Tuesday 29 December 2009

Noughties #65: Gang Gang Dance "God's Money" (Social Registry, 2005)

Gang Gang Dance, from New York, have been releasing consciously arty music since their 2004 debut, Revival of the Shittest. Although their modus operandi is avant-garde chaos, the results are surprisingly structured, in a tribal and hullicinatory kind of way. It is world music filtered through an art school lens.

Highlights:
youtube.com/gang gang dance - egowar
youtube.com/gang gang dance - god's money V
youtube.com/gang gang dance - glory in itself & egyptian

Noughties #66: Iron and Wine "Our Endless, Numbered Days" (Sub Pop, 2004)

Iron and Wine is singer/songwriter Samuel Beam from South Carolina. He hit the scene in 2002 with the low-fi bedroom recording, The Creek Drank the Cradle. This album was the follow-up, and the higher production budget has not dulled the intimacy of Sam's songcraft, and the extra instrumentation and harmony creates more range. What still remains is the strength and conviction of the folk songwriting, and sincerity of his breathy vocal performance.

Highlights:
youtube.com/iron and wine - naked as we came
youtube.com/iron and wine - love and some verses
youtube.com/iron and wine - fever dream

Noughties #67: Radio Dept. "Lesser Matters" (Shelflife, 2003)

This album, from Sweden's Radio Dept. was released to much critical excitement six years ago. Tagged as the best thing since My BloodyValentine, they were one of the few bands that lived up to the hype. Their own brand of indie dream pop was not overly tarnished by retrogressive tweeness, but was brought up to date with a very diverse production, drum heavy, fuzzed mix and bristling with fine melodies.

Highlights:
youtube.com/radio dept. - where damage isn't already done
youtube.com/radio dept. - keen on boys
youtube.com/radio dept. - against the tide

Noughties #68: Stars of the Lid "Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid" (Kranky, 2001)

Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie from Austin Texas have been releasing ambient music under the name of Stars of The Lid since 1995. In that time they have released many fine albums: And Their Refinement of the Decline (2007), was also a contender for this list, as was Wiltzie's solo project The Dead Texan (2004). Their music is minimal and drone-like. Varying deep chords crescendo, sustain then diminish. Like breathing.

Highlights:
youtube.com/stars of the lid - requiem for dying mothers, part 1
youtube.com/stars of the lid - austin texas mental hospital, part 3
youtube.com/stars of the lid - fac 21

Noughties #69: Akino Arai "Furu Platinum" (Victor, 2000)

Akino Arai is one of the most popular singers in Japan. Her stock in trade has been the composition and production of anime themes, such as Outlaw Star and Gedo Senki. Furu Platinum is her fourth album of original material. Like anime, her music is otherworldly, highly produced and full of delicate intricacies. It is also very beautiful - though you will need a sweet tooth.

Highlights:
youtube.com/akino arai - furu platinum
youtube.com/akino arai - sputnik
youtube.com/akino arai - ai no ondo

Noughties #70: The Fiery Furnaces "Gallowsbird's Bark" (Sanctuary, 2003)

This brother and sister combo from New York launched themselves with this collection of precociously confident bluesy garage rock. The Fiery Furnaces distinguish themselves from their direct contempories (White Stripes, Kills) via, not only the strength of the songwriting, but their inclination for compositional experimentation. This is more evident on later recordings, such as the expansive and ambitious follow up, Blueberry Boat (2004) but on Gallowsbird's Bark the balance between killer hooks and the avante garde really chimes.

Highlights:
youtube.com/the fiery furnaces - i'm gonna run
youtube.com/the fiery furnaces - asthma attack
youtube.com/the fiery furnaces - two fat feet

Noughties #71: Califone "Roots and Crowns" (Thrill Jockey, 2006)

Califone elvolved out of another band from Chicago, Red Red Meat, in the late nineties, and have since released nine excellent albums. This one shaves it for me over the also brilliant Quicksand/Cradlesnakes (2003). Their noise is a bluesy alt-county rock, with bags of detail and texture, though when boiled down to its essence, these are essentially simple folk songs using the primary tools of acoustic guitar, gravelly voice and sweet harmony.

