19 January 2014

Administrator

Albums and Singles

cover image Much of legendary composer Asmus Tietchens' recent work has been in the form of collaborations, with other like minded artists such as Richard Chartier and Dieter Moebius, with a few solo works coming out amidst the sprawling reissue campaign on Die Stadt. Fast ohne Titel, Korrosion is one of those few new and solo works, and it just reinforces that even so far into his career, Tietchens‚Äô is no less important, and his sly sense of humor is never far behind.

Black Rose Recordings

The most obvious manifestation of humor on here is in the titles of each piece, all of which feature the phrase "Ernste Musik" ("Serious Music"), a nice shot at the overly serious world of electro-acoustic sound art.This levity is extended to the music, too:the bent, wobbly pitches of "Besonders Ernste Musik" ("Particularly Serious Music") have a distinctly light hearted feel to them, and "Keine Ernste Musik" ("No Serious Music") also heavily utilizes a motif that sounds like a carnival organ early on.

Additionally, "Eingeschr√§nkt Ernste Musik" ("Limited Serious Music") has a slightly jaunty feel to it, but the dissonant, crackly electronics are shaped into a pseudo-rhythm that almost seems like his old Sky Records releases updated for the glitch scene."Kaum Noch Ernste Musik" ("Hardly Yet Serious Music") features prominent rhythmic passages that sometimes resemble heavily mutated drum and bass loops.Rhythmic Tietchens is usually my favorite Tietchens, and this is no different, but it does go on for a bit too long.

It is not all levity and rhythms here, however, and he contributes just as much minimalist and austere work that a serious composer in this field should."Ernste Musik" is based heavily on what could be vibrating air duct heavily amplified, with shrill, sharp stabs of noise that results in a piece that does sound quite serious."Sehr Ernste Musik" ("Very Serious Music") follows suit as far as the mood goes, with low end sweeps of noise like a fragmented radar beacon in frigid arctic air, and even the slightly lighter tones that appear near the end are suppressed by dark growls of noise.

It is Asmus Tietchens' sense of humor that solidifies the brilliance of Fast ohne Titel, Korrosion.The closing piece, "Im Ernst (F√ºr H.K.)" ("Seriously?") lets everything go, with silly processing of recorded strings, stuck vinyl loops, captured conversations and laughter that is entirely jovial, in a field where such things are usually forbidden.I am always glad to hear Tietchens working in something more rhythmic, as his synth pop sounds on Sky and his industrial works on Discos Esplendor Geometrico are personal favorites, so hearing that side of him was refreshing.For the times he chooses to be serious, he constructs bleak and dark electronic sounds with the best of them, yet it is hard to listen to the academic sounding works without picturing him holding back a grin the whole time.

samples:

¬†

11 January 2014

Administrator

Albums and Singles

PROTECTION - 10 INCH EP Pre-orders are now available for the limited edition debut vinyl 10" EP from PROTECTION, a new synth duo featuring long-time Brainwashed contributor Daniel McKernan and bandmate Sam Houston, based between New York and New Orleans. Their debut EP features Little Annie on vocals for the track, "Jack/Rabbit," which is also included remixed by Bruno Coviello (formerly of Light Asylum). This is limited to 250 copies and will be shipping in spring 2014 from Daniel's new label, Formlessness Press.

Pre-order it now here.

A note on the cover artwork of the EP: this is a manipulated photograph taken by Daniel McKernan of the tomb of Marie Laveau, the VooDoo Queen of New Orleans, in 2010 at St. Louis Cemetery #1. The photo series was sent to Peter Christopherson, who had replied: "As luck/fate/whatever would have it I have been looking for some images that relate to New Orleans, death, and magick, for a possible US cd release combining Coil's New Backwards with the demo version we produced at Trent Reznor's Studio way back in the 90s... Would you mind if I incorporated them into the cd wallet design?" Sadly this did not come to fruition, but one of the photos is now featured on the cover of the debut PROTECTION EP. Marie Laveau's tomb continues to attract visitors who pilgrimage to draw three x's (XXX) on its side, in the hopes that her spirit will grant them a wish.

The EP was written & recorded by Daniel McKernan & Sam Houston in New York & New Orleans, 2011-2013. Mix/mastered by Bruno Coviello. "I Worry If You're Warm" also features Christiana Key (Zola Jesus, Cult of Youth, Delphic Oracle) on violin. Hear a few of the tracks (including Brother Bruno Coviello's remix of the Little Annie vocal track) here and here.

07 January 2014

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Album of the Year

Tim Hecker, "Virgins" (Kranky)

Everything that I loved about Hecker's past work is present yet again, but it is now mingled with some wonderfully unexpected violence and dissonance. This is Tim Hecker's masterpiece. - Anthony D'Amico

Cool album, but this is actually one of my least favorite Tim Hecker recordings. Not that it doesn't belong here. It's exciting to see him branch out and toy with his sound, but something just didn't click for me. I did listen to it an awful lot though. - Lucas Schleicher

Ravedeath, 1972 is still my favorite release from Hecker, but with each successful listen of Virgins, it makes a hard sell for that spot. Everything is crisp, clear, and perfectly conveyed, and it's good that way, because it's all terrifying. Everything Tim Hecker wants to say he says. As far as statements go, no one made a more powerful one this year. - Adam Devlin

There's something magical about an album you can play for a friend—who knows nothing about the artist and little about the genre—and they are taken aback, stopped in their tracks, and immediately latches on. - Jon Whitney
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Push the Sky Away" (Kobalt)

I had only bought this out of habit and, expecting another lackluster Bad Seeds album, I was delighted to hear Cave back on form. This has fast become one of my favourite Bad Seeds albums, not just one that is better than recent albums. Cave's soundtrack work with Warren Ellis has led to a more subtle and nuanced than anything the Bad Seeds have done before. - John Kealy

Definitely one of Nick's better works in recent years, but even after a few spins I do not feel as if it has fully clicked for me. Not a bad record by any means, but one I think I have to revisit a few more times to see what I think of it. - Creaig Dunton

Nick works very well when he makes something concise, direct, to-the-point, and incorporates enough variety. Having catchy tunes that linger on after the album always helps too. - Jon Whitney
Boards of Canada, "Tomorrow's Harvest" (Warp)

People keep telling me that this is great, but I refuse to believe them. -Anthony D'Amico

It's less of a reinvention than The Campfire Headphase but still a welcome return for a band that should take fewer long breaks between albums. - Matt Jeanes

Didn't Emeralds split up? It's obvious who bought their gear. - Jon Whitney

Bored of Canada is more like it. Actually, that's not true. I still listen to their music from time to time, but in a year when lots of artists branched out and, for better or worse, tried new things, Tomorrow's Harvest sounded remarkably like the Boards of Canada I already know. - Lucas Schleicher

Boards of Canada got a lot of criticism not for their delay in releasing this but in their total retcon of whatever progress they had made on The Campfire Headphase. In comparison, this is solid material, but it's so generically "their sound" as to be kind of extraneous. There's still a good number of songs to add to the canon ("Jacquard Causeway," "Palace Posy," "Nothing Is Real," "New Seeds") although none of the shorter pieces really make an impression. -Adam Devlin
The Haxan Cloak, "Excavation" (TriAngle)

"Consumed" is one of the best openings to an album ever. -Anthony D'Amico
Autechre, "Exai" (Warp)

Brown and Booth's best record since Confield, and high in the running for one of their best records period. I fell in love with these guys when I was a teenager, and they're still one of the most exciting bands going 15 years later. Lots of beautiful melodies on this one; plenty of heavy, bizarre rhythms, and some dense passages too. A spectacular marriage of Autechre's best and most puzzling qualities. - Lucas Schleicher

I really have enjoyed how more recent Autechre (since Oversteps) have drifted back into more rhythmic/melodic territory rather than the generative rut they were in for awhile, where things were more interesting than enjoyable. A bit on the bloated side at two discs, but completely worth it. - Creaig Dunton

This is by far the best thing they've done in years, and the L-Event EP was a nice cherry on top. I'm still holding out for them to do some revolutionary foley work, however. -Adam Devlin
My Bloody Valentine, "m b v" (self-released)

I desperately wanted this to be a worthy successor to Loveless but given the time it has taken to come to light, it was not that surprising when it was a bit disappointing. There are some great songs that would have been even greater had they come out in 1994 or so but there is also a sizeable chunk of filler that could have been left on the shelf. - John Kealy

I've listened to this like ten times and can barely remember anything about it. I recognize that there is absolutely no way this album could have met the insanely high expectations that everyone had for it, but some more hooks and surprises would have been nice. -Anthony D'Amico

Never made it through the entire album in one go and I don't feel like I'm missing much. The myth of MBV's greatness is so much greater than the reality. - Lucas Schleicher

Top 10? Please! There's only 3 actual songs on this album and a bunch of useless filler. - Jon Whitney

