Which of the following is your favourite album?

Mississippi John Hurt - The Complete Studio Recordings 3 CDs This really calms me down. So relaxing and uplifting. The mellowest folk blues I can think of. The subtlest guitar playing technique of any bluesman. John Fahey got his fingerpicking style from Mr Hurt.

Klaus Schulze - 2001 I can't think of any electronic music except Boards of Canada I ever loved. But there are some tracks on this selection which click with me. Especially impressionistic pieces like e.g. Gewitter, the beginning of Blanche or Crystal Lake. I don't like it when Schulze takes himself for the Wagner of electronic music like in Ludwig II. von Bayern.

The The - Disinfected I listened to this once and haven't made my mind up yet. It seems an album that takes some time to sink in. No really outstanding tunes and rhythms like on Mind Bomb. I think I will like it after the next two listens.

Comsat Angels – My Mind's Eye I didn't know this band from Sheffield at all and was very positively surprised by this album from the early 90s. Andy Kellman gave me the idea to check them out. I don't remember if it was in his now closed blog Permafrost or in the AMG. The next fave band of Andy on my discovery list is Bark Psychosis now. My Mind's Eye is dark melodic rock. Quite powerful with addictive tunes. Somehow it makes sense to me that they originated in the early new wave.

Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump limited edition 2 CDs I listened to this once and I liked what I heard though I wasn't overwhelmed. The most obvious influence seems to be Pavement. Though Grandaddy's music is less abrasive and lighter. The drones by the Dandy Warhols aren't too far neither. Soft & sunny central Californian psychedelia.

Hayden – Skyscraper National Park The guitar in the beginning of this album really made me think this was a lost album by Neil Young. A bluesy occasionally slightly distorted rock guitar with a folk feel. Hayden's voice is different from Young's but it is strange as well. It is not really a good singing voice, too raspy. But this album is very good. Definitely in my top ten this year. Simple with haunting impressive melodies. Only reproach: it is a little on the short side.

Mountain Goats - All Hail West Texas I didn't yet listen to more than two songs of this. I liked those songs and I am 100% confident that Mr Darnielle is not going to disappoint me. We are talking about rather primitive and rough sounding songwriter stuff here.

Neu! - 75 I almost regretted the purchase of this album immediately after the first listen. Compared to the first Neu! album this is so smoothly produced and unidimensional. I find it plain boring.

No-Man – Returning Jesus Another let-down. No-Man sound like Talk Talk with Mark Almond singing plus a very uninspired production. I don't like the schmaltzy voice, I don't like the rather foreseeable synth-heavy arrangements, I don't like the weak tunes. Maybe it will grow on me but I seriously doubt it.

Rocket from the Tombs – The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs Great proto-punk from Cleveland, Ohio. Besides David Thomas and Peter Laughner the other two members of the band sing as well. First I thought the Satisfaction cover was a little too short but then I realised that 10 seconds are more than enough. Stand-out tracks are Sonic Reducer, 30 Seconds over Tokyo and Final Solution. There is not a second wasted on this washed-out nugget from 1975.

Sonic Youth & ICP & The EX - In the Fishtank Free-jazzy, improvisational, difficult stuff. It would have been published within the experimental SYR series if it hadn't been part of the fishtank band encounters. I don't understand why I still continue to buy all these Sonic Youth albums when I never listen to them. Obsessed by one of all-time's greatest indie bands I guess.

An mp3 of Chan Marshall's He War (via ToT) from her new album You Are Free which is scheduled for release on February, 18th, 2003. A return to form after the rather disappointing Covers Album? This track is less depressive and more upbeat than her usual songs.

An older review of her concert in New York, October, 3rd from Glorious Noise: