Mercoledì 8 Lug 2009, 12:38

This post will deal only with the 2nd Quarter of 2009, aka, the months of April, May, and June.
The following are the chart data as recorded by Last.fm (skip past them for my thoughts).
*asterisk denotes a 2009 release, the trailing number is number of plays

3 month artists
1. Beangrowers 240
*2. Bat for Lashes 217
*3. Metric 204
*4. The Decemberists 191
5. Johann Sebastian Bach 176
*6. Camera Obscura 161
*7. Polly Scattergood 139
8. Enya 123
9. Patsy Cline 121
10. Yann Tiersen 118

3 month albums
*1. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love 127
*2. Metric - Fantasies 109
*3. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns 100
*4. Polly Scattergood - Polly Scattergood 93
5. Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles 83
6. Weeping Tile - Cold Snap 79
7. Beangrowers - Not In A Million Lovers 74
*8. Guitares Cinématiques - Penguins On Mars 73
*9. The Rest - Everyone All At Once 70
*10. Company of Thieves - Ordinary Riches 66

3 month tracks
*1. Metric - Blindness 15
*2. Polly Scattergood - I Hate The Way 14
*3. The Pauses - Go North 13
*4. The Rest - Walk On Water (Auspicious Beginnings) 13
*5. Metric - Help I'm Alive 13
*6. The Rayographs - Gold Light 12
7. Rilo Kiley - Pictures of Success 12
*8. The Pauses - The Migration 12
*9. Polly Scattergood - Nitrogen Pink 12
10. Blue October - Congratulations (feat. Imogen Heap) 12
*11. Metric - Collect Call 11
*12. Metric - Gimme Sympathy 11
*13. The BPA - Seattle (with Emmy The Great) 11
*14. Munchausen By Proxy - Sweet Ballad 11
*15. Metric - Sick Muse 11
*16. Butterfly Boucher - Gun for a tongue 11
*17. Polly Scattergood - Bunny Club 11
18. Jane Siberry - It Can't Rain All the Time 11
*19. Bat for Lashes - Glass 10
*20. Metric - Twilight Galaxy 10
*21. Polly Scattergood - I Am Strong 10
*22. Metric - Front Row 10
*23. Metric - Gold Guns Girls 10
*24. Röyksopp - Were You Ever Wanted (feat. Lykke Li) 10
*25. Polly Scattergood - Other Too Endless 10
26. Counting Crows - Anna Begins 10
27. The Triffids - Stolen Property 10
*28. Patrick Watson - Big bird in a small cage 10
*29. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career 10

Thoughts:
- The first thing that pops out is Beangrowers. They had a 2008 release, Not In A Million Lovers, which is still getting spins enough to show in the top ten (staying power) and they are top artist overall on the strength of my now having their complete library in freshly ripped from CD FLAC.
- The new albums from The Decemberists, Metric, Bat for Lashes, and Polly Scattergood are bunched pretty tightly at the top in all charts and obviously my favs of the quarter.
- Of those four, only Bat For Lashes' Two Suns was in the Q1 lists (staying power).
- Camera Obscura is getting plays and showing in the artist list, but their new one is not getting enough to chart, but for one track.
- The Rest's Everyone All At Once is still getting steady plays, enough to show in both quarters.
- Guitares Cinématiques' Penguins On Mars is the only (somewhat) instrumental album in the above sampling. It does have vocals on a few tracks and some spoken word.
- The Pauses really need to release some more and more official material. Ditto for The Rayographs.
- No EPs are dominated this quarter, against my norm.
- Seems I still really dig female vocals about 2:1

Special Mentions:
- 志方あきこ (Akiko Shikata) - Harmonia
I don't understand a word, but that doesn't matter. Besides the fact she melds 3 or more languages, Akiko uses her voice as an instrument as much as anything. Neo-Classical, Medieval, New Age, World, Alternative, JPop, Art Rock. Label it how you will; it makes my soul smile.

- Alamaailman Vasarat - Huuro Kolkko
The instrumental version of "I don't know what these titles mean, but it doesn't matter". This has more of an edge and at the same is less intrusive (meaning you can listen to this with full attention or as background tunage).

- All India Radio - A Low High
The best straight instrumental release out for the year thus far, just edging out Chris Joss below, and like many of these mentions, could end up in the final list quite easily. Mellow, soothing, a nice trip.

- Chris Joss - Sticks
Chris Joss seems to write soundtracks to early 70s movies that never existed. And I hope he continues to. Recorded during the sessions that produced last year's Teraphonic Overdubs, this is another solid release with not one weak track. Play that funky music, French boy.

- Gokul Salvadi
More world fusion. More excellent tunage, but released all separately as mostly single track singles, so more difficult to track. (Note: I had previously written he didn't like the term world fusion. I was mistaken and apologize for that, Gokul)

dotSpice/Alchemic Journey/eXSpace
All projects of Juan and Woodoo Prod again instrumental work, again a fusion of styles, again just wonderful stuff.

That is the last three months. The year so far post, aka, the Q1+Q2, 1 Jan through 30 June, half year best of, post is yet to follow (some time this week, hopefully).