I would not have necessarily called this a full disappointment, but it didn't rock my world as much as I would have hoped either. I think everyone who sat with Loveless and Isn't Anything for so many years would have probably felt the same way, since nothing new can recreate the experiences we all had listening to those albums, beyond just the music. Probably like those Star Wars geeks feel on a regular basis. - Creaig Dunton

Since I wasn't privy to the Loveless experience the first time around, my joy for this album was felt differently than how I think a lot of people experienced it. There's definitely some non-essential material, but I still can't help enjoying this and playing it over and over again. No one makes that guitar sound so genuine, so wanting to please like Shields, and it's impactful in a way that few records this year were. - Adam Devlin
Grouper, "The Man Who Died in His Boat" (Kranky)

I took me ages to fully warm to Liz Harris' slow-motion, reverb-drenched vision, but I think I have finally come around. "Living Room" is a heartbreaking beautiful song. -Anthony D'Amico
The Legendary Pink Dots, "The Gethsemane Option" (Metropolis)

I am pleased that LPD had a high-profile release this year and that people were excited about it, but I can easily think of at least three recent LPD-related albums that are significantly better than this one. - Anthony D'Amico
Wire, "Change Becomes Us" (Pink Flag)

Mixed feelings on this one. I have never truly disliked anything Wire has done, but I do miss the more dissonant elements that have been glossed over with more of a pop sheen as of late. Plus, considering that most of these are reworks of songs from Document and Eyewitness, it is harder to wrap my head around reinterpretations of songs I've been listening to for many years. - Creaig Dunton
Matmos, "The Marriage of True Minds" (Thrill Jockey)

One of my favorite albums of this year for sure and definitely the most fun album to review ever. - John Kealy

No one was happier in the studio this year than Matmos. - Adam Devlin
Locrian, "Return to Annihilation" (Relapse)

I've been following these guys since their earliest works, and here everything seemed to gel perfectly. Difficult and abrasive at times, but still managing to put together memorable, catchy pieces that make for actual songs. - Creaig Dunton
Barn Owl, "V" (Thrill Jockey)
Julia Holter, "Loud City Song" (Domino)

Glad to see Julia Holter high on the list. She's a great songwriter and a great performer. I disliked Ekstasis, but this record is much, much different. Like some of my favorite bands, her sound seems to change from project to project, which means I'll always want to hear what she's doing next. - Lucas Schleicher
Broadcast, "Berberian Sound Studio" (Warp)

This is far more "soundtrack" than album. There's some interesting interludes and BBC Radiophonic throwback sound effects, which are inextricable from the film's subject matter. It's not really a Broadcast release; it's barely an album to speak of. -Adam Devlin
The Legendary Pink Dots, "Code Noir" (Beta-Lactam Ring)

I'm stunned at the amount of GREAT albums the dots have presented this year. - Jon Whitney
Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke and Keiji Haino, "Now While It's Still Warm Let Us Pour in All the Mystery" (Black Truffle)

A storming album. This trio can do no wrong. - John Kealy
Chelsea Wolfe, "Pain is Beauty" (Sargent House)
William Basinski, "Nocturnes" (2062)

When I saw Basinski live this year, he augmented the wonderful title piece with one or two similarly great non-album works in the same vein. And he did not play the very dull "The Trail of Tears." Why couldn't he have done that with the actual album? -Anthony D'Amico
Bill Callahan, "Dream River" (Drag City)

One of a handful of rock records that caught my fancy this year, and the only one with a flute. A River Ain't Too Much to Love was the last time Callahan had my attention. He picked it up again this year mostly because he hopped off the country caravan and started toying with other sounds. Melancholy Bill sounds best that way, when his sound isn't confined by genre. - Lucas Schleicher
Tropic of Cancer, "Restless Idyll" (Blackest Ever Black)

This was a bit too gloomy and mumbly for me, but "Hardest Day" and "Children of a Lesser God" could easily pass for lost gems from 4AD's early years. -Anthony D'Amico

I love 4AD and The Cure too, but we don't need another tribute band for either. - Lucas Schleicher
Mika Vainio, "Kilo" (Blast First Petite)

I excitedly bought this as soon as it came out, but then thought it was too plodding and forgettable to listen to a second time. I guess I should consider giving it a second chance, but I am not optimistic. -Anthony D'Amico
Pan American, "Cloud Room, Glass Room" (Kranky)

Quietly, humbly beautiful. An underappreciated release from this year. -Adam Devlin
Wolf Eyes, "No Answer: Lower Floors" (De Stijl)

"Choking Flies" and "Confessions of the Informer" were great, but the rest of the album was a definite mixed bag and "Warning Sign" is unlistenable. -Anthony D'Amico
Low, "The Invisible Way" (Sub Pop)

On the surface, The Invisible Way seemed a little lightweight for a Low album but the more I dug into it, the more I came to love it. "Just Make It Stop" has been rattling around my head for months but I just want it to keep going. - John Kealy

This is the Low-iest Low record in a long time. Simple arrangements, lovely harmonies, and words that repeat helped to define Low's early sound and all of that works here as well as it ever did. - Matt Jeanes

At this point Low has nothing to prove to me. I'll keep buying their records as long as they're willing to make them, if for no other reason than to hear Mimi sing. The problem withThe Invisible Way is that it doesn't congeal until about the time it's over. Several great songs here, there just isn't a coherent album running between them. - Lucas Schleicher

I enjoy the approach: it's been 17 years since Curtain Hits The Cast and it's the first album since that has held to the formula that established them in the first place: one person per instrument. It's only piano, drums, and guitar this time around, but it works amazingly well and the songs are still top-notch. - Jon Whitney
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld, "Still Smiling" (Specula)
Colin Stetson, "New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light" (Constellation)
The Knife, "Shaking the Habitual" (Mute)

Yawn. They didn't even make an effort. Just turn a drum machine on and leave the room for about 10 minutes. Where are the damn hooks this time? Where are the fucking songs you jerks? What a lazy-ass piece of rubbish. - Jon Whitney

I'm so sick of hearing "Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realized" every time I turn on the radio. -Adam Devlin
Lustmord, "The Word As Power" (Blackest Ever Black)
Mazzy Star, "Seasons of Your Day" (Rhymes Of An Hour)

This album leaves me breathless. Seriously. - Jon Whitney
The Legendary Pink Dots, "The Curse of Marie Antoinette" (Rustblade)

"Ghost of a Summer to Come" is definitely one of my favorite songs of the year, but the whole second half of this album is fairly spectacular. -Anthony D'Amico
Forest Swords, "Engravings" (TriAngle)
Rashad Becker, "Traditional Music of Notional Species, Vol. I" (PAN)

Brilliantly, boldly otherworldly from start to finish. -Anthony D'Amico
Prurient, "Through the Window" (Blackest Ever Black)

Prurient for people who do not like Prurient. And dance music for people who haven't heard much dance music. This was a bad idea on every level. -Anthony D'Amico

Vatican Shadow was worse. Can we get off this techno/noise kick and just reissue Pleasure Ground instead? Nobody does it very well anyway. - Lucas Schleicher
Body/Head, "Coming Apart" (Matador)

These songs made me uncomfortable. -Anthony D'Amico

Kim Gordon makes leaving Sonic Youth seem like no big deal and releases Coming Apart with Bill Nace. If you can get your hands on a copy of their self-titled Open Mouth EP, do it: that one's just as good. - Lucas Schleicher
Julia Kent, "Character" (Leaf)
Mogwai , "Les Revenants Soundtrack" (Rock Action)

It's Mogwai writing music for a TV show based on one of the most inventive films about the undead in the last decade. What's not to love? - Matt Jeanes
Wrekmeister Harmonies, "You've Always Meant So Much To Me" (Thrill Jockey)

This completely floored me. The surprise of the year. -Anthony D'Amico

I have more than one friend who did not listen to this all the way through, and missed out on one of the best metal albums of the year. -Adam Devlin
Dirty Beaches, "Drifters/Love Is the Devil" (Zoo Music)

I've been playing the hell out of "Night Walk." -Anthony D'Amico
Master Musicians of Bukkake, "Far West" (Important)

Fantastic as usual, and best heard start from finish. -Adam Devlin
Oneohtrix Point Never, "R Plus Seven" (Warp)

Wow- Daniel Lopatin has finally made the transition from wildly overrated to somewhat under-appreciated. I liked this, but I don't think I will ever fully warm to Oneohtrix's more choppy, blurting tendencies. -Anthony D'Amico

This is my favorite album of the year. As someone who thought early praise for Daniel Lopatin's synth loops was a little undercooked, this completely floored me. It was succinct while saying a lot, and familiar in timbre while being so utterly new in every aspect. Replica and R Plus Seven are on permanent repeat on all media, forever. -Adam Devlin
The Dead C, "Armed Courage" (Ba Da Bing!)

