happy valentimes

my scanner can't register colors for anything, so why bother? let's make things all greenish.

me too!

via skull theft

bleh

you know what, nevermind. i'm not going to list a bunch of decade stuff here. it's a lot of work and tiresome and annoying and i think i just want to listen to the stuff.

if you're really interested in what i would cram into my lists for some strange, possibly ghoulish reason, let me know. i'd be happy to share, really i would. i'm just tired of working my brain over it and trying to narrow things down, weighing merit, etc...

i need to actually post some actual things here.

"It's All Happening!"

2009: five

...and more things i liked.

Real Estate 7"s, CDR and EP

an astonishingly strong batch of straightforward back porch rock n roll tunes. the mixes / recording quality of the songs on the 7"s and tour CDR just feel more vital and alive than the versions found on the full-length. the Reality EP is a solid cap to a big year for a great band. really good live show too.

Modern Love (and related)

it has been fun following the Modern Love stable this year and catching up on some of the better things i've missed. Move D, MLZ, Claro Intelecto, Andy Stott, Pendle Coven, Millie & Andrea and HATE...a really, really strong lineup (just nevermind Demdike Stare). always tuneful, often very deep, and regularly bringing a warm (but never overbearing) sense of nostalgia. get familiar here.

Peaking Lights / Indra Dunis & Aaron Coyes / Good Style Shop

a great band made up of two great people who run a great store in the great city of madison. expect continued greatness in the near future. check them out here or here or track them down on facebook.

Ceephax

really got into Ceephax earlier this year. what Andy is doing right now is by and large more fun and more listenable than what his brother Tom (Squarepusher) is up to (although Numbers Lucent was quite good). looking forward to United Acid Emirates next year. visit him here.

Fripp & Eno

man are those albums good.

this scene from Dark Star:


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and i think that'll wrap things up for this year. if you have any thoughts or favorites you'd like to share please do.

i'll talk about the decade in a little while, i need to organize my thoughts a bit.

2009: four

here are a bunch of things i liked in general this past year.

everything Floating Points did

Floating Points is blending / hopping between elements of disco, hip-hop, dubstep, house and whatever else like nobody else working right now. after a year dense with quality releases on Planet µ, Eglo and R2, as well as some very nice remixes (Sebastien Tellier, Basement Jaxx), i almost hope this guy never releases a full length and just keeps making top shelf singles and EPs. check him out here or on facebook

everything Oneohtrix Point Never did

i got deep into everything OPN / Dan Lopatin related this year. Dan's collaborations with others were excellent (Infinity Window, Skyramps). his releases on tape were epic. and Rifts collected 3+ LPs worth of transcendental material spanning back to 2003, emptying the archives as it were and leaving things open wide for fresh changes in the future. not to mention a dvd full of stuff like this:

dan exists on the web here and his skull theft blog will mess with your brain.

tapes

there was just so much from so many labels, i kind of have to group it all together. releases from:

- Rene Hell / Secret Abuse / Marble Sky / Mare / Disfigure Mare
- Earn (probably my favorite artist working right now / favorite discovery of this year)
- Earth Station
- Color Dream
- Rale
- Infinite Body
- Terrors
- Bryter Layter
- Raglani
- Mark Lord
- Work/Death
- Flower Man
- Face Worker
- Exercise
- Treetops
(among others)

on labels like:

- Ekhein
- Young
- Arbor
- Callow God / Agents of Chaos
- Cavelife
- Monorail Trespassing
- Catholic
- Night People
(among others)

the scene is just swelling with new stuff all the time but i feel like i have my favorites and i know what i like. that is a nice feeling.

Andrew Broder's series of free releases

in the early part of the year Andy (best known for his work as / playing in Fog) released 10 (!) separate improv-based experiments. varying levels of noise and melody emerge from turntable muck, clouds of guitar pedal dust and tape loop exorcisms. they are still free to download here and you can not be a freeloader like me and paypal him some moneys here.

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stay tuned...

2009: three

happy holidays planet earth.

here are some more favorite releases.

Infinite Body - CMBCMEINAPTD (Teenage Teardrops)

Clues - Clues (Constellation)

ex-Unicorn Alden Penner and co. arrive to save us from the disaster that has become Islands. lanky and odd at times, thunderous at others, frequently compelling rock tunes.

Ghislain Poirier - Soca Sound System (Ninja Tune)

this sort of came out of nowhere. tried it on a whim and knocked my socks off. a searing blaze of dancehall styles grinding up against juke / ghettotech. knocks it out of the park. and i really dislike most dancehall.

Hudson Mohawke - Polyfolk Dance (Warp)

somehow leagues better than the god-awful tangle that is Butter despite being released in the same year. slick neon shining beats and punchy tunes. it's no wonder dude's being tapped for big-name production.

Secret Abuse - The Immeasurable Gift (Arbor)

Abe Vigoda - Reviver (Post Present Medium)

Rale - Whispering Gallery (Arbor)

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still more coming...