S
Scooba Da Bass
Guest
Here are my favourite albums of last year (yes it's a bit late, but piss off)
Comets on Fire - Field recordings from the Sun.
Psychadelica, guitars, strings, and super intense songs without leaving you feeling like you've eaten a loaf of bread.
Dälek - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots
One of the great US rap albums from last year, a story to tell and fantastic beats hiding behind a massive wall of sound messing up your head non stop. It doesn't get much better than this.
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Remember party albums that make you feel happy listening to them? Blackalicious sure do, Gift of Gab is on his usual pristine form and Chief Xcel does the business once again productionwise.
Hrvatski - Swarm & Dither
Imagine Squarepusher on speed juxtaposed with tone poetry. Don't listen to it if you like 'old fashioned songwriting', listen to be challenged as to what exactly music is.
Pretty Girls Make Graves - Good Health
Forget being able to play your instruments well, emotion matters, and these lot have it in spades.Catchy songs with more hooks than a fisherman's hat will have you shouting along with them wondering when emo got so...interesting.
Beck - Sea Change
The genius returns with arguably his first serious album, and my god does it show. For the first time Beck fully develops the facet shown on Mutations, talented song writer who doesn't need a breakdancing zebra to prop him up.
Talib Kweli - Quality
Political message, personal message, and a soundscape of pristine beats. Happy or sad, but always almost painfully honest Talib once again shows he's not part of the commercial hip hop scene and all the better for it.
Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice
When old people talk about "Rock n Roll" they mean this. Brute force like bulldozers going in via your ears. Put it on and smile.
Rjd2 - Deadringer
Breaks, blues samples, jazzy loops, mournful raps, sci-fi kitsch, and retro-psych freak-outs, just part of what this album is all about. Subtle and obvious at the same time, this was the real feel good hit of the year.
Philip Jeck - Stoke
The sound of a needle running over old vinyl. Somehow an album crafted out of noise achieves a dreamlike slow beauty. Put it on and relax with some chemicals, you will end up somewhere else.
Tim Hecker - Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do It Again
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Eeiry and beautiful, all you need to know.
Mr. Lif - I Phantom
Multiple personality disorder and anger at the American way of life. Blip hop is alive and angry in Mr Lif. Superb.
The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone
U2 mixed with the premier of Emo songwriting. Soulfull and baffling at equal turns.
GZA - Legend of the Liquid Sword
The best rapper in Wu returns with an album reminding everyone why he is called The Genius.
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays
IDM interpretations of other artists (themes instead of covers) mixing the digitally pristine with the beauty of lush strings.
Hot Hot Heat - Make Up the Breakdown
Punk songwriting and a beat that forces you to dance. Like Bis, but with talent. Put it on and make those indie boys dance.
Enon - High Society
Feel good but stupid rock. Watch out Beck, Enon are after your crown.Entertaining and inventive by equal measure, an album of the past and the future, if that doesn't make sense blame the music.
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthroughs
5 notes arranged with absurd ammounts of reverb. Pretentious and massively emotional for no good reason. This strikes chords with parts of you you din't know exisisted.
Max Tundra - Mastered by the Guy at the Exchange
Aphex Twin and Kylie soundtracking a side scrolling platformer. Insane and fantastic fun. Childlike songs about temp work and stealing his best friend's girlfriend, god knows what genre it is but I'd like more.
El-P - Fantastic Damage
Now Chuck D is an angry old man shouting about random events it's fallen to El-P to be the Public Enemy for the 00s. El's dense, intricate production served as the perfect backdrop for a wall of words that was alternately oppressive and transcendent.
Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top
Their hardwired, mesmeric rhythms collided with jarring, serrated blasts of noise, remaining just out of reach, inviting you to come closer every second. Liars fought their way out of every corner with overpowering post-punk surges; every time you began to lock on to a groove, they slipped away. Beyond the nerves, the confidence, the beats, and the sheer blast of the music, the conscious denial of the listener's expectation's makes this nothing short of enthralling.
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Essential.
Notwist - Neon Golden
Electro forced into a guitar pop shape, digital but with emotion. Another essential album.
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Captivating and a fully-formed album, powerful enough to excuse these art-house kid's skinny ties and terrible hair, their tired Helvetica packaging and concert bills. Unlike last year's hottest tickets The Strokes, Interpol didn't make it on looks, controversy, hype, or connections. They made it with nothing but a killer record. Interpol could have been shot by both sides-- rejected by garage rock fashion victims and the aging guardians of the pantheon. Seemlessly blending the best of new and old; Impossibly young, full of shit and living the dream, these kids are SO cool it hurts, forget any other young American band, these are the real deal.
wow, I was bored.
