BuzzSugar

Buzz's Favorite Albums of 2010

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:00:00 PST

We're winding down 2010 by reflecting on the year's best entertainment (did you get to vote on all my polls?), but now it's our turn! It seems like yesterday I was sharing my Summer jams, but now that it's December, I'm reflecting on all the music that made my year rock. Here are my top 10 albums of 2010!

What Is the Best Indie Album of 2010?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:30:00 PST

If you love indie music, then you probably spent most of your 2010 downloading hot new tunes. There were so many releases, it's hard to even keep track of them all! Take a look at these recent albums and, vote for the one the one that monopolized your iPod.

Don't forget to vote on all of our best of 2010 polls!

What to Download: New Music This Week

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:30:25 PDT

Your iPod's about to get a little more hip with this week's new music releases (and by the way, they're from two of my favorite artists). I've given the albums a listen and have some suggestions for which songs you should check out for a taste.

Belle and Sebastian, Write About Love
The lowdown: The mellow indie pop band releases its eighth studio album, a romantic series of mixtape-ready songs about love (as the title suggests), and all types: new, lost, and foregone.
Choice tracks: "I Want the World to Stop"
"Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John"
"Sunday's Pretty Icons"
Download this album if you: Need some lilting, lovely music to comfort you on cold nights.

Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz
The lowdown: After dabbling in a few side projects, the indie folk singer is back with his first full-length album of new tunes. This time, he mixes things up with an experimental album that gets a little synthesizer-happy.
Choice tracks: "Too Much"
"Vesuvius"
"I Walked"
Don't download this album if you: Were hoping for more of Stevens's banjo-infused signature ballads.

BuzzSugar's Must Haves For October

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:30:00 PDT

October is upon us, and there's a whole lot more than just Halloween to look forward to. Yes, the spooky holiday brings along a creepy new series, but there's also the finale of one of my favorite shows and a much-anticipated album, while a potential Oscar contender will take the box office by storm.

Fall 2010 Album Preview: Buzz's Picks

BuzzSugar — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 08:45:00 PDT

Ready for a new exciting season of entertainment? I've got you up to speed on the Fall movies to look forward to (see parts one and two here), and now I want to focus on music. There's a ton of great new albums coming your way in the next few months, so I've gone through them to tell you which ones I'm looking forward to most!

Listen: Carey Mulligan Sings on Belle and Sebastian's "Write About Love"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:30:20 PDT

I already considered Carey Mulligan to be an ultra-talented woman; from her Oscar-nominated turn in An Education to her upcoming stints in dramas
Never Let Me Go and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, her career just keeps flourishing. And then I heard her angelic voice singing on the new Belle and Sebastian track, "Write About Love."

Mulligan provides an understated but beautiful contribution to the chorus on the title track of the band's upcoming album, which is in itself a sweet gem for fans of the veteran indie band. The album drops on Oct. 12, but listen to the actress add just a little bit of allure to an already lovely track when you

Link Time! 1/29

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:31:29 PST

Cinematical found the poster and some behind-the-scenes footage from the next James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.
Check out Stereogum for the new Erykah Badu video for "Honey."
Speaking of music videos, Spinner makes me happy by premiering the new Mountain Goats video.
TV Filter has the video of Craig Ferguson taking his citizenship test.
Meanwhile, YouAintNoPicasso has an MP3 of Belle and Sebastian covering David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
Television Without Pity wonders: Why isn't Victor Garber more famous?
Pop Candy wants to know what random TV shows you've discovered during the strike.
Popwatch learned a whole load of information about No Country for Old Men, straight from the Coen Bros.' mouths.
Give Me My Remote has the new strike video that's making the rounds, starring Josh Radnor.
Desperate for Desperate Housewives, TV with MeeVee has turned to Amas De Casa Desperadas.

