tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36452311320754337062024-03-13T00:07:30.864-04:00Woosamonsa RoadMBolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419661524039574765noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-68324156817769131042012-01-04T21:26:00.004-05:002012-01-06T17:38:52.693-05:00The Top 10 Albums of 2011<a href="http://www.noidearecords.com/bands/releases/covers/ampere_likeshadows.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://www.noidearecords.com/bands/releases/covers/ampere_likeshadows.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">#10<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br />Ampere- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Like Shadows</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s been 7 fucking years since Ampere released <span style="font-style: italic;">All Tomorrow’s End Today</span>, the closest thing the band had done to an LP before <span style="font-style: italic;">Like Shadows</span> and in my opinion, their best work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So after countless hit-or-miss splits with the hardcore and emo elite, the band finally decided to release a proper LP in 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And while it’s not as good as <span style="font-style: italic;">All Our Tomorrow’s End Today</span>, it’s full of the same torrential riffing and beautifully controlled chaos that the band has come to be known for.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2011/02/11/1297448615-heckerlp452.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2011/02/11/1297448615-heckerlp452.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#9<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Tim Hecker – <span style="font-style: italic;">Ravedeath, 1972</span></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">William Basinski’s <span style="font-style: italic;">The Disintegration Loops</span> is an hour-long recording of a magnetic tape loop disintegrating as it is transferred to computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The piece is transcendental in nature and despite being completely instrumental and essentially the same short loop over and over, it is one of the most emotionally moving and thought-provoking works of art I have ever experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tim Hecker’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Ravedeath, 1972</span> is a similar exploration into the themes of the disintegration, mutilation and destruction of sound, music and noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The cover depicts the annual tradition of MIT students who push an old piano off of a dormitory rooftop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On the album, filters a serious of source organ, guitar and piano recordings through various filters of crushing static and enveloping noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The result is the equivalent of feeling as though we are trapped within that piano, hurtling towards the ground and then exploding into thousands of fragments of wood, string and ivory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Assisted by the production work of Ben Frost, <span style="font-style: italic;">Ravedeath, 1972</span> is one of Hecker’s most beautiful and disturbing pieces of work and a reminder that ambient music can be just as profound as any other genre.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://weeklytapedeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/mindspiderscover.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://weeklytapedeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/mindspiderscover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#8<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Mind Spiders – </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Mind Spiders</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Admittedly my left-field pick of the year, Mark Ryan of the Marked Men’s Mind Spiders project is incredibly catchy mix of garage, synth and punk that is fun and to the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The little skulls with horn rim glasses on the cover perfectly capture the record’s flirtations with nerdy sci-fi themes, death and classic garage punk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The best track on the album, “Don’t Let Her Go,” is full of gritty guitar chugs, bouncy synths and snotty vocals, the end result being something that could be marketed as one of Jay Reatard’s later singles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The demise of the Marked Men is something I might not ever forgive, but in the mean time, <span style="font-style: italic;">Mind Spiders</span> will have to do.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/news/drake-broody-official-take-care-cover-art.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 353px;" src="http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/news/drake-broody-official-take-care-cover-art.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#7<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Drake – </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Take Care</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have this ongoing debate on how fair it is to judge an artist only within their genre or according to one universal criteria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Should I judge Drake’s album within the context of mainstream hip-hop and R & B or solely for its artistic merit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Eventually I realized that Drake’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Take Care</span> is damn good no matter what angle you look at it from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Miles away from the generic Young Money label that raised him and containing some of the most amusing and well-crafted lyrics and production of the year, Drake’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Take Care</span> is a pretty triumphant record for a dude that used to be on Degrassi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I like to think of it as this year’s <span style="font-style: italic;">My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</span>, an unashamed, self-indulgent pop record that is nearly impossible to listen to without having a shit-eating grin on your face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Records where the amount of fun the artist is having can really shine through are always a blast, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Take Care</span> just seems like one big blunt session where various members of the hip-hop and pop elite stop in to take a hit and drop a verse or a hook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And that makes the confessional songs on the album just a bit more tolerable and relatable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Drake is on top but listening to <span style="font-style: italic;">Take Care</span> makes you feel like you’re right there with him.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://c438342.r42.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/cold-cave-Cherish-The-Light-Years.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 349px;" src="http://c438342.r42.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/cold-cave-Cherish-The-Light-Years.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#6<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Cold Cave – </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Cherish The Light Years</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cherish the Light Years</span> is easy to write about because it’s everything I wish I could have written about the group’s 2009 debut <span style="font-style: italic;">Love Comes Close</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Though a few songs on their first LP accomplished what the group was going for, a breathtaking mix of synthpop, 80s darkwave and post-punk, most of the songs were exercises in unrealized potential, variations on a single revolving riff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Cherish The Light Years</span> is more well written and better produced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When looking at the album’s opener and closer, “The Great Pan is Dead” and “Villains of the Moon” respectively, we examine not only two of the albums finest tracks but the full spectrum of influences and sounds that characterize <span style="font-style: italic;">Cherish the Light Years</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The pummeling opener brilliantly matches industrial blasts of double bass and guitar with one of the most anthemic choruses of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Villains of the Moon” is like turning the clock back 25 years, with its chorus full of bouncy synths and lyrics laced with angelic imagery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There’s far too much post 80s revival shit nowadays, Cold Cave does it right I’m happy to say.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2011/10/real-estate-days-album-cover.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2011/10/real-estate-days-album-cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#5<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Real Estate – </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Days</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Days</span> is another album that’s pretty easy to describe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a pretty logical next step for the boys in Real Estate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Gone are the fuzzy guitar chords and clicking bass of their 2009 debut, replaced with bright guitar tones and tight songwriting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The result is arguably the best take on jangle pop since the Smiths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whereas songs like “Suburban Beverage” had a slightly jam quality to them, every note and decision on <span style="font-style: italic;">Days</span> is carefully planned and succinct, making it easy to fully appreciate the songwriting abilities of Martin Courtney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even the lo-fi purist can enjoy <span style="font-style: italic;">Days</span>, a tight indie pop record that stays true to its roots.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.heavemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/wits-end.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://www.heavemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/wits-end.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#4</span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Cass McCombs - </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Wit's End</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ever since reading John Peel’s description of Cass McCombs as “unobtrusively brilliant,” it has been hard for me to listen to his music without constantly thinking of his quote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With each successive record they put it out, it seems like most artists these days seem to see how much more they can get away with, often getting lost in long-winded concepts and frivolous filler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>McCombs is the exact opposite; the release of 2009’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Catacombs</span> marked a minimalist turn in the songwriter’s music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s almost like he was seeing how much he could get away with not doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But don’t think for a second that McCombs’ embrace of minimalism is any less self-indulgent than artists that go big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As Peel’s quote can attest, McCombs would rather hide in the shadow of his own greatness and say more while doing less.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The title <span style="font-style: italic;">Wit’s End</span> is pretty appropriate for this soul-shattering collection of depressing tunes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For the most part, the clever wit and sarcasm of McCombs’ prior albums is absent, save for a few lines here and there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The album’s opener, “County Line,” a sprawling tale of hometown rejection and gloom, showcases Cass at his most soulful, crooning over bleeding organ lines and slow drums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“Buried Alive” is full of sunny one-liners like “whether I’m alive or dead I don’t really care as long as my soul’s intact.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Most of the songs are built around a simple repeating guitar line that tends to drone one well past the 4 or 5-minute mark and it’s probably Cass’ preference for repetition and minimal songwriting that turns so many people off to his music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But as I said before, McCombs’ isn’t trying to dazzle you with musical complexity or rhythmic variation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His music takes a few listens to fully understand, to appreciate how subtle his incredible songwriting is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thus, the paradox emerges: how can one’s music be so affecting while so “boring?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is one that we must accept in order to fully comprehend the genius of one of the greatest songwriters of our time.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.buzzlegoose.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/kurt-vile-smoke-ring-for-my-halo.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://www.buzzlegoose.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/kurt-vile-smoke-ring-for-my-halo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#3<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Kurt Vile – </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Smoke Ring for My Halo</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s so interesting to trace the evolution of music from the rock giants of the 60s and 70s to the bands we know and love today. One can hear the rich harmonies of The Beach Boys in the psychedelic pop of Animal Collective or the spacey experimentation of David Bowie in the colorful indie pop of Wolf Parade. But for as much as they’re worth, those influences are often subtle. They are simply ingredients used for constructing a final product that is new and fresh. However crucial baking powder may be to making a cake, it is no longer recognizable when our product comes out of the oven.