Which of the following is your favourite album?

I wanted to vote for so many of those!

But it was a pretty easy choice, in the end -- "Moon Pix" is one of my favourite two or three albums in the entire universe. (If you don't think so, listen some more! You will!)

sean, nice to see that you still read my blog. i haven't read yours for a while, i must admit. blo.gs says it was updated last april, 11th. that's totally wrong of course. btw are you in europe? or do you get up at 5 o'clock in the morning and start writing on the interweb?

another thing is that i have slightly lost interest in current music. there are exceptions. like e.g. kammerflimmer kollektief or the new aimee mann which has its moments but over-all i prefer to dig into the archives of pop/rock/jazz music. so much great stuff there i have almost forgotten about. that's the advantage of getting old and approaching alzheimer... somehow i am not too much interested in innovation anymore. firstly i haven't heard anything breathtakingly new in the past years and secondly it is nice to relisten to familiar stuff. to stuff you know is good. to listen to new music has almost become a chore. or more precisely a waste of time. it is hardly ever rewarding, i find. i subscribed to the wire recently to rekindle my interest in music and got lots of wire tapper cds. i listened to several of them and there was almost nothing on them which did anything for me.

to finish this seemingly depressing comment off i think 1998 will be decided between moon pix which indeed is mesmerising and captivating and too beautiful for this world and the dark intimidating mezzanine and a third album which i don't know yet.

forget my question about europe. i just realized when reading your account of the jandek concert that you had come back to scotland a while ago.

p.s. and thank you for the plug on ask metafilter!

I think lots of music lovers go in cycles of insular/expansionist tendencies, either absorbing TONS of new stuff or else barracading and cosying in with what you love. i don't think it matters that you're not hearing new things: you will when you're ready (if ever). i'm just glad that you're still LOVING things. what's bad is when everything sounds greybeige and inert.

you're welcome for the plug. twas sincere!

i forgot to add my other favs from that year:

the necks - piano bass drums (one of my all time favs) beta band - 3 eps (still their best release) steve reich - music for 18 musicians (not actually created in that year but the nonesuch release is the finest performance) air - moon safari (still classy) boredoms - super ae (closest thing to can in recent times) clinic - s/t (they only play one song but it's a good one) kreidler - appearance and the park (wonderfull mix of digital electronics and live drums) ganger - hammock style (my fav post-rock record) rufus wainwright - s/t (glorious)

about that beta band release. the first ep is amazing. but it was from 1997 and as the title of the collection says it is not really an album.

i have to get something by the necks. i only know them off the stuff you posted in your blog.

air was a little on the slight, eclectic side, i found. kreidler i have as well. another album though, i think. electronic music is not for me. boards of canada are the best i heard in that field but even they don't touch me, grip me as much as music played on acoustic instruments. i saw that keith jarrett film yesterday and i really had to smile when he said that he only played the electric piano to make miles davis happy. and when he said electric instruments are toys. fun to play with. but...

ya know, i have this constant problem with your polls -- i just cannot decide. everything is just different.

just maybe that one pistepirkko album is not on my list. otherwise, yeah, all of 'em great. thank god i don't have to analyze any of that, as you're doing it so perfectly:) always great fun reading!

the three albums i have by 22 pistepirkko eleven is by far the best, i think. it won't be my choice for 1998 though. i am still undecided. somehow i have a predilection for selecting albums i don't know for a long time. as they are still exciting. i feel though that this is not right. i should go for the first album that comes to mind. that would be moon pix but the mark hollis is absolutely stunning.