Oh yeah..." Luckily I'm having quite a run of these lately...

I woke up the other morning and couldn't quite decide what was going to put me in the right mood for the day. Flicking around between Sky News ad breaks as I was having my breakfast I happened upon an ad for the upcoming Benicio del Toro film "The Wolfman". I was instantly put in mind of the TV on the Radio classic 'Wolf Like Me' - the first song I had ever heard by them. Safe to say for the remainder of the day I hovered between that album (2006's "Return to Cookie Mountain") and the follow up, "Dear Science" from 2008. I don't think I need to say too much about these albums as they've received ample media attention in the past and are understandibly heralded as some of the decade's finest by many bloggers, myself included. David Bowie is among the New Yorkers' most outspoken fans; and has contributed to the records (see 'Province'), as have the likes of Nick Zinner and Kazu Makino. I would urge anyone out there who doesnt own these two records in particular to get yourself to your nearest CD or vinyl retailer and do whatever it takes to get your hands on these!

Rediscovering my love for Tvotr got me thinking... What else had I forgotten and found again in the past?

I'm constantly falling in and out of love with "Odelay". Beck's finest record by far, it just tends to slip my mind and wont get spun for months on end. It beggars belief why as the likes of 'Devil's Haircut' and 'Where It's At' are among the finest alternative anthems ever composed.

The trio of Cold War Kids, Modest Mouse and the Black Keys inexplicably fall in and out of my mind as frequently as Monday morning rolls around (it just never seems far enough away does it?!) Band of Horses have also recently become akin to these, yet another band who just dont get the attention they warrant! To any not in the know, check out "Robbers & Cowards" from Cold War Kids (especially 'Passing the Hat', 'Hospital Beds' or 'Saint John'), "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" from Modest Mouse (Yes i know "The Moon & Antarctica" is the classic, but "Good News..." was my first encounter with the group and it is still my favourite as a result!) and the "Attack & Release" by the Black Keys (Or just listen to the blues stylings of "Strange Times", "Psychotic Girl" or any of frontman Dave Auerbach's debut album!)

Finally we come to Bright Eyes. This has to be the most bizarre case for me. I would conider "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" to be in my top ten albums of the last ten years without a doubt, while it would place rather well in an overall countdown too I'd imagine! I first came to this album at the start of 2005 at the tender age of 14 when I heard the sickly sweet 'First Day Of My Life' on the radio. I bought the album pretty soon after its release (A 5 star review in Q Magazine whet my appetite further!) and, not for lack of trying, just couldn't get into it. At that age, the folk trend was just going over my head and I went back to my preferred White Stripes and early Kings of Leon and Strokes records. "IWAIM" got lost in the ever growing CD collection and, right up to last year, was not played once. I was sorting out my collection (Such were the numbers that it became essential to put them into alphabetical order!) and found this old dusty cd and thought to myself that perhaps it could be worth a go and... Well... My mind was blown. Conor Oberst's lyrics have a scent of pretention flowing throughout, but regardless of this the album is a stunning feat. From the spoken-word opening of "At The Bottom of Everything", to the stunning "Lua" and right through to "Road to Joy" at the albums conclusion there isn't a single bum note, not one second that I would even consider skipping. It still surprises me to this day how I could fail to recognise the genius of this sweet and tender album, one that I hope will not be lost in the vaults for anyone!!

On a final note, today I bought the new Midlake album "The Courage of Others" and I'm quite excited about this! Expect my review to reach these pages before the end of the weekend, work permitting!