<br /><br />Rarely can an album be heavily indebted to and celebratory of its influences while managing to sound so contemporary and original. Luckily for us, Kurt Vile’s <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> is one of those albums. Philadelphia guitarist Kurt Vile began his rise to prominence with the band The War on Drugs, a band I described as “Bob Dylan if he were shoegaze.” Despite the reaction that description elicited from someone (I believe it was, “that sounds awful”), I stand by it. On the band’s debut LP <i>Wagonwheel Blues</i>, frontman Adam Granduciel’s frantic delivery evokes Dylan’s overstuffed verses on albums like <i>Bringing It All Back Home</i>, while the music itself sounds more like My Bloody Valentine if they had been raised on classic rock. Vile’s solo albums prior to <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> took cues mostly from The War on Drugs' formula, though they have a much more distinct singer-songwriter feel. You could definitely sense that Vile had more control, that the vision was his. But they were also riddled with inconsistency and a lack of focus. Although “Freeway” and “Freak Train” are undeniably two of Vile’s best songs (the former is one of my favorite songs of all time and perhaps Vile’s crowning achievement), the albums they are on, <i>Constant Hitmaker</i> and <i>Childish Prodigy</i> respectively, are tedious affairs, full of psych-folk variations that often go nowhere. <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> exhibits an unprecedented clarity and confidence not found in Vile’s earlier work.<br /><a name="more"></a><br />As I mentioned earlier, <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> wears its influences on its sleeve. Folk and rock forefathers like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Nick Drake are all present on here. Like on album opener “Baby’s Arms,” when Vile moans in his signature drugged drawl, “shrink myself just like a Tom Thumb and I hide in my baby’s arms,” over reverb-drenched acoustic plucking, perhaps a reference to Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.” Or on the Petty-indebted tracks “Jesus Fever” and “In My Time,” two of the most accessible, concise and well-written songs on the album. The former shimmers with chorus but never loses momentum thanks to its simplistic but upbeat drum beat, while the latter plods along slowly, allowing Vile to showcase his much improved vocals, before exploding into a gnarly solo that exhibits his equally impressive guitar playing skills. In general, Vile’s voice is less abrasive and much more melodic, trading the deep-chested bellow of songs like “Freeway” for a more nasally whine capable of a much higher register.<br /><br />The album overall is more acoustic, intimate and meditative. You can feel your heart flutter with every buzzing pluck of the low E string and emotional lyric like “I see through everyone even my own self now” on “On Tour.” “Peeping Tomboy” recalls <i>Constant Hitmaker</i>’s beautiful album closer “Classic Rock In Spring/Freeway In Mind,” as Vile moans melancholy lines of love and regret over a delicate finger picking line. There’s a few moments on the album when Vile proves that he can still rock and deserves his enviously badass punk surname. “Puppet To The Man,” full of dueling distorted guitars and swinging riffs, is the album’s sleeper. I wrote it off at first but it is perhaps the album’s finest track and certainly its most unique. Even the penultimate title track rocks back and forth on its main descending acoustic riff, the slap of Vile’s thumb against the guitar’s wooden body serving as the song’s pulse. “Society Is My Friend” is the album’s weirdest moment; its tumbling drums and dissonant guitars resemble The War on Drugs’ expansive “Show Me The Coast” or the noisier moments on Vile’s <i>God is Saying This To You…</i> The album’s closer “Ghost Town” is the perfect combination of Vile’s old psychedelic tendencies and his newfound sentimental acoustic formulas. Vile’s open-ended and cryptic lyrics float and trail off over watery guitars and thunderclap drum hits.<br /><br />There is a part of me that still regrets any artistic choice for concision that sacrifices weirdness and uniqueness. As much as I love Ariel Pink’s <i>Before Today</i>, his choice to quell some of the weirder aspects of his earlier work was, to me, regrettable. With it, he lost part of what makes him so unique. Vile’s direction is definitely comparable. His older work was always singer-songwriter at its core, but most of it ended up sounded like acid-fueled mixes of psych-folk, noise and shoegaze. <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> ditches those fringe elements and embraces a mature clarity that is more accessible and ultimately more rewarding. <a href="http://woosamonsaroad.blogspot.com/2010/12/war-on-drugs-future-weather-2010.html"> In my review of The War on Drugs’ <i>Future Weather</i> from last year</a>, I showered praise for Adam Granduciel’s commanding presence and his ability to give the songs a distinct singer-songwriter feel while retaining the thick textures of a full band sound. <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> exhibits those same strengths, even more intimately than <i>Future Weather</i>.<br /><br /><i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> is an extremely personal and self-reflective album. When I saw Vile perform in a packed record store to a crowd of 30 or 40 people with just an acoustic guitar and a small amp, he evoked the strung out emotion of the influences he was channeling. Standing inches away from the microphone with his long curly locks shrouding his face, he embodied both the Philadelphia heroin punk scene he hails from and the zoned out drone of Lou Reed. His guitar and his voice were smothered with reverb and each lyric echoed in my head with the same psychedelic and self-reflective reverberation as acid. “When I walk in, my head is practically dragging,” Vile self-deprecatingly sings on “Runner Ups.” With the confidence, maturity and clear vision he shows on <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i>, he has me fooled.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://cdn.thefader.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/TheWeeknd_HouseOfBalloons.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://cdn.thefader.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/TheWeeknd_HouseOfBalloons.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"># 2<br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">The Weeknd - </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >House of Balloons</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">R&B is a genre that takes balls. When you're singing about cathartic relationships, sweet love-making and other passionate subjects, you've got to be able to sing with a confidence that makes your stories sound believable and gives them that extra sexy swagger. The truly incredible thing about Weeknd main man Abel Tesfaye is how confident he sounds while not being cocky or overbearing. The fact that he kept he prefers to keep his persona shrouded in mystery only makes his vibrant voice that much cooler and sexier.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">House of Balloons</span> is billed as a mixtape but it really is so much more than that. It's one of the most ambitious, well-crafted albums in years. On the opener, Tesfaye advises us over a murky beat to toke up because the stories that are about to unfold are crazy and best enjoyed while high. He's right. The beats are beautiful and rich, smothered in a smoky darkness. Tesfaye employs keys, guitars and even twists two Beach House samples into sultry club bangers. The peak for me is "The Morning" into "Wicked Games," as Tesfaye sings his motherfucking heart out over shotgun beats. His lyrics aren't really a joke, but it certainly helps to go into it expecting an over-the-top circus of emotions and passion. "Let me see that ass, look at all this cash," he wails before doing a meandering falsetto displaying his extremely impressive range. The closer is perhaps the most emotional moment, as Tesfaye closes his book of stories with a crushing, defiant yell of "I know everything." By far one of the easiest albums to love this year and certainly one of the most interesting, unique and well put together. The praise Tesfaye has garnered and the influence he has already had (Drake's "Marvins Room" owes its entire existence to The Weeknd's success) make <span style="font-style: italic;">House of Balloons</span> a fantastic start to what seems might be a long, exciting career.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://musosguide.com/public_html/musos.wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/tuneyards452cov.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://musosguide.com/public_html/musos.wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/tuneyards452cov.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"># 1<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Tune-Yards – </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >w h o k i l l</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Talking about Wolf Parade’s debut <span style="font-style: italic;">Apologies to the Queen Mary</span>, I referenced what I referred to as the explosion of “colorful indie pop” in the early 2000s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Architecture in Helsinki and even Broken Social Scene opted for intricate arrangements of horns, strings and various synths to create a sound that lay somewhere in between baroque/orchestral pop and indie rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tune-Yards second LP <span style="font-style: italic;">w h o k i l l</span> is vaguely rooted in that same colorful pop tradition, mixing ukulele, bass and a vibrant horn section to create hard-hitting dynamic songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But looking back on Merrill Garbus’ 2009 debut <span style="font-style: italic;">Bird-Brains</span> really allows us to understand the folk and lo-fi roots from which the complex arrangements on <span style="font-style: italic;">w h o k i l l</span> are born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Many people complained that the lo-fi production on <span style="font-style: italic;">Bird-Brains</span> detracted from the album’s integrity, a criticism I shared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">W h o k i l l</span> finds Garbus in a proper studio with many more tools at her disposal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The results are beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nate Brenner’s dissonant bass line drives the brooding mood of “Gangsta” and Garbus’ distorted ukulele chords make “Powa” one of the most hard-hitting songs of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The make or break is Garbus’ eccentric voice, which asserts itself not just as an instrument in songs like “My Country” and “Bizness,” but also as a cathartic, unforgiving and soulful narrator to the story that is <span style="font-style: italic;">w h o k i l l</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">W h o k i l l</span> is the <span style="font-style: italic;">Bitte Orca</span> of 2011, a record that sounds like nothing else this year and will be remembered long in to the future.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Honorable Mentions</span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Tyler, the Creator - <span style="font-style: italic;">Goblin</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">The War on Drugs - <span style="font-style: italic;">Slave Ambient</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">The Dodos - <span style="font-style: italic;">No Color</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-60152358520521378482011-06-02T19:22:00.005-04:002011-06-06T00:41:18.100-04:00Lower Dens- Batman (2011)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?txnxtln1yt3svse"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.indieshuffle.com/wp-content/files_mf/lowerdensbatman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended If You Like: Tamaryn, Beach Fossils, The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Antlers, Cocteau Twins, Real Estate, Interpol, Kurt Vile</span><br /><br />After 2010's fantastic <span style="font-style: italic;">Twin-Hand Movement</span>, a record that channeled both the reverb-drenched guitars chords of the 80s and the weirdness of the freak folk scene of the early 00s, Lower Dens return in 2011 with a single called <span style="font-style: italic;">Batman</span>. The A-side contains the elements that have come to define the band's sound: Jana Hunter's dampening moan, shimmering guitars, and tight percussion. However, the track is more upbeat and sloppy than anything on <span style="font-style: italic;">Twin-Hand Movement</span>, a delightful change a pace that makes it easy to get your feet tapping. The B-side, "Dear Betty Baby," is a brooding cover of a Mayo Thompson track. Picked this one up when I saw them live at this fantastic little venue in D.C. called Subterranean A, they were pretty good live, considering how quiet and slow they are on record. Get excited. Click the album artwork to sample.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.midheaven.com/item/batman-dear-betty-baby-by-lower-dens-7">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Batman</span> from Gnomonsong via Midheaven Mailorder</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-31189436757216253432011-04-02T03:05:00.010-04:002011-04-04T21:08:48.925-04:00Kurt Vile- Smoke Ring For My Halo (2011)<img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.matadorrecords.com/matablog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Akurt_art_ada.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended If You Like: The War on Drugs, Lou Reed, Ducktails, Cass McCombs, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young</span><br /><br />It’s so interesting to trace the evolution of music from the rock giants of the 60s and 70s to the bands we know and love today. One can hear the rich harmonies of The Beach Boys in the psychedelic pop of Animal Collective or the spacey experimentation of David Bowie in the colorful indie pop of Wolf Parade. But for as much as they’re worth, those influences are often subtle. They are simply ingredients used for constructing a final product that is new and fresh. However crucial baking powder may be to making a cake, it is no longer recognizable when our pastry comes out of the oven.<br /><br />Rarely can an album be heavily indebted to and celebratory of its influences while managing to sound so contemporary and original. Luckily for us, Kurt Vile’s <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> is one of those albums. Philadelphia guitarist Kurt Vile began his rise to prominence with the band The War on Drugs, a band I described as “Bob Dylan if he were shoegaze.” Despite the reaction that description elicited from someone (I believe it was, “that sounds awful”), I stand by it. On the band’s debut LP <i>Wagonwheel Blues</i>, frontman Adam Granduciel’s frantic delivery evokes Dylan’s overstuffed verses on albums like <i>Bringing It All Back Home</i>, while the music itself sounds more like My Bloody Valentine if they had been raised on classic rock. Vile’s solo albums prior to <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> took cues mostly from The War on Drugs' formula, though they have a much more distinct singer-songwriter feel. You could definitely sense that Vile had more control, that the vision was his. But they were also riddled with inconsistency and a lack of focus. Although “Freeway” and “Freak Train” are undeniably two of Vile’s best songs (the former is one of my favorite songs of all time and perhaps Vile’s crowning achievement), the albums they are on, <i>Constant Hitmaker</i> and <i>Childish Prodigy</i> respectively, are tedious affairs, full of psych-folk variations that often go nowhere. <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> exhibits an unprecedented clarity and confidence not found in Vile’s earlier work.