The most useless lists of the week aka things I enjoyed during the week.

ALBUMS:

1. Haruko: Wild Geese
I’m totally addicted to this album and hardly listened to anything else during the week. She is a great folk singer-songwriter from Germany and this debut album is simply stunning.

2. Wilco: (The Album)
Eventhough this was one of the most anticipated releases of the year, it has to settle for the second spot for the time being because of my Haruko addiction. I need more time to make up my mind, but based on early listenings I like it a lot. Seems like they are going back to the right direction. Everything until Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was great. Ghost Is Born wasn’t very good at all, Sky Blue Sky was already a lot better (apparently they realised that it would be an okay idea to actually have some songs on a record) and this new one seems like a return to the good old days. Looking forward to spend more quality time with this album during this week.

3-5. The Gaslight Anthem and Calexico back catalogues
I was just getting prepared for their Ruisrock concerts. The Gaslight Anthem was the better one this time around. Some have said that it isn’t that great live band, but I enjoyed it a lot. Nothing to complain with Calexico either. Just that I would have made a completely different set list myself. Out of my imaginary top 10 Calexico songs, they probably played just one or two.. But that’s just pointless fan boy talk. Sorry about that.

Other Ruisrock acts:

First Aid Kit was really good
Faith No More.. well part of it was good if not really good, but part of it was incredible shit. How about having some melodies and songs and not just shouting your lungs out.

SONGS:

I could just list all the songs from Haruko’s album..

Time for the most useless lists of the week aka the things I loved during the week.

ALBUMS:

1. Dinosaur Jr: Farm
No reason to change a good concept. It sounds oh so familiar and it’s a great album.

2. The Lemonheads: Varshons
I love The Lemonheads, but I’ve got to admit that this cover album isn’t very good as a whole. It has its moments like the opener I Just Can’t Take It Anymore, but there just isn’t enough great material for an album. It’s not terrible and one could gather up a very good cover ep out of the material, but it’s still a very dissapointing release.

3. Kiss: Kiss / Dressed To Kill / Destroyer / Love Gun
Kiss addiction didn’t go away in a week.

4. Radio City: Class of ’77
This lost power pop gem is still on the playlist.

5. College Fall: 2009 European Tour EP
A tour EP that also contains a few tracks from their upcoming album.

SONGS:

1. The Avett Brothers: I and Love and You
2. The Lemonheads: I Just Can’t Take It Anymore
3. Kiss: Strutter
4. Duke & The King: If You Ever Get Famous
5. Dinosaur Jr: Over It

According to last.fm I’ve listened to I and Love and You 54 times so far. It seems I’m rather excited about the upcoming The Avett Brothers album. It’s again a really great song eventhough I don’t think that it’s is even close to reaching my imaginary top 5 songs by The Avett Brothers list.

The Most Useless Lists of the week or things I loved during the week.

ALBUMS:

1. Jason Lytle: Yours Truly, The Commuter
Grandaddy goes solo and I like it a lot.

2. Radio City: Class Of ’77
Can I say classic 70’s power pop if it wasn’t released until now?

3. Cats On Fire: Our Temperance Movement
This is my favourite album of the year so far and therefore it remains on the playlist. Kind of sad that the average life for a new record seem to be something like two weeks in this household, because I continuosly buy records and therefore need to move on to new things way too fast. Thank God I’m even able to stick to something as perfect as this for a longer time.

4. Blue: S/T
This remains on the playlist as well. It’s a stunning pop album. Maybe I could remove 1-2 songs from it to make it pure perfection, but it gets rather close the way it is.

5. Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers: Songs In The Night
I still enjoy it.

SONGS:

1. Radio City: Don’t Mistake Love
2. Janne Laurila: Heili
3. Nopat: Rauhaton
4. Jason Lytle: Birds Encouraged Him
5. Bob McFadden & Dor: The Mummy

We were listening to an old Räkärodeo show in the car when driving to Keuruu last thursday and that old classic The Mummy made us both smile. This wonderful song has been stuck in my head ever since, so I want to share this beautiful piece of music with you. You’ll find it for example here.