urgency to bleed

Alright, so, about that 2010 list of mine. I've only got about half the reviews written at this point and at the moment all of my creative energy is being harnessed by other things so I'm not sure when I will have the rest ready. I know I could just copy and paste my first reviews, since I've already posted about most of them before, but even though it is illogical to write the same things in different words all over again, I can't help it. So you'll have to wait for that awhile longer. But here is something to hold you over until then. I've also mentioned a lot of these albums before but some of them are here for the first time so it's not entirely a waste of a post. Also, I can't really call this entire list honorable mentions because, well, some of the albums I don't like much as a whole but they happen to have a couple really amazing songs. So it's just a list of... everything I felt I needed to mention that isn't in the top twenty for whatever reason.

( I'm begging with my fingers and it's starting to burn. )

I was going to do a song of the day post but I kept thinking of more songs I wanted to mention and four seems like a little much for song of the day and I'm too impatient to post everything separately. So here are four completely random, unrelated songs.

• Now It's Overhead - Turn & Go

If you don't know by now, I'm a bit in love with Andy LeMaster. This song kind of sneaked up on me from out of nowhere. I never really took much notice to it and then it suddenly hit me and I was completely overwhelmed by how beautiful it is. It's very simple and doesn't have much in the way of lyrics but it is so emotionally affecting anyway. Especially the last few lines: "A heart of gold can't glisten in this winter rain/Turn and go, don't wander in this storm again" - when Andy sings that last word in falsetto, oh God, I'm a pile of jelly. The entire song kind of builds up to that one glorious second for me but it's totally worth it. My obsession with this actually happened a few weeks ago, I just haven't got around to posting it until now.

• Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - My Baby (Shoots Her Mouth Off)

Another song that I didn't really realize was quite so good at first, I've been enjoying this one a lot lately. It's just so catchy! I also have to say, I've noticed lately that their lyrics are often extremely violent, which I find quite amusing since the actual music is so pretty and usually quite gentle. This one is actually rather tame and only goes as far as "My baby wants to kill me" in one of the choruses. But the song I'm thinking about the most is "The Shivers (I've Got 'Em)" with its wails of "Evelyn, your spine cracks like a wine glass/Evelyn, your skull pops like a walnut" and then it also has the line, "I want to gouge out your eyes/Splinter your spine" - scary, creepy, but in a totally awesome way. Anyway, I am talking about a completely different song now. This song is "My Baby (Shoots Her Mouth Off)" and isn't as creepy but is still very good. So I'll stop talking about songs I'm not even posting and move on.

• Neko Case - People Got a Lotta Nerve

I haven't listened to Neko much lately but I am very excited to hear her new album, Middle Cyclone, which is to be released in March. This song is short and catchy; I find it most reminds me of "Hold On, Hold On" from 2006's excellent Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (which was my second favorite album that year, behind Joanna Newsom's Ys, for the record). It's not exactly the most compelling song ever but it's pretty good and gets better with every listen for me. And I also suspect it is far from the album's best track. You can download it for free - legally - from her page on the Anti- website here; just find it on the left-hand side of the page and click for your listening pleasure. Also, if you're interested in hearing a bit more from this album, check out the EPK. It's got clips from many more of the songs and they sound very promising.

• A Camp - Stronger Than Jesus

A Camp is mostly the brainchild of Nina Persson, who you may better know from the Cardigans. She released a self-titled album under this name back in 2001, I believe, and is finally back with Colonia this year. I listened to the first A Camp record awhile back and wasn't overly impressed but I have to say, Colonia is definitely my first true love of 2009. It comes out in the first week of February or so in Europe and is not going to be released stateside until April; sadness. But I am definitely posting a review at some point after it comes out so I don't want to talk too much about the entire album right now. "Stronger Than Jesus" is the lead single and it's catchy, catchy, catchy (I really need to find another word to use; I overuse this one so bad). Nina's voice sounds delightful and it's just a completely lovely smart pop song with a highly infectious chorus: "Don't you know love is stronger than Jesus/Don't you know love can kill anyone/So bring it on, wars and diseases/You know that love can do you like a shotgun." You can hear a special live version of the song by signing up for the band's mailing list on their official site; it comes highly recommended. More on this album later.

Here are a few random songs/artists I am loving at the moment. No *NSYNC this time, I promise. ;)

( Click for music. )

And also, because I'm feeling generous and because no one is really getting anything out of me keeping them to myself, here are links to some random things I have uploaded in my MediaFire folder - a few albums, some songs. They are all good, I promise, so download whatever you'd like! Remember to change xx to tt for the links to work.

( Links. )