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />As I mentioned earlier, <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> wears its influences on its sleeve. Folk and rock forefathers like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Nick Drake are all present on here. Like on album opener “Baby’s Arms,” when Vile moans in his signature drugged drawl, “shrink myself just like a Tom Thumb and I hide in my baby’s arms,” over reverb-drenched acoustic plucking, perhaps a reference to Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.” Or on the Petty-indebted tracks “Jesus Fever” and “In My Time,” two of the most accessible, concise and well-written songs on the album. The former shimmers with chorus but never loses momentum thanks to its simplistic but upbeat drum beat, while the latter plods along slowly, allowing Vile to showcase his much improved vocals, before exploding into a gnarly solo that exhibits his equally impressive guitar playing skills. In general, Vile’s voice is less abrasive and much more melodic, trading the deep-chested bellow of songs like “Freeway” for a more nasally whine capable of a much higher register.<br /><br />The album overall is more acoustic, intimate and meditative. You can feel your heart flutter with every buzzing pluck of the low E string and emotional lyric like “I see through everyone even my own self now” on “On Tour.” “Peeping Tomboy” recalls <i>Constant Hitmaker</i>’s beautiful album closer “Classic Rock In Spring/Freeway In Mind,” as Vile moans melancholy lines of love and regret over a delicate finger picking line. There’s a few moments on the album when Vile proves that he can still rock and deserves his enviously badass punk surname. “Puppet To The Man,” full of dueling distorted guitars and swinging riffs, is the album’s sleeper. I wrote it off at first but it is perhaps the album’s finest track and certainly its most unique. Even the penultimate title track rocks back and forth on its main descending acoustic riff, the slap of Vile’s thumb against the guitar’s wooden body serving as the song’s pulse. “Society Is My Friend” is the album’s weirdest moment; its tumbling drums and dissonant guitars resemble The War on Drugs’ expansive “Show Me The Coast” or the noisier moments on Vile’s <i>God is Saying This To You…</i> The album’s closer “Ghost Town” is the perfect combination of Vile’s old psychedelic tendencies and his newfound sentimental acoustic formulas. Vile’s open-ended and cryptic lyrics float and trail off over watery guitars and thunderclap drum hits.<br /><br />There is a part of me that still regrets any artistic choice for concision that sacrifices weirdness and uniqueness. As much as I love Ariel Pink’s <i>Before Today</i>, his choice to quell some of the weirder aspects of his earlier work was, to me, regrettable. With it, he lost part of what makes him so unique. Vile’s direction is definitely comparable. His older work was always singer-songwriter at its core, but most of it ended up sounded like acid-fueled mixes of psych-folk, noise and shoegaze. <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> ditches those fringe elements and embraces a mature clarity that is more accessible and ultimately more rewarding. <a href="http://woosamonsaroad.blogspot.com/2010/12/war-on-drugs-future-weather-2010.html"> In my review of The War on Drugs’ <i>Future Weather</i> from last year</a>, I showered praise for Adam Granduciel’s commanding presence and his ability to give the songs a distinct singer-songwriter feel while retaining the thick textures of a full band sound. <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> exhibits those same strengths, even more intimately than <i>Future Weather</i>.<br /><br /><i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> is an extremely personal and self-reflective album. When I saw Vile perform in a packed record store to a crowd of 30 or 40 people with just an acoustic guitar and a small amp, he evoked the strung out emotion of the influences he was channeling. Standing inches away from the microphone with his long curly locks shrouding his face, he embodied both the Philadelphia heroin punk scene he hails from and the zoned out drone of Lou Reed. His guitar and his voice were smothered with reverb and each lyric echoed in my head with the same psychedelic and self-reflective reverberation as acid. “When I walk in, my head is practically dragging,” Vile self-deprecatingly sings on “Runner Ups.” With the confidence, maturity and clear vision he shows on <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i>, he has me fooled. <i>Smoke Ring for My Halo</i> is one of 2011's best records. No upload folks. Buy this record, it's great.<br /><br />1. Baby's Arms<br />2. Jesus Fever<br />3. Puppet To The Man<br />4. On Tour<br />5. Society Is My Friend<br />6. Runner Ups<br />7. In My Time<br />8. Peeping Tomboy<br />9. Smoke Ring For My Halo<br />10. Ghost Town<br /><br /><a href="http://www.matadorrecords.com/store/index.php?catalog_id=572">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Smoke Ring for My Halo</span> from Matador Records</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-83224116256078711982011-03-23T21:06:00.006-04:002011-03-23T21:27:51.534-04:00Double Dagger- More (2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?zh9i066botpzgou"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://citizendick.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/double-dagger-more-album-cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended if you like: Sonic Youth, No Age, Pissed Jeans, Weekend, Pavement, Death From Above 1979, Fugazi, Moss Icon, Joy Division</span><br /><br /><a href="http://woosamonsaroad.blogspot.com/2011/02/smith-westerns-dye-it-blonde-2011.html">Listening to Smith Westerns' <i>Dye It Blonde</i></a> made me realize something. It got me thinking about age in relation to music. Particularly, how bands like Radiohead or Wilco can sound so old while up-and-coming bands like Smith Westerns, Born Ruffians or Harlem sound so young. And it's not just literally how old these guys are, it's more about how the music can sound so raw and unpolished and youthful. Whereas Radiohead's songs emanate this polished, meticulous and cleanly produced sound, albums like <i>Dye It Blonde</i> are gritty, loud and unashamed. Even when you trace Wilco's discography, you can see how the spry, upbeat ballads of <i>Summerteeth</i> have been slowly traded in for slower acoustic reflections or even the "dad-rock" of <i>Sky Blue Sky</i>.<br /><br />I don't mean to be making broad generalizations here; sure, there are some old guys who can still ROCK. Nor am I insinuating that "old sounding" music is forever at a disadvantage because it doesn't sound young. Radiohead's incredibly complex songwriting isn't made any less compelling by the fact that they are older dudes. Their songs still pulsate with energy without having to sound like they were recorded in their buddy's basement. But for me, there's something rewarding about hearing an album that just sounds like it was made by a bunch of kids my age.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Double Dagger's <i>More</i> is that sonic youthful exuberance at its best. Another product of Baltimore's prolific and consistently fantastic music scene, Double Dagger play a fascinating mix of punk, post-hardcore and noise rock. Wait, there's a catch: Double Dagger manage to be loud-as-f<span style="font-size:85%;">u</span>ck without even using guitar. Just drums, vocals, and an incredibly loud distorted bass. In between grating blasts of feedback, chugging bass fills and pounding drums, singer Nolen Strals yells and drones about life in surburbia, politics and other typical punk subjects. His frantic shouting and tendency for spoken word definitely calls to mind mewithoutYou's <i>A-->B Life</i>, though on "The Lie/The Truth," Strals might find himself broke with how much his sarcastic drawl and wry lyrics owe to Stephen Malkmus.<br /><br />The Pavement and mewithoutYou influences are only the beginning. There's elements of Sonic Youth in the band's spastic bursts of feedback and Death From Above 1979 in the fuzzed out bass lines of Bruce Willen, as well as the influence of countless noise punk bands like Pissed Jeans, No Age, and Weekend. But at it's heart, More owes the most to it's post-punk and post-hardcore forefathers. Bands like Joy Division, Mission of Burma, Fugazi and Moss Icon, where the bass asserted itself as a cathartic noisemaker instead of just a background instrument.<br /><br />Most importantly, <i>More</i> strikes the perfect balance between punk rock energy and abstract experimentation. Songs like "Camouflage" and "Helicopter Lullaby" are as youthful as punk rock gets. "Camouflage" builds off a muddy bass lick and then becomes a toe-tapping rhythmic sing-along, thanks to drummer Denny Bowen's excellent drum work. "Helicopter Lullaby" begins with dueling swells of noise before exploding into one of the album's most memorable choruses. The album closes with it's heaviest track, "Two-Way Mirror," a mix of thick sludgy bass, abrasive screams and shrill feedback.<br /><br />In it's entirety, <i>More</i> is one of the most ambitious punk rock albums that I've heard in a long time. It's reliance on the minimalism of drum/bass set-up does not stop it from being one of the most richly textured and diverse albums in the genre. It sticks to its roots of 80s and 90s post-hardcore while simultaneously referencing and expanding upon the direction of noise-punk contemporaries. Most importantly, the band sounds so familiar and so young that it makes it damn near impossible not to be rooting for these guys and singing along by the time your halfway through the album. And with a sound this compelling, I don't think Double Dagger are going to start sounding old anytime soon. Click the album artwork to sample.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.posttypography.com/doubledagger/Double_Dagger-No_Allies.mp3">No Allies</a><br />2. Vivre Sans Temps More<br />3. We Are The Ones<br />4. Camouflage<br />5. <a href="http://www.posttypography.com/doubledagger/DoubleDagger-TheLie_TheTruth.mp3">The Lie/The Truth</a><br />6. Surrealist Composition With Your Face<br />7. Helicopter Lullaby<br />8. Neon Gray<br />9. Half-Life<br />10. Two-Way Mirror<br /><a href="http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/?id=103624"><br />Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">More</span> from Thrill Jockey Records</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-77279022001689439212011-03-19T16:42:00.007-04:002011-03-21T14:47:07.298-04:00Dâm-Funk- "Hood Pass Intact" (2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://vvoice.vo.llnwd.net/e8/keytar-hero.4317268.40.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="http://vvoice.vo.llnwd.net/e8/keytar-hero.4317268.40.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Check out this incredible jam from LA funk wizard Dâm-Funk. "Hood Pass Intact" is from volume 4 of Dâm's 5-LP set <span style="font-style: italic;">Toeachizown</span>, titled <span style="font-style: italic;">Toeachizown Vol. 4: Hood</span>. Futuristic, funky, spacey, it's an incredibly fun ride. Its blown out heavy bass and clap rhythm track is just screaming to be blasted through a big ass subwoofer in the trunk of some old Cadillac. Layered on top are juicy, colorful sci-fi synths and delicate chimes. Dâm-Funk's palette of sounds recalls Flying Lotus, James Blake's "Footnotes" from <span style="font-style: italic;">CMYK</span>, Discovery or even Daft Punk. Dâm-Funk's unique brand of beatmaking is every bit deserving of his spot on Stones Throw next to other innovative producers like Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WjXwteiPQUk" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-8397446262632808942011-03-12T02:46:00.007-05:002011-03-12T03:33:42.103-05:00Gary War- Horribles Parade (2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?5v513l381hc56v9"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.mbvmusic.com/images/garywar-horribles-parade.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended if you like: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Dylan Ettinger, Sun Araw, Wet Hair, Pocahaunted, James Ferraro</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kurt Vile</span><br /><br />It's 3:30am and I'm listening to the ridiculously tripped out sounds of Gary War's <span style="font-style: italic;">Horribles Parade.</span> I can't find much on the information on the dude(s), but one website claims that he's a former member of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Not hard to believe, given how ridiculously far-out the stuff on <span style="font-style: italic;">Horribles Parade</span> is. Think Ducktails, Sun Araw, Ariel Pink's early material, the stuff that's nearly drowning it's own reverb-drenched weird psychedelia. <span style="font-style: italic;">Horribles Parade</span> is a strange, unsettling mix of warped vocals, synths, echoing guitars and other generally otherworldly sounds. The more noisy moments recall the creeping cacophony and terror of Pocahaunted, while the album's more straightforward, coherent songs share the strung-out rock of Kurt Vile's early material. And just like <a href="http://woosamonsaroad.blogspot.com/2010/04/ariel-pinks-haunted-grafitti-doldrums.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Doldrums</span></a>, underneath <span style="font-style: italic;">Horribles Parade</span> there is a juicy psychedelic pop core. But whereas Pink's songs seem to reference some weird lost decade in the past, Gary War's music recalls some alien decade yet to come (perhaps the same weird years that sci-fi synth freak Dylan Ettinger is living in). The combination of pop and head-spinning weirdness is what makes Gary War's brand of lo-fi so compelling and exciting. Click the album artwork to sample. You should definitely listen to this stuff in the context of the album, not just single songs.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.opendrive.com/files/17508917_ly3C6_e5d9/Gary%20War%20-%20Highspeed%20Drift.mp3">Highspeed Drift</a><br />2. Sold Out<br />3. <a href="http://thefmly.com/www/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/03-See-Right-Thru.mp3">See Right Thru</a><br />4. No Payoff<br />5. <a href="http://cowsarejustfood.