This was a glorious mess. -Anthony D'Amico
Daniel Menche, "Marriage of Metals" (Editions Mego)
Main, "Ablation" (Editions Mego)

Main was one of the first forays I had into avant garde music as a teenager, so I will always have a soft spot for Robert Hampson's work. Even with that aside, Ablation feels like a Main album should. Not entirely removed from his recent solo works, but still retaining a signature, unique sound. - Creaig Dunton
These New Puritans, "Field of Reeds" (Infectious)
Factory Floor, "Factory Floor" (DFA)

So much hype around this one but I'm left BEGGING for some good hooks. It's all so empty to me. I kept waiting for the music to start. - Jon Whitney
Föllakzoid, "II" (Sacred Bones)
Laurel Halo, "Chance of Rain" (Hyperdub)

Grew on me more than I thought it would. I still miss the vocal nuances of Quarantine but this is superb, and outdoes most of her strictly instrumental work so far. -Adam Devlin
Boduf Songs, "Burnt Up On Re-Entry" (Southern)

A surprising but satisfying release from Mat Sweet. Despite the gloss of accessibility, this will never set the charts on fire but it is another solid reminder of how great Boduf Songs are. - John Kealy

I almost completely forgot about this. "Everyone Will Let You Down In The End" is so harrowing. -Adam Devlin

Shame on you Brainwashed readers for not putting this in the Top 10. SHAME ON YOU ALL. - Jon Whitney
Phill Niblock, "Touch Five" (Touch)

If this was the first disc alone, it would be a masterpiece but as it stands, Touch Five is too bloated for me. It might seem perverse to give out about excess on a Niblock release but did the world really need three versions of "Two Lips"? - John Kealy

Excessive, yes. However, I've come to expect that sort of thing from Niblock, and the first disc is essential. The second, with the three versions of "Two Lips" is more conceptually interesting than compelling. - Creaig Dunton
Implodes, "Recurring Dream" (Kranky)

Uneven album, but I love "Zombie Regrets." -Anthony D'Amico
Ensemble Pearl, "Ensemble Pearl" (Drag City)
Emptyset, "Recur" (Raster-Noton)
Julianna Barwick, "Nepenthe" (Dead Oceans)
Pere Ubu, "lady From Shangai" (Fire Records)
Benoit Pioulard, "Hymnal" (Kranky)

Some of the saddest and most beautiful pop of the year. -Adam Devlin
Vatican Shadow, "Remember Your Black Day" (Hospital)

I like Vatican Shadow a lot, but most of these songs were on the dull side. One of Shadow's most anticipated, yet least essential releases. -Anthony D'Amico

Fernow still could do with an editor, but I at least felt for the most part this felt like an album, just not maybe a definitive one. - Creaig Dunton
Chris Watson, "In St. Cuthbert's Time" (Touch)
Mohammad, "Son Sakrifis" (PAN)
Steve Gunn, "Time Off" (Paradise of Bachelors)

Kurt Vile and Gunn both put out monsters this year. Every song is solid, including the instrumental, and the excellent rendition of "The Lurker," whose 20-minute version won my heart back on that Three Lobed comp from 2011. -Adam Devlin
Noveller, "No Dreams" (important)

"No Dreams" is yet another strong candidate for the single best song of the year. -Anthony D'Amico
Cindytalk, "A Life Is Everywhere" (Editions Mego)
The Necks, "Open" (Northern Spy)
CoH, "Retro 2038" (Editions Mego)

The only Giorgio Moroder-inspired record you needed this year. Catchy, playful, reverent, and inventive all at once. - Lucas Schleicher
Jesu, "Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came" (Avalanche)

The opening "Homesick" was lovely, even if it was simplistic and followed the Jesu template to the letter. The rest of the album seemed to slowly slide after that, however. Better than Ascension, but the EP releases are still where it's at. - Creaig Dunton

I keep thinking "this deserves another listen" and then I lose interest after "Homesick". -Adam Devlin

What they said. - Jon Whitney
Bardo Pond, "Peace on Venus" (Fire)
Jasper TX, "An Index of Failure" (Handmade Birds)
Svarte Greiner, "Black Tie" (Miasmah)
Fire! Orchestra , "Exit!" (Rune Grammofon)

The best jazz release of 2013. Both sides are unique and monolithic. -Adam Devlin
*AR, "Succession" (Corbel Stone Press)

"Relics" is 12:48 of pure heaven. -Anthony D'Amico
Mountains, "Centralia" (Thrill Jockey)
Roly Porter, "Life Cycle of a Massive Star" (Subtext)
Bill Orcutt, "A History of Every One" (Editions Mego)
Ryoji Ikeda, "Supercodex" (Raster-Noton)
Black Boned Angel, "The End" (Handmade Birds)
Date Palms, "The Dusted Sessions" (Thrill Jockey)
Jacob Kirkegaard, "Conversions" (Touch)
Matana Roberts, "Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile" (Constellation)

Another great jazz record from this year, but not nearly as powerful as Chapter 1. The operatic tinges of Jeremiah Abiah are an interesting contribution. There's nothing superbly memorable like "Bid Em In" here, but rather an irresolute, finicky song cycle of moods that are occasionally very moving. -Adam Devlin
Zola Jesus and JG Thirlwell, "Version" (Sacred Bones)

This was much less compelling than it could have been. Some of the arrangements were cool, but this collaboration was far less than the sum of its parts. -Anthony D'Amico

I think I would have appreciated this far more if it was a re-invention of the songs along with the string arrangement. I would have liked to have heard more Thirlwell to be honest, if he's going to get equal billing.
Pharmakon, "Abandon" (Sacred Bones)

Hooked from the first ten seconds. So shrill and undeniable. -Adam Devlin
Pet Shop Boys, "Electric" (x2)

Hot. - Jon Whitney
Aidan Baker, "Already Drowning" (Gizeh)
The Legendary Pink Dots, "Taos Hum" (Trademark of Quantity)

You guys don't have to release every single thing you record, you know. -Anthony D'Amico
Demdike Stare , "The Weight of Culture" (No Label )
Hacker Farm , "UHF" (Exotic Pylon)
The Stranger, "Watching Dead Empires In Decay" (Modern Love)
William Tyler, "Impossible Truth" (Merge)
Gabriel Saloman, "Soldier's Requiem" (Miasmah)
Wooden Wand, "Blood Oaths of the New Blues" (Fire)
Paul Jebanasam, "Rites" (Subtext)
Colleen, "The Weighing of the Heart" (Second Language)

I am thrilled that Colleen has resurfaced, albeit sounding quite a bit different. -Anthony D'Amico
Matt Elliott, "Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart" (Ici d'ailleurs)
Basic House, "Oats" (Alter)
Jenny Hval, "Innocence is Kinky" (Rune Grammofon)

One of the better surprises of the year that wasn't a reunion tour or comeback album. Every concurrent listen reveals new things to love, both about Hval's voice and the character she exudes on these songs. -Adam Devlin
Bruce Gilbert & BAW, "Diluvial" (Touch)

It might not have the intensity of In Esse or the complexity of Gilbert's 1980s output, but Gilbert still knows how to make a great racket. - Creaig Dunton

Bruce Gilbert and BAW did an awesome job combining INA-GRM style noise with threads of melody, ambient music, and field recordings. A very interesting and hard-to-pin-down album. - Lucas Schleicher
Daniel Menche, "Vilke" (Sige)

I would have ranked this one higher than Marriage of Metals both because of its more idiosyncratic construction (using the cries and howls of wolves), but also its much more beautiful presentation. Both of these albums are great Menche works, but this is the top one in my opinion. - Creaig Dunton
Duane Pitre, "Bridges" (Important)
Glenn Jones, "My Garden State" (Thrill Jockey)

Glenn Jones deserves a much higher spot than 97, especially given how beautiful this album is. My Garden State is an absolute jewel, if you have not heard this then rectify that situation now! - John Kealy

I can not praise this enough. Have you listened to this yet? Brew some coffee, grab a chair. Sit down and listen to it. -Adam Devlin

This is in my personal top 10 of the year. - Jon Whitney
Kaboom Karavan, "Hokus Fokus" (Miasmah)

Endearingly, wonderfully deranged. -Anthony D'Amico
The Silverman, "Finisterre" (Trademark of Quantity)

"Spring" is absolutely brilliant. This should have placed much higher. -Anthony D'Amico
Little Annie & Baby Dee, "State of Grace" (Tin Angel)

Single of the Year

Carter Tutti, "Coolicon" (Conspiracy International)

Stunning. - John Kealy

I wish more bands would release singles and EPs, as there were so many great songs buried on so many not-great albums this year. There's no shame in releasing just one stand-alone stone-cold banger (like this one). - Anthony D'Amico

Chris & Cosey (sorry, but Carter Tutti sounds like a law firm) excel when they are working in their own sandbox. Their collaborative works lately have been good but as a duo they have an incredible track record of excellence. This is no exception. - Jon Whitney
Demdike Stare, "Testpressings 4" (self-released)
Autechre, "L-Event" (Warp)

