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Slave to Ambient: Want Less, Suffer Less
Version 1: This year the piano was the sonic tissue that sustained and connected the enrooted paideuma I lived with and for. 10-15 of these have the piano at the center. Solo and stark; organic or prepared; recorded in sacred spaces or on the bedroom Casiophone; grand reverb washes of chords or modal noodling without end; the 88 ivory and ebony (and truncated petro-chemical adaptations) dominated unlike any of the 45 years of these keeping this list. Version 2: This was the year of sacred spaces; at least five of these were recorded in churches. The churches were, for the most part, no longer Holy, but still holy. The sound washes of electronic, treated, droning sound gave me space to practice the spark of the present moment while contemplating the yawning maws of the Dark Abyss. That’s optimum holiness, no? Who knew? And Version 3: Scandinavia holds 1% of the world’s population and 28% of this list; color drains from my world and the cold of death closes in. Little soul, little blues, little sex: the whiteness of the Great North blinds all eyes. 51 words for empty. And the heart is still (perhaps because of this) at peace. Who knew?
1. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Version 4: In case you didn’t notice, the world is falling apart: and not just with the customary entropy, but in a real 21st Century suicide watch. The pop music that formed me used to tell the story; innocently perhaps, but Dylan or Ray Davies’ melodic and sophomoric commentary were Prophetic witness. Who does that now? Kanye West? Lady Gaga? No large stage holds Prophecy any more; any smart person scoffs at the very idea of prophecy – and either holes up in a Brooklyn loft with sardonic tube amps or a Seattle or Copenhagen bedroom with a laptop. The “vision” of rock and roll is long dead. PJ’s oeuvre lets old farts like me see into the anger and hunger of her music a surviving Critical Theory of the pop miracle. Recorded in a de-commissioned church in Dorset , the guitar breaks do sound echo-dampened and lofty; feed on this music in your heart. A horn sounding charge or retreat? A love letter to a country no-longer-possible. A fable of a country-that-never-was. She tells these stories of war and decay with a little girl’s voice (not the angry, spurned wench of her past). The folk melodies and busker-rhythms are informed by the intensity of struggle. And the politics are not just Labour philippic; it could easily be rationale for skinhead hooliganism. But bottom line is that this is righteous music challenging those who control the Public Sphere, our governments, our economies, our diminished destiny, and those who send our young to kill and die. Its WWI flavor and context only powerfully nails the current moment more. The sound is a folk-rock of epic minimalism. Stripping things down to the point. “England’s dancing days are done…”? Well, not as long as there’s any belief left in three chords and the truth. Music to march out of the dark places.
2. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
One of the other several truths of rock and roll: someone else’s destruction can be your salvation. How often has someone else’s wounded life been the foundation of the listener’s healing? (And after all, most of these songs are riffs on John Lennon’s music more than the classic rock of Pink Floyd). Yep, his “dirty hair and boney body…” are crucified for our amusement and palliation… just like the opiates he loves so much. Momma come home, daddy don’t go. Wait, there was never any Father to go away in the first place. God was not only dead, he (He) never existed. And the “classic” melodies that carry the cross are given arrangements and instrumentation that are rich evocations of the early 70’s and this gimmick is earned not from the usual “lo-fi, throwaway” production, but rather a pristine homage to the power of that Rock. Balls out centrist rock of ages. Hot guitar hero solo breaks, and a loud-soft dynamic not heard since the Dark Side of the Spoon. A softer interlude, a nod to the past, an uncertain hunger for black girls who just wanna sing all night, and the sad wimp’s never had that much jam. Neurotic insecurity as the vehicle for genius; and make no mistake about it, this is the smartest music possible in 2011. Lennon would be proud. But our Lamb Boy is Tired, please take this cup from him? Guess not. Dual guitars calling on the name of the Temporary Relief possible from the sacrament of Rock and Roll. Music to march through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, although I suspect the end is to fall asleep in the field of poppies again, no exit from this self-pitying predicament of determinism and a catchy melody.
3. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Initially I found this to be more of the same easy-listening atmospheric exercise from the post-rock team from Austin. But it kept growing on me, getting deeper into the psyche. Melodic and dreamy with no blues molecules in the mix (although after several albums there is finally one track with a dance syncopation). But it’s not just white music, there is an almost universal and compassionate openness. Not American rock, but rather a world music language with their distinctive graceful loud/soft dynamics more effective than ever (the lead guitarist is South Asian). These tightly arranged pieces leave a weltschmertz beauty hanging in the air. Bittersweet nights with the cool pacific air coming up the canyon in Big Sur, the fog and moon catching on the redwoods, and something will never be the same again. Take Care… music to march through the swinging Door of Perception.
4. Hauschka – Salon des Amateurs
A Frankfurt “fourth wave” pianist with treated piano should produce music that is grey and austere; modernist glass canyons and minimalist angst. Nope, this is an insistent and joyful sound made to the void. Counterpoint melodies (loops) with a hidden horn section or choir of drums, and then a cello or violin slowing down the perky rush to the Edge. Although there are plenty of electronics and glitches and treated sound, that’s not how the music plays: it’s as though a quartet of classically trained musicians are playing real time in that bar in Star Wars. Although it’s more John Cale than John Cage, this is also serious music. A strong dose of Phillip Glass, with a dash of Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown’s Christmas. I normally don’t put “classical music” on this list (see #45); but this kind of rhythmic workout could easily be “serious music.” But I swear on a couple of compositions there is a muted cowbell that makes you wanna get up and dance…with your Wittgenstein. I listened to this more than anything else this year. In the end it’s like music sent out in the aether in the search for intelligent life; mathematical, mysterious and full of heart. Music to march around the empty but colorful carousel.
5. Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto – Summvs
Sometimes simplifying means leaving the surface for something deeper. Sometimes fewer is more than enough. The rich scratchy zen space of Noto’s click/glitch/buzz electronics and the careful organic piano sounds that Sakamoto delivers, combine to produce quirky and melodic soundtracks for the inward inquiries. Want less, suffer less. Good for sitting/practice for hours when the knees hurt and mind wanders or waiting in traffic for the Meeting that, although late from this perspective, will always happen On Time. This is the quiet music of the Big Picture. Nothing ‘s true, but there is still that remnant truth/beauty thing. And of course, an Eno cover. Music to march from the creek carrying water.
6. Radiohead – King of Limbs
Barely assembled songs for the dissembling epoch. They are still the greatest rock, i.e rhythm, band extant (and so their lack of polish is an intentional tool to challenge the listener’s comfort and expectation). Their status itself is an instrument (like no band since the Beatles). But the pleasures are not in the analytic ear, they are in the pelvis and gut. The shake is booty, not hands, with the hallmark intensity. Their chops- instrumental, compositional, and vocal- still insist something important needs attention. Albeit concentration has a shelf-life and life itself wanes. Loss uber alles. Much more than Caretaker’s “An Empty Bliss…”, this is the sound of lights out. It’s time gentlemen, it’s time to march outside and get some air.
7. Wu Lyf – Got Tell Fire to the Mountain
The hype and reviews would normally make me listen for flaws: but from the opening church organ and hollowed-out and ringing guitars this band had me. The Tom Waits-singing-Rage Against the Machine vocals are probably an acquired taste, but work for me entirely – a necessary black flag of anarchy hanging from the marble arches. The ragged intensity of the singing really, for me, is backup to the music. And what glorious pop music: the Cure played on tube amp guitars. Shoe-gaze uncluttered. Marque Moon crescendos and bam-bush hip-hop drumming. The astonishing beauty and simple power of the instrumentation is only revealed at top volume, for which they mixed the croaking neediness of the singing just low enough to tolerate. A brilliant re-invention of big country spaces and ride-worthy sonics. And it’s music that’s so young: adolescent love affairs with that finger picking just learned. Yes, the lyrics are political and a soccer-anthem call to revolutionary arms, but you don’t even need to know that. The tearful rasp of his voice, and the clarity of a guitar line tell you there is an urgency here. And so they’ve moved from the garage to the church and enjoy them now before they hit sports arenas and rehab. Music to march to Occupy Wembly Stadium.