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/gary-war-for-cobra.mp3">For Cobra</a><br />6. Costumes<br />7. Clean Up<br />8. What You Are<br />9. Orange Trails<br />10. Nothing Moving<br />11. Anhedonic Man<br />12. Everynight<br />13. Next Year<br />14. Carleen's Yard<br />15. Scales<br />16. God Trip<br />17. Using<br /><a href="http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/releases/sbr023/"><br />Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Horribles Parade</span> from Sacred Bones</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-39890450119817109242011-03-01T18:19:00.004-05:002011-03-01T19:26:55.540-05:00A Day In Black and White- My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys (2004)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?o3cjo85eshr8q78"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.thesirenssound.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/a-day-in-black-and-white-my-heroes-have-always-killed-cowboys.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended if you like: Fugazi, Hot Cross, Sparta, ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead</span><br /><br />Don't let the band name turn you off, A Day In Black and White's <span style="font-style: italic;">My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys</span> is one of the most intense and beautiful cuts of post-hardcore I've ever heard. I got into these guys back in the days of musical adolescence, when I was really getting into emo and hardcore (that's <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> emo for those of you who are still ignorant, see <a href="http://fourfa.com">http://fourfa.com</a> for further reading) and this is one of the few records that still close to my heart. The other tracks are good but the standouts are by far "The Gaze" and "There Are Objects and Objects." "The Gaze" slowly builds on Daniel Morse's angular guitars and a heavy rhythm section before exploding into this beautiful cathartic tremolo line. Then the instruments fade out for a minute and go into this incredible jam out session, the drums do this massive roll and then explode into the song's last minute and a half, where we finally get to hear Morse's abrasive shouts. He's not screaming, it's more of a yell that makes the room feel like it's going to crash down around you. "There are Objects and Objects" is kind of the reverse formula: the song explodes instantly before dying down into this exaggerated guitar part.<br /><br />The best part about the album is how it's recorded. The way you can hear the bass clicking and plodding behind the guitar, how fucking loud everything sounds, Morse's overbearing yells. It manages to retain that small-space, live feel without compromising any of Morse's fantastic guitar and bass work. And the aforementioned jam out part in "The Gaze" makes the record sound so human., so personal. There's definitely way more going on here than just traditional Fugazi-style post-hardcore. Morse's dissonant guitar work and preference for delay and reverb hint at post-rock, post-punk and the indie sound that the band would later take (much to my disappointment) on their second LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Notes</span>. But the band's association with Level-Plane records and bands like Navies and Black Castle usually gets them lumped in with emo revival stuff of the mid 00s. Click the album artwork to sample.<br /><br />While reviewing this, I found out that Level Plane Records has been defunct since 2009. Sad news, rest in peace to a great label.<br /><br />1. Fordward/Backward<br />2. There Are Objects and Objects<br />3. Storming the Bastille<br />4. The Gaze<br />5. The Illusion of the EndChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-78951266941055746442011-02-27T03:21:00.012-05:002011-02-27T03:48:59.497-05:00Tamaryn- The Waves (2010)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?257m758r82kmc4m"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://kailahawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/tamaryn-the-waves-cover-art.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended if you like: The Soft Moon, Lower Dens, My Bloody Valentine, Zola Jesus, Grouper, Warpaint, Cocteau Twins</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal">November of this year will mark the 20-year anniversary of My Bloody Valentine’s landmark album <span style="font-style: italic;">Loveless</span>, a record that is perhaps the finest representation of the shoegaze genre.<span style=""> </span>The album’s influence can be heard today, as strong as ever, in the music of bands like A Sunny Day In Glasgow, A Place to Bury Strangers and M83.<span style=""> </span>Bands like the aforementioned ones have taken the genre in new directions, incorporating synth, pop, ambient and even metal and punk influences into the delicate but loud music of the genre’s founders.<span style=""> </span>However, if you are looking for so true to the style of <span style="font-style: italic;">Loveless</span> that it might even be mistaken for a new My Bloody Valentine album, look no further than <span style="font-style: italic;">The Waves</span>, the debut LP from New Zealand singer Tamaryn.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">On T<span style="font-style: italic;">he Waves</span>, Tamaryn is joined by guitarist and producer Rex John Shelverton, formerly of Portraits of Past.<span style=""> </span>Though <span style="font-style: italic;">The Waves</span> is meant to showcase Tamaryn’s beautiful, ethereal voice, it would be remiss not to shower Shelverton with praise for his fantastic instrumental work.<span style=""> </span>The title track, the album’s first track, begins with thunderous distorted guitars and buzzing bass before exploding into a captivating mix of Tamaryn’s smoky vocals and dissonant, twinkling guitars.<span style=""> </span>Shelverton’s beautiful guitars are perfectly mixed, weaving in and out of the vocal lines, never stealing the spotlight but remaining captivating in their own right.<span style=""> </span>The second track, “Choirs of Winters,” exhibits the duo’s dynamic variability, taking a decidedly slower feel.<span style=""> </span>Shelverton’s watery guitars slowly churn behind Tamaryn’s softer, more intimate vocals, double tracked to give them an even richer feel.<span style=""> </span>Though the most obvious comparison is still My Bloody Valentine, the mix of Tamaryn’s guttural voice with droning guitars calls to mind other shoegaze revivalists and female fronted groups like Lower Dens, Grouper, Zola Jesus and Glasser.<span style=""> </span><a name='more'></a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">“Sandstone” is the most unashamed MBV track on the album, built around rumbling bass lines, tremolo guitars and a shimmering guitar loop.<span style=""> </span>“Dawning” might be the most traditional pop song on the album, with Tamaryn’s vocal melodies taking a commanding focus, noticeably more confident than on any other song.<span style=""> </span>The album closes with “Mild Confusion,” arguably the finest track, which builds on a stormy, sliding bass line, dual snare hits and warbling guitars.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Waves</span> will certainly not be for everyone.<span style=""> </span>Some may write off its unashamed MBV imitations as unoriginal or stale.<span style=""> </span>Tamaryn’s voice could come across as uninspired, her smoky drawl surely prefers subtlety to any grandiose melodies.<span style=""> </span>And though the songs do have variation, the instrumental side of the album definitely doesn’t stray far from Shelverton’s distinct sparkling and fuzzed out guitar lines.<span style=""> </span>But <span style="font-style: italic;">Loveless</span> wasn’t really an album of much variation either.<span style=""> </span>Shoegaze as a genre is so unique sounding that it often doesn’t even really require that much stylistic variation.<span style=""> </span>On <span style="font-style: italic;">The Waves</span>, Tamaryn and Shelverton create expansive sonic landscapes worthy of the album’s title and richly textured cover art.<span style=""> </span>Drenched in reverb, Shelverton’s pierce the deepest corners of the mind, creeping slowly and washing over you in waves.<span style=""> </span>Tamaryn’s voice is refuses to be ignored; whether it be her ghostly whispers or gothy bellows.<span style=""> </span>Most importantly, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Waves</span> challenges and overcomes the pitfalls found on many albums that are meant to showcase the vocalist.<span style=""> </span>Rather than existing as an afterthought or sleepy background, Shelverton’s instrumental arrangements command the same amount attention as Tamaryn’s vocals.<span style=""> </span>20 years later, shoegaze is alive and well, carried by the torchbearers of a new generation.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">The Waves</span> exists as a rich celebration of the album that changed indie music forever, but also as truly great vocalist showcase album.</p><p class="MsoNormal">1. The Waves<br />2. Choirs of Winter<br />3. <a href="http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Tamaryn%20-%20Love%20Fade.mp3">Love Fade</a><br />4. Haze Interior<br />5. <a href="http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Tamaryn%20-%20%20Sandstone.mp3">Sandstone</a><br />6. Coral Flower<br />7. Dawning<br />8. Cascades<br />9. <a href="http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Tamaryn%20-%20Mild%20Confusion.mp3">Mild Confusion</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mexicansummer.com/shop/tamaryn-the-waves/">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">The Waves</span> from Mexican Summer</a><br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-26011344801781108732011-02-20T18:28:00.004-05:002011-02-21T16:15:44.421-05:00The Marked Men- Ghosts (2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?0dci08xade98q1s"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://strangereaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/marked-men-ghosts.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended if you like:</span> Buzzcocks, The Thermals, Mind Spiders, Teenage Cool Kids, Dillinger Four, Jay Reatard</span><br /><br />I've probably listened to this album more than anything else the past few months. Fucking fantastic punk from Texas that's equally snotty and melodic. Apologies if my comparisons are a little off base, my punk collection is still small (though it's growing rapidly). But fans of any garage-y punk will dig the shit out of this. Its not as fast as hardcore, but the songs still have so much movement. What really impresses me about The Marked Men is how they can write such catchy stuff without really relying on melodic lead guitars. Most of it is just power chord riffing, it really finds its strength in the lyrics and vocals of guitarist/vocalists Mark Ryan and Jeff Burke. I can't recommend this one enough. Click the album artwork to sample.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.rollogrady.org/media/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/02-all-in-your-head.mp3">All In Your Head</a><br />2. Ditch<br />3. Fortune<br />4. My Love<br />5. I Must Be Dead<br />6. Head Set<br />7. Locked Up<br />8. Not That Kid<br />9. Stay Away<br />10. Get To You<br />11. Ghosts<br />12. Shaky Ground<br />13. Red Light Rumors<br />14. One More Time<br />15. Blew My Head<br /><br /><a href="http://www.greennoiserecords.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=9888">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Ghosts</span> from Dirtnap Records</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-75114219116388297912011-02-18T08:43:00.002-05:002011-02-18T08:53:10.104-05:00youtube gem friday<div><br /></div><div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_HRUSX-XW0s" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>STATE YOUR PEACE TONIGHT</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6lA5BayULv8" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-89613649431866885052011-02-13T03:03:00.004-05:002011-02-13T03:47:13.776-05:00Wolf Parade- Apologies To The Queen Mary (2005)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?008cjux8qx66o2x"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://assets2.subpop.com/assets/images/main/4257.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Recommended if you like: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Unicorns, Born Ruffians, Frog Eyes, Destroyer, Sunset Rubdown</span><br /><br />Remember about halfway through the last decade when all that super yelpy, zany indie pop shit was really popular? It seemed like 'indie' had come to be defined by how grating, trembling and wild your voice was and how many ridiculous, obnoxious synth lines you could incorporate into your music. Architecture in Helsinki, The Unicorns, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, I feel like that stuff certainly hasn't aged as well as everyone expected. But if there's one album that I really kept with me and has stood the test of time, it's Wolf Parade's <span style="font-style: italic;">Apologies to the Queen Mary</span>. Driven by the fantastic songwriting duo of Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug, Wolf Parade plays a mix of self-indulgent indie pop that really captures the heart, soul and spirit of the aforementioned mid-decade movement at its best.<br /><br />Take the album opener "You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son," Krug's invitation for the album. It starts with an instantly recognizable staccato drum beat before unfolding into syncopated piano hits, abstract guitars and Krug's signature warbling croon. Whereas their later material is more plagued by the sharp divide between the Krug-written and Boeckner-written song, on <span style="font-style: italic;">Apologies To The Queen Mary</span>, they establish a smooth flow and strike a creative harmony by adding subtle touches to each others songs. And where <span style="font-style: italic;">At Mount Zoomer</span> boasted polished production and concise songwriting, this album has a refined core while still managing to be rough around the edges. Boeckner's "We Built Another World" builds around overdriven bass, a pounding guitar line, bubbly synths and the incredible spastic drumming of Arlen Thompson.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />The album's obvious climax and finest track is Krug's "I'll Believe In Anything," a furious anthem that showcases the band's dramatic side and Krug's fantastic lyrics. Listening to Krug sing "nobody knows you and nobody gives a damn" today in 2011, the irony is clear. It's an ominous premonition about the future of the distinct brand of indie pop that Wolf Parade were the forefathers of. But unlike many of the other bands who have since fallen off or are still desperately clinging on, Wolf Parade will be remembered for <span style="font-style: italic;">Apologies to The Queen Mary</span>. It is a fantastic album that can hold its own and stand the test of time and break free of the stagnant genre that it helped create. Click the album artwork to sample.