Cheers.

I started the blog up a couple of weeks ago, but the other night i was boozing a bit hard and pressed a wrong button. Deleted the whole lot. Try again this weekend.

Pantha Du Prince - Black Noise

Since hearing his debut, "Diamond Daze" in 2006 and his followup "This Bliss" in 2007, I would be hard pressed to think of another techno producer as responsible as Pantha Du Prince for my interest into the vast world of electronic music. From the first instant that I heard his stuff, I knew it was something I connected with moreso than most electronic pioneers. His cold tracks somehow seem colder, his warm tracks sound human, his drums and blips are repetitive, but unique in their overall sound. By blurring the lines between ambient, microhouse, dance and minimal techno, Pantha Du Prince has been producing electronic music that I actually care about delving into, rather than electronic music I listen to to block everything else out.

"Black Noise" came with a fair amount of hype behind it. The producer had been slowly gaining more and more fans through his various remixes, but the real hype came from the promise of a collaboration with Animal Collective's Noah Lennox on "Stick To My Side". The song delivered, partially. It starts slow, takes a while to get going and when Lennox finally showcases his bizarre singing style, the track is a joy to listen to - but taken in the context of the rest of "Black Noise" - a bit of an oddity.

To me, the album sounds a lot like the picture the album cover projects. It's warm, it's european, and there is a lot more to it than just typical techno. Pantha Du Prince does things to his tracks so that they subtlely change over the course of their duration, adding layers that many producers wouldn't dare. His music rarely quite reaches "dancefloor" status, but it's not necessarily head music either. It's interesting, it's organic, but in all honesty - I don't love it quite as much as his previous releases.

I do feel that might change though. As I write this review, I have just gotten off a 5 hour busride through jungles and farmlands along the Mexican Pacific towards Guadalajara. I listened to "Black Noise" twice during the morning, as the sun was rising as well as when it was burning a whole through my shoulder. It complemented the ride perfectly, almost eerily so. So maybe that's how this record is meant to be taken. It's a techno record, I'll make no mistake, but perhaps the context is a little more restricted. It might be titled "Black Noise" - but there is very little black about it.

In Summary: Still enjoy this record a fair amount, but need to listen to it more.

Gonjasufi - A Sufi And A Killer

Leading up to this album's release, I had high hopes that Gonjasufi was going to be my new favorite artist. His tie with Flying Lotus and Gaslamp Killer, two producers whose work I enjoy a lot was just the beginning. There was the lead single "Ancestors", that sounded blunted in the way that I always wanted Dudley Perkins to sound. FlyLo going all Madlib on the production and Gonja's voice just barely hovering above the weeded out beats. Who knows what the fuck the song was about, the shit bumped and it was relaxing as hell. As other songs leaked out, showing some of the more lo-fi sides to Gonja's repetoire, I was still excited. Maybe he's a bit of a new age Gary Wilson with replacing a lot of the abject social paranoia with some weird mystic type. On paper, I should really love this album.

But I've yet to find footing that allows me to do that. The songs are varied enough, which makes the album interesting, but (and I don't know if this is just how fucking blunted out these songs are), lots of them just sound like sketches. Incomplete ramblings. Not dissimilar from Cody ChesnuTT or the aforementioned Gary Wilson, but not nearly as endearing.

I find myself drawn much more to the more hip-hop influenced tracks, rather than the acid-rock ones, but I'm not really drawn to anything like I am to "Ancestors". "Sheep" comes close, with a vocal sample and bizarre lyrics that make you feel high, even if you haven't smoked in ages. "Change" and "Dust" are blunted, trippy and great tracks as well. And as far as the rock tracks go, "Kowboyz & Indians" is probably the best, but I still am not in love with it.

I don't hate anything here, but it can be a chore to listen to, even when the songs are short. It's lo-fi, it's schizophrenic, it's everything Gonja wants to put on record and it is likely to appeal to a lot of people who like music on the fringes, but I just can't seem to fall in love with this record the way I wanted. Maybe if I lower my expectations for his next release, it's quality will be a welcome surprise.

