Hits In The Car

I have plenty of music to catch up with, so today I'm going to listen to some of the albums I (for one reason or the other) haven't bothered listening to since I ripped them to my computer.

First one out is Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta. I hate being so busy at work that I constantly have to pause the music, because it pretty much ruins the listening pleasure of it. However I'm not really sure if I'm into the music of The Mars Volta - interruptions or not! The music is a strange mix of many genres (Punk, Metal, Jazz (!), Prog-Rock etc.) and one moment they sound like Yes and the next like Red Hot Chili Peppers, which turns listening to the album into an almost schizophrenic (or at least very uneven) experience. At RateYourMusic the album ranks as the 9th best of 2005, which somehow makes me believe that it must have a lot more potential than I'm able to hear. More listens required I suppose?

Second album of the day is I Am A Bird Now by Antony And The Johnsons. Another album widely considered to be among the best of 2005 (18th at RateYourMusic, 4th at Acclaimed Music + winning the Mercury Music Prize for best album). The quiet emotional music makes it the complete opposite to The Mars Volta, but again I really don't know what to think. Maybe it's not suited to be played on the computer? Maybe it's better when you sit down alone one evening and listen to is intensively? Maybe it all makes sense once you read the lyrics? Right now I don't know!
Download You Are My Sister (MP3)

Third (and final) album of the day is yet another highly appraised one. Rejoicing In The Hands by Devendra Banhart was released in 2004 and this folk album definitely is a close relative to the works of Iron & Wine, though not as catchy and sounding less lo-fi. Still (in my humble opinion) this is by far the best (without actually being that good) and most immediate of the 3 albums I've listened to so far today.


Overall I'm pretty disappointed, because I (probably) expected at least one of the albums to make an instant impact on me. Didn't happen this time, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for more luck the next time I explore unfamiliar territory!