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://assets1.subpop.com/assets/audio/2362.mp3">You Are A Runner and I Am My Father's Son</a><br />2. <a href="http://themusic.fm/mp3/Wolf%20Parade%20-%20Modern%20World.mp3">Modern World</a><br />3. Grounds for Divorce<br />4. We Built Another World<br />5. Fancy Claps<br />6. Same Ghost Every Night<br />7. Shine A Light<br />8. <a href="http://bootlogradio.com/bootlogaudio/audiofiles/WolfParade-6April2010/WolfParade-6April2010-03.mp3">Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts</a><br />9. I'll Believe in Anything<br />10. It's A Curse<br />11. Dinner Bells<br />12. This Heart's On Fire<br /><br /><a href="http://www.subpop.com/releases/wolf_parade/full_lengths/apologies_to_the_queen_mary">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Apologies To The Queen Mary</span> from Sub Pop</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-88996192563166253222011-02-09T22:45:00.005-05:002011-02-10T13:57:13.989-05:00Smith Westerns- Dye It Blonde (2011)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2x80h0on3oecl22"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.rollogrady.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/smithwesterns-dye-it-blonde.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended if you like: Harlem, Black Kids, Destroyer, Girls, Magic Kids, Born Ruffians, The Morning Benders</span><br /><br />All the members of Smith Westerns are younger than me. Man, does that make me feel unaccomplished. Anyway, that youthful energy definitely shines through on the band's sophomore effort, <span style="font-style: italic;">Dye It Blonde</span>. Sure, their sound is pretty generic, unashamed indie pop/rock but they play it surprisingly tight. Like on the fantastic album opener "Weekend," which is full of soaring vocal melodies, dramatic synths and distorted lead guitar lines that are sure to get your feet tapping. They use this bloated effect on the lead guitar lines that sounds like the guitar solo at the end of (The Beatles') "Let It Be." The album switches from fast-paced garage-y jams like "Dance Away" to more intimate slower compositions like "Still New," the latter filled of thunderous chords and delay-soaked tremolo guitar lines. To me, <span style="font-style: italic;">Dye It Blonde</span> sounds like what The Morning Benders were going for with <span style="font-style: italic;">Big Echo</span>, though I think Smith Westerns succeed at the youthful rag-tag indie pop thing with so much more grace and energy. It also really reminds me of Harlem's <span style="font-style: italic;">Hippies</span>, but with way more texture. Again, there probably isn't a single trick or progression on this album that isn't already-charted territory. But <span style="font-style: italic;">Dye It Blonde</span> is fun as hell. Click the album artwork to sample.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/forcefieldpr/smith-westerns-weekend">Weekend</a><br />2. Still New<br />3. Imagine Pt. 3<br />4. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/forcefieldpr/smith-westerns-all-die-young">All Die Young</a><br />5. Fallen In Love<br />6. End of the Night<br />7. Only One<br />8. Smile<br />9. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dbayona/smith-westerns-dance-away">Dance Away</a><br />10. Dye The World<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fatpossum.com/products/dye-it-blonde">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Dye It Blonde</span> from Fat Possum</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-6325243139623130842011-02-08T16:44:00.005-05:002011-02-08T16:46:06.118-05:00TWEEGAZE<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://existenchill.bandcamp.com/">Mike Howard</a> and Christopher Baranowski are...<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:300%;">TWEEGAZE</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Summer 2k11<br /><br /></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-8730011875466822262011-01-31T03:10:00.008-05:002011-01-31T03:34:13.428-05:00Cass McCombs- "County Line" (2011)<img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 250px;" src="http://cdn04.cdn.gorillavsbear.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Picture-7-575x406.png" alt="" border="0" /><br />2011's first great single comes from alt-country crooner Cass McCombs. "County Line," from the singer-songwriter's upcoming LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Wit's End</span>, due out on Domino in April, is a five and half minute blissful mix of organ and McCombs' delicate vocals. "County Line" reaffirms McCombs' masterfully minimalist approach to songwriting; the song's soft organ and simple drum beat calls to mind Beach House, Bill Callahan and Devendra Banhart, artists whose sparse compositions allow their vocals and lyrics become the main focus. McCombs' vocal performance on "County Line" is stunning, trading off between his signature nasally whine and a rich falsetto that blend perfectly with the song's chiming organ line and give the song a soulful movement. All in all, it's one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful songs I've heard in a while. I could not be more excited for <span style="font-style: italic;">Wit's End</span>.<br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9652233"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F9652233" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="81" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco/cass-mccombs-county-line">Cass McCombs - County Line</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco">DominoRecordCo</a></span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-69489722098740614322011-01-23T22:46:00.005-05:002011-02-09T23:12:24.647-05:00Panda Bear- Last Night At The Jetty (2010)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?093z2xy95l1snh8"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2010/11/panda-bear-last-night-at-the-jetty.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The third single in anticipation of Panda Bear's release of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Tomboy</span> LP in 2011, "Last Night At The Jetty" could be the best. It begins with perhaps Lennox's heaviest beat yet and builds into a watery mix of violins and layered harmonies. With "Last Night At The Jetty," Lennox reminds us of the core elements that truly make his music so compelling: the beautiful vocal layering, the use of repetition and looping. And though he's ditched the crackling samples of <span style="font-style: italic;">Person Pitch</span> for more organic beats and instrumentation, "Last Night At The Jetty" shows that Lennox's songwriting remains strong. Unfortunately, it's paired with the B-side "Drone," a forgettable track based on a Oneohtrix Point Never inspired blare of synths and electronics, making "Tomboy" and its companion "Slow Motion" probably a more likely candidate for Panda Bear's best single from 2010. But "Last Night At The Jetty" should only the heighten the excitement about <span style="font-style: italic;">Tomboy</span>. Click the artwork to sample.<br /><br />1. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/mushytoad/last-night-at-the-jetty-by-panda-bear">Last Night At The Jetty</a><br />2. DroneChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-7306770758671823702011-01-17T02:50:00.013-05:002011-01-17T21:52:57.015-05:00The Best Albums of 2010<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://onethirtybpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-War-on-Drugs-Future-Weather-EP.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://onethirtybpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-War-on-Drugs-Future-Weather-EP.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;">#15</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">The War On Drugs- <span style="font-style: italic;">Future Weather</span></span><br /><br /><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">On <span style="font-style: italic;">Future Weather</span>, The War On Drugs play a beautifully crafted mix of classic rock and shoegaze textures.<span style=""> </span>Despite the absence of founding member Kurt Vile, frontman Adam Granduciel takes a command presence and establishes himself as singer-songwriter deserving the same praise as the greats he draws so much influence from.<span style=""> </span>His Dylan inspired lyrics and voice work perfectly over the band’s frantic mix of folk, punk and shoegaze.<span style=""> </span>Check out <a href="http://woosamonsaroad.blogspot.com/2010/12/war-on-drugs-future-weather-2010.html">my feature</a> on the album for more.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?hbxk6s4lndgua7y"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2010/06/Sun-Kil-Moon-Admiral-Fell-Promises.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size:180%;">#14</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Sun Kil Moon- <span style="font-style: italic;">Admiral Fell Promises</span></span><br /><br /><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">On <span style="font-style: italic;">Admiral Fell Promises</span>, Mark Kozelek, the man behind Sun Kil Moon and the late Red House Painters, sheds his band for an intimate album of classical guitar and vocals.<span style=""> </span>Just listen to the intro to the first track, “Alesund,” and you’ll hear Kozelek delicately plucking away at his nylon strings in an almost flamenco style that he’s used rarely before.<span style=""> </span>And though Sun Kil Moon’s earlier LPs were so interesting because of the way they could switch from acoustic folk ballads to droning, fuzzed out jams, the lack of stylistic variation does not detract from <span style="font-style: italic;">Admiral Fell Promises</span>.<span style=""> </span>This is still the same Kozelek, only stripped and unplugged.<span style=""> </span>His lyrics are just as devastatingly personal as ever, his guitar playing just as top-notch, and his quavering voice still sounds on the verge of tears.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Admiral Fell Promises</span> wouldn’t be the first Sun Kil Moon album I’d recommend.<span style=""> </span>Newcomers will undoubtedly grow tired of his extensive and simplistic songs.<span style=""> </span>The album is really more rewarding for more intense fans like myself who have come to appreciate his beautiful narrative lyrics and preference for repetition.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?m211gnac3tbx6lc"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/files/69/08/690853356-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#13</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Sufjan Stevens- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >The Age of Adz</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">After making some pretentious statement about “losing faith in the album as a way of releasing music,” Sufjan returned in 2010 with the surprisingly electronic <span style="font-style: italic;">The Age of Adz</span>.<span style=""> </span>Though fans of his folk material will perhaps be put off at first, it doesn’t take much to see that behind this incredibly textured electronic album are the same masterful composition skills that Stevens exhibited on 2005’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Illinois</span>.<span style=""> </span>Trading banjos and flutes for fluxing synths and glitchy percussion, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Age of Adz</span>’s focus on electronics seems to match its themes of paranoia and apocalypse in a new era.<span style=""> </span>It’s ridiculous how ambitious Stevens is, ending the album with a 25 minute track that’s just as compelling as of the album’s shorter, more accessible ones.<span style=""> </span>With a Radiohead-esque transformation, Stevens has proved himself to be a compositional genius not limited to just one genre.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://illegal-art.net/allday/"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://onethirtybpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Girl-Talk-All-Day.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size:180%;">#12</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Girl Talk- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >All Day</span><br /><br /><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">With his third album, Gregg Gillis was in a precarious position.<span style=""> </span>Despite the subtle differences between <span style="font-style: italic;">Night Ripper</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Feed The Animals</span>, Gillis’ unique style of mashup is ultimately confined to a small space that doesn’t allow for much experimentation.<span style=""> </span>I’d assume Gillis had this confinement in mind when sometime after <span style="font-style: italic;">Feed The Animals</span> he expressed interest in using more verse-chorus structure on his next album.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, he didn’t follow through with that potentially boring idea on <span style="font-style: italic;">All Day</span>.<span style=""> </span>Instead, the album combines the strengths of <span style="font-style: italic;">Night Ripper</span> and Feed The Animals to create a coked-out mixtape that manages to sound interesting and fresh despite sticking to Gillis’ now trademark mashup formula.<span style=""> </span>My main complaint with <span style="font-style: italic;">Feed The Animals</span> was that a lot of it was just simple track over track layering, where <span style="font-style: italic;">Night Ripper</span> had more of a creative input from Gillis, drawing on his glitchy background to chop up the beats.<span style=""> </span>On <span style="font-style: italic;">All Day</span>, the tempo varies a lot more and Gillis once again takes a more active role in the song layering.<span style=""> </span>The most striking difference with the album is the song lengths.<span style=""> </span>Most of the songs are about 6 or 7 minutes long.<span style=""> </span>Some would argue that Gillis’ track divisions are just arbitrary markings in a mixtape that is supposed to be listened to as one solid hour-long cut.<span style=""> </span>But the longer song lengths represent Gillis’ new penchant for letting certain mashups ride for longer than just a few seconds.<span style=""> </span>Mashups like Jay-Z’s “Can I Get A…” and the brilliant Ludacris/Phoenix pairing exceed past the minute mark, something that Gillis only began doing with <span style="font-style: italic;">Feed The Animals</span>.<span style=""> </span>With All Day, Gillis successfully avoids becoming trapped by his self-imposed boundaries and creates an album that experiments within and expands his style of mashup.<span style=""> </span>Most importantly, throughout <span style="font-style: italic;">All Day</span>, you can hear, see and feel Gregg Gillis, although he’s not using a drop of original music.<span style=""> </span>That creative identity is what will allow Gillis to thrive even within this hyper-formulaic genre.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?zy8i8z55c1a98p5"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 296px;" src="http://www.indiemusicfilter.com/images/caribou-swim.