8. Jasper, Tx – Black Sun Transmissions
Not all drones are equal. Not all noisy hums are the same. Not all space music sounds like the 80s, so Dag Rosenqvist with his (80s?) analog workouts gives hints of a richer, warmer universe than some of his contemporary noise artists. Ok, “warm” is probably misleading. But in the mystery of his sound I sometimes hear a Gregorian Chant focus, the spiritual intent incrementally growing with repetition. A revealed string instrument: it is Wien , 1908. A buzz explodes to a bell sound and it is the space lounge in Kubrick’s 2001. Ideas take a while to develop: slow is the new fast. Given the album covers and penchant for “black” in the titles, this does seems relatively cosmic, dark matter-oriented electronically generated noise. Musical residue to march into solar flares.
9. Nicholas Jaar – Space is Only Noise
A brilliant soundscape that is sexy and balanced: just enough brain and just enough body. Through it all there is that wonderful “international” feel to this post-dance glitch music (helped by the found-sound collages, and polyglot singing). Although, like Oneontrix Point, there are many ideas stacked up, all demanding time, and one pushes the previous away too quickly, it doesn’t feel cluttered in this space, nor even noisy (unlike Oneontrix). Out of a fog of clicks, a dance beat kicks in. Out of a buzzy reverb, a sober vocal emerges. There is a tension that helps all the sound-objects cohere. Music for all of life’s private moments; instructive music. Music that teaches the ear what to listen for. Spaghetti western soundtracks and Japanese Koto music have a lot in common, after all. It’s all only noise. A brilliant work by some Chilean student at Brown University who’s only 20. This year’s Moby, but with less self-consciousness. That post-millennial generation’s mindlessness to mitigate the mindfulness. And probably the most sensual music on the list. Music to march into the bedroom.
10. A Winged Victory for the Sullen – A Winged Victory for the Sullen
For some reason they’ve always called the Stars of the Lids guys as “composers.” (I think one of them had classicial training perhaps?) And so this one is described as compositions. And its compositional language is reductive, not additive. Sweet and empty spaces. Sweeping the aural mirror clean of dust; the cerebral clutter packed away by the beauty of depression and lost causes. Electronic placeholders more than music. Soundscape lists of things left undone. Insert your name here. Music to march without music.
11. Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow
A real eccentric in the British tradition, with a voice that’s so distinctive and been around so long (if with too infrequent contact) that it’s almost its own archetype. Best thing she’s done in decades. The lyrics are ornaments of hot-tea-in-winter English personhood; really the whole thing could be a children’s book, if not for the odd, off-limits sex and naturist tendencies. Folk rock for a meeting of the coven. Breathy and sexy while dressed in brocade and lace. The oddest duet with Elton John kinda makes you want to wash your hands, but all-in-all one more ample demonstration of intensity built out of history and cultural identity (see #1). However it pans out, the goddess must be worshipped too.
12. War on Drugs – Slave Ambient
After I stopped laughing at the Dylanesque phrasing I started to really love the guy’s voice and lyrics, which makes this a standout, given that for me it’s really not about the vocals and lyrics but rather about the perfect tones of some the tastiest guitar lines/riffs in a while. Chiming, strumming and friendly, I suppose it does sound like Tom Petty and Heartbreakers more than some neo-indie discovery, but that isn’t really a bad thing.
13. Dustin O’Halloran – Lumiere
A super group of ambient/electronic artists (Adam Wiltzie, Peter Broderick, Jóhann Jóhannsson) that delivers. O’Halloran’s compositions are human-friendly if dignified in their quietude and melancholy. Another work recorded in a church, this one in Berlin. And although he’s all German, all the time these days, there is a leftoever lightness to his piano musings. I think the light from Santa Monica beach will always be gloss to the uber-seriousness of his intent. Stark, bittersweet music from one of the most talented composers of the day.
14. Barn Owl
Winsome and spacious and patient realtime droning. Sometimes the guitars can sound like a bagpipe, sometimes like the Shofar. Add a little feedback and a pensive but powerful drum, and you have the most dramaturgical of the stoner-atmospheric bands. A camera pans down the stone passage way of a monastery in the mountains; the sun rises on the sawtooth ridge above. Surfing the clouds above for the Endless High. The sound of one hand passing the joint. Pay attention to the breath.
15. Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light
Music from the guy who helped Kirk Cobain blow his brains out. A groundbreaker in his day this is not even slo-core anymore, it’s a circular time figure with warping and repetitive rich drones and repetitions. With the simplest and slowest drumming, bass and cello to give possible counterpoint to his doom-rich guitar explorations.
16. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest
Still offering up craftsman objects with her hubby’s ungodly close harmonies; more than ever she sounds like a visitor from some possible future where survivalist ethics and homecooking rule. Everyone buys baby clothes and drugs. Everyone knows that reality is acoustic, not theoretical. And more than anything… songs, objects perfectly and carefully written.
17. Nils Petter Molvaer – Baboon Moon
The Norwegian trumpet player who is one of my favorite artists of the last 20 years continues his movement away from his tribal club-music take on Jan Hassel-Miles jazz excursions. It’s time to move on, and the rumbling percussion and rich and layered guitar work push his treated trumpet into some new territory. I’m not sure why I don’t like this more… the density of the sound, the layers of quirks and reference points might get in the way. Miles would always point out that less is more. Maybe more, in this instance, is provisionally less.
18. Destroyer – Kaputt
Post-millennial blue-eyed soul. It’s a little bit more Roderick Falconer than Bowie, but with a Prefab Sprout overlay through most of its druggy-but-brittle pop artifacts.…and the coked-out preciousness earns respect with an assortment of clever flourishes, musical and conceptual. Count the tracks where he sings “who knew?” What would it sound like if Unabomber grunge rockers hung out in the Eurotrash VIP rooms of cocaine and sex? Well, like this, who knew?
19. Grooms – Prom
Keeping alive the “indie” spirit with with ringing guitars and the occasional delicious dissonance. The Church, Les Savy Sav, Sebadoh all laid the foundation; chiming dreamy guitar runs contrast well against the raw punked out vocals with a new wave pace and urgency, albeit a post-grunge self-satisfied annoyance. The band to watch in 2012.
20. Deaf Center – Owl Splinters
Some electric drone artists create the sound of rivers in Hell; some invoke mists swirling around the peaks of mountains. This work is most assuredly the latter, although its cool sonic altitude also seems comforting, enveloping, and wide, not pointed. I guess that’s the sonic mist part. I am not sure but I think a low B Flat is held for the entire length of the album (with blips and scratches marking progress).
21. Vladislav Delay – Vladislav Delay
The sound of the industrial world, the deep static and roar of the mechanical bowels of modern life. I am always amazed looking at the credits and reminded that there is a “group” with real instruments credited; this is profoundly manufactured and layered mechanical music, as opposed to just electronic. The highs are barely audible and the lows are subwoofer threatening, and there is some clang or ring or (always) drone that fills in between. But he works to find the common denominator; the drone, unobtrusive but unshakably connective. And just every now and then the muffled squeak of machine does resemble sea gulls.
22. Craig Taborn – Piano Solo
Difficult and smart music that I’ll still be playing in a decade when 99% of the other stuff on the list is forgotten. Dissonant and challenging; closer to Boulez than Eno. Minimalist jazz; sonic impressionism. Slot five in the car CD player for 6 months: it always made my ears new.
23. Real Estate - Days
Agreed, much better than the first one... and I agree with that while listening to it, it is pleasing and satisfying and when it's over it goes away .... Garage music made by angels or stoned surfers. Once in college I wrote a paper on Nevil Shute’s Round the Bend. The subject given by Robert Adams, the Joyce scholar, was: “if it’s so good why isn’t it great.” The answer (like for this music): what makes it good also is what keeps it from being great. Light as air…and gone immediately when the music stops, not leaving even a trace of its presence. Music without trails.
24. Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces
Jazzy chord changes, vocal “stylings” and harmonies, varied instrumentation. Neo-prog rock with all the irony quarantined in the “clever” lyrics, with none allowed to leak out into the heavily arranged music. It’s like the Magnetic Fields covering Steely Dan.
25. Iro Haarla Quintet - Vespers
Alternating between harp and piano, Haarla mines some of the textures and flourishes of Alice Coltrane, but with throaty trumpets and saxophones pulling on the angels’ wings.
