ANOTHER YEAR...AGAIN

2008.

A year of great change.

The apathy broke and receded, revealing a part of us we never knew existed.

It has been really difficult to maintain my cynicism, but as most of you know…I’m holding on.

The final turn before the straightaway into 2009 has been a most feverish one. Not to say that last push should be any different from any other year, but this one has been marked change, both global and personal, producing a monumental year in introspection.

With that thought comes music. 365-music filled days – quite possibly the year in which I’ve listened to and discovered more music than ever.

As the frame of reference widens, so does the ability and authority to criticize. But there is no right or wrong in this world. There is only you and your choices. We are but slaves to our experiences. Experiences that differ between us all. They are the items that govern our every instinct.

So with that, I give you my instinctual reactions to music over the past year. My top 10, if you will. Will you?

I’m just a guy with opinions. Strong ones. So take them with a grain of salt or with a Sherman tank or with a glass of water (half full, of course).

But as the New Year dawns, take what Jarvis Cocker said as something to write on your wall:

“Some say the cream rises to the top. Well I say…shit floats.”

Happy New Years people friends.

(again - please buy the music - these artists deserve your cashmoney)

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ARTHUR RUSSEL – LOVE IS OVERTAKING ME

Finally getting the recognition he deserved when he was alive, this compilation of somewhat “lost” Russell songs is, as most of his music is, like nothing else. From album to album, his works vary from post-disco, to solo cello compositions, to, as on this album, the more plain guitar and voice building to intricate pop. But what unifies all his work is a tone. An unmistakable transfer of human emotion through speaker. There is something so immediate and relatable about his voice, it is as if you’ve known him for years. Also, more acutely with his post-disco works, Russell could be referenced as an influence of the modern-day bedroom composer. Whether he’s playing with a full band or just with his cello, Russell transmits a solitude. Not necessary a lonesome one, but simply a supremely personal expression that into which he has allowed us a brief window.

LOVE IS OVERTAKING ME

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CHEAP TIME – CHEAP TIME

What the Black Lips couldn’t finish, Cheap Time eviscerates. Sublime garage glam sounds from Tennessee with a frame of influence much wider than the Lips - producing a much less boring result. You can hear anything from The Quick to T-Rex to Sparks to the Clash to, and especially, Big Star. Power pop with the amps on fire and the mics crackling like a Christmas tree inferno.

CHEAP TIME

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DANAVA - UNONOU

One of my personal favorites in the past couple years, Danava leans heavily on Black Sabbath/Hawkwind/Stray riffage but does so with such virtuosity that they create entirely new tonal wrath that makes my struggling ear drums beg for more. With the ever-impressive Dusty Sparkles at the helm, UnonoU doesn’t beat out their self titled debut for me, but it certainly picks up where they left off. You can hear the beginnings of growth with tracks like “A High or a Low” and “Spinning Temple Shifting,” bating my now psych-infused mind for their next release.

UNONOU

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FLYING LOTUS – LOS ANGELES

Maybe it’s just the fact that I know he’s the nephew of Alice Coltrane, but when I listen to Los Angeles, I can’t help but think that Flying Lotus is, or strives to be, the Alice Coltrane of electronic music. Well-versed in the spiritual and philosophical side of electronic composition, but not to snotty too have fun and make your ass move. The record is full of overblown, burning electronic heat. It oscillates you out of your head (a la Boards of Canada, Milieu, Autechre) but then yanks you back into it with decadent yet danceable beats, all without forgetting his sneaky Aphex Twin switches.

LOS ANGELES

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GRAILS – DOOMSDAYER’S HOLIDAY

Grails also broke through in 2008 with Doomsdayer’s Holiday. Albeit a bit schlocky with its album-starting B-horror screams, its unbreakable songs go further than the band had gone prior. Grail’s audiophilic love of music is all the more evident in this collection than any other – references as wide, but not limited to Pentangle, Bill Frisell, Ali Akbar Khan, Ennio Morricone and of course, Sabbath, Hawkwind and Focus. Each song has a different sound, but all unified by the band’s taut musicianship that echoes across the hundreds of instruments used here.

