Always looking forward to your Year’s Best list, since I usually find some gems in there which I missed. Any particular reason why Boysen’s “Gravity” and Goldfrapp’s latest didn’t make the cut? I was pretty sure they would end up somewhere.
Thanks for your comment David. Very simply, i found both ‘Gravity’ & ‘Tales of Us’ to be pretty dull, uninspired albums. ‘Gravity’, in particular, was a major disappointment; i love his work, & was astonished to hear him treading water in such a banal way as that. A real low-point in Boysen’s career. As for the Goldfrapp, it’s pleasant enough to listen to but where’s the imagination captured in her previous albums? i would have expected both of them to feature on my list, but no way were they anywhere near good enough. i haven’t seen them on any other lists either, so that perhaps says something…
Did *you* like them?
David
10 years ago
Actually, I tend to agree with you, but for some reason I noticed that I heard both albums quite a lot and they somewhat grew on me.
The first time I heard ‘Gravity’, I was disappointed as well. However, I found I listened to it a *lot* at work. I know it is small praise when music primarily works as “background music”,but still, I really like it. Boysen has done far greater work, for sure, but you can still hear that he is a masterful producer.
Similar for Goldfrapp: there’s no “Strict machine” anywhere; a very quiet and also conventional album, but really solid songwriting with an incredible voice.
Both are surely not Top 10 material, but Top 40: yes, absolutely. But maybe I’m just too forgiving since I’m in love with both (although I really didn’t like what Boysen released as “Hecq” this year; that really was just left-overs). I think we can both agree that they can do *much* better.
BTW, thanks for your article on Man with Country. They are amazing. “Entropy” is clearly the EP of the year.
Perhaps my reaction to ‘Gravity’ was too immediate. i’ve never returned to it for a second listen, but i don’t feel inclined to simply because i’ve heard *so* much of this kind of inane piano-drifty noodling that i can happily live without more. i agree with you about the Hecq release too – ‘Horror Vacui’ was surprisingly limp. But he’s still one of the best – let’s hope 2014 is more rewarding….
Perhaps Boysen & Goldfrapp will feature on someone’s top 40, but considering the outstanding quality they were up against in 2013, they didn’t stand a chance on mine.
Ah – Man Without Country – what a band! Can’t wait to hear what they release this year…
Always looking forward to your Year’s Best list, since I usually find some gems in there which I missed. Any particular reason why Boysen’s “Gravity” and Goldfrapp’s latest didn’t make the cut? I was pretty sure they would end up somewhere.
Thanks for your comment David. Very simply, i found both ‘Gravity’ & ‘Tales of Us’ to be pretty dull, uninspired albums. ‘Gravity’, in particular, was a major disappointment; i love his work, & was astonished to hear him treading water in such a banal way as that. A real low-point in Boysen’s career. As for the Goldfrapp, it’s pleasant enough to listen to but where’s the imagination captured in her previous albums? i would have expected both of them to feature on my list, but no way were they anywhere near good enough. i haven’t seen them on any other lists either, so that perhaps says something…
Did *you* like them?
Actually, I tend to agree with you, but for some reason I noticed that I heard both albums quite a lot and they somewhat grew on me.
The first time I heard ‘Gravity’, I was disappointed as well. However, I found I listened to it a *lot* at work. I know it is small praise when music primarily works as “background music”,but still, I really like it. Boysen has done far greater work, for sure, but you can still hear that he is a masterful producer.
Similar for Goldfrapp: there’s no “Strict machine” anywhere; a very quiet and also conventional album, but really solid songwriting with an incredible voice.
Both are surely not Top 10 material, but Top 40: yes, absolutely. But maybe I’m just too forgiving since I’m in love with both (although I really didn’t like what Boysen released as “Hecq” this year; that really was just left-overs). I think we can both agree that they can do *much* better.
BTW, thanks for your article on Man with Country. They are amazing. “Entropy” is clearly the EP of the year.
Sheesh, Man *without* Country, of course…
Perhaps my reaction to ‘Gravity’ was too immediate. i’ve never returned to it for a second listen, but i don’t feel inclined to simply because i’ve heard *so* much of this kind of inane piano-drifty noodling that i can happily live without more. i agree with you about the Hecq release too – ‘Horror Vacui’ was surprisingly limp. But he’s still one of the best – let’s hope 2014 is more rewarding….
Perhaps Boysen & Goldfrapp will feature on someone’s top 40, but considering the outstanding quality they were up against in 2013, they didn’t stand a chance on mine.
Ah – Man Without Country – what a band! Can’t wait to hear what they release this year…