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Another debut release from another Brooklyn band. Like their contempories, Akron/Family are interested in pushing the boundaries of pysched-out alt-folk. Amidst these unusual and highly worked song structures are some very sweet, and simple melodies. It's this juxtoposition that gives the album it's strength. Running, Returning is perhaps, one of my favourite tracks of the decade, on any album. It's like three songs for the price of one - each fantastic.
youtube.com/akron-family - before and again
youtube.com/akron-family - i'll be on the water
youtube.com/akron-family - running, returning
Yeasayer's debut album was all about fusion. With the crisp ingredients of folk, prog, new wave, world and middle eastern music they have stirred up a potent brew indeed - served up in the backroom venues of the reinvirogorated Brooklyn music scene that they share with the likes of Gang Gang Dance and Vampire Weekend. Thematically this is a wide eyed collection of songs, though these are not laid back hippy musings but vigourously luxurious pop experiments.
youtube.com/yeasayer - 2080
youtube.com/yeasayer - wait for the wintertime
youtube.com/yeasayer - many waves
This is the website of a friend's brother, who is a set-designer, and DJ on London's gay scene. Billed as "the world's first travelling homo disco" - Downlow Radio includes a plethora of delicious classic old school dance mixes, dealing in Roots Reggae, Electro, House, Funk and many more besides. All fully streamable or downloadable as MP3. These are seriously great mixes - classics hand picked by connoisseurs - and not fucked about with too much either. Thank's Gideon and co.
www.thedownlowradio.com
This is the first of a monthly overview of recent music releases that have prodded my interest. Who know's if I'll keep it going on a regularly basis - as with everything on his blog - I make no promises.
Nobody listens to new music in the first couple of weeks of January anyway. Personally, I was too busy keeping warm and recapping on things I've missed in 2009 by trawling through everyone else's end of year lists to notice what was current. Publishers obviously concur, as the release schedule was dead until about two weeks ago, and that's when the year officially exploded into action:
ALBU
M OF THE MONTH: Without a doubt, the most suprising release of the month has been from Southend's These New Puritans. Very rarely does a record come along that makes you sit up and think - where the fuck did that come from? TNP's debut was pretty good as a math-rock library piece, but with their second album Hidden, they have taken a leap into new territory. This is music that takes itself very seriously - it is the sound of politics, war, science and history. There is no room for self-absorbed angst here - the hard rhythms and stark orchestrations have gauged away at any sentimentality that might have crept through. This is agressive music, but not in the same way that metal or punk may serve violence as gothic horror and male posteur. It is mannered agression presented in a way that is quite real and beautiful. If there is a better album released this year then we are in for a vintage period. (10/10). (Angular Recording Co)
youtube.com/these new puritans - we want war
youtube.com/these new puritans - three thousand
youtube.com/these new puritans - attack music
SINGLE OF THE 
MONTH: It's always worth getting off on the right foot with your debut single, and Emika has succeeded in doing that with Drop the Other - a lusciously dark and off-kilter piece of electro dubstep released on Ninja Tunes. This is the music that Alison Goldfrapp probably intended to make (should have), but couldn't quite reach down low enough to grapple in the grime and extract. Very promising indeed. (9/10). (Ninja Tunes).
youtube.com/emika - drop the other
OTHER RELEASES:
Vampi
re Weekend were the first off the mark quick this year. Contra, the follow up to their successful 2008 debut utilises their penchant for afro-beat and urban story telling to good effect. Cousins, the first single of the album seems to be doing the rounds on the radio at the moment - which makes a nice change to N-Dubz. The strongest is the final track, I Think Ur a Contra, which is reminiscent of Paul Simon's african collaborations. (7/10). (Rough Trade). youtube.com/vampire weekend - cousins
Due to the threat of multinational litigation, Final Fantasy has now reverted to the name on his birth certificate - and to be honest Owen Pallett is a perfectly usable moniker anyway. Heartland is his third solo album away from the constrains of Arcade Fire. The orchestration is big and bold and the vocals fey. Great stuff - might even be better than He Poos Clouds. (9/10). (Domino). youtube.com/owen pallett - oh hearland, up yours!