This might be the first Autechre single/EP in a while that isn't secretly another album, but with Exai's double disc-ness, it is acceptable. A bit more flat in comparison to the album, but still some great rhythms to be had. - Creaig Dunton

Did you voters even listen to this? - Jon Whitney
Burial, "Rival Dealer" (Hyperdub)

"Ashtray Wasp" is still my favorite of his longer pieces, but this pleasantly subverted a lot of his past crutches to his credit. -Adam Devlin
Helm, "Silencer" (PAN/Alter)

Alter is rapidly becoming one of my favorite labels around–Luke Younger has excellent taste. Also, Helm is reliably great. -Anthony D'Amico

Yes! One of my favorites this year. Who needs Vatican Shadow when Luke Younger is around? He absolutely kills it on this record. - Lucas Schleicher
Vatican Shadow, "When You Are Crawling" (Hospital)

This made Remember Your Black Day completely obsolete, as it reprises its two best songs and gets rid of everything else. Redundant? Sure! Necessary? Hell no! However, as a stand-alone release, Crawling is easily one of Vatican Shadow's strongest efforts to date. -Anthony D'Amico
Pete Swanson, "Punk Authority" (Software)

Pete Swanson seems to reliably deliver one song each year that tears my head off. "Punk Authority" was this year's. -Anthony D'Amico
Miles, "Unsecured" (Modern Love)

Heavy, banging, sharp-edged, no-frills techno of the best kind. - Lucas Schleicher
Cut Hands, "Damballah 58" (Blackest Ever Black)
Nurse With Wound/Graham Bowers, "Diploid" (Red Wharf)

I find it odd that the bonus disc from Parade makes the singles chart but no sign of Parade itself on the albums chart. No NWW at all for that matter. What happened? - John Kealy

I thought Parade was a totally unhinged, tuba-powered nightmare of an album, but this less manic companion EP is much less likely to cause an instant headache. I can see why people preferred it, though the actual album is probably stronger artistically. -Anthony D'Amico
Pye Corner Audio, "Conical Space" (Dekorder)
Lee Noble, "Ruiner" (Bathetic)
Khan Of Finland, "Thin White Sinner" (I'm Single)
Boduf Songs/Jessica Bailiff, "Decapitation Blues / Lakeside Blues" (Morc)
Edward Ka-Spel, "The Patriot" (Unlimited Drift)
Moin, "EP" (Blackest Ever Black)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Needle Boy" (Kobalt)
John Foxx and the Belbury Circle, "Empty Avenues" (Ghost Box)

Ghost Box can do no wrong in my mind. -Adam Devlin
Low, "The Visible End" (Sub Pop)
Pye Corner Audio, "Superstitious Century" (Boomkat)
Al Cisneros, "Ark Procession" (Drag City)

This along with Teresa of Avila show that Cisneros's obsession with dub has not diminished but I cannot help but feel that these are unfinished demos for a new Om album. Fingers crossed we will see such a thing by the end of 2014. - John Kealy

I refuse to listen to this until Cisneros issues a formal apology for the Om dubplates. -Anthony D'Amico
The Fall, "The Remainderer" (Cherry Red)
The Bug, "Filthy" (Ninja Tune)
Al Cisneros, "Teresa Of Avila" (Sinai)
Pale Sketcher, "Warm Sunday" (Avalanche)

Live album/vault recording/reissue (or otherwise not really a "new full-length album")

Swans, "Not Here/Not Now" (Young God)

Another prime reason to love Swans. Counting down to the new studio release! - John Kealy

No physical medium can truly capture what a Swans performance is like, but these recent ones at least make a valiant effort, and are excellent companions to the studio work given how much the songs have evolved. - Creaig Dunton

Every live document is worthwhile from Swans, and every live document reminds me about how much I enjoy being in the moment. Once again this document comes with the bonuses of new sketchwork to whet our appetite for what's to come. - Jon Whitney
Grouper, "Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill" (Kranky)
Edward Artemiev, "Solaris Original Soundtrack" (Mirumir)
Natural Snow Buildings / Isengrind / Twinsistermoon, "The Snowbringer Cult" (Ba Da Bing!)

This is one of the most essential releases in Solange and Mehdi's daunting oeuvre. It's damn nice to have it back in print again. The Natural Snow Buildings' disc is especially wonderful. -Anthony D'Amico

Oh, wow. This destroyed me for a month. Whether you like the droning long sound collage, the short experiments, the lo-fi folk songs, whatever; this is such a magnificent set of material. I would recommend starting here if you're not sure where to dive into NSB's dense catalog. -Adam Devlin
Songs:Ohia, "The Magnolia Electric Co." (Secretly Canadian)

I listened to this more than anything else this year. It's the best rock 'n' roll album recorded since I was born, no doubt about it. Having all the demos and "The Big Game Is Every Night" in one place makes this the re-issue of the year. - Lucas Schleicher

Very few albums can continue to make the same impact they made when you first heard them over 10 years ago. This album continues to be one of the select few and the reissue package is more than generous. - Jon Whitney
Bernard Parmegiani, "De Natura Sonorum" (Recollection GRM)

When Bernard Parmegiani passed away in November, the world lost a giant of electronic music. This reissue of his masterpiece came as an unfortunately timely reminder of the power, inventiveness and beauty of his work. He will be sorely missed. - John Kealy

I really need to catch up all the great Recollection GRM reissues that I missed from last year, especially this one. -Anthony D'Amico
Iannis Xenakis, "GRM Works 1957-1962" (Recollection GRM)

The recording of "Bohor" on here absolutely knocks my socks off. A brilliant side-long piece of music that I never would have heard if it weren't for Recollection's efforts. - Lucas Schleicher
Edward Artemiev, "Stalker/The Mirror - Music From Andrey Tarkovsky's Motion Pictures" (Mirumir)
Four Tet, "Rounds" (Domino)
Chrome, "Half Machine from the Sun" (self-released)
Godflesh, "Hymns" (The End)

This was always my least favorite Godflesh album, and this new expanded/remastered version hasn't moved it out of that slot. However, Broadrick's remastering helps quite a bit to take it out of its unfortunate nu-metal production, and that demo version of "Anthem" is as brilliant as it was when it was released online a decade ago. - Creaig Dunton
Sandwell District, "Fabric 69" (Fabric)
Edward Ka-Spel, "A Pleasure Cruise Through 9 Dimensions" (Trademark of Quantity)
The Legendary Pink Dots, "9 Lives to Wonder redux" (Trademark of Quantity)
Grails, "Black Tar Prophecies Vol. 4, 5 & 6" (Temporary Residence)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "Live from KCRW" (Bad Seed Ltd.)
Come, "Eleven:Eleven" (Matador)
Peter Jeffries, "The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World" (De Stijl)
The Legendary Pink Dots, "Seconds Late for the Brighton Line redux" (Trademark of Quantity)
Alastair Galbraith, "Cry" (MIE)
Roky Erickson, "The Evil One" (Light in the Attic)
The Legendary Pink Dots, "From Here You'll Watch the World Go By redux" (Trademark of Quantity)
Devo, "Hardcore" (Superior Viaduct)
Drexciya, "Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller IV" (Clone Classic Cuts )
Horseback, "A Plague of Knowing" (Relapse)

Three discs of singles, limited tape releases, and outtakes means some bloat and excess, but when Jenks Miller drifts out of that southern black metal drone sound on here, it works really well for being out of his comfort zone. - Creaig Dunton
Robert Wyatt, "68" (Cuneiform)
Dead Can Dance, "In Concert" (Play It Again Sam)
Eliane Radigue, "Opus 17" (Alga Marghen)
Ensemble Economique, "The Vastness Is Bearable Only Through Love" (Shelter Press)
M. Geddes Gengras, "Collected Works Vol. 1: The Moog Years" (Umor Rex)

Meditative gold. -Adam Devlin

Everyone can stop making synthesizer albums now. No one is going to top this one. -Anthony D'Amico
Sun City Girls, "Eye Mohini (Sun City Girls Singles Volume 3)" (Abduction)
Fluxion, "Vibrant Forms" (Type)

I like this album more and more every time I hear it. Keep those Chain Reaction reissues comin', Xela! -Anthony D'Amico
Gnod, "Chaudelande" (Rocket)
Loren Connors, "The Departing of a Dream" (Family Vineyard)
Alberich, "Machine Gun Nest: Cassette Works, Vol. 0" (Hospital)

Man, I would have LOVED this if it had come out in the early '90s. I still like it a lot, but my tolerance for heavily processed Industrial/Power Electronics vocals is extremely low these days. Heavy stuff. -Anthony D'Amico

Pulverizing music, and completely exhilarating. -Adam Devlin
Iancu Dumitrescu, "Pierres Sacrees/Hazard and Tectonics" (Ideologic Organ)
Robbie Basho, "Visions of the Country" (Gnome Life)
The Slaves, "Ocean on Ocean" (Helen Scarsdale)

