Mr.Duck on 17/12/2008 at 00:38

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Buying mostly old stuff, so I can't really put in my recent faves, still, some interesting titles pop in here. May have to fiddle with'em later on. Cheers :)

Aja on 17/12/2008 at 01:41

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I feel almost wrong in numbering this list -- the perfect moment to listen to each of these albums would temporarily put any of them at the top, so take the order with a grain of salt (number one is still number one though!)

--the best--


10. hercules and love affair - hercules and love affair
[INDENT]LCD Soundsystem's gay cousin. Not a huge fan of Antony Hegarty (is he in on the joke or is it that people actually really think his silly vibrato is somehow beautiful?) but he's certainly appropriate here, and more importantly, he's not the star -- that honour goes to the production. The production is good. You can dance to it, but like LCD it also has a warm, analogue, ambienty feel that means you can also not dance to it, if you want. I guess I didn't listen to this as much as some of the others on my list, but it deserves recognition for its originality and erudite-party attitude (as opposed to, say, Justice, which is more of a "fuck-it-I'm-gettin-so-drunk" party attitude).
Favourite tracks:(http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb8S51M2GAc) Blind, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lnt0DN2fBQ) Hercules Theme, Easy[/INDENT]


9. windy and carl - songs for the broken-hearted
[INDENT]My top ten list this year is heavy on ambient music. Maybe it reflects the mood I've been in this season, or maybe it's the fact I connect with good ambient records more naturally than with other genres. When I was younger, I listened to dishwashers running and furnaces igniting to try and capture some kind of meditative consciousness. Now I listen to records like Songs For the Broken-Hearted -- a collection of lush, warm drones that simulateously evokes inarticulate sadness and calm introspection. Windy and Carl are husband and wife, and were apparently estranged during the initial recording of this album. The completed effort is the result of their reconciliation, but the pain of seperation and loneliness is plainly evident here. Songs for The Broken Hearted is an exploration of unspeakable emotions, a way of communicating that which we all understand but can't put into words. Although on some tracks they do try to put it into words, and the results are a bit silly, if not sincere.
Favourite Tracks: La Douleur, Btwn You + Me[/INDENT]


8. christopher bissonnette -- in between words
[INDENT]The past year I've started listening to ambient albums as I fall asleep, with the hope that somehow the music will seep into my subconscious and shape the atmosphere of whatever dream I'm about to have. It never actually works, though In Between Words comes very close. The album itself consists of strings and who-knows-what-else, stretched to the point of unrecognition with strange little field recordings of bells and other unidentifialbe sounds scattered throughout. It's cold, but a kind of lush cold that makes you feel warmer than it should. At several points during my nightly listens I'd suddenly realize that those strange sounds that I took for the shifting, shapeless landscape of my thoughts were actually coming from the speakers, and for a few semi-conscious moments the divide between music and listener disappeared. THAT'S what I'm talkin' about.
Favourite tracks: (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=91257180) Provenance, Orffyreus Wheel[/INDENT]

7. autechre -- quaristice
[INDENT]A twenty-course meal of pristine, skin-tingling electronic sounds. Autechre sound like they're finally having fun (or as much fun as a band that makes cold, mechanical music can have). Some of these ideas are not developed as fully as they could be, but every idea is interesting nonetheless (and such variety, too!). Each track is constructed around noises so carefully textured/recorded/synthesized/whoknows that the real joy comes from simply apprecating Quaristice's bizarre tones. If I ever make a conceptual avante-garde art-game (who am i kidding, IF!) I want Autechre to compose the soundtrack.
Favourite tracks: (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=uxYgLc68XJ8) Simmm (from my muxtape!!), (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQnoA7QzSs&feature=related) The Plc, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=sACTN2izOgA) bnc Castl (good names, autechre)[/INDENT]

6. vampire weekend - vampire weekend
[INDENT]I had this album pegged for a one-night stand, but I wisely chose not to listen to it as often as my early addiction encouraged, and the result is a surprising longevity. It's not really appropriate now that the days are so short and dark, but in the summer I had no better soundtrack to siesta. I like how Vampire Weekend (awful band name aside) is so self-conscious; they know what they are (upper-middle-class college kids who happen to own a few african pop albums), and they don't care because their songs are clever and catchy and fun and so what if the drums are sometimes out of time? So to everyone whining about how Vampire Weekend misappropriates their influences, you can shut up. Music is only about how it makes you feel, and this music makes me feel like skipping class.
Favourite tracks: (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=JlgNFwoApec) Mansard Roof, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4g) Oxford Comma, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=6HN_zAN1qbE) One (Blake's Got A New Face)[/INDENT]