I have never be
en too sure about Beach House, but Teen Dream could well be the catalyst for my re-evaluation of this Baltimore duo. The first single from the album, Norway, may have the legs for a successful indie crossover hit. The rest of the album is just charming too, in a laid back, boy/girl harmony kind of way. (8/10). (Sub Pop). youtube.com/beach house - norway
Mirror 
Mirror is the debut from London's avante-garde pop ten-piece, The Irrepressibles. The band is actually the vehicle for Jamie McDermott, who's penchant for glamorous extravaganza has been realised with pazazz. The effect is like listening to a Vegas cabaret show in a world imagined by Tim Burton. Their live performances and videos are impressive - like Peter Greenaway arthouse cinema. Very distinctive. (8/10). (V2 Coop). youtube.com/the irrepressibles - i'll maybe let you
Hot Chi
p are in danger of becoming prolific. One Life Stand, is yet another in the line of impressive albums. Same ingredients here - old school electro patterns, indie rock sensibility and quirky romantic points of view. At least five stand out tracks too. (8/10). (Parlophone). youtube.com/hot chip - one life stand
2008 was th
e year of Los Campesinos! - two fantastic albums within the space of eight months, and so the follow-up, Romance is Boring has been greatly anticipated. I've been told that they are a marmite band, and I bleed the brown stuff. This new record exudes the same levels of cocky youthful exuberance, and very british lyricism as the previous - so it must be great - though maybe not quite as great as before. (8/10). (Arts & Crafts). youtube.com/los campesinos - there are listed buildings
Sweden'
s Lindstrøm & Christabelle have consilidated the mark they made last year with some very promising single releases with their debut full length. Real Life is No Cool is a consistant collection of smart dance tracks. (7/10). (Smalltown Supersound). youtube.com/lindstrøm & christabelle - high and low
Scout Nib
lett has released a new collection of material produced by Steve Albini. The Calcination of Scout Niblett is not quite as consistent as some of her previous albums, but the same sparse rhythms and troubled vocals extend her repoirtoire without harming her average too much. (7/10). youtube.com/scout niblett - cherry cheek bomb
Good Sh
oes also make a return with No Hope, No Future, their follow up to their acclaimed 2007 debut. Despite not pushing any new boundaries with its sound, there are enough highlights on the album to keep things interesting enough. New single "Under Control" is one of them. (7/10). (Brille).
One from
the rock left field, the debut release of Surfer Blood. Astro Coast is ripe with melodic riffs lost in waves of distortion. There are so many hidden corners in this record. I think this could be a real grower as the year progresses. (8/10). (Kanine). youtube.com/surfer blood - swim
Kieran Hebden returns with his fifth Four Tet album, 
and first since 2005. There is Love in You provides more post-rock electronica. Very nice, without having to be too innovative or cause much undue stress on the emotions. (7/10). (Domino).
Other releases worth a listen to this month:
Bullion "Say Goodbye to What" (Single, Rush Hour); Dirty Projectors "Ascending Melody" (Single/free download, Domino); Esben and the Witch "33" (EP, Rough Trade); Jaga Jazzist "One Armed Bandit" (LP, Ninja Tunes), Keepaway "Baby Style" (EP, Jezebel); Malory "Water in My Hands" (LP, AC30); The Octagon "Warm Love and Cool Dreams Forever" (LP, Serious Business); Laura Veirs "July Flame" (LP, Bella Union); Charlotte Gainsbourg "IRM" (LP, Because); AFCGT "AFCGT" (LP, Sub Pop); Adam Green "Minor Love" (LP, Rough Trade); Clipd Beaks "To Realize" (LP, Lovepump United); Dorias Baracca "Handsome Melting Point" (EP, AC30); Race Horses "Goodbye Falkenberg" (LP, Fantastic Plastic); Shield Your Eyes "Shield Em'" (LP, Gravid Hands); Spoon "Transference" (LP, ANTI-); Shlohmo "Shlomoshun EP Deluxe" (LP, FoF Music).
And finally, for your convenience, a couple of mixes for you:
youtube.com/DIGITAL TENDERNESS:2010/1
(25 tracks so far, though I'll add more when they come up).
spotify/DIGITAL TENDERNESS:2010/1
(21 track mix - ditto).
Iceland's Sigur Rós had a worldwide hit in 1999 with the release of the post-rock classic Ágætis Byrjun. On this, their fourth album, the elven vocals and otherworldly strings combine to drag our imaginations into their ice-warm fantasy world once again. Not only that, with Hoppípolla, the third track on the album, they have managed to soundtrack triumph against adversity to such a degree that it has now become the official anthem of that emotion, and as so must be one of the most prolific tracks of the decade. The music has that rare quality: a compelling and original composition from the left-field that, though the medium of populist television, has managed to cement itself in the conciousness of the masses. It must have earnt them a few bob along the way too.
