Not a favorite, but I thought Faith Hill's Fireflies was a welcome return. I don't remember the Cry era that made her a non-entity at radio overnight (i.e., trying too hard to be pop just as the "country pop diva" era was fading out), but I did notice that she seemed to kinda disappear after Breathe. Even the singles off Fireflies were solid. "Mississippi Girl" was catchy; "Like We Never Loved at All" grew on me immensely; "The Lucky One" was well-written with some clever instrumentation; "Sunshine and Summertime" likewise; and I'm glad that she had the guts to release something as deep as "Stealing Kisses" even if it bombed. There were plenty of great album cuts on there too, like "Dearly Beloved", "Paris", etc.
Kate Bush's Aerial, released 12 years after The Red Shoes. It's a great comeback because not only is it a double album, it's also far more subtle than any of her previous albums and it's more conceptual and ambient-like (especially the second CD, which basically is about a single day).
From the first CD, the songs deal with almost trivial things (like washing machines in "Mrs. Bartolozzi" and the number of Pi in "π") or with things with a far deeper meaning ("A Coral Room").
Totally worth listening.
edited 16th Aug '13 3:08:58 PM by Quag15
Has a new obsession.
Pink Floyd, A Momentary Lapse of Reason. While many dislike it, I find it a welcome break from how nasty and pretentious Roger Waters became towards the end of his tenure. It also contains numerous great guitar solos.
Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
A Pathetic
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
, Both of these albums.
Avatar Sakaki Ignore cat
Wonky, by Orbital. For a duo whom hadn't released an album since 2004, and one which (in my humble opinion) was actually any good since 1996, last year's effort was a VERY welcome return to form.
edited 18th Aug '13 10:26:46 AM by porschelemans
I'm so sorry that my avatar doesn't appear fully in the shot, but the cat was threatening the photographer.
Your friendly neighborhood Cartoonist
Not an Album, but I do enjoy "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love" by The Beatles. Sure they were made by John Lennon's old tapes and then overdubbed, but they're just as good as when they left off with Let It Be.
After a long pause, some bands return. Sometimes they return with an album that knocks you from your socks, or with one that just shows that they should have continued their absence.
My favourite is Judas Priest's Angel of Retribution, which features songs that bring together their best efforts from past decades.