Ack! This actually came out in 2012. Still a very cool album though. -Anthony D'Amico
Codeine, "What About the Lonely?" (Numero Group)
Robert Turman, "Beyond Painting" (Fabrica)
Steve Hauschildt, "S/H" (Editions Mego)
Craig Leon, "Nommos" (Superior Viaduct)
Francois Bayle, "Les couleurs de la nuit" (Sub Rosa)
Muslimgauze, "Izlamic Songs" (Staalplaat)
Troum, "Syzygie" (Cold Spring)
Fela Kuti, "The Best of the Black President 2" (Knitting Factory)
Felicia Atkinson, "Visions/Voices" (Umor Rex)
Loscil, "Intervalo: Adaptations for Piano & Laptop" (Frond)
Piano Magic, "Heart Machinery" (Second Language)

I wish someone would make me a mixed CD of every great Piano Magic song, as I definitely lack the patience and energy to sift through all their forgettable ones to find them. - Anthony D'Amico
Songs: Ohia, "Hecla & Griper" (Secretly Canadian)

Various Artist Collection of the Year

"Touch30" (Touch)
"Metal Dance 2: Industrial, New Wave, and EBM Classics & Rarities 79-88" (Strut)

This was certainly fun nostalgia-wise, but it is not quite as good as the first volume and very few of these songs have aged all that well–probably would have been better as a single album. That said, there were definitely a few great songs that I'd never heard before (Tuxedomoon, Godley & Creme, and Crash Course in Science), as well as a fresh reminder that Chris & Cosey's "Driving Blind" is awesome. -Anthony D'Amico
"Mutazione: Italian Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980-1988" (Strut)

This is a prime example of why the post-punk era was so great: even the totally obscure bands were weird, unique, and exciting. -Anthony D'Amico
"Deutsche Elektronische Musik 2" (Soul Jazz)
"I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age Music in America 1950-1990" (Light in the Attic)

I liked this much, much more than I expected to, as these pioneering early New Age artists were quite an iconoclastic, visionary bunch. Also, Laraaji is clearly a dude who knows how to write a killer song about unicorns. -Anthony D'Amico

The total commitment to quality and curation pays off dearly. New Age music is often maligned as cheeseball and insincere, but the careful choices on this comp go to show how forward-thinking and very legitimate that genre tag started out as. Beautiful from start to finish. -Adam Devlin
"An Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music Vol. 7" (Sub Rosa)

I'm sad to see this series end but what a way to go, my ears will never be the same again! - John Kealy
"After Dark 2" (Italians Do It Better)
"Change the Beat: The Celluloid Records Story 1979-1987" (Strut)
"L.I.E.S. Presents Music for Shut-Ins" (L.I.E.S.)
"The Crying Princess: 78RPM Records from Burma" (Sublime Frequencies)
"Afrobeat Airways 2: Return Flight to Ghana 1974-1983" (Analog Africa)
"20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 1" (Kompakt)
"Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Songs from Iraq Vol. 2" (Sublime Frequencies)

I have a pile of Sublime Frequencies vinyl waiting to be listened to, but I rarely get a chance to listen to records. It is so hard being me. -Anthony D'Amico
"Ethnic Minority Music of Southern China " (Sublime Frequencies)

Fun story: I once awoke to the sound of my old college station playing this in the middle of the night, the sounds of "Song On the Origin Of The World" seemingly repeating endlessly in my sleepy delirium. It was terrifying! I couldn't get back to sleep for hours. This is a magnificent album, however. Sublime Frequencies puts out lots of great material, but I'd have to recommend this if you're having trouble deciding which one to buy this year. -Adam Devlin
"Collision/Detection" (Front & Follow)
"Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings from the 1970s and '80s" (Soundway)

Characteristically stellar. -Anthony D'Amico
"Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound" (Numero Group)

If you know anything about this, you should want it already. -Adam Devlin
"Hassaniya Music from the Western Sahara and Mauritania" (Sublime Frequencies)

Let's face it, Sublime Frequencies need to do very little to impress but this overview of north African music is a level beyond the normal quality. Pure bliss. - John Kealy
"Livity Sound" (Livity Sound)
"Halh: 20 Years of Downwards" (Downwards)

I really need to get this. Downwards has been releasing some killer stuff. -Anthony D'Amico
"Down To The Silver Sea" (Blank Workshop / Gecophonic Audio Systems)
"Feral Grind" (Submit)

This was far less uniformly amazing than I had hoped it would be, but the Mincemeat Or Tenspeed track is absolutely crushing. -Anthony D'Amico
"20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 2" (Kompakt)
"Studio One Ska Fever!" (Soul Jazz)

I am embarrassingly obsessed with Soul Jazz's Studio One compilations and never miss a single one, as each generally has at least one song that I become utterly infatuated with. This one didn't have that, but it was still atypically solid. Great stuff by The Wailers, Lee Perry, The Gaylads, and The Ethiopians. -Anthony D'Amico
"Greek Rhapsody (Instrumental Music from Greece 1905-1956)" (Dust-to-Digital)

Boxed Set

Eliane Radigue, "Adnos I-III" (Important)

This probably would have been equally great as a single album, but otherwise reaffirms that Radigue is probably my favorite drone artist ever. Why wasn't I listening to this when it first came out in 2002? God, I must have been so lame then. -Anthony D'Amico
Cabaret Voltaire, "#8385 Collected Works (1983-1985)" (Mute)

On the expensive side, especially for those of us who had this material already. But the remastering does give the released material a bit extra edge, and even though Earthshaker is largely songs that ended up in different forms on Micro-Phonies and Covenant, the early versions are no less captivating. Anyone who isn't familiar with this era of CV should jump right on it though. - Creaig Dunton

I'm surprised that this many people own this set, given the price. I bought it, however, and am glad that I did. The mastering on Covenant is worth it for the price alone, as the original CD was horribly mastered, clumsy, and irrelevant. This new version sounds like the way the duo intended, and not a crummy CD made from the untweaked vinyl master. The videos and the bonus and the other tunes make it an amazing set, however I would have appreciated the inclusion of The Drain Train as well as compilation tracks that ended up on Listen Up, as they were part of this phase of the group. - Jon Whitney
Can, "Can" (Spoon)

Who actually bought this? This makes the Kraftwerk box set from a few years ago look like good value. - John Kealy

Vinyl fetishists are weird, and are suckers. I picked up all of the SACD reissues, so no way in hell I'm going to touch this. But I am a bit annoyed that this is the only way to get a recent pressing of Out of Reach, even though by all accounts it is an utter turd. - Creaig Dunton

Really? I want one person who voted for this to email me a selfie holding this set up in their livingroom. If I get no emails in the next week I will delete this from the poll! I'm serious! - Jon Whitney
Natural Snow Buildings, "Daughter of Darkness" (Ba Da Bing!)

I love Ba Da Bing's Natural Snow Buildings reissue campaign. They outdid themselves with this one. - Anthony D'Amico

This is one of those releases that reminds me that this duo needs to tour, damnit! - Jon Whitney
Eleh, "Homage" (Taiga)

Good vibrations. - John Kealy
Akos Rozmann, "Images of the Dream and Death" (Ideologic Organ)

Jumped into this one blind and was fascinated. Some truly hellish, demonic sounds coaxed out of synthesizers. - Creaig Dunton
Skullflower, "Kino I-IV" (Dirter)

In terms of music, this is brilliant. In terms of a box set, this is severely lacking especially given the price. Still, the music is what's important and to have this material back in print is huge. - John Kealy
The Hafler Trio, " A Cure For Kenophobia-an Empowerment In 4 Easy Stages At Very Reasonable Rates; Recordings 87-99 " (Vinyl On Demand)
My Cat is an Alien, "Psycho-System" (Elliptical Noise)

I am so happy that other people liked this too. A brain-melting monolith of deep psychedelia. -Anthony D'Amico
Red Temple Spirits, "Dancing to Restore an Eclipsed Moon/If Tomorrow I Were Leaving for Lhasa, I Wouldn't Stay a Minute More... " (Independent Project)
Conny Plank, "Who's That Man: A Tribute to Conny Plank" (Grönland)
Dennis Johnson, "November" (Penultimate Press)
Greg Haines, "2006-2012" (Denovali)
Half Japanese, "1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts" (Fire)
Jandek, "The Song of Morgan" (Corwood)

The most baffling and exasperating release of the year by a landslide. Nine CDs of Jandek not sounding at all like Jandek. This sounds like something Erik Satie might have done as a teenager on an absinthe bender, except he would have been totally embarrassed by it when he sobered up and hurriedly destroyed all traces of its existence. -Anthony D'Amico

Act of the Year

The Legendary Pink Dots

Ka-Spel and company certainly had the most prolific year of anybody, but they were also responsible for a few of my favorite songs. I'm glad they're getting some well-deserved appreciation and I look forward to slowly digging through all of their remasters in the coming months. -Anthony D'Amico

