Albums I Bought Last Year

After I read Dev's Top Albums of 2004, I was thinking about what my favourite albums would be.

After realizing that my mix discs have been prominent in my discman, especially when I upgraded to a MP3 hybrid, I decided I'd say which albums I bought in the past year:

Steve Burns - Mighty Little Man

- In 2003, when I joined the Failure message boards, I heard about how that guy who was known as Steve, the guy in the green striped sweater on Blue's Clues, had released a rock album, my curiosity was piqued. I found that I was able to sample the songs on his site, and ended up buying the album in the first week of 2004. It was a staple in my discman for a long time.

Melissa McClelland - Stranded in Suburbia

- It was a matter of me hearing the title track on the satellite feed at West Ed, and trying to find the song on my file-sharing program. I found her website, where I was able to sample her songs. And then bought her album a bit later.

Franz Ferdinand - Self-Titled

- It was mostly "This Fire" that got me into this band. That and Dev brought up his copy of the album to play one day. Sort of New New Wave from a bunch of Scots? How could I refuse?

Cake - Pressure Chief

- The first time I heard "No Phone," I was entranced. It was classic Cake, which I've been digging for a few years, although this single included a lot more of electronica, and so I was intrigued...

Garden State Soundtrack

- After Matthew Baldwin of defectiveyeti raved about the movie and how well the soundtrack helped out with the feel of the movie, I thought I'd give it a listen. Some great stuff on that disc, although it's pretty mellow. Especially Iron and Wine...Mellow, but really beautiful.

U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

- I got this for Christmas, and it's a decent album. Not my favourite U2 album, mind you. As Dev told me, "I find it like it's a U2 greatest Hits disc from a parallel universe. It's like it's all stuff they could have recorded at different points of their career." I still haven't checked out the DVD that came with it. I guess I'll get around to it in the next few days...

The Postal Service - Give Up

- Also from Matthew Baldwin's recommendations, this was an album that I started out with one song. (Such Great Heights) Ammon, a co-worker, was so obsessed with the song, he bought the album and played it for an entire day in the store. I gave it to my brother for Chistmas. How're you liking it, Brade?

David Cross - It's Not Funny

- Not as long as his first album (a double disc, "Shut Up, You Fucking Baby," that I picked up last year), but still the angry biting humour that Cross is known for. ("Oh? Have you heard Evanescence? They rock. Yeah? You think so? you're right: they really suck, don't they?") He still says everything I'd like to say but am not asshole-y enough to say. (Say say SAY say say...)

Jakalope - It Dreams

- I found this, a Canadian-ish group of artists, such as producer Dave Ogilvie, NiN frontman Trent Reznor, and Calgary unknown Katie B, on the same site as Melissa McClelland. I like it, although it's sort of lite-industrial. Way better than Evanescence in my opinion, mind you. Also received this for Christmas, although I've been a fan since I heard it, which does predate the singles on the radio. That's right. I'm indie hardcore...

Otherwise, it's a whole bunch of singles I've put on my MP3 discs. I'm sure I'll be trying some of those albums in the near future. (Especially Lansing-Dreiden and Secret Machines. I found those gems on The Morning News.)

Any discs anyone think I should be getting? (No, Dev. Not Shatner...)