Highlights:
youtube.com/sigur rós - glósóliyoutube.com/sigur rós - hoppípolla
youtube.com/sigur rós - se lest
The Dirty Projectors have bean at the forefront of experimental art-folk throughout the decade. Essentially, the band is the project of David Longstreth, and his output is willfully glitchy and completely original. The eight or so albums he has produced have been steadily attacting attention, culminating in the comparatively accessible and critically aclaimed Bitte Orca, released last year. That album narrowly misses this list, but The Glad Fact, one of his earlier collections, is the first of two that are included.
Highlights:
youtube.com/the dirty projectors - my offwhite flag
youtube.com/the dirty projectors - like fake blood in crisp october
youtube.com/the dirty projectors - naked we made it
The groundwork for Adem Ilhan's musical career was laid down as the bassist for the London post-rock band Fridge in the nineties. His 2004 debut solo album Homesongs was excellent but this, the followup, was fantastic. The concept was to merge science, space travel and astronomy with matters of the heart, weaving all manner of lyrical metaphors along these lines with beautifully subtle accousticly driven compositions. For me, science fiction has always been the most romantic of literary genres - and so the analogy is successfully appropriated. Geek folk.
Highlights:
youtube.com/adem - something's going to come
youtube.com/adem - launch yourself
youtube.com/adem - these lights are meaningful
The Pipettes, from Brighton, sing about sex, love and boys - though mainly sex. They are the sort of gals that would have made Charles Hawtrey's right knee twitch and Sid James cackle like a Hyena. On this, their debut and only album, they transformed a homespun 7" enterprise into an international phenemomen. Their svengali, Bobby Monster, and local backing band The Cassettes can take some credit for creating this collection of sixties influenced pop gems - but The Pipettes pure charm and panache is the driving force. Indie chicks have never been sassier. Sadly RiotBecki and Rosay have now departed the band and their new incarnation has yet to materialize. It looks like The Pipettes may go down as one of those wild summer flings that we will always remember with dewy warmth.
Highlights:
youtube.com/the pipettes - dirty mind
youtube.com/the pipettes - your kisses are wasted on me
youtube.com/the pipettes - pull shapes
Formed in the eighties, The Wrens from New Jersey only got around to releasing this, their third album, until well into the noughties. Their style is heartfelt, country influenced melodic indie guitar pop and nobody does it better. Rumour has it that the band are making preparations for their fourth record which is great news, but guys - don't let the day jobs grind you down! We need as much of this material as you can muster.
Highlights:
youtube.com/the wrens - happy
youtube.com/the wrens - she sends kisses
youtube.com/the wrens - per second second
Post-punk artrockers from Brooklyn, Liars have released four excellent experimental rock albums this decade. This self-titled album is the most recent, and also the most convincing. The sound is less sprawling than their other releases, it is honed and simplified.
Highlights:
youtube.com/liars - plaster casts of everything
youtube.com/liars - freak out
youtube.com/liars - clear island (live)
Let's get one thing straight - "1 Thing" is quite probably the best pop single of the decade. Right? OK, we can continue. Producer Songwriter Rich Harrison was on a roll with this record. Having already created massive hits for Beyonce, including "Crazy in Love", and Jennifer Lopez, it was time for one if his original muses, Amerie, to get the same treatment. This album is ridiculously consistent, and the structures and samples just a little bit more left-field than most pop R&B albums of the era.
Highlights:
youtube.com/amerie - 1 thing
youtube.com/amerie - not the only one
youtube.com/amerie - talkin' about
You may have noticed that I have got bored with posting my noughties list. This is partly because I have been compiling this baby in my spare time.
As a special New Year's present, I have donated the following spotify playlist containing 365 of the best tracks released last year. THAT's ONE TRACK A DAY!!!
DIGITAL TENDERNESS:365x2009
It contains all the critically acclaimed favourites that spotify can provide, as well as some pop gems, indie obscurities and muso geek nuggets. The rules were, one track per artist. (Note to Spotify+artists concerned: what no Grizzly Bear, Pissed Jeans, Raekwon?)
If you get lost then the following highly accurate road-map will guide you confidently through the mix.
ENJOY.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
Another debut release from another Brooklyn band. Like their contempories, Akron/Family are interested in pushing the boundaries of pysched-out alt-folk. Amidst these unusual and highly worked song structures are some very sweet, and simple melodies. It's this juxtoposition that gives the album it's strength. Running, Returning is perhaps, one of my favourite tracks of the decade, on any album. It's like three songs for the price of one - each fantastic.