Comets on Fire - Field recordings from the Sun.
Psychadelica, guitars, strings, and super intense songs without leaving you feeling like you've eaten a loaf of bread.
Dälek - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots
One of the great US rap albums from last year, a story to tell and fantastic beats hiding behind a massive wall of sound messing up your head non stop. It doesn't get much better than this.
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Remember party albums that make you feel happy listening to them? Blackalicious sure do, Gift of Gab is on his usual pristine form and Chief Xcel does the business once again productionwise.
Hrvatski - Swarm & Dither
Imagine Squarepusher on speed juxtaposed with tone poetry. Don't listen to it if you like 'old fashioned songwriting', listen to be challenged as to what exactly music is.
Pretty Girls Make Graves - Good Health
Forget being able to play your instruments well, emotion matters, and these lot have it in spades.Catchy songs with more hooks than a fisherman's hat will have you shouting along with them wondering when emo got so...interesting.
Beck - Sea Change
The genius returns with arguably his first serious album, and my god does it show. For the first time Beck fully develops the facet shown on Mutations, talented song writer who doesn't need a breakdancing zebra to prop him up.
Talib Kweli - Quality
Political message, personal message, and a soundscape of pristine beats. Happy or sad, but always almost painfully honest Talib once again shows he's not part of the commercial hip hop scene and all the better for it.
Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice
When old people talk about "Rock n Roll" they mean this. Brute force like bulldozers going in via your ears. Put it on and smile.
Rjd2 - Deadringer
Breaks, blues samples, jazzy loops, mournful raps, sci-fi kitsch, and retro-psych freak-outs, just part of what this album is all about. Subtle and obvious at the same time, this was the real feel good hit of the year.
Philip Jeck - Stoke
The sound of a needle running over old vinyl. Somehow an album crafted out of noise achieves a dreamlike slow beauty. Put it on and relax with some chemicals, you will end up somewhere else.
Tim Hecker - Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do It Again
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Eeiry and beautiful, all you need to know.
Mr. Lif - I Phantom
Multiple personality disorder and anger at the American way of life. Blip hop is alive and angry in Mr Lif. Superb.
The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone
U2 mixed with the premier of Emo songwriting. Soulfull and baffling at equal turns.
GZA - Legend of the Liquid Sword
The best rapper in Wu returns with an album reminding everyone why he is called The Genius.
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays
IDM interpretations of other artists (themes instead of covers) mixing the digitally pristine with the beauty of lush strings.
Hot Hot Heat - Make Up the Breakdown
Punk songwriting and a beat that forces you to dance. Like Bis, but with talent. Put it on and make those indie boys dance.
Enon - High Society
Feel good but stupid rock. Watch out Beck, Enon are after your crown.Entertaining and inventive by equal measure, an album of the past and the future, if that doesn't make sense blame the music.
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthroughs
5 notes arranged with absurd ammounts of reverb. Pretentious and massively emotional for no good reason. This strikes chords with parts of you you din't know exisisted.
Max Tundra - Mastered by the Guy at the Exchange
Aphex Twin and Kylie soundtracking a side scrolling platformer. Insane and fantastic fun. Childlike songs about temp work and stealing his best friend's girlfriend, god knows what genre it is but I'd like more.
El-P - Fantastic Damage
Now Chuck D is an angry old man shouting about random events it's fallen to El-P to be the Public Enemy for the 00s. El's dense, intricate production served as the perfect backdrop for a wall of words that was alternately oppressive and transcendent.
Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top
Their hardwired, mesmeric rhythms collided with jarring, serrated blasts of noise, remaining just out of reach, inviting you to come closer every second. Liars fought their way out of every corner with overpowering post-punk surges; every time you began to lock on to a groove, they slipped away. Beyond the nerves, the confidence, the beats, and the sheer blast of the music, the conscious denial of the listener's expectation's makes this nothing short of enthralling.
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Essential.
Notwist - Neon Golden
Electro forced into a guitar pop shape, digital but with emotion. Another essential album.
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Captivating and a fully-formed album, powerful enough to excuse these art-house kid's skinny ties and terrible hair, their tired Helvetica packaging and concert bills. Unlike last year's hottest tickets The Strokes, Interpol didn't make it on looks, controversy, hype, or connections. They made it with nothing but a killer record. Interpol could have been shot by both sides-- rejected by garage rock fashion victims and the aging guardians of the pantheon. Seemlessly blending the best of new and old; Impossibly young, full of shit and living the dream, these kids are SO cool it hurts, forget any other young American band, these are the real deal.
wow, I was bored.