In Summary: Keepin the record around because some tracks are real good, but it's just wildly inconsistent and hard to get through

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

I don't really know where to even start with this record.

Ever since relistening to it after initial dismissal and finding myself actually enjoying it, I was dreading the day when I was going to attempt to write a review about it. Somehow loosely tied to the Civil War (though apart from the soundbytes, I'm unsure of how), the lyrics that seem to go on for days, the multiple passages in just about each song, the fact that Titus Andronicus fans seem to be like the biggest and most dedicated fans right now. I wanted to keep listening to this album and just assume that my initial opinion would win out, just like with the first Titus album - I would've loved this when I was 15, but not anymore.

But holy shit you guys, this is like the most bombastic, booze-fueled, awesome fucking rock n roll record in a long time. While I'm still trying to understand the Civil War theme, I do understand songs like "Theme From 'Cheers'" being the best damn rock n roll, shout-at-the-top-of-your-lungs bar songs I've heard in a long time. "I NEED A WHISKEY. I NEED A WHISKEY". Dude sings with such conviction, we've all been there.

The instruments on this album are insane. Bagpipes, ragtime piano, horns. Is this a fucking E-Street Band record or something from a virtually unknown indie rock band? The band throws everything at the wall, it's messy, it's loud, it goes on and on and it just fucking rocks. This probably isn't for purists and it will probably alienate the emo kids who got down with their first record, but it should be for everyone.

You want to sing along to these songs. You might be embarassed to do so in public, but grab your buddy, grab that dude you don't even know and just belt these at the top of your lungs. These are future Guitar Hero, Karaoke at a strange Korean Place songs. These are rock n roll songs that 10 years down the line, someone asks you about anthems and you're like "Oh yeah, Titus Andronicus fucking ROCKED."

This isn't my favorite record of the year, but I have no problem claiming that it should by all means be considered the best rock n roll album I know this year. It just seems to be getting better too.

Oh and for those of you who are look at the song lengths and hear a voice that sounds like an even more drunk Conor Oberst and think "nope, no way..." Well, the last track "The Battle of Hampton Roads" is 14 minutes long and is about as epic a rock song I've heard without veering into Rush and Yes levels. Every instrument is there, it blows your speakers, it keeps going, it fades out and it exhausts you. And it's awesome every time.

Will this record stay with me for a long time? I don't know, but I rarely consider straight up rock n roll albums in my all time favorites or yearly favorites. But for right now, it doesn't get much better than this.

In Summary: Play it loud, ball up your fist and fucking rock out.

The Morning Benders - Big Echo

Every year there is one big, grandiose pop song that almost immediately becomes "song of the year" in my book. Last year, Phoenix released two perfect songs in "1901" and "Lizstomania" as well as songs like "Stillness is The Move" and "Two Weeks". This year, there is one song that seems to poke it's head above all the rest, constantly raising higher and higher among a sea of "chilled"-out, beach inspired pop. That song is the lead single and first track on "Big Echo". I'm talking about "Excuses".

Millions have apparently seen the video by now. It became a near-viral level indie pop icon within a week of it's release. Featuring the best and brightest of San Francisco's indie talents, the video illuminates the song as the ode to Phil Spector that it is. A perfectly slow beat, strummed guitar, lots of fills. Beautiful harmonies. The breakdowns will have you singing "Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum" like few songs ever have. It's as near a perfect pop song as anything released all year and will long live in my playlists of the future. Everyone I've ever played this song to before quickly fall under it's spell, cannot help but enjoy themselves. It's like the essence of summer barbecue's bottled up. Just perfect.

The problem with creating such an excellent song is that the rest of your music is expected to follow suit and be as good, and while "Big Echo" is definitely a good album, everything is a few steps down from "Excuses". Second track "Promises" is interesting and has found itself caught in my head many times this year. The guitar reminds me of some of the more pop oriented UK guitar bands from earlier in the 2000's, with a fun chorus. "Cold War (Nice Clean Fight)" is the song I would consider being the next big single from the band, but it's only a minute and a half.