It was truly a banner year for them. LPD's campaign to bankrupt every fan of theirs by issuing FOUR albums of new material along with multiple expanded reissues seems to be having some success. Well done. - Jon Whitney
Tim Hecker

Much like The Legendary Pink Dots, Tim Hecker is creatively restless and constantly evolving. Unlike the Dots, Hecker quietly surfaced just long to drop an absolutely brilliant album, then quickly vanished from the spotlight yet again. And he definitely won't re-appear until he has painstakingly crafted something similarly stunning. I love that about him. -Anthony D'Amico
Grouper
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Autechre

If nothing else, Autechre should be respected for not only staying consistently productive, but also for continuing to update their sound, even if the results are sometimes off-putting. - Creaig Dunton
Edward Artemiev

Is this the first time that an elderly Russian man has ever been a serious contender for Act of the Year? It must be. I hope this starts a trend. -Anthony D'Amico
William Basinski
Boards of Canada
Natural Snow Buildings

Wow- they didn't even release anything new this year. I guess the world needed some time to catch up. -Anthony D'Amico
Swans

Swans makes the top 10 and they only put out a live album this year. That alone should demonstrate the force that they are. - Creaig Dunton

Label of the Year

Kranky

I concur. Tim Hecker's Virgins and Disappears' Era are my supporting evidence. -Anthony D'Amico

Kranky proves every year that it's not quantity, it's quality. - Jon Whitney
self-released

I collect everything on this label, but I must admit the label numbering system is a bit confusing. - Creaig Dunton

Seriously? -Adam Devlin

This is the first time "self-released" has placed in the top 10 and it's a sign of the times. However, it wasn't enough to unseat the mighty Kranky. - Jon Whitney
Thrill Jockey

What's up with Chicago? Their domination of the experimental music landscape is somewhat unnerving. -Anthony D'Amico
Important

There were definitely quite a few Important releases that I did not like this year, but I loved how adventurous and eclectic their release schedule was nonetheless. Eliane Radigue's Adnos reissue was probably the highlight for me, but Noveller and Günter Schickert also made quite an impact. -Anthony D'Amico
Editions Mego

Always a great label, but their ambitious Recollection GRM reissue campaign has made them even better. -Anthony D'Amico

Absolutely. Recollection GRM is an excellent series, and Editions Mego is an awesome label. I love that COH album and am still digging into the Äänipää record from the end of the year. Toss in Ideologic Organ's releases and O'Rourke's Old News series and you have one of the best experimental music resources hands down. - Lucas Schleicher
Blackest Ever Black

I don't get it. I don't think they put out a single record that I enjoyed this year. And if they did, I've already forgotten about it. - Lucas Schleicher
Matador
Warp

I can't think of anything they put out this year I didn't like (besides that terrible !!! album). - Adam Devlin

The negative numbers of that !!! album certainly set them back. - Jon Whitney
Constellation
Touch

New Artist of the Year

Rashad Becker

After years of mastering for the finest vinyl mastering outfit, the man steps out to make the highest charting debut album. Well done.

Overlooked Staff Picks

Nurse With Wound & Graham Bowers, "Parade" (Red Wharf)
Nurse With Wound & Aranos, "[SIC]" (self-released)

I don't know how these two releases got looked over but they are two monsters. I know some less than stellar NWW albums have been voted up in previous polls but these two both confirm that Steven Stapleton is doing some great work at the moment. Bowers and Petr Vastl both add their own flavors and ideas to these albums, making them two very different but very enjoyable beasts.
Lisa Germano, "No Elephants" (Badman)

Germano continues to be one of the most original, innovative, and talented contemporary composers. This album is a masterpiece. - Jon Whitney
Yoshi Wada, "Singing in Unison" (Em Records)

This is the most remarkable album I have heard in years. I get shivers even just thinking about it. - John Kealy
Fushitsusha, "名前をつけないでほしい　名前を　つけて　しまうと　全てで　なくなって　しまうから" (Heartfast)
Fushitsusha, "まだ　温かいうちの　この今に　すべての謎を　注ぎ込こもう" (Heartfast)

It is not really surprising that these two Fushitsusha albums have gotten overlooked given how slow distribution outside of Japan has been for Heartfast releases. However, they are worth the hassle of tracking down - two raw and heavy studio workouts by one of the greatest rock groups of all time. - John Kealy
Daughter, "If You Leave" (4AD)

Did everyone sleep on this record, or am I just in love with it a little too much? Either way, this offering to the gods of cynicism and heartache is my favorite of the year. - Matt Jeanes
Keith Rowe/Graham Lambkin, Making A (Erstwhile)

My pick for album of the year. Erstwhile had several in the running actually and, like Anthony, I'm disappointed that Photographs didn't make it onto the list. But Making A arrived first and I spent more time coming to terms with it than any other album this year. It prompted all kinds of questions, led me to reading essays about Cornelius Cardew, Christian Wolff, John Cage, and The Scratch Orchestra, and generally improved my musical understanding and vocabulary just by being such a radically different kind of recording, almost like a puzzle. This is challenging music on several levels: it can be perplexing, sometimes frustrating, and it meanders in places. The structure isn't always clear, there are no conventional melodies or rhythms, and neither Keith nor Graham hold your hand and tell you what to think about it. They aren't speaking to you in any way, and once you realize that, the album opens up and becomes something entirely new. The sum total of all this is a mind-expanding and inspiring set of music. Keith Rowe was already a favorite of mine, but in 2013 I learned to keep my eye on Graham Lambkin too. - Lucas Schleicher
Man, there were an absolutely staggering number of baffling omissions this year–I don't even know where to begin. I guess the most glaring one for me has to be Disappears' Era, which offered up some of the most scary and bad-ass rock in recent memory. I also thought Russian Tsarlag's Gagged In Boonesville was an absolute monster of an album, though I can certainly understand how its "slime-coated Dirty Beaches" aesthetic would severely lack mass appeal. Aside from that, I really dug Big Blood, Helm's Cryptography reissue, Iron Fist of The Sun, Liberez, Huerco S., Katie Gately, Oiseaux Tempête, The Field, and just about everything that Samuel Kerridge released. Also, I thought you guys liked Jason Lescalleet–where the hell is Photographs? -Anthony D'Amico
Throwing Muses, "Purgatory/Paradise" (4AD)

Okay maybe a two-CD set inside a book was a lot to handle but it's stellar from start to finish. Kristin Hersh remains one of the most prolific songwriters of our time but maybe a 10-song Throwing Muses album would have been easier to digest. - Jon Whitney
Stara Rzeka, "Cien Chmury Nad Ukrytym Polem"

Apart from a scarce number of blogs, I didn't see much attention paid to this at all, despite it being one of the strongest releases of the year. A mixture of Americana folk, neofolk, black metal, drone, harsh noise, kosmische, and krautrock, and that's all in the first song. Polish composer Kuba Ziolek has made a masterful album exploring Polish culture and folklore by way of a seamless blend of disparate styles. It's dense and very unafraid to spread out, as evidenced by the spectacular title track and strange sequencing, and it ends with a breathtaking Nico cover. Everyone should hear this. - Adam Devlin
Foetus, "Soak" (Ectopic Ents)

Massive. How on earth did the Brainwashed readers completely miss this masterpiece? Thirlwell has had a triumphant year with his recording and tour with Zola Jesus, the new Foetus album, and his score for The Blue Eyes. JG's albums are an experience unlike any other: part gangster chase scene, part horror, part mad scientist. Soak is a vividly intense experience, with all the magic that has made Thirlwell's recordings withstand the test of time, landing him the opportunities as a well renowned producer, composer, orchestrator, and conductor. - Jon Whitney

Lifetime Achievement Recognition

Jason Molina

As with most things in life, I did not fully appreciate Jason Molina until he was gone: I figured he'd always be touring and writing great songs and I that I could always catch back up with him when I got around to it. Sadly, I will have to do that posthumously now, but he left behind quite an impressive body of work for me to sift through and I am belatedly realizing that I slept on a lot of great Magnolia Electric-era stuff like a total chump. In retrospect, I have no idea why I tuned out (too "rock?"), as the sole Magnolia Electric Company album that I picked up (What Comes After The Blues) is quite good and "Leave the City" has been in fairly heavy rotation in my life for almost a decade now. I always loved Songs:Ohia though: I still get chills when I hear "Steve Albini's Blues" and Ghost Tropic obsessed me for months when it came out. And every single one of those albums features at least one absolutely amazing song, as Molina was an utterly transfixing force of nature when he got a song just right–like a deeply haunted, world-weary Neil Young who had made a pact with Satan and was nervously dreading the time payment would come due. Songs like "Coxcomb Red" are not just beautiful-they are actually scary in their intensity. I can't think think of many other songwriters (if any) who can make that kind of impact on me. Jason Molina was truly one of a kind. You will burn on in my soul forever, Captain Badass. - Anthony D'Amico