Highlights:
youtube.com/califone - spiders house
youtube.com/califone - the eye you lost in the crusades
youtube.com/califone - three legged animals


Monday 28 December 2009

Noughties #72: Arcade Fire "Neon Bible" (Merge, 2007)

Arcade Fire, from Montreal, hit it critically large with their debut full length, Funeral in 2004. All eyes were watching the follow up, and with Neon Bible, they didn't disappoint. While it is not quite as compositionally playful as the first record, it is solid and unwaving in its content. Many of the tracks are built on a marching dirge. Interwoven melodies, and strong lyrical progression push the album on through political and contempory themes. I guess you might describe Arcade Fire as the flag bearers for the current Canada scene of indie rock stars, and they follow the mould of many contemporary bands by employing the talents of a multitude of musicians, some of whom are resposible for worthy projects in their own right (refer to Final Fantasy, who will appear higher in this list).

Highlights:
youtube.com/arcade fire - intervention
youtube.com/arcade fire - windowsill (live)
youtube.com/arcade fire - no cars go

Noughties #73: Les Savy Fav "Let's Stay Friends" (Frenchkiss, 2007)

Post-hardcare band, Les Savy Sav from Rhode Island, took a six year break due to 'writer's block' before this album emerged. The gap years were obviously conducive to the creative process, as Let's Stay Friends is a positive progression from their roots. The songs are sophisticated, layered with noises other than guitar and drums, and the song-writing is multi-dimensional and crisp, tinged with post-punk and new wave sensibilities amidst the grunge.

Highlights:
youtube.com/les savy fav - patty lee
youtube.com/les savy fav - raging in the plague age
youtube.com/les savy fav - kiss kiss is getting old

Noughties #74: Scout Niblett "Kidnapped By Neptune" (Beggars Too Pure, 2005)

Scout Niblett, from Nottingham though now based in the states, is a minimalist exponent of simple song structures and urban folk. On Kidnapped by Neptune, her fourth album, and second to be produced by Steve Albini, she has really refined the content to what is barely required for driving her succint messages home. Her music follows the path laid by PJ Harvey at its rawest, though Scout is much more likely take a side road, veer to the left and catch the wheel in a narrow gulley.

Highlights:
youtube.com/scout niblett - kidnapped by neptune
youtube.com/scout niblett - valvoline
youtube.com/scout niblett - newbury port

Noughties #75: Frog Eyes "The Golden River" (Animal World, 2003)

Frog Eyes, from British Columbia, Canada, are now four albums in to an eccentric catalogue of material. The Golden River was their second full length release and for me, is marginally more impressive than other records though The Folded Palm (2004), and Tales of the Valedictorian (2007) were both contenders for this list. Listening to Frog Eyes is like having a conversation with a manic dwarf-like creature at an underworld carnival, who is attempting to describe the surreal dystopian parallel world in which they inhabit. The definitation of the word alternative.

Highlights:
youtube.com/frog eyes - one in six children will flee in boats
youtube.com/frog eyes - masticated outboard motors
youtube.com/frog eyes - world's greatest concertos

Sunday 27 December 2009

Noughties #76: Shearwater "Rook" (Matador, 2008)

Rooks is the fifth album from Austin Texas's Shearwater, which is the 'side project' of Okkervil River's Will Sheff (who will appear higher in this list), and Jonathan Meiburg of Kingfisher. Their music is folk inspired, often with rich string orchestrations that illustrate their lyrical take on the torch song or laments on nature. Sheff's voice powers through the material with serious intent, impressively ranging from barrotine to falsetto at the drop of a hat.

Highlights:
youtube.com/shearwater - leviathan bound (live)
youtube.com/sheatwater - i was a cloud
youtube.com/shearwater - the snow leopard

Noughties #77: Wildbirds & Peacedrums "The Snake" (Caprice/Leaf, 2008)

Wildbirds & Peacedrums are Gothenburg's husband and wife duo, Mariam Wallentin on vocals and Andreas Werliin on percussion. With only these two elements to their sound, their music is naturally sparse, earthy, tribal, and the focus becomes getting the most out of each voice - which is compelling. The Snake is their second album, and they do seem to be an act that is just beginning to fulfil their full potential, so I am excited about what they still have to offer.