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;">#11</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Caribou- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Swim</span><br /><br /><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">I feel like “and he has a Ph.D in math!” is the hippest thing you can say when having a conversation about Caribou.<span style=""> </span>I constantly flip back and forth between considering it just a pretentious side note or some kind of justification for Snaith’s unique music.<span style=""> </span>His incredibly complex compositions seem to suggest some sort higher-level understanding of music.<span style=""> </span>On Swim, Snaith trade the intimate electronic folk of <span style="font-style: italic;">Andorra</span> for liquid dance tunes without missing a beat.<span style=""> </span>Album opener “Odessa” is an infectious mix of throbbing bass, diverse percussion and Snaith’s airy vocals.<span style=""> </span>The precision with which <span style="font-style: italic;">Swim</span> is executed gives each song an almost mathematic feel, like there’s some kind of proof-based equation for each song.<span style=""> </span>But maybe I just want to believe that.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?dlmtdtdv2v77ydg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://thetapeisnotsticky.com/uploads/2010/10/Deerhunter-Halcyon-Digest-518902.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#10</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Deerhunter- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Halcyon Digest</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Despite how much I loved <span style="font-style: italic;">Microcastle</span>, I didn’t think it deserved quite the high level of praise that it received.<span style=""> </span>My lukewarm reaction was probably why I waited so long to listen to <span style="font-style: italic;">Halcyon Digest</span>.<span style=""> </span>Boy, what a mistake.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Halcyon Digest</span> is instantly rewarding and Deerhunter’s best and most focused work to date.<span style=""> </span>What amazes me about the band is their constant evolution from album to album. <span style=""> </span>From <span style="font-style: italic;">Cryptograms</span> to <span style="font-style: italic;">Microcastle</span> was pretty linear, a progression from psyched out punk jams to smaller songs that refined and built upon that same experimentation.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Halcyon Digest</span> is a little more surprising.<span style=""> </span>The record is the closest to pop the band has come thus far.<span style=""> </span>Bradford Cox sounds more like a frontman than ever before, dropping the strained moans and croaks for a more melodic singing voice.<span style=""> </span>“Helicopter,” the band’s crowing achievement and one of the best songs of the year, has Cox singing beautiful melodies over soft guitar strums before exploding into a fuzzed out, blissful chorus.<span style=""> </span>“Desire Lines” expands upon the punchy bass and weaving guitars of <span style="font-style: italic;">Microcastle</span>.<span style=""> </span>With <span style="font-style: italic;">Halcyon Digest</span>, the boys in Deerhunter prove themselves to be masters of both reinvention and songwriting.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?5cq053brefultwa"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 280px;" src="http://www.rawkblog.net/wp-content/uploads/Broken-Social-Scene-Forgiveness-Rock-Record.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#9</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Broken Social Scene- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Forgiveness Rock Record</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Broken Social Scene’s comeback record also had me worried and intrigued about how the band would sound after not releasing a record together for five years.<span style=""> </span>It’s hard to imagine a more reassuring album.<span style=""> </span>Less ambitious than their earlier records, <span style="font-style: italic;">Forgiveness Rock Record</span>, much like <span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span>, has Broken Social Scene trimming the fat and focusing on a core group and sound.<span style=""> </span>That’s not to say that the diversity the band is known for is lost.<span style=""> </span>In contrast to the explosive opener “World Sick,” the album’s second track “Chase Scene” is driven by droning synths, choppy drum loops and angular violins.<span style=""> </span>Other highlights are the devastatingly intimate ‘Sweetest Kill” and “Sentimental X’s,” a beautiful blend of descending guitars, bass and throbbing organs.<span style=""> </span>If their absence is what Broken Social Scene is seeking forgiveness for, they certainly need not worry.<span style=""> </span>Their spot amongst the greats of orchestral rock remains unfilled and <span style="font-style: italic;">Forgiveness Rock Record</span> is a comeback album that is both reassuring and provoking.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?vn3nygb8u4c63vg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://onethirtybpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Ariel-Pinks-Haunted-Graffiti-Before-Today.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#8</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Before Today</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">I got into Ariel Pink a few years ago when I stumbled across him on Wikipedia and decided he was worth checking after reading a few sentences of his biography.<span style=""> </span>Given Pink’s as the reigning king of lo-fi weirdness (from his extensive catalogue of elusive CD-R’s to the fact that he recorded most of the drum noises on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Doldrums</span> with his mouth), a lot of fans, including myself, were skeptical about his signing with 4AD and his decision to record <span style="font-style: italic;">Before Today</span> in a studio.<span style=""> </span>But as much as I almost wanted to hate the record, it is simply too good.<span style=""> </span>The stunning production only accentuates and polishes the masterful psychedelic pop songwriting that Pink has had since the start of his career.<span style=""> </span>Pink’s eccentric vocal melodies are backed by the extremely impressive musicianship of his backing band.<span style=""> </span>Inevitably, Pink sacrifices some of his weirder tricks for a more traditional approach to structure and melody, which means <span style="font-style: italic;">The Doldrums</span> may always hold a higher spot in my heart.<span style=""> </span>But the album’s accessibility and Pink’s newfound clarity make the record one that can be listened to people who were turned off by his older material.<span style=""> </span>In fact, without the production the tempo changes, subtle bass melodies and guitar interplay on songs like “Revolution’s A Lie” or “L’estat (Acc. To the Widow’s Maid)” might very well have been lost.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Before Today</span> will certainly offend lo-fi purists, but the album refuses to let Pink’s brilliant psychedelic take on pop music be ignored.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?t1uz8ehu69uqcey"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://musosguide.com/public_html/musos.wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/600px-Big-boi-sir-lucious-left-foot-the-son-of-chico-dusty-HQ-300x300.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#7</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Big Boi- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">There’s not much to say about <span style="font-style: italic;">Sir Lucious Left Foot</span> that hasn’t already been said.<span style=""> </span>Big Boi spits, stumbles and swags his way all over diverse beats from some of hip-hop’s finest.<span style=""> </span>From the metallic stomp of Andre 3000’s “You Ain’t No DJ” to Scott Scorch’s mindblowing pulsating beat on “Shutterbugg,” Big Boi’s unique Southern drawl is always backed by an equally impressive beat.<span style=""> </span>There are some features that are cringe worthy; “Follow Us” could be one of the year’s finest songs if it weren’t for that god awful chorus by Vonnegutt.<span style=""> </span>I was never much of an Outkast fan but the influence and demand for respect that Big Boi held with them is certainly carried over here.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?eq2w13fbjk52x3z"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.yorapper.com/Photos/my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#6</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Kanye West- <span style="font-style: italic;">My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">I never thought I would be listing a Kanye album in my top 10.<span style=""> </span>I had a really strong hatred for him prior to this album.<span style=""> </span>I refused to listen to it for a while.<span style=""> </span>But as much as it pains me to say it, <span style="font-style: italic;">My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</span> is just too damn good.<span style=""> </span>There is just something… unbelievable about it. No matter how much you hate the man, the things he says on this album just refuse to be ignored.<span style=""> </span>The whole thing has this larger than life quality.<span style=""> </span>It’s so successful in its goals of self-indulgence and grandiosity that it’s hard to be anything but impressed and floored.<span style=""> </span>Importantly, West takes more of a producer role, offering the spotlight to the (sometimes questionable) featured artists, something that made this album easier to like being a Kanye hater previously.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">What keeps the album from “classic” status is how important the context is to understanding the album.<span style=""> </span>You have to understand the year of idiotic publicity stunts and pretentious bullshit that Kanye went through before making this to understand what he is saying here.<span style=""> </span>It’s an album of confessions, as wells pleas to be taken both more and less seriously.<span style=""> </span>When it comes to hip-hop, good lyrics are usually a top priority.<span style=""> </span>I tend to hate most of this stuff that relies more on swagger, flow or a uniquely obnoxious style.<span style=""> </span>But with <span style="font-style: italic;">My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</span>, Kanye seems to prove that it doesn’t always matter what you’re saying but how you say it.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?1xdje956jo0jqwz"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2010/08/02/arcade%20fire%20the%20suburbs.jpg?1280760687" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#5</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Arcade Fire- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >The Suburbs</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">There’s something about that final triumphant violin melody in “Rebelion (Lies),” off Arcade Fire’s debut LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Funeral</span>, that makes it sound instantly nostalgic and timeless.<span style=""> </span>It’s like it’s some melody that you heard when you were a child that you are now finally rediscovering.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Funeral</span> is full of melodies like that.<span style=""> </span>The group has a way of writing songs that can somehow sound like classics, melodies hummed and repeated by music listeners for centuries.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">On <span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span>, the band wanders back from the ambitious diversity and dynamic experimentation of <span style="font-style: italic;">Neon Bible</span> to the more traditional structure and approach of <span style="font-style: italic;">Funeral</span>.<span style=""> </span>More than ever before, Arcade Fire sounds like a compact, tight band.<span style=""> </span>Even more noticeable is Win Butler’s assumption of the role as ‘the frontman.’<span style=""> </span>The Springsteen comparisons, rooted in tracks like “Keep The Car Running,” are even more apparent on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span>.<span style=""> </span>I swear to god when Butler sings, “dreamt I drove home to Houston” on “City With No Children,” it sounds exactly like Springsteen, the lyrics even drawing on the same Americana roots found on <span style="font-style: italic;">Born In The USA</span> (ironically, they’re Canadian).<span style=""> </span>Though the symphonic violins and pianos are still found throughout the album, exaggerating each songs’ melancholy melodies, the focus is more on the traditional guitar, bass, and drums set up.<span style=""> </span>Take the end of “Modern Man,” where dual guitars blend and harmonize to make a riff that Broken Social Scene would be jealous of, or “Month Of May,” an unashamed, energetic punk rallying call that prepares us for the record’s breathtaking final stretch.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">And despite the band’s knack for writing timeless songs that recall somber memories of some lost decade, on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span>, they still manage to sound so contemporary.<span style=""> </span>Whether it’s the piano-driven saloon rock of the title track, which calls to mind bands like The Good Life or Okkervil River, or the heavy folk thump of “Wasted Hours, which screams Grizzly Bear, Arcade Fire imitates and draws upon the music of their peers in a way that is distinctly theirs.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Some of the criticism about <span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span> concerns its lyrical content.<span style=""> </span>Butler ponders questions of mortality, innocence, love and loss within the context of homogeneous American suburb.<span style=""> </span>We enter the emotional wasteland of the sprawl.<span style=""> </span>It was the dark lyrics and generally darker feel of <span style="font-style: italic;">Neon Bible</span> that turned off many fans to the bands second album.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span> is more true to <span style="font-style: italic;">Funeral</span>.<span style=""> </span>Yes, the music is often dark but there are those beautiful, uplifting melodies, like the ones in “Suburban War” and “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," that make the album more bearable and fluid.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">To me, a more valid criticism is one that examines Butler’s vocal delivery.<span style=""> </span>Although his lyrics and melodies are still superb, the intensity that he once exhibited on <span style="font-style: italic;">Funeral</span> is nearly absent.<span style=""> </span>The yelps and pained screams of songs like “Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)” or Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” are gone.