It's hard to talk about Jason Molina without resorting to superlatives, but that's because he was one of the best songwriters and bandleaders around. He never stopped changing his sound from his first 7" to his last album, he wrote ceaselessly, toured every chance he got, and released one great album after another, often with completely different bands. By the time Magnolia Electric Co. came out in 2003, he had recorded nine albums in roughly seven years, plus numerous singles and EPs—at least 15 in total between 1995 and 2002—that were scattered across various labels, from Palace Records and Secretly Canadian to Acuarela, Western Vinyl, and Temporary Residence. He then went on to record one EP, two 7" singles, and seven more albums with Magnolia before he died, three of which were bundled together in the Sojourner boxed set and recorded in the same year. Somehow, within that same time span, he found the energy to write, record, and release four more albums, three under his own name and one collaboration with Will Johnson. He collaborated and released records with so many people it's hard to keep count: The Arab Strap, Will Oldham, Alasdair Roberts, Scout Niblett, Oneida, My Morning Jacket, Mike Mogis, Steve Albini, Jennie Benford, Richard Youngs, Edith Frost, David Lowery—the list goes on. And what's more, they're all worth hearing, even the rougher stuff. Some musicians need quality control and restraint: Jason Molina simply couldn't release enough, and if it's true that he burned or destroyed a lot of music on top of what he released every year... well then who knows. There's apparently still many recordings of his left in the vaults. I hope to hear them eventually, but nothing will ever beat seeing him on stage with Magnolia Electric Co. and hearing him sing. No one was better at it than he was. - Lucas Schleicher

At the funeral of John Balance (Geff Rushton), Peter Christopherson described him as this force of energy, like a bolt of lightning, difficult to predict and too bright to look at directly. Molina, too, was a force of energy, more powerful than this world could handle. In his short lifetime, he amassed an incredible volume of material that is peerless. It, as Lucas stated, is all worth listening to as he always had something worthwhile to say and was an amazingly talented composer, performer, and singer. I have been a fan for close to 15 years at this point and selfishly, I am angry there will be no more new music. However, as a listener, it will continue to take me years to come to truly get to the heart of each song on each album. It breaks my heart to not be able to see him once or twice a year as I did when he was doing the Songs: Ohia thing, solo thing, or the Magnolia Electric Co. We always had great talks and while I didn't consider him a true "friend" in the conventional sense, we knew and appreciated who we each were and what we do. I'm glad to have been one of the rare few who was able to corner him and get some great interview and live footage. He truly achieved an amazing amount in his lifetime. - Jon Whitney

Worst Album of the Year

Arcade Fire, "Reflektor" (Merge)
Vampire Weekend, "Modern Vampires of the City" (XL)
The Men, "New Moon" (Sacred Bones)
!!!, "THR!!!ER" (Warp)
Darkstar, "News from Nowhere" (4AD)
Queens of the Stone Age, "...Like Clockwork" (Matador)
Smith Westerns, "Soft Will" (Mom + Pop Music)
Chvrches, "The Bones of What You Believe" (Glassnote)
Cut Copy, "Free Your Mind" (Modular)
Majical Cloudz, "Impersonator" (Matador)

I was really looking forward to making lots of bitchy, hurtful comments about all the albums I hated from this year, but this reads far more like an "Overexposed" list than a "Worst" one. In any case, I successfully managed to avoid hearing any of these, though Arcade Fire did ruin the trailer for Spike Jonze's Her for me. Also, the name "Majical Cloudz" makes me intensely angry. And have you guys heard about this wild new sub-genre called "dance punk?" If not, you will–it's totally here to stay. - Anthony D'Amico

I did not hear a single one of these albums this year. So, I can then conclude my taste in music is much better than those who have. - Creaig Dunton

I feel like most of these are low-hanging fruit. Was anyone surprised by Arcade Fire's double album? Did anyone who hated their previous work thing this bloated, overproduced latest work would be a revelation? The worst album of the year should be unilaterally bad, and there were some not-utterly-horrible moments on Reflektor, as well as on the rest of these. New Moon was lopsided but not worthless, and even the Darkstar album had at least one pleasant song. Maybe the only real and total disappointment here was !!!, who managed to somehow self-ascribe the title of "masterpiece" to their worst release yet, and further alienate and confuse both fans and detractors. - Adam Devlin

I'm disappointed The Knife wasn't in this list. Barf. - Jon Whitney

06 January 2014

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Album of the Year

Tim Hecker, ""Virgins"" (Kranky)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, ""Push the Sky Away"" (Kobalt)
Boards of Canada, ""Tomorrow's Harvest"" (Warp)
My Bloody Valentine, ""m b v"" (self-released)
The Haxan Cloak, ""Excavation"" (TriAngle)
Autechre, ""Exai"" (Warp)
Grouper, ""The Man Who Died in His Boat"" (Kranky)
William Basinski, ""Nocturnes"" (2062)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""The Gethsemane Option"" (Metropolis)
Wire, ""Change Becomes Us"" (Pink Flag)
Matmos, ""The Marriage of True Minds"" (Thrill Jockey)
Locrian, ""Return to Annihilation"" (Relapse)
Barn Owl, ""V"" (Thrill Jockey)
Julia Holter, ""Loud City Song"" (Domino)
Broadcast, ""Berberian Sound Studio"" (Warp)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Code Noir"" (Beta-Lactam Ring)
Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke and Keiji Haino, ""Now While It's Still Warm Let Us Pour in All the Mystery"" (Black Truffle)
Chelsea Wolfe, ""Pain is Beauty"" (Sargent House)
Bill Callahan, ""Dream River"" (Drag City)
Tropic of Cancer, ""Restless Idyll"" (Blackest Ever Black)
Carter Tutti, ""Coolicon"" (Conspiracy International)
Mika Vainio, ""Kilo"" (Blast First Petite)
Pan American, ""Cloud Room, Glass Room"" (Kranky)
Wolf Eyes, ""No Answer: Lower Floors"" (De Stijl)
Low, ""The Invisible Way"" (Sub Pop)
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld, ""Still Smiling"" (Specula)
Colin Stetson, ""New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light"" (Constellation)
The Knife, ""Shaking the Habitual"" (Mute)
Lustmord, ""The Word As Power"" (Blackest Ever Black)
Mazzy Star, ""Seasons of Your Day"" (Rhymes Of An Hour)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""The Curse of Marie Antoinette"" (Rustblade)
Forest Swords, ""Engravings"" (TriAngle)
Rashad Becker, ""Traditional Music of Notional Species, Vol. I"" (PAN)
Cindytalk, ""A Life Is Everywhere"" (Editions Mego)
The Necks, ""Open"" (Northern Spy)
Prurient, ""Through the Window"" (Blackest Ever Black)
Body/Head, ""Coming Apart"" (matador)
Julia Kent, ""Character"" (Leaf)
Mogwai , ""Les Revenants Soundtrack"" (Rock Action)
Wrekmeister Harmonies, ""You've Always Meant So Much To Me"" (Thrill Jockey)
Dirty Beaches, ""Drifters/Love Is the Devil"" (Zoo Music)
Master Musicians of Bukkake, ""Far West"" (Important)
Oneohtrix Point Never, ""R Plus Seven"" (Warp)
The Dead C, ""Armed Courage"" (Ba Da Bing!)
Daniel Menche, ""Marriage of Metals"" (Editions Mego)
Main, ""Ablation"" (Editions Mego)
These New Puritans, ""Field of Reeds"" (Infectious)
Factory Floor, ""Factory Floor"" (DFA)
F√∂llakzoid, ""II"" (Sacred Bones)
Laurel Halo, ""Chance of Rain"" (Hyperdub)
Boduf Songs, ""Burnt Up On Re-Entry"" (Southern)
Phill Niblock, ""Touch Five"" (Touch)
Implodes, ""Recurring Dream"" (Kranky)
Ensemble Pearl, ""Ensemble Pearl"" (Drag City)
Emptyset, ""Recur"" (Raster-Noton)
Julianna Barwick, ""Nepenthe"" (Dead Oceans)
Pere Ubu, ""lady From Shangai"" (Fire Records)
Benoit Pioulard, ""Hymnal"" (Kranky)
Vatican Shadow, ""Remember Your Black Day"" (Hospital)
Chris Watson, ""In St. Cuthbert's Time"" (Touch)
Mohammad, ""Son Sakrifis"" (PAN)
Steve Gunn, ""Time Off"" (Paradise of Bachelors)
Noveller, ""No Dreams"" (important)
CoH, ""Retro 2038"" (Editions Mego)
Jesu, ""Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came"" (Avalanche)
Bardo Pond, ""Peace on Venus"" (Fire)
Jasper TX, ""An Index of Failure"" (Handmade Birds)
Svarte Greiner, ""Black Tie"" (Miasmah)
Fire! Orchestra , ""Exit!"" (Rune Grammofon)
*AR, ""Succession"" (Corbel Stone Press)
Mountains, ""Centralia"" (Thrill Jockey)
Roly Porter, ""Life Cycle of a Massive Star"" (Subtext)
Bill Orcutt, ""A History of Every One"" (Editions Mego)
Ryoji Ikeda, ""Supercodex"" (Raster-Noton)
Black Boned Angel, ""The End"" (Handmade Birds)
Date Palms, ""The Dusted Sessions"" (Thrill Jockey)
Jacob Kirkegaard, ""Conversions"" (Touch)
Matana Roberts, ""Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile"" (Constellation)
Zola Jesus and JG Thirlwell, ""Version"" (Sacred Bones)
Pharmakon, ""Abandon"" (Sacred Bones)
Pet Shop Boys, ""Electric"" (x2)
Aidan Baker, ""Already Drowning"" (Gizeh)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Taos Hum"" (Trademark of Quantity)
Demdike Stare , ""The Weight of Culture"" (No Label )
Hacker Farm , ""UHF"" (Exotic Pylon)
The Stranger, ""Watching Dead Empires In Decay"" (Modern Love)
William Tyler, ""Impossible Truth"" (Merge)
Gabriel Saloman, ""Soldier's Requiem"" (Miasmah)
Wooden Wand, ""Blood Oaths of the New Blues"" (Fire)
Paul Jebanasam, ""Rites"" (Subtext)
Colleen, ""The Weighing of the Heart"" (Second Language)
Matt Elliott, ""Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart"" (Ici d'ailleurs)
Basic House, ""Oats"" (Alter)
Jenny Hval, ""Innocence is Kinky"" (Rune Grammofon)
Bruce Gilbert & BAW, ""Diluvial"" (Touch)
Daniel Menche, ""Vilke"" (Sige)
Duane Pitre, ""Bridges"" (Important)
Glenn Jones, ""My Garden State"" (Thrill Jockey)
Kaboom Karavan, ""Hokus Fokus"" (Miasmah)
The Silverman, ""Finisterre"" (Trademark of Quantity)

