Fuzzy Bits: January 12, 2006

Finalists named for first ever New Pantheon Awards

Replacing what was known as the Shortlist awards, the New Pantheon Awards finalists have been named. Before listing the finalists, it should be mentioned that the New Pantheon Awards finalists, just like the Shortlist, are hand selected by a diverse group of fellow musicians (this years judges ranged from Elton John to Dave Matthews to Margaret Cho to Beck), and the only requirement outside of musical integrity is that it must've sold less than 500,000 copies. With that in mind, here are the 2006 finalists:

Extraordinary Machine Fiona Apple
Funeral Arcade Fire
Feels Animal Collective
I Am a Bird Now Antony and the Johnsons
Silent Alarm Bloc Party
Plans Death Cab for Cutie
Picaresque The Decemberists
Aha Shake Heartbreak Kings of Leon
Arular M.I.A.
Illinois Sufjan Stevens

While the Mercury Prize winning Antony and the Johnsons are probably the favorites, my personal pick would be either Bloc Party or Sufjan Stevens. The only real surprise on this list is Death Cab for Cutie's latest because, quite honestly, it was a mere shadow of all the previous releases they've had, and there are much better albums out there.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs to release new album in March
The latest release, entitled Show Your Bones will be released March 27, with their single "Golden Lion" to be released a week prior. Produced by Squeak E Clean, whom lead singer Karen O worked with on the "Hello Tomorrow" single seen in those trippy adidas commercials from not too long ago. While tour info hasn't been revealed yet, you can expect the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to be back in full force after the release of their first album since their major-label debut in 2003.

First big disappointment of 2006
I was debating whether or not to write an entire review on this album and finally decided against it. However, just a week into the new year, and the band that we once loved known as the Strokes released what could still be the biggest disappointment of 2006 when December rolls around. To say that First Impressions of Earth is awful, wouldn't really be telling the whole story, rather when looking at the potential that was there within their first two albums, it seemed as if the Strokes got tired of everyone saying that they're a rip off of (insert your favorite 60's or 70's rock band here) and decided to do something completely different. Well, they did it, and this time every song seems half-baked, lazy, and in desperate need of a do over. It's too bad really, because you can't argue that they're not individually talented musicians, but after a few listens to this, you'd never know that.