<span style=""> </span>Only “Ready To Start” and “Rococo” have an intensity that warrants comparison to his earlier vocal performances.<span style=""> </span>The latter is the album’s finest track.<span style=""> </span>The drums beat out a heavy solider march while violins swell and the guitars explode into perhaps the heaviest progression in the band’s repetoire.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">“2009, 2010, wanna make a record like I felt then.”<span style=""> </span>Normally, I would cringe at such a self-referential and fourth-wall-breaking lyric.<span style=""> </span>But when Win Butler shouts it on the cathartic standout “Month of May” over pounding, blaring guitars, I not only enjoy it but also want to commend Butler for his achievement in doing so.<span style=""> </span>I don’t think <span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span> fully embodies everything we felt in 2009 and 2010.<span style=""> </span>But its themes of emotional sprawl, uniformity and soul searching, are nevertheless instantly relatable and perhaps more connected to our overall situation than we think.<span style=""> </span>But <span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span> comes at a time in the band’s career when it was incredibly important to show that they were in touch (or as Carles would put it, “still relevant”).<span style=""> </span>The album’s contemporary influence pairs well with the band’s general timelessness to create an album that is relatable, powerful and successfully ambitious.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">The Suburbs</span> is a solidification of the band’s importance and a celebration of their unique and beautiful style.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?fynijnw2nni"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://potholesinmyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Maniac_Meat-Tobacco_480.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#4</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Tobacco- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Maniac Meat</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Tobacco emerged in 2010 from his world of fucked up 80s work out videos to give us <span style="font-style: italic;">Maniac Meat</span>, a more polished take on his unique brand of psychedelic hip-hop.<span style=""> </span>The tracks don’t have a much of a lo-fi crackle, but Tobacco still manages to retain his psychedelic sensibilities and explore a variety of different styles.<span style=""> </span>There’s the demonic croaks of “Sweatmother,” the drugged, FlyLo-esque intro of “TV All Greasy” and the steady bass thumps of “New Juices From The Hot Tub Freaks.”<span style=""> </span>He even scores two guest vocal features from Beck, which reaffirms the album’s weirdness.<span style=""> </span>“Creepy Phone Calls” is the best track Tobacco has ever done.<span style=""> </span>Its heavy percussion, blaring synths and ticking bass give the track an infectious feel that Fec’s been inching toward and toying with for years now.<span style=""> </span>Once again, Tobacco has created psychedelic, textured and downright weird dance music not for the faint of heart or mentally unstable.<span style=""> </span>Hip hop has never been so terrifying while being so fun.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?cv7q5847kq6897u"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fwcBnzgiuxo/S8vLNGVUtBI/AAAAAAAAEm8/Caudd-b-ShA/s1600/tallest-man-on-earth-wild-hunt-cover-art.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#3</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">The Tallest Man On Earth- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >The Wild Hunt</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Strange that one of my favorite albums of the year should be one that I have barely listened to since it came out.<span style=""> </span>Because of things that happened in my personal life around the time that <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wild Hunt</span> came out, I honestly didn’t listen to the album for a good 8 months because I would just start sobbing.<span style=""> </span>Personal experience aside, I think that <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wild Hunt</span> is one of the most emotionally devastating and heartbreaking albums I have ever heard. Using only acoustic guitar (and piano for one track), Kristian Matsson manages to make one of the most traditional acoustic folk albums deserving of a spot next to Dylan’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Another Side of Bob Dylan</span> and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s <span style="font-style: italic;">I See A Darkness</span>.<span style=""> </span>Matsson’s doesn’t conceal his love for Dylan, utilizing an eerily similar scratchy singing voice and referencing “boots of Spanish leather” in the album’s single “King Of Spain.”<span style=""> </span>Much like <span style="font-style: italic;">Admiral Fell Promise</span>s, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wild Hunt</span> finds its beauty and strength in its brutal intimacy.<span style=""> </span>Matsson’s extremely impressive guitar work complements and weaves beneath his trembling poetic lyrics.<span style=""> </span>When I was finally able to this album all the way through the other day, not surprisingly, it was still as emotionally flooring as the first time I listened to it.<span style=""> </span>Miles better than his first album, The Tallest Man on Earth’s <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wild Hunt</span> is a timeless artwork that is worthy of it’s Dylan comparisons.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?3khcnumbozo2yzr"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://media.warp.net/images/WARPCD195Packshot_480.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#2</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Flying Lotus- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Cosmogramma</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Describing electronic albums is always difficult.<span style=""> </span>Indeed, no words could ever fully capture the indefinable charm and power of Flying Lotus’ <span style="font-style: italic;">Cosmogramma</span>.<span style=""> </span>The music builds upon FlyLo’s love for off tempo rythyms, genre hopping and a psychedelic palette of sounds.<span style=""> </span>But whereas <span style="font-style: italic;">Los Angeles</span> had a distinct track-to-track incoherency that made it feel like a traditional collection of beats, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cosmogramma</span> is truly meant to heard as one symphonic piece.<span style=""> </span>In the absence of vocals and lyrics, Ellis uses recurring motifs and intricate phrasing to create a flow for the album that makes it truly sound like some sort of opera from an alien planet.<span style=""> </span>In a year full of excellent psychedelic instrumental hip-hop, Flying Lotus holds a place as both a forefather and reigning king of the genre.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2w3dmnwwiin"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 299px;" src="http://thetaleofthetape.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/pantha-du-prince-black-noise.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">#1</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">Pantha Du Prince- <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Noise</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> </p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal">Pantha Du Prince’s third album <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Noise</span> is a beautiful, blissful and expansive work of minimal techno that holds a place in the genre next to The Knife's<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Silent Shout</span> and The Field's <span style="font-style: italic;">From Here We Go Sublime</span>.<span style=""> </span>The textures on <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Noise</span> are so rich and multifaceted, it’s difficult to believe that only one man is behind this.<span style=""> </span>Hendrik Weber builds fascinating melodies and layers of psychedelia over heart-pounding beats.<span style=""> </span>And there’s just something so strange and unfamiliar about the way he layers Panda Bear’s vocals over “Stick To My Side” that just floors me every time.<span style=""> </span>Those eerie, atonal chimes that ring in every track just strike some extrasensory chord somewhere in my body.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Black Noise</span> is the most rewarding release of the year, one who’s rich textures and compositions I still have yet to even fully grasp.</p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://woosamonsaroad.blogspot.com/2011/01/best-albums-of-2010-honorable-mentions.html">Check out the honorable mentions for best album of the year</a><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p></div>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-26998873381313713182010-12-31T13:44:00.005-05:002010-12-31T14:22:12.465-05:00Connor's Top 20 Albums of 20101) Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma<div><br /></div><div>2) Band of Horses - Infinite Arms</div><div><br /></div><div>3) The National - High Violet</div><div><br /></div><div>4) Big Boi - Sir Lucius Left Foot</div><div><br /></div><div>5) Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher </div><div><br /></div><div>6) Sleigh Bells - Treats</div><div><br /></div><div>7) Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt</div><div><br /></div><div>8) Owen Pallet - Heartland</div><div><br /></div><div>9) Girl Talk - All Day</div><div><br /></div><div>10) Beach House - Teen Dream</div><div><br /></div><div>11) The Roots - How I Got Over</div><div><br /></div><div>12) Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner</div><div><br /></div><div>13) Four Tet - There is Love in You</div><div><br /></div><div>14) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</div><div><br /></div><div>15) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest </div><div><br /></div><div>16) Teebs - Ardour</div><div><br /></div><div>17) Das Racist - Sit Down, Man</div><div><br /></div><div>18) Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me </div><div><br /></div><div>19) Minus the Bear - Omni</div><div><br /></div><div>20) The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Honorable Mentions:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The Walkmen - Lisbon</div><div>Lil B - Black Ken Mixtape</div><div>The Great Explainer - The Way Things Swell</div><div>Titus Andronicus - The Monitor </div><div><br /></div>C. Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08202116249251796282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-89560181227039657912010-12-17T00:11:00.003-05:002010-12-17T00:37:24.317-05:00Coke Bust- Degradation (2010)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?hb7dqeiqveqgheb"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 275px;" src="http://coretexrecords.ifie-solutions.com/usr/img/article/default/1/15829.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not going to bother comparing Coke Bust's music to any other hardcore acts for fear of sounding out of touch with the hardcore scene (I am, I've only recently starting revisiting all of my old favorites and checking out new groups) but all you need to know is they play fast pissed off straight edge hardcore and from D.C. If you're into Ceremony, Trash Talk, Punch or any other super fast thrashy shit, you'll dig this. Blast beats and thick metal riffs galore. 6 songs in 5 minutes. The last track, "Deathbed," is the best but the whole thing is awesome.<br /><br />1. Another Fucking Problem<br />2. Long Gone<br />3. Keep Out<br />4. Degradation<br />5. No Authority<br />6. Deathbed<br /><a href="http://refuserecords.prv.pl/"><br />Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Degradation</span> through Refuse Records</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-75416515115484087032010-12-16T23:27:00.004-05:002010-12-16T23:44:29.441-05:00tooth ache.- "Skin" (2010)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fatherdaughterrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/toothachecoverweb1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 275px;" src="http://www.fatherdaughterrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/toothachecoverweb1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So, a while back the fantastic emerging label <a href="http://www.fatherdaughterrecords.com/">Father / Daughter Records</a> got in contact with me asking me to feature this lo-fi gem from Vermont's tooth ache. Despite being so new, as far as I'm concerned Father / Daughter is 3 for 3. In addition to "Skin," they put out singles for Family Trees' "Dream Talkin'," one of my favorite songs of the year, and Levek's "Look On The Bright Side." "Skin" is a freaky mix of spiraling organs, heavy clicking rhythms and the airy vocals reminiscent of A Sunny Day In Glasgow and All Saints Day. Alexandria Hall is the sole figure behind tooth ache. and it shows. But the song's choppy, electronic chirps and simplistic composition give it a home-grown feel that makes it all the more real. Check out "Skin" via Father / Daughter's website and look for features of more great releases from this awesome up and coming label.<br /><br /><a href="http://fatherdaughterrecords.com/web/mpthrees/tooth_ache_skin.mp3">tooth ache.- "Skin"</a><br /><br /><a href="http://fatherdaughterrecords.bigcartel.com/product/tooth-ache-skin-7">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Skin</span> from Father / Daughter Records</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-65519228698966765752010-12-14T01:47:00.004-05:002011-02-01T19:19:57.378-05:00The War On Drugs- Future Weather (2010)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?3l0i33pwol033ot"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 275px;" src="http://onethirtybpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-War-on-Drugs-Future-Weather-EP.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reccomended If You Like: Kurt Vile, Real Estate, Beach House, The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan</span><br /><br />Just when I was ready to start drawing up my best of 2010 list, along comes The War On Drugs’ new EP <span style="font-style: italic;">Future Weather</span>.<span style=""> </span>The War On Drugs play a unique blend of shoegaze that draws on Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen as much as it does My Bloody Valentine.<span style=""> </span>Listen to cuts like “Taking the Farm” or “Barrel of Batteries” from the band’s 2008 debut LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Wagonwheel Blues </span>and you’ll hear frontman Adam Granduciel’s abstract, colorful lyrics layered over warbling, fuzzed out guitars and the frantic pounding of the rhythm section. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wagonwheel Blues</span> found a lot of its strength in the spectacular guitar playing and songwriting of Kurt Vile, one of the group’s founding members, who has a burgeoning solo career and is the writer of <a href="http://www.saladdaysmusic.net/MP3%27s/top%20songs%20of%2009/01%20Freeway.mp3">one of my favorite songs ever</a>.<span style=""> </span>Vile doesn’t play on <span style="font-style: italic;">Future Weather</span>, something that made me skeptical at first, but makes the record all the more impressive.<span style=""> </span>Comparing <span style="font-style: italic;">Wagonwheel Blues</span> with Vile’s solo work, one can tell that despite the strong similarities in style, albums like <span style="font-style: italic;">Childish Prodigy</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Constant Hitmaker</span> have a distinct singer-songwriter feel to them not found on <span style="font-style: italic;">Wagonwheel Blues</span>.<span style=""> </span>Vile’s absence on <span style="font-style: italic;">Future Weather</span> allows Granduciel to invoke that same singer-songwriter feel.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a name='more'></a>The album’s first proper song, “Baby Missiles,” wouldn’t sound out of place on <span style="font-style: italic;">Wagonwheel Blues</span>.<span style=""> </span>Its blaring organs and frantic lyrics call to mind tracks like “Needle In Your Eye #16” and the aforementioned “Taking The Farm.”<span style=""> </span>“Baby Missiles” exemplifies my favorite quality about The War On Drugs: the urgency of their music.<span style=""> </span>Though it’s hard to explain, there is something about the way that the rhythm section plays combined with Granduciel’s frenetic delivery that gives their music this beautiful rushed quality.<span style=""> </span>It’s not rushed to the point where things sound out of sync.<span style=""> </span>But it makes it sound more human, like the band is performing for you live.<span style=""> </span>The rhythms they utilize lack a certain uniformity, calling to mind the early work of The Velvet Underground.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Following “Baby Missiles” is “Comin’ Through,” the album’s finest track and one of the best songs of the year.<span style=""> </span>Granduciel trades his schizophrenic shouts for a more intimate delivery.<span style=""> </span>The bass throbs behind him and the lead guitar maneuvers in and out of the vocal lines, each bend and slide echoing with heavy reverb and chorus.<span style=""> </span>The acoustic riff that serves as the song’s core gives it the singer-songwriter feel mentioned earlier; Granduciel’s commanding vocal presence and the song’s simplicity imply a certain ownership to Granduciel.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> “A Pile of Tires,” my personal favorite on the album, only reinforces the notion that The War on Drugs has become more of a solo output for Granduciel.<span style=""> </span>The song is just him and an acoustic guitar, playing a “Buckets Of Rain” sounding riff filtered through heavy reverb and effects.<span style=""> </span>Once again, Granduciel trades his normal delivery for a pained intimacy, showcasing his much improved ability to write gorgeous vocal melodies.<span style=""> </span>“Brothers” is much like “Comin’ Through,” based around a folky acoustic riff that blossoms into a psychedelic mix of echoing guitars, steady rhythms and Dylan-esque vocals.<span style=""> </span>Thunderous organ hits and swells of synth drive album closer “The History of Plastic.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In between a few of the tracks are little 1-2 minute variations that hint at melodies explored in the album’s proper songs.<span style=""> </span>They give the album an impressive flow not found on many EPs.<span style=""> </span>And to be honest, given that so many EPs are usually only afterthoughts or leftovers from LPs, I don’t like calling <span style="font-style: italic;">Future Weather</span> an EP.<span style=""> </span>The fact that it is almost made me write it off completely.<span style=""> </span>But this is an absolutely stunning piece of music that could hold its own against any of the LPs being considered for album of the year.<span style=""> </span>The War on Drugs’ unique singer-songwriter take on shoegaze is so refreshingly original, it’s a crime to ignore anything they put out.<span style=""> </span>Check out <span style="font-style: italic;">Future Weather</span> (click the artwork to sample) before you start drawing up your best of 2010 lists.<span style=""></span></p>1. Come To The City #14<br />2. Baby Missiles<br />3. <a href="http://www.scjag.com/mp3/sc/cominthrough.mp3">Comin' Through</a><br />4. A Pile of Tires<br />5. Comin' Round<br />6. Brothers<br />7. Missiles Reprise<br />8. <a href="http://www.scjag.com/mp3/sc/historyofplastic.mp3">The History of Plastic</a><br /><br /><a href="http://secretlycanadian.com/onesheet.php?cat=SC227">Buy Future Weather from Secretly Canadian</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-13573421922172166372010-12-09T01:50:00.005-05:002010-12-09T02:25:14.338-05:00Bahamadia- Kollage (1996)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?7zig63who28b2x4"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 298px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KQAZuVSPDz4/SoNOf2E0vhI/AAAAAAAAAEE/iqAKADaRTAM/s400/bahamadia-kollage%28Front%29.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended If You Like: Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu</span><br /><br />Fellow Woosa author (though he sure hasn't posted in a while, hint hint) Connor recommended Bahamadia's <span style="font-style: italic;">Kollage</span> to me a few months back. For a while, I only rocked "Uknowhowwedu" and "Rugged Ruff" because those were the two beats that stuck out to me the most. But I listened to the whole album today and it's all top notch. Bahamadia is a female rapper out of Philly and judging by the guest features and production on <span style="font-style: italic;">Kollage</span>, she held a solid place in the burgeoning hip-hop scene of the mid-90s. Her flow and clever lyrics certainly suggest the same, fitting perfectly over the production work of DJ Premier on tracks like"Rugged Ruff," which samples Nas' "Halftime,"and "3 The Hard Way." Also present is the other half of Gang Starr, Guru, who introduces Bahamadia on one of the albums "Interlude" tracks and produces the beat to the first proper song "WordPlay." Other highlights are "Da Jawn," which features fellow Philly natives The Roots, and the soulful "Biggest Part of Me."<br /><br />I've never really dug female rappers, save for maybe frequent DOOM collaborator Empress Stahhr, who's flow is similar to Bahamadia at points. But Bahamadia's style is pretty undeniable and the beats behind her are just too dope to ignore. Click the album artwork to sample <span style="font-style: italic;">Kollage</span>.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />1. Interlude<br />2. WordPlay<br />3. Spontaneity<br />4. Rugged Ruff<br />5. Interlude<br />6. I Confess<br />7. <a href="http://idisk.mac.com/squire/Public/bahamadia_uknowhowwedu.mp3">Uknowhowwedu</a><br />8. Interlude<br />9. Total Wreck<br />10. Innovation<br />11. Da Jawn (feat. The Roots)<br />12. Interlude<br />13. True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Shit)<br />14. 3 The Hard Way<br />15. Biggest Part Of MeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-83316754301108209982010-11-10T01:13:00.003-05:002010-11-10T02:07:16.140-05:00Tyondai Braxton- Central Market (2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?43kd09a4beglkf5"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 321px;" src="http://media.warp.net/images/WARPCD184-Tyondai-Braxton-Central-Market480.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I don't know how it took me so long to grab this one by Battles' former front man Tyondai Braxton considering that <span style="font-style: italic;">Mirrored</span> is one of my favorite albums of all time. On <span style="font-style: italic;">Central Market</span>, Braxton utilizes the same palette of sounds we heard on <span style="font-style: italic;">Mirrored</span>: piercing whistles, grinding gear noises, loud yelps. But <span style="font-style: italic;">Central Market</span> is definitely more of an orchestral album. Swooping violins weave in and out of the absolute chaos of frantic drum loops, thunderous brass and other indistinguishable noises. The album's standout "Platinum Rows" has this heavy-as-fuck electronic breakdown thing that keeps recurring throughout the song's ten and a half minutes. In-between these meticulously timed blasts of vocals and noise, trumpets, violins and xylophones schizophrenically dance the line between familiar melody, symphonic beauty and absolute tonal anarchy.<br /><br />"Platinum Rows" serves as a sort of dividing line for the album. It features the zany, bubbly arrangements of the first half of the record, but also the dark, evil sounds that appear more prevalently in the record's second half. "Unfurling" is a droning menace, building suspense and then destroying it with unpredictable firecracker blasts. "J. City" is the most traditional sounding song on the album, pushing Braxton's impressive vocal range to the front over crunching, dissonant guitars. Album closer "Dead Strings" is as horrifying and nerve racking as its title, layering quivering violins over the creeping footsteps of the rhythm track before breaking out into an off-tempo barrage of drill noises.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Central Market</span> seriously sounds like a Disney soundtrack on acid, albeit by the time you've started the second half, the trip has clearly soured. Braxton's use of whistling, kazoos and frantic violins to create most of the driving melodies, combined with some other decidedly circus-esque sounds, give it almost a childlike feel. But there's nothing childish about this album. Braxton's orchestral arrangement skills are absolutely mind-blowing. The strange tempos we hear in his work with Battles are everywhere, the layering of instrumentation is rich and the melodies and structural elements are complex. Don't get fooled by "Uffe's Workshop's" playful arrangements and similarly playful title fool you: there is a monster lurking here. But it is one that can be both revered and respected, feared and enjoyed. <span style="font-style: italic;">Central Market</span>'s vivid textures and ominous presence make it one of the most rewarding albums I've heard in a while. Click the album artwork to sample.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommended if you like:</span> Glenn Branca, Battles, Black Dice<br /><br />1. Opening Bell<br />2. <a href="http://mp3.insound.com/download.php?mp3id=3622">Uffe's Workshop</a><br />3. The Duck and the Butcher<br />4. Platinum Rows<br />5. Unfurling<br />6. J. City<br />7. Dead Strings<br /><br /><a href="http://bleep.com/index.php?page=release_details&releaseid=20657">Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Central Market</span> from Warp</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-285431269576798772010-09-29T11:26:00.008-04:002010-09-29T11:59:40.829-04:00The Strange Boys - Be Brave [2010]<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8F_uaZy5RSg/TKNawjDlrqI/AAAAAAAAAcM/Dcf33TaAotI/s1600/strange_boys_be_brave.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8F_uaZy5RSg/TKNawjDlrqI/AAAAAAAAAcM/Dcf33TaAotI/s200/strange_boys_be_brave.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522357358176874146" /></a>With the release of their second album, "Be Brave" The Strange Boys have been under the radar for some time, before, however, they were dubbed as one of the best performances seen at <a href="http://sxsw.com/">SXSW</a>. Putting on a 'Dylanesque' vibe and time traveling you into what could possibly be the sounds coming from a dirty dive bar in Austin, twenty years ago, it's easy to picture their sound as 'bar music', but bar music is even an understatement. All of the crooning and echo-chamber from their first album gave us an idea of how their next album would be, but little did we know that "Be Brave" would essentially top their predecessor albums.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div>Listen to "Night Might" <a href="http://s74692.gridserver.com/downloads/files/2010/march/07_Night_Might.mp3">here</a>.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-73318663445106765332010-09-29T00:41:00.008-04:002010-09-29T01:03:15.810-04:00Twin Shadow - Forget [2010]<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8F_uaZy5RSg/TKLFd9RIj-I/AAAAAAAAAcE/EVOI5-0dZhk/s1600/Twin_Shadow_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8F_uaZy5RSg/TKLFd9RIj-I/AAAAAAAAAcE/EVOI5-0dZhk/s200/Twin_Shadow_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522193211562954722" /></a><div><br />The guitar in "Castles In The Snow" towards the end. Wait for it. That's all i'm saying</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2k61rSCY9E"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N2k61rSCY9E?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N2k61rSCY9E?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3645231132075433706.post-30520296370051905322010-09-28T22:08:00.005-04:002010-09-28T22:38:04.203-04:00Cold Cave- "Life Magazine" (2009)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6z4oPwHP5hs/TKKlbZFi41I/AAAAAAAAAFU/lY0mijOnya4/s1600/btw-cold_cave.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6z4oPwHP5hs/TKKlbZFi41I/AAAAAAAAAFU/lY0mijOnya4/s320/btw-cold_cave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522157983118844754" border="0" /></a>Ugh, I know I have been terrible about posting and I wish I had a legitimate excuse to give you, my few readers. But I don't. But I'm going to be better I promise. And to the artists who sent me music, don't worry! I'm going to post about it soon I promise!<br /><br />But as for today, I bring you a great track from Cold Cave's awesome, overlooked 2009 release <span style="font-style: italic;">Love Comes Close</span>. The track is called "Life Magazine," I believe they came out with an EP for the track this year that featured a bunch of remixes. <span style="font-style: italic;">Love Comes Close</span> finds its strength in its variation. It jumps from slow moving drone, to bouncy shoegaze, to buzzing synth-pop, all within the first three tracks. "Life Magazine," the third of the aforementioned tracks, is the hybrid of the glitchy beeps of Crystal Castles and the driving dance punk of Death From Above 1979. Female vocalist Jennifer Clavin's voice bears a striking resemblance to Lisa Lobsinger of Broken Social Scene. Wes Eisold, formerly of American Nightmare and Some Girls, split's vocals with Clavin and is the mastermind behind the group. And though Cold Cave retains some of his punk and hardcore roots, their music is much more experimental than anything he has done previously. Check out the fantastic "Life Magazine" and <span style="font-style: italic;">Love Comes Close</span> if you have a chance.<br /><br /><a href="http://cdn.stereogum.com/mp3/Cold%20Cave%20-%20Life%20Magazine.mp3">Cold Cave- "Life Magazine"</a> (via Stereogum)Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04414251409648112299noreply@blogger.com0