You have arrived at the web home of Noah Brier. This is mostly an archive of over a decade of blogging and other writing. You can read more about me or get in touch. If you want more recent writing of mine, most of that is at my BrXnd marketing x AI newsletter and Why Is This Interesting?, a daily email for the intellectually omnivorous.
1. Kings of Convenience – Riot on an Empty Street
2. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Shake the Streets
3. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
4. Moonbabies – Orange Billboard
5. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
6. The Killers – Hot Fuss
7. Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days
8. Erelend Oye – DJ Kicks [Still debating whether a mix album can make the list]
9. Joanna Newsome – The Milk-Eyed Mender
10. Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic
Here are 3 August albums:
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous: Rilo are at it again, making another fantastic album to follow up The Execution of All Things. It's a bit slower than the last one, but it's still great to listen to and Jenny Lewis is absolutely amazing.
Song: "Portions for Foxes"
The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight: I'm a sucker for female lead singers, what can I say? They're a more traditional sound than Rilo, whatever that means.
Song: "You're the Storm" or "And Then You Kissed Me" (There isn't really anything that's jumped out at me, it really just works together)
Maritime - Glass Floor: I'd think I'd put this band in the same category as The Shins. They're poppy, but in a nice, acoustic way.
Song: "Someone Has to Die"
I really am not great at reviewing albums. I just like them and have a great deal of trouble explaining why. Most of the time I just want to say "this album's fun to listen to." I'm good at figuring out what people will like based on their taste and can explain the connections between sounds, but when it actually comes down to describing my own tastes I find the process almost impossible. When asked to explain what kind of music I listen to, all I can really do is rattle off a list of whatever's gotten the most play on my MP3 player lately. This actually gives very little insight into my general attitudes towards styles and genres. I know I like female lead singers and I tend to like acoustic-type music. I like listening to depressing music sometimes, but there's also other times I prefer to listen to upbeat, poppy stuff. What's the point of all this? I'm not exactly sure, but I felt as though I needed an explanation for my poor album reviews. Just check those albums out and decide for yourself, if you can describe them better than I, more power to you.