The rest of the album veers a bit too close to subpar Grizzly Bear territory for my liking, foregoing the epic feel of the first two tracks for more hazy, gentle pop music. It's definitely enjoyable and many songs are actually good - but I just want more. You can't tease me with the huge sound of the early songs and then strip that away. It just doesn't really work.

Still though, this has been one of my most played albums of the year and when I'm with others whose music taste I don't really know or even alone and can't decide what to put on, it's been the one album from this year that seems appropriate. It's nice, inoffensive, occasionally really interesting pop music - but it could be so much more. I expect big things from this band in the future.

In Summary: One of my most played albums of the year, but I wouldn't consider it great. It's pleasant and enjoyable, with a small handful of amazing songs. One of those albums where every track could likely work great on a mixtape, but taken as a whole doesn't quite measure up. Regardless - "Excuses" IS the best track of the year

I'm a big Frisell fan and love this album. It's a bit of a return to his mid-90s style (This Land, Go West/High Sign/One Week, Quartet) mixed with his more rootsy Americana stuff that he got into after that. It's kind of the perfect mix, to me. I'm not sure what you'd want out of a jazz guitarist's album - they're usually pretty laid-back and quiet.

I don't think it's bland but I admit I was mildly disappointed that there wasn't anything *new* going on here, but I really enjoy the chemistry of the band. A few albums back (Blues Dream, Intercontinentals, the album with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones,) I kind of thought maybe Bill was losing interest, but he sounds rejuvenated on this one.

You obviously know more about the dude's catalogue than I do, but for the dozen albums I have, I prefer them all to it.

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

In another 10 songs, another 30 minutes, Kristian Matsson has once again created a lean, heart-felt, earnest album of sing-along folk beauty (of course in the vein of early Dylan).

Let me say first off that I almost forced myself to like this album. I heavily enjoyed the last album, "Shallow Graves" because it was a fresh sound. The songs were direct, the Swedish influence was evident, but it was still folk music based on the southern blues tradition. The lo-fi edge on that album really won me over, it was as exciting as those early Mountain Goats records a decade ago. When I first heard "The Wild Hunt" I was convinced that the record showed him trying too hard. I thought his songs sounded too much like whining, like he was approaching Dashboard Confessional levels more often than not. I called the record TOO earnest, and it really gave me an alienating feeling for the few few listens. I could recognize the songs as great to sing along to, I could recognize that he hadn't really changed his sound that much, but rather the improvement of confidence in his singing just stripped away some of the charm of the earlier releases. Kristian knows he's an indie darling now, has legions of fans and sold out shows, and he's just a tiny Swede with a guitar.

People are going to hang on his every word, so he better make them mean something.

I was convinced for the longest time that the good songs on this album were all those with odd numbering, and the bad ones were those with even numbering. I've long since gone past that idea, and now that "The Wild Hunt" is likely my single most listened to album all year (I mean, c'mon this shit is fun as hell to sing to alone in your car), I've decided that nearly ever song is indeed good and I don't really have that alienating feeling I once had.

The songs are a little more filled out, but basically still the same as his previous work. Primarily based on finger-picked guitars in the higher registers, Kristian's croak of a voice and choruses you can join in, they just get stuck in your head. "The Wild Hunt" features banjo, "Troubles Will Be Gone" is one of my favorite songs of the year, and "King of Spain" is the one that has people talking, a proclamation that I have actually heard people make reference to in public.

The piano ballad at the end, "Kids on the Run" is a misstep, still inviting you to sing along, the song comes off sounding like a drunken teenager covering a song by The Fray or something. I respect him for trying something different - but stick to your strengths dude.

The EP's that have come out since the release of "The Wild Hunt" featuring covers of classics like "Graceland" and originals has shown that Matsson is continuing to expand his vision little by little but still retaining what makes him charming in the first place. He's the folkie to break through and never really attract the folk crowd. He's great fun, this album is fun, and I'm glad I decided to change my take on it.

In Summary: Good stuff again. Initially didn't like it, grew to love it. Probably still like the last album more, but this one is just real fun to sing along to.