26. Wooden Shijps
From the beating heart of the stoner aesthete, this monotonous psycho-surf droning is relieved only by an occasional Farfisa break that recalls a thousand moments in garages all through the West from 1965 to the present day.
27. Richard Skelton – The Complete Landings
Careful modulations of violin/cello and plucked strings, some reaching down into the inside of a piano. Chamber music, more than ambient; but that “chamber” is in deep space and the mental images are of a landscape not yet discovered. Pure and starkly beautiful ruminations. Re-release from a few years ago… but enough extra and with a degree of relentless beauty, it needs to be here.
28. Carribean – Discontinued Perfume
Brightly produced progressive folk-rock, with diminished minor seventh chord changes and frequent dissonance conveying an adult approach to this pop “confessional” music. Lyrical pop with an easy, loping beat and low calorie sweetness. Dad rock if dad is 31 and a well read graphic artist with an acid tongue. Only album with lyrics about PowerPoints and political discussions about Israel.
29. Woods – Sun and Shade
Great when their retro-hippie acid journeys are droning and smoky – stretched out music to talk to sheep on hills in Sonoma County. Less interesting when the neo-flower power pop kicks in. Go with the drones kids.
30. Centro-matic – Candidate Waltz
Crunchy Americana guitar and melodic and harmonious vocals; sometimes heroically and unflinchingly pop masterpieces. Anthems for the American collapse; sorta the geminating root of NeoNoDepressions. The riffs were buried at WalMart; but dust them off and jam. Next time they should try to sound like Spoon less.
31. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
He made the transition from the solitary North Woods house to the Big Canvas pretty well. A couple cuts have some of the most satisfying guitar timbres of the year, and the cheesy keyboard of the last cut is one of funniest, bravest instrumental choices of the year. His voice is gloriously honest and hurt, and his lyrics are wily and elegant. He deserves to be the number one album of the year; I just never choose to put it on and I confuse him with Fleet Foxes.
32. Tim Hecker - Rave Death 1972
Even here the piano rules, and even acoustically resounding through the Icelandic church where this was recorded. Sober beauty; stylish constructions; elegant textures.
33. Panda Bear – Tomboy
Silly vocals; and odd production, it’s like you’re hearing a band rehearsal from far down the hall in a college dorm. Aggregated electronic tone poems with sharp if understated lyrics. For the record I like this a lot more than Animal Collective; exploring an accessible alternative musical universe, with layers of dirty-fied sound, maintaining an innocence, but not too precious or self-conscious.
34. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
The choir boys prove their mettle by producing the least silly vocals (see above). Take the boys out of the expensively clear-minded production and you can imagine these songs sung around campfires in the Great Smoky Mountains; ethno-musicology students of the Scotch-Irish roots of American folk music demonstrating their all world vocal chops. Progressive hoe-down. John Denver as a café-latte hipster. “Sim, sala bim on your tongue…” indeed. As my partner says, this is the album that My Morning Jacket was supposed to make. And I like them because they sound more like the Proclaimers than Crosby, Stills and Nash.
35. Battles – Gloss Drop
In a year of neo-prog rock, this should lead the parade. Difficult poly-rhythms and off-center arrangements with too much Caribbean in the mix ultimately makes this one sound more gimmicky than the last one¸if more approachable. Perky and energetic music; but serious prog-rock shouldn’t be Jazzercise-ready.
36. São Paulo Underground - Três Cabeças Loucuras
Hard bop jazz new age music, Chicago-style with extra thick improvisation, thumping with the sangfroid samba. More noisy club-footed pastiche than club music. But it’s a glorious noise before the Lord.
37. Drei - Swod
Wide open ambient piano and other analog instruments, treated and manipulated. The spacey contexts also hold up found sound, hiss, and random human voices speaking (apparently the rules now for this kind of music) many languages. Good
38. Mathias Eick - Skala
Another Euro –version of what Miles would sound like today. Cool and insistent, with harps and double drummers complicating what is really simple.
39. Washed Out – Within and Without
Classy pastiche of the 80’s retro-synth wave (those synth drums!). It’s like a reconsideration of a reconsideration. Danceable disposable pop until the yearning kicks in, dreamy buried vocal harmonies. Fleet Foxes covering Echo and the Bunnymen. Brit Pop in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. Remember when you took E and wanted to hug everyone. Anthemic Zazen for the club scene.