5. ellen allien -- sool
[INDENT]Cold, minimalist, alien (German) electronic music that relies as much on space as it does sound to create its mysterious but artificial environment. Allien has a knack for blending interesting noises at the perfect moments amidst her beats, which click and stutter and shuffle to a create an icy but oddly
enveloping atmosphere (hey, just like Bissonette!). If not for a few dull tracks (exacerbated on the CD by poor placement -- the revised vinyl tracklisting flows better), Sool could be brilliant.
Favourite tracks:(http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=1i1izVajvZo) Elphine, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=KQPaD-k_ahM) Caress[/INDENT]


4. eluder - the most beautiful blue
[INDENT]Eluder is the latest from Infraction Records, an excellent limited-release ambient label. Like Bissonnette, Eluder integrates field recordings with haunting, blurry drones, and manages to simultaneously sound warm and cold (ambient theme of the year? Maybe it's just the feeling of warmth in the midst of cold weather, like being under a blanket in front of a fire while the world freezes outside). So why is he in fifth while poor Christopher sits at eight? Probably because Eluder arrived at my mailbox about the same time as the snow. Also because the second track starts off with a recording of a furnace igniting. It's music for wintery dreams. Special TTLG-exclusive recommendation: if you like the soundtrack to Thief, you'll like this. Favourite tracks: Dusk Invites the Dark (for its wonderful furnace intro), but (http://www.infractionrecords.com/audio.html) everything here is good[/INDENT]

3. walter becker -- circus money
[INDENT]Walter Becker is a tragic figure -- doomed to be forever in the shadow of Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, in spite of a stronger lyrical prowess and a willingness to use bizarre arrangements. Since 11 Tracks of Whack, released in '94 and heard by me a few years ago, Walter Becker has been my preferred half of what is perhaps my favourite musical outfit ever, so Circus Money was my most anticipated record of the year. It's not as whack as Whack, and sure, it sometimes sounds a bit like adult contemporary, and not every track is perfect, but it's still sly and cynical and fun and harmonically surprising. The great dichotomy of Steely Dan has always been complex, impeccable arrangements as a backdrop for stories about drugs, women, and the desperate exploits of pathetic characters. Becker delivers all of that (with none of the silly science-fiction and sometimes-embarrasing transparency of Fagen's lyrics), only this time it's set to reggae grooves, because... well why not? Circus Money is soulful and hilarious and satisfying, and though none of you will listen to it even after I've said all this, it remains one of my top albums of the year (and probably of the next few as well). Here's hoping it doesn't take Walter another fourteen years.
Favourite tracks: Selfish Gene, Downtown Canon, Do You Remember The Name (listen (http://walterbecker.com/) here)[/INDENT]


2. the bug -- london zoo
[INDENT]DUBSTEP! apparently. Every track starts threateningly, with a thick african accent growling into the mic over a quick lo-fi intro that builds up for a few seconds before THE WORLD'S LOUDEST, ANGRIEST BASS comes in and STOMPS ALL OVER IT. Maybe this is par for the course in the genre; if that's the case then I'm a fan. The Bug is a producer, and here he employs a handful of what I assume are highly regarded vocalists of the dubstep community to rap over his pounding, authoritative beats. The rhythmic interplay between his tracks and the vocals is what I'm gonna call agonizingly satisfying -- no matter how much you try you can't possibly dance to this as hard as you want to. And on top of that, London Zoo works almost as well with headphones, thanks to its eerie and intricate production.
Favourite tracks: (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=zwmUOJR-GwA) Skeng, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=-aW7NFSGklM) Poison Dart, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=NoZhtRhzwkw) Jah War[/INDENT]