This album is the first thing of his that I've heard, and I like it a lot. "King of Spain" just kicks ass. I disagree with you about "Kids on the Run", I think. I think he beats Conor Oberst at his own game with that song. Or if not Oberst, some other popular heart-on-sleeve, overly emotive singer-songwriter that I can't think of right now.

Totally agree with your early Mountain Goats comparisons, and I haven't even heard the early, lo(wer)-fi Tallest Man stuff. I think "King of Spain" totally captures the spirit of a song like "Cubs in Five".

I haven't really been keeping up with your reviews but I'm going to start. That Titus Andronicus album sounds like it would be right up my ally. I never gave it a listen because I was turned off by the length of the songs but I'm listening now and loving the first track.

Agree with you on Morning Benders. It's an album I like but I get sick of it about 7-8 tracks in. A lot of good songs but not something I like taking in all at once.

I don't really get "sick" of the Morning Benders songs, I think basically everything on there is pleasant and enjoyable - but a lot of the tracks in the middle just sort of make me lose interest. I think when they are strong, they have potential to be one of the very best pop bands going right now, they just need to work out some kinks and decide on a sound.

Caribou - Swim

Since coming onto the scene about a decade ago under his Manitoba guise, Dan Snaith has made a career of exploring different genres of music, each subsequent release the opposite of the one prior to it, and all at least good, if not very good.

He broke through into the indie collective with 2003's "Up In Flames" which to this day is still one of the most sonically engaging "folktronica" albums, mixing equal parts bleeps and bloops with guitars and real strings. It's a wonder to listen to and one of the first electronic albums that I truly loved. He followed that up with a name change to "Caribou" (fuck YOU Dick Manitoba) and release what was essentially a cold, krautrock-influenced album with "The Milk Of Human Kindness". There was all sorts of interesting things going on, but it wasn't nearly as accessible as the previous release. With "Andorra" Snaith went another direction altogether, releasing what is essentially a sunshine, 60s pop record with modern instrumentation and technology. The songs are bright, there are choruses in a sense, and it was one of my favorite records of 2007. His new album "Swim" is riding the wave of forward thinking dance music from this year (and fitting that it is aided by Four Tet, whose sound is all over this thing), and like all his previous releases, this is very good.

It's not as outwardly pop as "Andorra", but it's still a very engaging listen. The beats are all uptempo, the sonics are all a bit hazy, as some have said "underwater dance music". Some songs straight up sound like they should just be on Four Tet's "There Is Love In You", a couple tracks sound like a bit more of an experimental Junior Boys (and Jeremy Greenspan collabs on this album too), but the primary influence I see for this album is the legendary Arthur Russell.

Snaith's voice has always reminded me of Russell, and his shifting of genres has sort of shown a similar aesthetic, but when listening to tracks like "Leave House" (one of the best tracks on here period), my girlfriend was 100% convinced this was Russell, and now everytime I hear that song, I try to draw connections and similarities between it and Russell's latest released output. It's uncanny. The beats are similar in their late 70s, early 80s feel. The voice has the same timbre and echo effects. There are horns here and there, some strings. This is Arthur Russell on more expensive equipment. And listen to the vocal delivery on "Jamelia", and the avant string-pluckings. The album plays like an homage to the great musician, but like all of Snaith's albums, still sounds like it's Caribou.

Some of the tracks here could rival just about anything else released as some of the best music released all year (we can add "Odessa" and "Swim" to those already mentioned), and some things leave me wanting a bit more, but the album is still revealing itself to me. I could see myself loving this the same way that I already love "There Is Love In You", but I'm not there yet. I respect Snaith as much as any musician working today, love whatever direction he's going in and am confident that far in the future I'm going to have my own personal reflection on his body of work and realize that even though I've enjoyed everything I've heard him do - I've always undervalued him.

In Summary: This has the capability to become an all-time classic. Just not there yet.

The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme

It's always hard for a musician to followup something that you as the listener deem great. The Radio Dept.'s last full length, 2006s "Pet Grief" was great though. I loved it back in 2006 and in the last 4-5 years since it came out, my love for it has only grown. I recently said it was the second best album of that year, but it might very well be the one I've listened to the most.