40. Wilco – The Whole Love
The is probably their best since Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, and I really look forward to seeing them play all of these live. Can’t understand why I don’t want to listen to this much.
41. Esmerine – La Lechuza
Vibraphones and violins, that sound like Veracruz and Prague at the same time. Emotive and poignant chamber music for the epicures of the broken heart. Gamelan? Harps? Eno-esque distorted electronics? Nico-like vocal? Go to a neutral corner for a time-out.
42. Sun Araw – Ancient Romans
Noodling, meandering psychedelic guitars – has anyone seen the bridge? The guy, who mummurs and yammers far down in the mix (guitar-hero version of Earl Hines).
43. Alva Noto - Univrs
The best clicks, buzzes, and random static in a long time. I used to really like composed clicks. One woman who used to work with me said “all your music sounds like a broken washing machine.”
44. Yuck – Yuck
Irresistible guitar workouts reminiscent of early Pavement when I thought they were British (although in reality more chord strumming than guitar leads – I liked this the way I should have liked the Feelies). I like this music like my parents’ generation liked Big Band. Just from the energy it repositions the raw roll in rock ‘n roll.
45. John Luther Adams/Stephen Drury – Four Thousand Holes
Straddling the increasingly blurred territory between “serious contemporary” music and ambient electronic, this places its drones, processed acoustics and incremental changes in the adagio ballpark, while always invoking the Great White North with a chilly but bright light. That the music is “performed” by someone other than its composer tells some kind of tale.
46. Tinariwen - Tassili + 10:1
The African rockers continue their attempt to sound like covers of various lost versions of Midnight Mile. Classic rock branded and marketed as revolutionary tribal desert music, but I hear white table clothes in Paris cafes. Vive l’revolution…with a backbeat, finger picking rejection of the West and North.
47. Daniel Thomas Freeman – The Beauty of Doubting Yourself
The bittersweetest washes of electronic sound and minimalism for the depressives and ennui-addicts. The requisite rumbles seem like distant storms; or an ominous appearance of the death star. I don’t think this was in the soundtrack to Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, but it should have been.
48. Marcin Wasileswski - Faithful
Jazz trio with organic and peaceful sounds… the bass sometimes barely in the range of hearing and the drums like thunder many miles away. Another Nordic permutation of jazz devoid of the blue note; but with some recent memory of lakes and forest. Calming down can be the smart thing to do.
49. White Denim
I heard this late in the year and immediately was attracted to its neo-hippie psychedelic references, and then was put off by its jam band appurtenances. Improv and interesting guitar solos and exxxttteennnnded ideas. I think it may continue to grow on me, though I’d like a little more sandalwood and a little less patchouli.
50. Kurt Vile – Smoke Rings for My Halo
Philadelphia-native steps into a more polished zone, continuing to build upon his unique mix of twangy finger-picked ballads and fuzz-heavy guitar rock anthems.
51. The Antlers – Burst Apart
Crafty, hip and appealing guitar rock with the hip-hop/dubstep hitch in its glide. Great vocals and strong songs. Somehow it vaporized after the music stopped (and unlike Real Estate, I don’t think that was a good thing).
52. Low – C’Mon
I guess the world has changed so much that this isn’t really even “slo-core” anymore, just solid, middle of the road rock with a smartly stretched out sound. The guitar lines never fail to power out and the vocals/lyrics seem better than they’ve done for a while. Don’t let it be said I like rock music that sticks to the center.
53. Wooden Birds – Two Matchsticks
The guitarist from American Analog Set continues his demonstration of superior songwriting; acerbic and clever pop melodies and lyrics. But what draws me more than the scaled down arrangements and alt-college-rock vocals is the bittersweet guitar; tube amp resonance or scratchy acoustic – rock guitar captures the broken heart so well.
54. John Maus – We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
Crazy sonics of vintage synths (I remember reading how Lucinda Williams spent many months getting the mistakes on Car Wheels just right) and I suspect this academic has also carefully spent a lot of effort making some of these catchy pop dissertations sound perfectly dirty and accurately cheese-filled. Not unlike his hero Ariel Pink.