Highlights:
youtube.com/wildbirds & peacedrums - there is no light
youtube.com/wildbirds & peacedrums - my heart
youtube.com/wildbirds & peacedrums - places (live)

Noughties #78: Matt Sweeney/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy "Superwolf" (Palace/Drag City 2005)

Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) has demonstrated a prolific talent over the past two decades, but in recent years it is this collaboration with Matt Sweeney (frontman of Skunk/Chavez) that really convinces. Oldham's mark is all over the record: insular folk songs with minimal, darkly sweet accoustic accompaniment. Although the music is still a vehicle for guiding us through the terrain of one man's personal and metaphysical battles, with a friend on standby in the background, we feel that hope is at hand. The song-writing is also the strongest since I See A Darkness (1999), the strength and simplicity of the melodies really make this record, and provide a fine backdrop to the introspective storytelling.

Highlights:
youtube.com/matt sweeney & bonnie 'prince' billy - my home is the sea
youtube.com/matt sweeney & bonnie 'prince' billy - a beast for thee (live)
youtube.com/matt sweeney & bonnie 'prince' billy - i gave you

Noughties #79: Ne-Yo "In My Own Words" (Universal, 2006)

No apologies for this one. I grew up on eighties groove, and have always had a softspot for sacherine R&B. Ne-Yo, or Schaffer Smith from Las Vegas, is primarily a song writer, and an impressive one. He has been writing for other acts since he was a teenager but if you've got the voice, and you got the looks, why should you write for others? The songwriting is old school but the production is slick and fresh. Although this is probably one of the more commercial albums in this list, in some ways it is the most impressive. How many artists in Ne-Yo's game can claim to have as much input into the creative process, and come up with a collection of music so consistently strong? However, I would suggest taking the advice given on the track "Mirror" with a pinch of salt. I tried it and found it a bit off-putting.

Highlights:
youtube.com/ne-yo - let me get this right
youtube.com/ne-yo - so sick
youtube.com/ne-yo - get down like that

Noughties #80: Sufjan Stevens "Come On Feel The Illinoise" (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)

Illinoise marks a period of terrific form for Sufjan Stevens, singer/songwriter of Detroit. Critical acclaim has been no stranger to this record, the second, and in all likelihood, last of Sufjan Steven's abandoned 50 albums/50 US states project. We believed it might happen, as we were told he is an effortlessly frenetic writer, though since this record he has only released an album of Illinoise outakes, a Christmas album and a "classical" performance at the Brooklyn Academy. Actually, that's not fair criticism, as all three of these records are interesting, and in their own way succeed in pushing Sufjan's reputation further into the realm of unrivalled pop maverick.

Highlights:
youtube.com/sufjan stevens - concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois
youtube.com/sufjan stevens - john wayne gacy, jr
youtube.com/sufjan stevens - chicago

Saturday 26 December 2009

Noughties #81: William Shatner "Has Been" (Shout! Factory, 2004)

Being familiar with Shatner's first album, the odd period piece that is The Transformed Man released in 1968, I was fascinated by what he might come up with almost forty years later. Here, he has collaborated with some interesting contemporary luminaries, including Ben Folds (the instigator of this project), Joe Jackson, Henry Rollins, Aimee Mann, Lemon Jelly and Brad Paisley. Most of the lyrics of the album were written by Shatner as spoken word poems. Where his 1968 album was all pretentious art-house pomposity, on Has Been, we are invited into the thoughts and insecurities of a man at the end of his career, his regrets, loves, disapointments and approaching demise. It's incredibly sincere, and at times very moving. For me, this album was probably the most unexpected and wonderful suprise of the decade. It is also unique, which carries some currency.

Highlights:
youtube.com/william shatner - it hasn't happened yet (live)
youtube.com/william shatner - you'll have time
youtube.com/william shatner - that's me trying

Thursday 24 December 2009

Noughties #82: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead "Worlds Apart" (Interscope, 2005)

No vaguely rockcentric list like this would be officially complete without any Trail of Dead. Many would plump for Source Tags and Codes as the best on offer and they wouldn't be wrong, but I choose this. It's just more fun, and hooky - but also wrought, angry and incredibly rich, like death by chocolate. Who can resist Conrad Keely yelling " hey fuck you man" to a group of giggling school children?

Highlights:
youtube.com/...and you will know us by the trail of dead - will you smile again?
youtube.com/...and you will know us by the trail of dead - worlds apart
youtube.com/...and you will know us by the trail of dead - a classic arts showcase (live)

Noughties #83: Prefuse 73 "One Word Extinguisher" (Warp, 2003)

Prefuse 73, or Miami's Scott Herren as his mother knows him, was pissed when this album leaked early to the scrambling blog hoardes six years ago - so much so he wrote an open letter to the masses. Not because he was concerned about copyright infringement, but because he knew the album was special, and that he wanted people to hear it in the right way, and in a way that was defined by himself. Scott Herren takes the populist break-beat mould, and warps it into abstract glitches. He is another hip hop producer who has pushed the medium more than most this decade - and a control freak.