"Pet Grief" succeeded not only because the songs themselves were compact, unique pop songs, but because as an album, everything was held together with a slightly hazy sound. The songs had a bit of a lo-fi fuzzy component, though the odds are that lots of money were spent on getting the effects that way. The guitars had interesting tunings, everything sounded alien, everything sounded like a rainy day, and yet it was still pop music. It was avant-garde without ever reaching, straddling the line between cutting edge music and the pure pop out of Sweden. For me, The Radio Dept. was becoming what The Cure was for people in the 80s.

So when "Clinging To A Scheme" was finally released after years of me looking forward to a followup, the band had some big expectations to fill. Looked at one way, they filled them, looked at deeper, they left them empty.

The album is short and concise, which I like. The songs aren't necessarily "accessible", but they don't meander and they aren't difficult either. The band has an idea, executes the song and then ends it, I like that. There are some new sounds here, a reggae-influenced track, some vocal samples, some brighter moments than the past release, but on the whole, it's still very much still The Radio Dept. It's dreamy, it's poppy, it's gray and I love it for that reason. When I can't decide what to listen to on my ipod in the car or at home, this has been an album I just choose, similar to The Morning Benders. When nothing else sounds good, this at least is pleasant.

But I'm not in love with the songs here the same way I'm in love with the songs on "Pet Grief" or occasionally fall in love with the songs on "Lesser Matters". There are some really great moments, but the album sort of breezes by and I'm awestruck that I'm not connecting with the band the way I used to. I'd love to see them expand a little more or go for a new sound altogether that still retains their grasp of pop.

I still like them a lot, but when you hold up one release as a true work of art, it's hard for others to compare.

In Summary: Still a very enjoyable album, but don't enjoy it as much as past work. Keep it around, but I don't expect it to be at the top of my list like I was hoping it would be.

i think next on the p4k list is Cosmogramma which i'm pretty sure is my favorite album of the year, so it might take a little bit and if not, then expect a bunch of hyperbole.

caribou -
- curious, what contributions did four tet make to it?
- definitely agree with the arthur russell similarities, been saying the same ever since hearing "odessa". i've always found caribou to be quite derivative, but often positively in that he does his version very well - just that he boasts of his influences on every successive project. i happen to love arthur russell – world of echo and first thought best thought more so than world of arthur russell – but still this release doesn't sit right with me. same way i never loved up in flames, though i know it's good. i know swim is good, but i'm not compelled to explore it. i loved milk of human kindness. to me, that's his most organic release.

radio dept -
- this was my introduction to them, and is surprisingly one of my favourite albums of the year – more cleanly packaged pop than what i'm used to - locked into the top 10. i reached for it often (just like the mynabirds, actually), much in the same way it and morning benders was your default. guess i owe a better listen to the early catalogue.

I don't know what Four Tet's involvement is, but I've read it in a couple reviews. Assuming just some guidance/production work. I mean "Bowls" and "Swim" just straight up sound like Four Tet. I guess I should truly find out.

Also you didn't mention "Love Is Overtaking Me" and if you don't have that release from Arthur Russell from (2?) years back. THat's my favorite collection of his.

i do know "love is overtaking me". it and "another thought" fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of his catalogue for me, with "world of echo" and "world of arthur russell" representing the two extremes, which is why i didn't mention the others.

anyway, i'll try again with swim...
good insights.

I haven't really been able to get into Swim, either. But I guess I've already written about that. I agree with jsh that Milk of Human Kindness is his best. His stuff always sounds great, but his last two releases have just seemed hollow or sort of stale or something to me. After I spent some time with them, I just didn't find anything there at the core that made me want to come back.

I've never been able to really get into Arthur Russell either, though, FWIW. I have World of Echo and Calling Out of Context. I may give him one more shot, maybe with First Thought Best Thought, or perhaps I should go in the other direction with World of Arthur Russell. I dunno. Either way, it'll be a while before I do.

I think Love is Overtaking me is the best entry point.

