New Joanna Newsom album....

Was starting to wonder if either of the two artists who made the seminal American albums of the 00s (that's Joanna Newsom and Sufjan Stevens..) were ever going to follow them up or if the weight of expectation was just too much.

It would seem not, for Newsom at least. After a day of cryptic messages, photos and trails, it has been confirmed that Joanna will release her third full-length album on February 23rd (probably Feb 22 in the UK). It is called 'Have One On Me', which has led some to speculate that it may be free or there may be some other innovative idea behind it's release. Either way, this could not be much more exciting and confirms that 2010 is looking just unbelievably good at the moment. Newsom is currently touring Australia and has dates in the U.S to follow.

10 for the 00s

Since everyone else is doing it, I've been considering my favourite records of the 2000s. Over the coming weeks I will be writing about each one before coming up with a final list, so here in no particular order, are my favourite ten records of the 2000s....and believe me, even getting to this stage wasn't easy and I should say that Songs:Ohia's 'Magnolia Electric Co', Arcade Fire's 'Funeral' and Tindersticks' 'Waiting For The Moon' were about as close as it is possible to get to making the final ten. I may even expand the list to 20 at some point.

American Music Club' Love Songs For Patriots'
The Innocence Mission 'Befriended'
The Innocence Mission 'We Walked In Song'
Joanna Newson 'Ys
Low 'Trust'
Radiohead 'In Rainbows'
Sun Kil Moon 'Ghosts of the Great Highway'
Tindersticks 'Can Our Love'
Tindersticks 'The Hungry Saw'
Wilco 'A Ghost Is Born'

a song for today

I haven't listened to 'Ys' by Joanna Newsom much this year. I listened to it virtually non-stop at the end of last year but I just haven't felt like listening to it much recently.

This makes me think that it may be an 'Autumn album'. It wouldn't be alone, I listen to the Innocence Mission almost exclusively in Autumn and Winter, they just don't make so much sense in the Summer. I remember walking to work in the snow last February listening to 'Birds of my Neighbourhood' and at that moment it felt like the greatest album ever.

Anyway, this morning something made me want to listen to 'Emily' on the aforementioned 'Ys'. Its funny how songs can sometimes just pop into your head like that.

So, I'm sitting here at work with one ear of my headphones in and listening to the most amazing music, which has nothing to do with my today or the place where I am but is raising my spirits all the same.

I think I'll be listening to this a lot for the rest of the year.