DOOMSDAYER'S HOLIDAY

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JOHAN JOHANNSSEN - FORDLANDIA

With what was certainly the most beautiful album of the year, Johan Johannsson adds a second part to his intended trilogy focusing on technology and American brand icons. On Fordlandia, like his excellent album IBM 1401, Iceland native Johannsson uses a 50-piece string orchestra mixed seamlessly with a variety of electronic elements. But unlike the IBM 1401 album, Fordlandia matches the cadence and tone of its reference without fail. In the 1920’s Henry Ford bought a vast tract of land in Brazil hoping to create a settlement focused on rubber tree harvest and processing. It inevitably failed due to a multitude of logistical reasons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordlandia). What makes Fordlandia impressive and affective is its ambitious tones and swells that raise the heart into the neck. As goofy as it may sound, a long form compositional piece about one of Henry Ford’s failed business endeavors creates unmistakable human emotion. Probably something similar to Ford’s emotions during the project: ambition, progress, worry, doubt and failure. Emotions that are part of most of our own lives/projects/jobs/relationships/commutes, thus why I assume you’ll react to this incredible music as I have.

FORDLANDIA 1
FORDLANDIA 2

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LINDSTROM – WHERE YOU GO I GO TOO

See what I’ve already written about this sucker. It still ain't disappointin'.

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THEE OH SEES – THE MASTER’S BEDROOM IS WORTH SPENDING A NIGHT IN

A relatively new band in my frame of reference, Thee Oh Sees began as a side recording project for John Dwyer, a member of such excellent bands as Pink and Brown, Coachwhips and the ever-awesome Hospitals. The Master’s Bedroom is a perfectly mixed punk/one-man band/garage/rockabilly explosion. Equal part The Cramps and the soundtrack to Hairspray, this is a sound that had not yet graced these ears until The Master’s Bedroom’s first spin. Where rockabilly gets monotonous after about 10 songs, Thee Oh Sees liven things up with unexpected changes and innovative vocal arrangements. Two voices prove better than one, offering a twisted, reverbed, male/female harmony that create B-movie imagery without getting too contrived. Perfect for dance parties in the dark.

THE MASTER'S BEDROOM

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TORCHE - MEANDERTHAL

The one pseudo-metal release that made my top ten this year, Torche finally locks down a perfectly produced masterpiece that melt’s face and proves progressive mastery. A re-tweaked phoenix rising from the ashes of Miami’s preeminent metal droners Floor, Torche does a fine job of displaying down-tuned guitar mastery, without falling into the “virtuoso du showingoff” category like so many metallic acts before them. Besides the perfect production of Meanderthal (and it’s irreverent title), the songwriting stands out as the strongest force on this album. Unlike many of the bands they’ve shared bills with like The Sword and Isis, their droning riffs seem to have evolved into something more. Where The Sword rips and dies, Torche rips and rises higher through differentiating song structure. And Meanderthal is their first time reaching the outer layer of stratosphere. Looking forward to see if they can make it through without burning up.

MEANDERTHAL

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KURT VILE – CONSTANT HITMAKER

Possibly the best song of the year, Kurt Vile’s “Freeway,” the first song on Constant Hitmaker, garnered a great deal of attention across the musical lands. Simple construction combined with interesting bedroom production, Vile crafts the brand of song that no matter what you do, your morning shower is doomed to a repetition in your mind. You try and try to think of something else, but each track’s infectious Guided By Voices-esque hook riddles your mind with unsuspecting joy. A floating puff of smoke, this album meanders along like a high. Carrying you to places you wouldn’t expect to land but also wouldn’t mind visiting for a while.

CONSTANT HITMAKER