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Back in June, I made a message board thread titled "cosmogramma is the best album of the year" in which I professed with ridiculous examples and exclamations the importance of this album. Clearly exaggerating, but all containing a bit of truth for me to even think of them. Because sometimes when you listen to Cosmogramma, it's the best thing you've ever ever. Here are some things I said:

"i'm definitely right. debate me with something that is better"

"the album is already timeless and the most important recording of the last 15 years"

"go drive in your car and turn up the the speakers as loud as they go with just a little rattle but not too much and put on cosmogramma and your life will change every time"

"it is basically an album sent from a far away planet, coalescing with the long gone souls of john and alice. spiritual music for the everyday"

"he's the best [artist on Warp] that hasn't been around for 20 years"

"cosmogramma is about 100x better than any prefuse record. cosmogramma is the best album for the last 9.5 years"

"cosmogramma is like the best jazz album since 1973 though"

"4.20/10.0"

"if t here is anything true about this year, the thread title is it"

"this album goes great with empty offices, blue raspberry bubblegum and coca cola. fuck it, best music to ever exist."

....

If you can't tell by that absurdity, I have quite an affinity for this album. I think it's groundbreaking, I think it's genius, I think it's 18 tracks, 50 minutes of complete mind-fucking beat mastery. This album is better than Flying Lotus' last release because of the more outward jazz approach, there's fretless bass, obvious samples, vocal jazz, breaks you might recognize and it's just fucking dope as hell. I'll never try to really quantify how good this album is or objectively review it, because it's one of those albums that just puts me in a mood where I can do nothing but speak in overly dramatic, not-fair tones. I love the shit out of this album and it will be hard for any album this year (or in the next few) to be as good as it.

In Summary: Best album of the year

I like that album, but maybe I'm just old or something because it doesn't impress me that much.

Still one of the best electronic albums of the year. I prefer it greatly to Four Tet and Caribou.

Oh, and now I see who you are on hpn. I guess I should known that already.

errbody knows that shiiiii

The National - High Violet

When The National broke through into the indie consciousness with "Alligator" back in 2005, I didn't understand the praise the album was receiving. They weren't the talk of the town ala Arcade Fire, but for the people who heard "Alligator" it seemed that they were soon saying it was the best album of the year. A couple years later, people were talking about it like it was the best album of the decade, and I was left in the dust. I didn't mind the music, but I didn't particularly understand what was so special about it. I thought maybe it was like Interpol for a slightly older crowd. Depresso-rock, for those of us who like to think about our rock n roll.

And when people told me you have to give The National the time to "grow"...well fuck that.

So when "The Boxer" came out and I enjoyed it right off the bat, I was happy to finally be in that group of people who were signing The National's praises. They had expanded their sound a bit, were now adding more lush arrangements, combining equal parts Spoon and Grizzly Bear to make music that wasn't anything ground-breaking but was still unlike anything else out there. The songs were there, the lyrics were there and I just wanted to sing along. I didn't obsess over the record, but it was undoubtedly one of my favorite rock records of that year.

And now we have "High Violet" the next chapter in their saga of creating some of the most intricate, emotive indie rock out there right now. The National's acclaims have been riding high over the past couple years: television performances, guesting with big artists, magazine features - they're a band just barely hanging onto that "indie" scene, poised and ready for a breakthrough, but still maintaining a sound that is just enough outside the rock mainstream to remain "cool". And cool is one of the best ways to describe The National. They're a rock n roll band, they have guitars, they have drums, they have keys, they have strings here and there and they have Matt Berringer, our modern day Leonard Cohen, all quiet drawl and drunken rambles, singing about the everyday pain we experience in ever-cryptic words. Pitchfork described them as "mens-magazine-rock" and well...I think that's an apt description. They're not a "fun" band, they're not a "party" band, and they rarely rock out enough that it's something you want to play in your car... but they're not necessarily a "listening alone in your bedroom with headphones" band either. The National walk their own line, and they do it really really well.

And I see why people obsess over them now.

In Summary: Probably my favorite National album, love the slight expansion of sound. Some really pretty moments, some rocking moments. It's just good rock n roll.

Aw man, I wish you hadn't compared him to Leonard Cohen.

Because Bill Callahan is our Leonard Cohen. Not this fucking guy.