I really wanted to make a Top 10 albums of the year list. I considered all the full length albums i liked, got them organized, listened to them again… but then I realized that anyone who might care about what albums I liked this year almost certainly already knows. Here’s a summary:
My favorite album this year is undoubtedly Hawnay Troof’s “Islands of Ayle.” Every song is amazing and Vice is at the top of his form. It also comes with a CD of really great remixes. High Places self-titled full length is great positive music. Ratatat’s “LP3” is my favorite release by them, and sees them branching out. “mcchrisisdead” was definitely in constant play this past spring, and he really has excelled beyond the point of gimmick. The Ting Tings “We Started Nothing” is basically exactly what I want from a mainstream pop album, and reminded of Blondie in a good, non-ripoffish kinda way. RZA’s “Digi Snacks”, N.E.R.D.’s “Seeing Sounds”, CSS’s “Donkey”,POLYSICS “We Ate the Machine”, and The Kills “Midnight Bloom” probably round it out.
What I spent most of the year hyped about, however, was not the albums, but the smaller releases. The weird non-albums and blog hits that roared in 08. Here is my TOP 10 NON-ALBUMS OF 08 LIST:
10. Blogs
I really got into music blogs this year for the first time, probably because I tried blogging myself for the first time. A new post on 20 Jazz Funk Greats (http://www.20jazzfunkgreats.co.uk/wordpress/) is something I get very excited for. Most of my new favorites have come from posts on this blog, and it is visually perfect. Possibly the best looking website ever. Indispensable.
Much later in the year, Impose Magazine (http://www.imposemagazine.com/) found me. I received a strange MySpace message about being featured on their Bytes section, and wanting free publicity, I said yes. But I really started looking at their site, and the articles were 1. consistently good, 2. supported by consistently good photography, and 3. about music that I cared about. Impose is a good place to be.
9. School of Villainy [The Originals]- The Dead Science
So, in general, I am not a fan of The Dead Science. But this was good. They released this as a free-to-download, hip-hop style mixtape promotion thingy and it is much more accessible to me than any of their more “serious” work. I guess they are huge hip-hop fans, and it genuinely shows. Put on your gasoline boots and walk through hell indeed.
8. (untitled 7”-split)- Dan Deacon, Future Islands
I saw Future Islands this summer and for my money, this is their best song, and their only recording that holds up to their great live show. The Dan Deacon side is insane. Like, way crazier than Spiderman of the Rings. Very cool split.
7. Shred Yr Face 7”- Los Campesinos, No Age, Times New Viking
Impose had a link to a download of this pretty rare, summer tour EP. “Death To Los Campesinos! [Napoleon III Remix]” is a great pop song, “Revolving Credit For Kitty” (No Age) is a good noise jam, and “Anything Could Happen” (TNV) is a great lo-fi reconciliation of both. Great EP!
6. ZOCK ON!- Teriyaki Boyz featuring Pharell & Busta Rhymes
Are you kidding me?! This song is ridiculous and amazing and crazy and mental and everything. I already liked all involved parties and got pretty hyped when I found out this single was dropping the week I was in Japan!! The song itself is great. If you don’t know, the Teriyaki Boyz is something of a super-group foursome (is there a new member?) of Japanese rappers (most notably featuring Nigo and Verbal). Busta Rhymes has this great legacy of playfulness that helps his first verse really sell the song. The beat is tight, Pharell tries his hand at some Japanese lyrics (and doesn’t butcher them) and all is well. My favorite CD I bought in Japan. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqJUCTVNbwM
5. The End of Irony Sneak Peek- Captain Ahab
This CD-R was sent out with the second Captain Ahab Fan Club package and it is utterly stunning. 38 tracks between 7 seconds and 2 minutes 45 seconds long. They run the gambit from white noise to looped pop song samples to synth lines to everything else. Tracks 5, 10 15, 16, 22, and 25 all jump out. Also good from Captain Ahab this year “The Power of HEALTH” remix they did that mashed themselves, Foot Village and HEALTH into something amazing; and the widespread internet release of their older tour Eps.
4. (untitled cassette split)- Pens, Graffiti Island, Male Bonding
This self-released cassette from the UK is Herculean in a DIY, lo-fi kinda way. Graffiti Island is the obvious star of this 2-two-songs-each release, but the others are great as well. “Demon Cat” is hot. 666 lives. Brilliant.
3. Clubtraxxx 7”- Foot Village (B-Side remix by Anavan)
Clubtraxxx I-III is probably the thing from Foot Village that I have gotten into the most. The remix on the B-Side (of “Crow Call”) is my next favorite. I love this so much. The album art is crazy, the tracks are great, it’s numbered, its cheap, its currently available, and it comes with a button. There is no reason not to get this. There is no reason not to love this.
2. EU Tour EP- Caldera Lakes
Caldera Lakes is an amazing noise duo that has brought emotion and breadth of scope to the genre in a way that is so much more tremendous than anything else. This 4 track EP is so great and big and beautiful. The first song I heard from Caldera Lakes was on 20JFG and it is called “Did You Expect The Gods To Tread Lightly When They Came Among You.” I think that song title perfectly sums up the feeling of this music. Why this release out of CL’s handful this year? Because everything else sold out instantly! I want those tapes!!!!!
1. Live in Nurnburg- Vice Cooler
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=6547994&blogID=348481860&Mytoken=C31C96ED-4079-420C-81CD62F6050B2EED79588328 Download it NOW! It is still free and it is the most fun DJ set ever! This came out in January and it was a long time before anything took my attention away from it. Super fun, very exciting, ultimate party. Also from Hawnay Troof was RMX 2008 and Remix Projection. This was the year of VICE COOLER!
What am I looking forward to in 2009? Puppy Dog will have a release on DBA that I can’t wait for. I think the recordings at http://www.myspace.com/killpuppydog are going to be on the release (a cassette, i think). Captain Ahab’s “The End of Irony” WILL AMAZE. Foot Village has a new full length “Anti-Magic” coming soon. Matt & Kim have a full legth coming out at the end of January that promises great things based on the early single “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare”. I have no idea what else is coming, but I can tell 2009 will be amazing.
