Best Albums of October 2008

Here is The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s list of favorite releases for the month of October:

1. Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 | CD Deluxe Edition CD Vinyl MP3 | Insound CD Deluxe Edition CD Vinyl
   Download “Dreamin’ Of You” (mp3)
   From the initial 3 volumes of unreleased material to the notorious live performances, The Bootleg Series has shown multiple parts of Dylan’s career. This volume showcases Dylan’s most successful 7-year period, from Oh Mercy to Modern Times, since the 1960s and ‘70s. There are alternate and demo versions of some of the best songs from this time period, but also unreleased gems that amazingly didn’t make the cut originally. For an artist who has continually reinvented himself, this collection is more potent that a “greatest hits” compilation. It offers a fresh view to the creative process of a seminal artist.


2. Her Space Holiday – XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival | CD MP3 | Insound CD
   Download “Sleep Tigers” (mp3)
   Leaving the electronic sampling and programming of his previous Her Space Holiday releases, Mark Bianchi has produced an indie folk album. These songs have catchy pop melodies with a diverse amount of acoustic instruments, relying on guitars, banjos, mandolins, and glockenspiels. Over top of the musical layers, Bianchi vocals take on a Robert Schneider quality.


3. Jay Reatard – Matador Singles ‘08 | Amazon CD Vinyl MP3 | Insound CD Vinyl MP3
   This album is a collection of the six, limited edition 7” singles released by Reatard during 2008 on Matador Records, with one new song added. These garage punk songs range from quick, short punk rockers with distorted guitars to slightly longer pop songs with acoustic guitar and keyboards. The audio quality drifts to lo-fi, but the attention is on the catchiness of these songs.


4. Frank Turner – Love Ire & Song | CD | Insound CD
   Frank Taylor, who used to be the singer for a hardcore punk band, has turned into a singer-songwriter. He still retains the attack of the punk rocker, but within the margins of an acoustic based folk artist. He has matured, but is still a passionate musician. As Taylor declares on the song “Photosynthesis,” “I won’t sit down and I won’t shut up/ And most of all I will not grow up.”


5. Deerhunter – Microcastle | CD Vinyl MP3 | Insound CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Little Kids” (mp3)
   Juggling between jangly pop and ambient indie rock, this album melds and flows very well. While still retaining some of the experimental qualities of the band’s previous releases, Bradford Cox and company have made an accessible and consistent album.

6. It’s A Musical – The Music Makes Me Sick | CD Vinyl MP3 | Insound CD Vinyl
   Download “Bad Day” (mp3)
   With songs in varying time signatures (typical 4/4, but also 5/4, 3/4, and 6/8) and syncopated rhythms, It’s A Musical play outside of the standard indie box. As an organ and drum duo with simultaneous male and female harmonizing vocals, the band will draw comparisons to Mates of State. Also, “Lazy” invokes the keyboard line of The National’s “Fake Empire” before the vocals sidetrack that correlation. As soon as the band sounds recognizable, they throw in changes to create an original take on their brand of indie pop.


7. Miracles Of Modern Science – Miracles Of Modern Science [EP] | FREE download from Amazing Wow
   Download “MR2” (mp3)
   This band consists of an upright bass, 2 cellos, violin, mandolin, and drums. They take the genre of chamber pop to a new height, truly sounding like the rock version of a chamber ensemble. Their debut EP is available as a free download from the Amazing Wow label and is 20 minutes of catchy and unique music.


8. Sebastien Grainger – Sebastien Grainger And The Mountains | CD Vinyl MP3 | Insound CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “American Names” (mp3)
   Grainger was the drummer and singer of the now defunct duo Death From Above 1979. This is not a dance punk album, like DFA1979, or an electronic album, like some of Grainger’s other monikers. Playing most of the instruments himself on this layered album, Grainger has created a bombastic indie rock album.


9. The Whispertown 2000 – Swim | CD MP3 | Insound CD
   Download “Down With Love” (mp3)
   As the first band Gillian Welch signed to her Acony Records, The Whispertown 2000 have a strong folk essence with melodies that are not far off from Welch’s. However, unlike Welch’s old time folk sound with David Rawlings, The Whispertown 2000 have a full band sound. These songs are catchy and feature a flushed out folk rock sound.


10. O’Death – Broken Hymns, Limbs And Skin | CD Vinyl MP3 | Insound CD Vinyl
    Download “Lowtide” (mp3)
    O’Death is a country punk band that also dips into the gypsy punk genre. With guitar, banjo, fiddle, bass and drums, the band merges country and worldly influences into a distinctive form of Americana music. This album captures the band’s riotous energy while still maintaining a consistent quality of production.

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