Highlights:
youtube.com/prefuse 73 - busy signal (make you go bombing mix)
youtube.com/prefuse 73 - perverted undertone
youtube.com/prefuse 73 - choking you

Noughties #84: The Decemberists "Picaresque" (Kill Rock Stars, 2005)

The nautical themes continued on Portland Oregegon's The Decemberists third release. These are modern folk songs that are equally historical and contemporary - it doesn't feel like a re-enactment. Each song is a mini-epic, an excercise in story-telling as much lyrical device. Any one of The Decemberists albums may have made this list, Picaresque is included due to its marginal consistency in finding the hidden gold.

Highlights:
youtube.com/the decemberists - we both go down together
youtube.com/the decemberists - eli the barrow boy
youtube.com/the decemberists - sixteen military wives

Noughties #85: Erykah Badu "New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War" (Universal, 2008)

Erykah Badu is a rare treasure. An R&B singer/songwriter, beautiful, intelligent, self-assured and in control. There was a five year break between this album and her previous and it was worth the wait. It is dripping with ideas and innovation that are steeped in jazz, soul and hip-hop - the archetypal standards are crisp and delivered with confidence. It is also a political record, in a way that is both retro and progressive.

Highlights:
youtube.com/erykah badu - the healer
youtube.com/erykah badu - me
youtube.com/erykah badu - the cell

Noughties #86: Boris "Pink" (Disk Union/Southern Lord, 2005)

Sludge, noise-core, doom metal, drone, stoner rock. Boris are a Tokyo three piece who have released nearly twenty albums of material this decade that is aptly described by these adjectival genre definitions. Pink is probably their most accessible record, for those that prefer their metal alloyed - in this case the melting pot has included a few shavings of post-rock and shoegaze.

Highlights:
youtube.com/boris - farewell
youtube.com/boris - pink
youtube.com/boris - afterburner

Noughties #87: Eluvium "Lambent Material" (Temporary Residence, 2003)

Eluvium is guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Matthew Cooper from Portland Oregon. His music is voiceless and ambient. Lambent Material is the first of five beautiful albums released as Eluvium throughout the decade. It is made up of simple guitar and piano variations accompanied by washes, drones and background samples. Why should music be more complicated than that?

Highlights:
youtube.com/eluvium - under the water it glowed
youtube.com/eluvium - there wasn't anything
youtube.com/eluvium - i am so much more me than you are perfectly you

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Noughties #88: MF Doom "MM..Food?" (Rhymesayers, 2004)

Danile Dumile, aka Zevlove X, aka Viktor Vaughn, aka MF Doom, must be one of the most critically acclaimed hip hop emcees and producers of the noughties. His Madvillainy project with producer Madlib appears on most end of decade lists, though it just misses the cut here in favour of this singular effort. MM..Food? is a playful food themed extravaganza. There is less violence and more sugar, and the extra dose of fun comes across well in the innovative choice of samples and beats.

Highlights:
youtube.com/mf doom - deep fried frenz
youtube.com/mf doom - kon queso
youtube.com/mf doom - rapp snitch knishes

Noughties #89: Destroyer "Your Blues" (Merge, 2004)

Destroyer is singer-songwriter Dan Bajar from Vancouver, and part-time member of New Pornographers. He has released nine solo albums in total since 1996. Your Blues edges slightly ahead of others due to the strength in song-writing present throughout. The variety of songs range from richly orchestrated and grandioise to subtle gems. All are quirky and highly original.

Highlights:
youtube.com/destroyer - its gonna take an airplane
youtube.com/destroyer - an actors revenge
youtube.com/destroyer - what road

Noughties #90: cLOUDDEAD "cLOUDDEAD" (Mush, 2001)

Three emcees and producers from the Anticon stable: cLOUDDEAD are why?, Doesone and Odd Nosdam and on this they paddle their coracle into uncharted waters. This is hip hop of sorts, though with avant-garde, ambient, and psychedelic rock leanings. The record is actually a compilation of six 10" vinyl releases put out between 2000 and 2001. Let's be greatful that this music was issued as a collection, as individually they would be buggers to hunt down.