55. Atlas Sound – Parallax
As stated, the expertise he demonstrates now includes a late fifties or sixties pop music to add to his classic indie rock; as always deconstructed by a contemporary fragmented lo-fi ADHD, but increasingly these pop nuggets with the sweet and earnest vocals become more longueur than cri d’coeur.
56. Tsering Cho –Devotion
A rich and warm voice, human and re-assuring, singing Tibetan folk melodies against a world-music setting of flutes and tablas.
57. Emmy Lou Harris
Comfort food. Never disappointing. Her voice instantly invokes a joint and beach day in 1975 and my deathbed rattle in 2038. Her voice is like oxygen.
58. Eternal Tapestry and Sun Araw – Night Gallery
Glorious drones and psychedelic improvisation. But this works the area between mechanical drones and stoner drones: a bright and fruitful niche.
59. Wolves in the Throne Room – Celestial Lineage
Even with the metal de rigueur constipated-devil-voice squawking periodically, nothing can crowd out some epic sonic beauty from the American European Black Metal masters. A real grandeur of drones and psychedeliberations. Soaring and uplifting with a dark hunger for spirits more than soundtrack for the destructive slide into an imagined hell. Invokes the wide Northwestern landscapes of its creators and mirrors the new world’s answer to the Northern Latitude mythological Beavis and Thorhead scandies.
60. Youth Lagoon – Year of Hibernation
This catchy lap-pop is a smart and superficial demonstration that someone has done a lot of listening, a real student of the idioms, which makes me surprised that this is from a bedroom in Boise, not Helsinki.
61. Sonny Rollins – Road Shows, Vol 2
An American treasure, with ageless chops.
62. Timber Timbre – Creep on Creepin On
Slinky and sinuous acoustic grooves, with whore-house piano and an occasional horn section (remember Morphine?) backing a neo-Leonard Cohen vocal singing creepy songs. Funhouse music with a downtempo modulation. In keeping with this year’s theme: the treated piano was tasty.
63. Oneohtrix Point Never Replica
Found sound extravaganza/collages, electronic constructions with fragments and shards of auditory modern life, this was this year’s prize winner of a kind music that I listen to more than any other now. But the piling on of ideas sometimes overwhelmed, and it was more “busy” than “difficult.”
64. Thora Vukk - Robag Wruhme
IDM/EDM with a claustrophobic Eastern Bloc intensity. Richly textured, if artificial, beats for the Flash Mob in Purgatory.
65. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Stong songs, great vocals, clean guitars, best thing he’s done in a while. So why don’t I want to listen to this anymore?
66. Alexander Tucker – Dorwytch
Art songs in the classic 70’s Brit Rock tradition of Brian Brotheroe or even the Strawbs. Retro Robert Wyatt with no sense of irony. Earnest is the new black. And Brit folk-rock still has power (see #1).
67. Harold Budd – In the Mist
In any other year I would rate this much higher; Harold Budd is brilliant and these piano compositions are deeply satisfying, with unexpected turns and eddies in their melodic flow.
68. Biosphere – N-Plants
Original chill dance electronica now sounds as antiquated and perky as steam-punk. Great on the I-5 approaching the Grapevine, that is sounds better in a car than whilst doing housework.
69. James Blake – James Blake
Love hate relationship with this music. Yes, it’s soulful and futuristic. Yes, it’s sappy and facile. It’s young music; and surviving fragmentation the songs really do inhere. And ultimately it’s a guilty pleasure to enjoy his singing stylings as much as the melodies and vocal. But if I am not in the right mood this is hubristic pap in the Anthony and Johnson disease file.
70. Marsen Jules – Nostalgia
The king of peaceful orchestrated ambience returns after a long time with a strong work, that shows a thoughtful, darker side to “peace.”
71. Jamie Woon – Mirrorwriting
Simple, minimalist white-soul dance music with a Brit-pop edge, “sometimes I wish that I could anesthetize …” which is accomplished by this sophisticated, neo-dubstep druggy music.