1. fleet foxes -- fleet foxes/sun giant ep
[INDENT]Staggeringly beautiful (or as lead singer Robin Pecknold would say, staggereeeenly beautiful). Fleet Foxes so beautifully capture the smell of a pine forest, the sound of a river flowing from the mountains on a crisp winter afternoon -- the kind of atmosphere reserved for those of us living in northern climates -- and distill it into two wonderful collections of music. The core of Fleet Foxes is Pecknold's powerful and distinctive voice, which usually serves as the base for the band's stunning, multi-layered harmonies (though it is still awe-inspiring on its own). And while these harmonies are certainly a major draw, Fleet Foxes' instrumentation exudes a warmth and character in delicate balance with the vocals. Structurally unconventional, these songs often change tempo, stop and start, and rarely use the verse-chorus template. At first I found this style off-putting, but further listens revealed a careful utilization of tension and release, which I now count among the band's greatest strengths. These albums are nostalgic but never sentimental -- Fleet Foxes might not be immediately brilliant, but for those of us who identify with their aesthetic and allow it to sink in, they are absolutely essential. Easily the best albums of the year.
Favourite tracks: (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=f4nkAUT-7mQ) Blue Ridge Mountains, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=EeiRe4Qp9Dw) Mykonos, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=eRfBqoGVFXc) Tiger Mountain Peasant Song[/INDENT]



--honourable mentions--


flight of the conchords - flight of the conchords
[INDENT]You'd expect any less from New Zealand's former 4th Most Popular Folk/Parody Duo? Most of the tracks are funny, a good number of them are musically solid, and a few just don't work out of the context of the show. Favourite tracks: (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=xEcMG2Jvx3k) Ladies of the World, (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=FArZxLj6DLk) Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenocerous (ft. the Rhymenocerous and Hiphopopotamus)[/INDENT]

azeda booth - in flesh tones
[INDENT]Creepy, dreamy ambient pop that sounds a lot like its watercolour cover. They're from Calgary! The singer is not a woman. Favourite track: (http://www.absolutelykosher.com/musicfiles/01%20Ran.mp3) In Red[/INDENT]

dept of eagles - in ear park
[INDENT]Basically the best thing to tide over Grizzly Bear fans until the release of their new album next year. Department of Eagles sounds a lot like the band from which most of its members are comprised, but with more structure and less ambient meandering. So it's not quite as good as Grizzly Bear's Yellow House, but I imagine if I'd had In Ear Park earlier in the year it'd probably have ended up in the top ten (so long, Windy and Carl!).[/INDENT]

boris - smile
[INDENT]According to some longtime Boris fans this album is something of a retread, but as the second Boris album I've ever heard, it still rocks unapologetically, with some great drones and feedback on the side. The Japanese version sounds more like a joke remix album, and the American (Southern Lord) CD version has an inferior tracklisting. Best bet is the Southern Lord vinyl release, which retains the Japanese trackorder (mostly) but doesn't drown the instruments in mud.[/INDENT]

no age - nouns
[INDENT]Love the thick ambient guitar work -- sounds like I'm inside a Jackson Pollock or something. Hate the vocalist -- he's so off-key I can't even tell what notes he's attempting to sing. And after Fleet Foxes, that just won't do. This'll probably grow on me, but so far I haven't really felt the urge to put it on.[/INDENT]

vijay iyer - tragicomic
[INDENT]I don't know much about the direction jazz has taken since the 80s, but Iyer seems to me a welcome relief from the standard refuse-to-adapt attitude of modern jazz. Tragicomic is experimental and atmospheric (and recommended).
Favourite Track: Comin' Up[/INDENT]

spartak -- tales from the colony room
[INDENT]Free jazz/experimental/ambient with one hell of a drummer and a guy who understands how to create interesting and affecting sounds. They're making the rounds in Australia, and will hopefully break out in the underground scene eventually. I haven't given this a lot of listening yet, but I feel as though I should mention it, at least to support these guys, 'cause they're pretty cool.[/INDENT]

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So there you have it. All told, 2008 wasn't as good as 2007, but it still yielded some great albums that'll definitely be added to my permanent rotation.

Angel Dust on 17/12/2008 at 02:34

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FFS I bloody missed this! I knew they had something coming out this year and while I've never been a huge fan of Cherone, I love Nuno's playing enough that I was keeping an ear/eye out for this. Glad to hear it's good but when exactly did it come out, are there any singles and more importantly is Nuno bringing it?

Stitch on 17/12/2008 at 03:54

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As opposed to the instrumentation, which stacks up nicely with the work of Robin Pecknold and company?

Stitch on 17/12/2008 at 04:06

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All I know is those Fleet Fox niggers can't spit like Jay-Z.

I'll openly admit that the success of No Age's monotone approach to vocals can be debated, but using Fleet Foxes as a point of comparison is ridiculous.