Highlights:
youtube.com/clouddead - i promise to never get paint on my glasses again, pt.2
youtube.com/clouddead - jimmybreeze, pt.1
youtube.com/clouddead - bike, pt.1

Noughties #91: Bed "Spacebox" (Ici D'Ailleurs, 2003)

Bed is the project of Parisian Benoît Burello and chums. They have released three great albums throughout the decade, and this is the standout. Their sound is very similar to Elbow's, in that it smooches along to a "nice" jazz bass and piano groove, with enough new wave sensibility to prevent the scene from descending into finger snapping muso trance.

Highlights:
youtube.com/bed - the gap
youtube.com/bed - plainfield
youtube.com/bed - the wood bunch

Noughties #92: The Cribs "Men's Needs, Womens Need's, Whatever" (Warner, 2007)

The Cribs are three brothers from Yorkshire, who play unrefined power pop. This, their third album was a suprise to me. To be honest I didn't think they had it in them, but the first five tracks on MNWNW are the strongest start to a record of my recent memory, a string of indie pearls. It's the fact that the remaining tracks are of slightly lesser quality that is preventing this from being higher on my spreadsheet. Unfortunately, they got carried away with themselves after this and invited Johnny Marr to join the band. The new album confirms the premise that nostalgia is often a barrier to progress. Why would a tight unit of brothers at the top of their game invite a rock has-been into the equation? Crazy.

Highlights:
youtube.com/the cribs - our bovine republic
youtube.com/the cribs - girls like mystery (live)
youtube.com/the cribs - men's needs

Noughties #93: So Solid Crew "They Don't Know" (Relentless, 2001)

Having already stated that this isn't a list of "most influential" records of the decade, with this album I have to make an exception. So Solid Crew were red hot when they hit the UK with these tracks - straight out of South London and dangerous. To be honest, I have been very surprised that this record hasn't made more of these lists. So Solid's music still sounds fresh and I don't think those that came after have cut it tighter.

Highlights:
youtube.com/so solid crew - oh no (original)
youtube.com/so solid crew - they don't know
youtube.com/so solid crew - 21 seconds

Tuesday 22 December 2009

Noughties #94: Hot Chip "Made In The Dark" (EMI, 2008)

Hot Chip are unique, though at the same time they are the quintessential noughties band. They have swallowed their musical influences hole and regurgitated them, creating off-kilter and strangely minimal left-field pop/dance/rock mutations of their own. Ready for the Floor, their breakthrough single, must surely be one of the most oddly surprisingly chart hits since Thomas Dolby's Hyperactive, and this album is their most consistent.

Highlights:
youtube.com/hot chip - ready for the floor
youtube.com/hot chip - made in the dark
youtube.com/hot chip - one pure thought

Noughties #95: Enon "High Society" (Touch & Go, 2002)

Enon, from New York, emerged out of two promising indie rock bands of the nineties, Brainiac and Skeleton Key. Their talent culminated in this quirky parade of idiosyncratic pop gems. High Society has length and breadth - each track is in a different place to the next, but hold together tight by grabbing crotches in the scrum.

Highlights:
youtube.com/enon - old dominion
youtube.com/enon - window display
youtube.com/enon - pleasure and privelige

Noughties #96: Electrelane "The Power Out" (Beggars Banquet, 2003)

Sadly, it appears that Brighton's Electrelane are no longer a viable concern. However, they left us with four albums to remember them by including this beauty. On Parade contains possibly my favourite rock vocal performance of the decade - now that's how it's supposed to be done!

Highlights:
youtube.com/electrelane - on parade
youtube.com/electrelane - the valleys
youtube.com/electrelane - take that but between your teeth (live)

Noughties #97: Broken Social Scene "You Forgot It In People" (Paper Bag, 2002)

Three great albums in one decade for this influential umpteen-piece-band from Toronto. You Forgot It In People is the pick of the bunch - the bona-fide indie classic. If you could be bothered to retrace the origins of the alt-rock explosion from Canada that occurred throughout this decade, I'm pretty sure the trail will run dry soon after you reach this record.

Highlights:
youtube/broken social scene - stars and sons
youtube/broken social scene - anthems for a seventeen year-old girl
youtube/broken social scene - cause=time

Noughties #98: volcano! "Paperwork" (Leaf, 2008)

volcano! are a Chicago three piece who first grabbed our attention with their debut album, Beatiful Seizure, in 2005 - a wonderfully chaotic mesh of post-punk free-jams. On Paperwork they perfected the sound, honing the experimentations into something very interesting indeed, with just enough structure to hang one mitten on if you used the thumb hole for purchase.