Getting Into: Belle and Sebastian

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 05:30:00 PDT

How often have you said "I really think I would like that band, but I've never gotten into them"? Therein lies the inspiration for Getting Into, where I'll help start your education about a singer, band, or film director by telling you what albums or movies you'll need as a beginner, intermediate, and advanced fan. (Got ideas for Getting Into posts? Leave a comment or send me a private message.)

Today I'm taking on Belle and Sebastian, the Scottish indie pop band that combines childlike wonder with an adult sensibility (and a string section). Relentlessly literary and always clever, Belle and Sebastian makes some of the smartest danceable music I've ever heard. Here's how I'd recommend getting into Belle and Sebastian:

Beginner: If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy with the Arab Strap

Together, these two albums are a great place to start your Belle and Sebastian collection. Between the two, they run the full gamut of B&S emotions, from peppy and upbeat ("Seeing Other People" from If You're Feeling Sinister) to contemplative ("It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" from Arab Strap) to both ("Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" from Sinister). Between the two, Sinister probably has better individual songs, but Arab Strap is the kind of album that slowly seeps into your bloodstream until you can't remember what life was like before you heard it.

To see the intermediate and advanced selections, just

Intermediate: Tigermilk, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, and Push Barman to Open Old Wounds

Now that you have a feel for Belle and Sebastian, it's time to go back to where it all started: Tigermilk, the band's first album, which saw very limited release in England in 1996 but wasn't widely available in the United States until 1999. The album includes some absolutely essential B&S songs, including "She's Losing It." This is also the stage for picking up Push Barman, which compiles out-of-print EPs and includes some of the most beautiful, and most unusual, songs the band has recorded. Finally, Dear Catastrophe Waitress includes a large number of songs that make me chuckle aloud, including the ode to an office affair "Step Into My Office, Baby."

Advanced: Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant, The Life Pursuit, the Storytelling soundtrack, and various related projects

Now's the time to venture into albums that, frankly, aren't as strong but still have plenty to recommend them. The Life Pursuit, the band's most recent album, is maybe its most carefree, though it's almost too uncomplicated. Fold Your Hands Child nearly turned me off the band - when it misses, it misses big - but it also includes one or two of my favorite songs, including the heartbreaking "I Fought in a War." By this point, you'll be able to take what you like from these albums and ditch the rest. Also, check out the more recent projects of former band members Isobel Campbell (The Gentle Waves) and Stuart David (Looper), who were key in the band's early sound.

Source

Wrap-Up: BuzzSugar's Top 20 Albums of 2006

BuzzSugar — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 06:07:20 PST

Not every year can be a great year for music, and 2006 was just okay. It didn't help that this year was sandwiched between 2005-which gave us great albums by Kanye West, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Sufjan Stevens-and 2007, which promises new releases from Wilco, Arcade Fire, and Timbaland.

Thankfully, I managed to scour enough of the year's music to bring you BuzzSugar's Top 20 Albums of 2006. I've been posting my reviews all week, but here at last is the list in its entirety. Don't forget to bookmark the albums you thought were Buzzworthy this year!

20. The Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury

19. Band of Horses, Everything All the Time

18. Howe Gelb, 'Sno Angel Like You

17. Magnolia Electric Co., Fading Trails

16. Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways

15. Destroyer, Destroyer's Rubies

14. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat

13. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

12. Califone, Roots & Crowns

11. M. Ward, Post-War

To see the Top 10,

10. Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds

9. The Pipettes, We Are the Pipettes

8. Yo La Tengo, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

7. Drive-By Truckers, A Blessing and a Curse

6. Islands, Return to the Sea

5. TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain

4. Cat Power, The Greatest

3. Bob Dylan, Modern Times

2. Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit

1. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America

Song of the Day: Belle and Sebastian, "Sukie in the Graveyard"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 08:46:53 PST

It's always good to start the Friday off right with a happy song to get you going for the weekend. So today, I'm bringing you a track off one of my Top Albums of 2006. In "Sukie in the Graveyard," Belle and Sebastian prove once again that they can write a perky pop song about anything: in this case, a girl named Sukie who does tombstone rubbings and hides out in an art school.