72. Julia Hülsmann Trio - Imprint
The brilliant German pianist put out “The End of Summer” a couple years ago that was the best jazz album of its kind in years; she is so lyrical and deft, and invokes intense emotional responses. This isn’t that good, but is piano jazz of the most highest cerebral and emotive order.
73. Mastdon - The Hunter
Apparently their fans think this is “Mastodon going soft”, but I like the power of their diminished thunka-thunka chording , though I wish that the vocals weren’t so cartoonish.
74. Quilt – Quilt
Neo-psychedelia circa Incredible String Band.
75. Wild Beasts – Smother
God I find their voices annoying/cloying; a whole fucking chorus of wimps and posy boys. But dirty lyrics and a British-Steel tensile strength to the tunes.
76. David Ware – Planetary Unknown
Ware and William Parker continue to re-invent jazz, and wind up sounding like the classic heros they riff off of. (riff off of sounds like the end of Warian phrase) and in all probability this was the best “straight” jazz of the year.
77. Mogwai – Harcore Will Never Die, But You Will
They should probably break up now.
78. Haxan Cloak – Haxan Cloak
Uncharted drones , the timbre of each counterpoint building a soundtrack to what would be very disturbing dreams if you dared to let yourself go to sleep to this music. Don’t turn your back.
79. Colin Stetson – New History of Warfare II: Judges
Chaotic music, often sounding like elephants rutting. In the right mood it sounds startlingly artful, brilliant, serious music tempered by the random poetic voices spoken, and chanted over the “treated” saxophone. In the wrong mood it grates and so wears thin.
80. Colin Vallon – Rruga
Stretched out piano-based jazz for mushroom trips at Baden-Baden.
81. Caretaker – An Empty Bliss Beyond this World
I think I want ambient/electronic/post-music music to take me to the new future, not dead ends in the past.
82. Amina Alaoui – Arco Iris
Progressive gypsy music,,, the quartertone, lonely and Iberian, the soundtrack of dashed hopes. There is no reason not to love this thoughtful, deeply felt invocation. Although I listen to a lot of electronic music the heart’s longing is captured best by acoustic guitar, harp, and a hard-won throb in the voice.
83. Garland Jeffreys – The King of In Between
First cut was one of the best cuts of the year, the last one was one of the worst. But welcome back to the self in my heart that loved this kind of music once upon a time.
84. Sen Kuti – From Africa with Fury:Rise
Not exactly a chip off the old man’s dead block, but the band cooks.
85. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Enough already.
86. Feelies
I really wanted to like this….
87. Stefano Bollani – Stone in the Water
Like clockwork, this jazz pianist keeps producing tasteful etudes of cocktail lounge quietism.
88. Woodsman – Mystic Places
Looping drones and pounding drums that give a fry-brain headache, not in a bad way.
89. Mathew Shipp-Art of the Improviser
The greatest living jazz pianist shows his range; music that is timelessly challenging. I’m just not old enough yet to fully understanding his language.
90. Bill Callahan – Apocalypse
Despearately serious songs with his desperate, earnest baritone mixed way too forward. Good lyrics, but the quirks and self-seriousness has worn thin.
91. Yellowbirds – The Color
C major to A minor garage psychedelia “as if.” Guitars, drums, farfisa from some lost garge in Torrance in 1966.
92. Neon Indian – Era Extrana
This is the year that the IDM/EDM sound was often too noisy for my tastes. Busywork for the ears more than a beat for the feet.
93. Bonnie Prince Billy – Wolfroy Goes To Town
I give up.
94. The Field – Looping State of Mind
Noisy to me, see Neon Indian above.
95. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX – We’re New Here
Sometimes the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
96. Opeth
I liked this a lot more than I should have. I mean the guy’s new I-will-no-longer-death-growl voice sounds like Greg Lake and there’s more than a dash of mimicking ELP and King Crimson. More neo-Dinosaur than metal.
97. The Horrors - Skying
The music is lugubrious in a snide but pleasurable way, but the vocal bombast kills this.
98. Thurston Moore –
The brains and guitarist of one of my favorite bands puts me to sleep. Not in a bad way.
99. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
I tried… sorta.
100. Junior Boys – It’s All True
Proof positive that there is a subliminal zeitgeist which has rules for the ears.
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Let's take a trip down Whittier Blvd.
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