Highlights:
youtube.com/volcano! - africa just wants to have fun

youtube.com/volcano! - slow jam
youtube.com/volcano! - palimpsests

Noughties #99: Venetian Snares "Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett" (Planet µ, 2005)

Aaron Funk, aka Venetian Snares, from Winnipeg, Canada, has been one of the most prolific exponents of experimental techno of the past decade, with over twenty full length albums to his name. RCAS utilises a simple concept - let's breed drilling drum'n'bass with classical string compositions - and it is done it with gruesome intensity.

Highlights:
youtube.com/venetian snares - szerencsetlen
youtube.com/venetian snares - masodik galamb
youtube.com/venetian snares - szamar madar

Noughties #100: Black Lips "Good Bad Not Evil" (Vice, 2007)

Garage music so authentic that you should really wear overalls to protect your clothes from grease before listening. Black Lips, from Atlanta Georgia, provided fuzzy proto-punk southern drawls for the best part of the decade over seven albums, but on "Good Bad Not Evil" the hooks just seemed to hit conistently harder and with more youthful exuberance.

Highlights:
youtube.com/black lips - veni vidi vici
youtube.com/black lips - i saw a ghost (lean)
youtube.com/black lips - bad kids

Monday 21 December 2009

One hundred albums of the decade





There was a mountain to climb.

Itunes informs me that I have in my digital possession 1813 albums released between the dates of January 1st 2000 and December 31 2009, and I am pretty sure that I have listened to them all at least once over the past ten years. But how the hell to organise them into some semblence of hierarchal placement? Here's how:

I made a shortlist of 300 albums which I recollected as being particularly good, over and above the norm. I then rated each song out of ten, which wasn't quite as onerous is it might sound as over the years I have rated most of my favourite tracks anyway, utilising the iTunes "half star" hack. Having assembled these all of these albums in a playlist, I exported to excel and applied a top secret mathematical formula which involved averaging out the value of all song ratings, whilst compensating for the fact that albums with more tracks are likely to have more filler. The resulting spreadsheet gave me my top 100 albums. I'm a freaking geek, I know, get over it - I have.

DISCLAIMER(S). These are not necessarily the "most important" or "most influential" records of the decade. I wouldn't be so presumptious as to make such a declaration. What I am going to share with you are the one hundred albums that I have personally enjoyed listening to the most, that's all.

Some demographics to give you forewarning of my unconscious predelictions:
- Over half of my top 100 are by US artists. Of the remainder, 24 are English, 8 Canadian, 4 French,
3 Swedish, 2 Scottish, 2 Welsh, 2 Japanese, 1 Icelandic, 1 Danish and 1 Australian.
- Only ten are by female or predominantly female artists - though many are mixed groups.
- Only ten are from artists of black or asian origin.
- about two thirds of this music is made by people with guitars.

So if you are interested in the musical tastes of a sexist, racist, stars and stripes waving grebo, then read on (joke!). To be honest, I am not entirely sure why more R&B and Hip Hop didn't make the top 100, as there is plenty in my collection. Perhaps the albums just contain more filler, or perhaps it has been a poor decade for these genres, or perhaps I haven't been looking hard enough. Note to self: listen to more world music next decade.

Before I get going, this is a list of some of the records that narrowly missed the cut:

LCD Soundsystem "Sounds of Silver", Angels of Light "How I Loved You", Air "Talkie Walkie", The Veils "The Runaway Found", Lykke Li "Youth Novels", Spoon "Kill The Moonlight", Wilco "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", Wolf Parade "Apologies to The Queen Mary", Jens Lekman "Night Falls Over Kortedala", Boris "Pink", Rob "Satyred Love", Phoenix "Untitled", Lambchop "Nixon", !!! "Louden Up Now", Jason Molina "Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go", Stars of The Lid "And Their Reinforcement of The Decline", Robyn "Robyn", The Strokes "Is This It", Be Your Own Pet "Be Your Own Pet", Joanna Newsom "Ys", Giant Drag "Hearts & Unicorns", TV On The Radio "Dear Science", Tom Vek "We Have Sound", Cannibal Ox "The Cold Vein", Saturday Looks Good To Me "All Your Summer Songs", Broadcast "Tender Buttons", Adem "Homesongs", Santogold "Santogold", Abe Vigoda "Skeleton", Bat For Lashes "Fur and Gold", Fleet Foxes "Fleet Foxes", Interpol "Turn on The Bright Lights", The Knife "Silent Shout", El-P "Fantastic Damage", Cat Power "Your Are Free", Burial "Untrue", The Dismemberment Plan "Change", Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafiti "The Doldrums", The Blood Brothers "Young Machetes", Panda Bear "Person Pitch", Patrick Wolf "Wind in the Wires", MGMT "Oracular Spectacular", DNTEL "Life is Full of Possibilities", Bonnie Prince Billy "The Letting Go", Iran "The Moon Boys", Eluvium "Talk Amongst The Trees", Manitoba "Start Breaking My Heart", The Field "From Here We Go To Sublime", M.I.A. "Arular", At The Drive In "Relationship of Command", The Acorn "Glory Hope Mountain", Sons & Daughters "This Gift", Felix Da Housecat "Kittenz and Thee Glitz", The Streets "Original Pirate Material", Digitalism "Idealism", Fennesz "Venice", Grizzly Bear "Yellow House", Animal Collective "Feels", Madvillain "Madvillainy", King Geedorah "Take Me To Your Leader", Amy Winehouse "Back to Black".....

You get the picture.

Monday 12 October 2009

Emeralds, "What Happened" (2009)

Five tracks of blissfully organic ambient drones. Not your cuppa tea? No problem, I understand - you can look away now.

Emeralds' back catalogue over the past three years contains a treasury of self-released CDR's and tapes, though you might discribe What Happened, released in April on the No Fun Productions label, as their third album "proper", following Allegory of Alergies (2007) and Solar Bridge (2008).
Like Terry Riley, Tangerine Dream and Brian Eno before them, Emeralds tread a crunchy analogue path through abstract soundscapes. It is interesting that after more than a decade of a vibrant ambient techno scene, some artists are now returning to the retro approach of the original pioneers to evolve their music. Here, Emeralds' sound is not made up of minimalist, digitally sequenced samples, but is wide, psychedelic and sprawling - music that can be played live and which has developed through collective improvisation. Why does that sound like a radical idea these days when contemplating electronic music that isn't in the rock or jazz mould? Of course it isn't really, but it does seem on this evidence that a group of musicians using instruments designed for performance as well as composition does add an extra quality that is sometimes missing from digital pieces. Warm blood rushes through the arteries of this music, and there is real communication between the layered tracks. These songs are written to be heard live and loud! That's not to say it is an improvement on the wonderful music of contemporary solo ambient composers such as Eluvium or Fennesz - it's just different - music for another mood.

One thing about Emeralds that is worth noting is their origin and emergence from the bristling Ohio noise-scene, which might seem surprising, when all the indications would point towards a 'home birth' in some tripped-out California' happening. The battle lines have finally been rubbed out of the dirt and the cultural deliniations fuzzed -
it is now absolutely fine for a punk to trust a hippy!

lastfm/emeralds - what happened/

Friday 9 October 2009

Japandroids, "Post-Nothing" (2009)

Japandroids, two just lads from Vancouver, officially released their debut album on Unfamilar in August, though it seems to have been doing the rounds for a while now - Pitchfork gave it a gushing review in April. It is the follow up to two very promising self-released EPs, All Lies (2007) and Lullaby Death Jams (2008). They have decided to forego the services of a bass player and instead deliver garage power-pop - lead guitar, drums and hoarse harmonies only. Though this is not posed or post-rationalised garage rock, sparse and refined à la White Stripes or The Kills, this is a wall of sound. It is classic heart on sleeve twenty-something guitar angst, delivered with feeling. Early Lemonheads or Dinosaur Jr would be a fairer comparison.

Post-Nothing, as the title hints, ruminates over a contemporary politicised world, where politics itself is swamped by issues we'd rather not concern ourselves with. Within this landscape are young kids who just want to meet girls, get laid and have fun and this albu
m is their frustrated soundtrack, "We used to dream, now I worry about dying. I don't want to worry about dying, I just want to worry about those sunshine girls". In a way it is a throw-back album, both in musical style and content, but when it sounds this good, and this tight, and this intense, who cares? I love it - my playcount informs me that it is the album I have returned to most this year.

There are no singles planned for release yet but I would wager that there are enough strong contenders amongst these eight tracks to make it worth a stab for airplay somewhere, "Young Hearts Spark Fire" and "I Quit Girls" being the pick of a rich crop. A short tour of the UK is planned for the end of October/November. I am free-ing up my diary to catch them in London.


http://japandroids.com/
myspace/japandroids
youtube/japandroids - live on KEXP - crazy forever/heart sweats
lastfm/japandroids - post-nothing

Thursday 8 October 2009

Imogen Heap, "Ellipse" (2009)

Imogen Heap's last album, Speak for Yourself (2005) was something special. It was cute, delicious and bubbly. After moving on from Frou Frou, she proved that she would remain a very desirable presence in her own right. Mainstream airplay for two gorgeous singles, Goodnight and Go / Hide and Seek, good sales in the states, grammy nomination - a fantastic triumph! With a success like that comes a demanding fanbase desperate for more, and in the years between albums Imogen has been kind to us. We have witnessed blog upon blog of her gap year chill-out travels, and blow by blow accounts of the building of a studio in her basement. We watched her piece this new material together in detail, sharing her excitement as she played us fresh ideas and her low points when she suffered from self doubt. Never has the creative process been so well documented! Her YouTube blogs (all 40 of them) have been great to watch. They could easily have come over as narcisistic but they were simply a down to earth, self-effacing portrayal of a creative musician at work.

So after this investment of time - hers and mine - the album better be good right?
To be honest, it's difficult to be too critical of something when you have witnessed the work that has gone in to producing it and here is the crunch - following up something as wonderful as Speak for Yourself is nigh on impossible. In Ellipse, she has produced a new body of work that is very good but not "great". This is still slick left-field pop, the arrangements are still playfully crafted, and lyrically it follows and expands on themes discussed on the previous record. The highlights are First Train Home - the single, Canvas and Tidal. She is now promoting the album in North America, her primary source of income, the obligatory appearance on Letterman already under the belt. No tour dates in the diary yet, but a whizz around the UK is promised once she has delt with the yanks. She is a great ambasador for the country, we should send her to meet Obama - I bet she would give him a nice hug - diplomacy restored.

Wednesday 7 October 2009

BLK JKS, "After Robots" (2009)

As there is a backlog of material I have been listening to recently, I am going to dedicate the next series of posts to briefly describing some of the more interesting releases of the past nine months. Here is another.

I don't possess too much South African indie guitar music in my library, which is good enough reason to talk about BLK JKS. An even better reason would be the fact that they have released one of the more promising debut albums of the year.

BLK JKS are four musicians from Johannesburg and Soweto. Having pricked people's interest with their home released debut single "Lakeside" two years ago they were snapped up by the ubiquitous Secretly Candadian label who hired Brandon Curtis (ex Secret Machines) to produce their debut album which was released in March. They are now in the middle of a gruelling US tour whilst the label get the PR wheels greased with predictable soundbites such as "BLK JKS, the South African TV on the Radio".

Their music is a successful hybrid of influences including post-rock, new wave, prog, reggae and indigenous afrikaans. It is meadering and subtle in a pleasing way rather than explosive, which is probably just as well as these songs are not intended to hook you immediately, and if they are, they should write some better hooks!

They will b
e touring the UK in November, check out their website for details.

Tuesday 6 October 2009

Dan Deacon, "Bromst" (2009)

Where was I? Looks like I have some catching up to do!

Dan Deacon released his new album, "Bromst" in March. As a graduate in electro-accoustic and computer music composition from The Conservatory of Music, New York (now that sounds like a cool course!) until now Dan Deacon has kept us interested by offering up different slices of digital experimentation. These have included self-released CDR's full of minimalist frequency variations, and compilations of gloriously glitchy "dance" records culminating in his indie-breakthrough album, "Spiderman of the Rings" (2007).

Bromst is a different, dare I say it, even maturer recording. Yes, there are the same helter skelter moments where the beats re-sync and spiral out of control ("Woof, Woof", "Padding Ghost") but these swarms of sound are now tempered with moments of reflection, quietness and beauty which contribute to creating a much more balanced record. The music is allowed to slowly build then wane, rather than processed to relentlessly pummel you. The best track on the album is "Surprise Stefani" written for his tour manager. The fact that he even has a tour manager seems like a revealing sign. Dan Deacon has stopped fucking about and he means business!




www.dandeacon.com/
myspace/dan deacon
youtube/dan deacon - surprise stefani