Single of the Year

Autechre, ""L-Event"" (Warp)
Burial, ""Rival Dealer"" (Hyperdub)
Demdike Stare, ""Testpressings 4"" (self-released)
( r ), ""The House Of The Rising Sun"" (self-released)
Larsen, ""Uncruel Cool Mouth"" (Zos Kia Sounds Recordings)
Helm, ""Silencer"" (PAN/Alter)
Vatican Shadow, ""When You Are Crawling"" (Hospital)
Cut Hands, ""Damballah 58"" (Blackest Ever Black)
Pete Swanson, ""Punk Authority"" (Software)
Miles, ""Unsecured"" (Modern Love)
Nurse With Wound/Graham Bowers, ""Diploid"" (Red Wharf)
Khan Of Finland, ""Thin White Sinner"" (I'm Single)
Pye Corner Audio, ""Conical Space"" (Dekorder)
Songs:Ohia, ""Hecla & Griper"" (Secretly Canadian)
Lee Noble, ""Ruiner"" (Bathetic)
Pye Corner Audio, ""Superstitious Century"" (Boomkat)
The Fall, ""The Remainderer"" (Cherry Red)
Boduf Songs/Jessica Bailiff, ""Decapitation Blues / Lakeside Blues"" (Morc)
Edward Ka-Spel, ""The Patriot"" (Unlimited Drift)
Moin, ""EP"" (Blackest Ever Black)
The Bug, ""Filthy"" (Ninja Tune)
Al Cisneros, ""Ark Procession"" (Drag City)
John Foxx and the Belbury Circle, ""Empty Avenues"" (Ghost Box)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, ""Needle Boy"" (Kobalt)
Al Cisneros, ""Teresa Of Avila"" (Sinai)

Live album/vault recording/reissue (or otherwise not really a ""new full-length album"")

Swans, ""Not Here/Not Now"" (Young God)
Grouper, ""Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill"" (Kranky)
Edward Artemiev, ""Solaris Original Soundtrack"" (Mirumir)
Natural Snow Buildings / Isengrind / Twinsistermoon, ""The Snowbringer Cult"" (Ba Da Bing!)
Songs:Ohia, ""The Magnolia Electric Co."" (Secretly Canadian)
Bernard Parmegiani, ""De Natura Sonorum"" (Recollection GRM)
Iannis Xenakis, ""GRM Works 1957-1962"" (Recollection GRM)
Edward Artemiev, ""Stalker/The Mirror - Music From Andrey Tarkovsky's Motion Pictures"" (Mirumir)
Four Tet, ""Rounds"" (Domino)
Chrome, ""Half Machine from the Sun"" (self-released)
Godflesh, ""Hymns"" (The End)
Sandwell District, ""Fabric 69"" (Fabric)
Edward Ka-Spel, ""A Pleasure Cruise Through 9 Dimensions"" (Trademark of Quantity)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""9 Lives to Wonder redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
Grails, ""Black Tar Prophecies Vol. 4, 5 & 6"" (Temporary Residence)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, ""Live from KCRW"" (Bad Seed Ltd.)
Come, ""Eleven:Eleven"" (Matador)
Peter Jeffries, ""The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World"" (De Stijl)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Seconds Late for the Brighton Line redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
Alastair Galbraith, ""Cry"" (MIE)
Roky Erickson, ""The Evil One"" (Light in the Attic)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""From Here You'll Watch the World Go By redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
Devo, ""Hardcore"" (Superior Viaduct)
Drexciya, ""Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller IV"" (Clone Classic Cuts )
Horseback, ""A Plague of Knowing"" (Relapse)
Robert Wyatt, ""68"" (Cuneiform)
Dead Can Dance, ""In Concert"" (Play It Again Sam)
Eliane Radigue, ""Opus 17"" (Alga Marghen)
Ensemble Economique, ""The Vastness Is Bearable Only Through Love"" (Shelter Press)
M. Geddes Gengras, ""Collected Works Vol. 1: The Moog Years"" (Umor Rex)
Sun City Girls, ""Eye Mohini (Sun City Girls Singles Volume 3)"" (Abduction)
Fluxion, ""Vibrant Forms"" (Type)
Gnod, ""Chaudelande"" (Rocket)
Loren Connors, ""The Departing of a Dream"" (Family Vineyard)
The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Hallway of the Gods redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
Alberich, ""Machine Gun Nest: Cassette Works, Vol. 0"" (Hospital)
Iancu Dumitrescu, ""Pierres Sacrees/Hazard and Tectonics"" (Ideologic Organ)
Robbie Basho, ""Visions of the Country"" (Gnome Life)
The Slaves, ""Ocean on Ocean"" (Helen Scarsdale)
Codeine, ""What About the Lonely?"" (Numero Group)
Robert Turman, ""Beyond Painting"" (Fabrica)
Steve Hauschildt, ""S/H"" (Editions Mego)
Craig Leon, ""Nommos"" (Superior Viaduct)
Francois Bayle, ""Les couleurs de la nuit"" (Sub Rosa)
Muslimgauze, ""Izlamic Songs"" (Staalplaat)
Troum, ""Syzygie"" (Cold Spring)
Fela Kuti, ""The Best of the Black President 2"" (Knitting Factory)
Felicia Atkinson, ""Visions/Voices"" (Umor Rex)
Loscil, ""Intervalo: Adaptations for Piano & Laptop"" (Frond)
Piano Magic, ""Heart Machinery"" (Second Language)

Various Artist Collection of the Year

""Touch30"" (Touch)
""Metal Dance 2: Industrial, New Wave, and EBM Classics & Rarities 79-88"" (Strut)
""Mutazione: Italian Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980-1988"" (Strut)
""Deutsche Elektronische Musik 2"" (Soul Jazz)
""I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age Music in America 1950-1990"" (Light in the Attic)
""An Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music Vol. 7"" (Sub Rosa)
""After Dark 2"" (Italians Do It Better)
""Change the Beat: The Celluloid Records Story 1979-1987"" (Strut)
""L.I.E.S. Presents Music for Shut-Ins"" (L.I.E.S.)
""The Crying Princess: 78RPM Records from Burma"" (Sublime Frequencies)
""Afrobeat Airways 2: Return Flight to Ghana 1974-1983"" (Analog Africa)
""20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 1"" (Kompakt)
""Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Songs from Iraq Vol. 2"" (Sublime Frequencies)
""Ethnic Minority Music of Southern China "" (Sublime Frequencies)
""Collision/Detection"" (Front & Follow)
""Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings from the 1970s and '80s"" (Soundway)
""Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound"" (Numero Group)
""Hassaniya Music from the Western Sahara and Mauritania"" (Sublime Frequencies)
""Livity Sound"" (Livity Sound)
""Halh: 20 Years of Downwards"" (Downwards)
""Down To The Silver Sea"" (Blank Workshop / Gecophonic Audio Systems)
""Feral Grind"" (Submit)
""20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 2"" (Kompakt)
""Studio One Ska Fever!"" (Soul Jazz)
""Greek Rhapsody (Instrumental Music from Greece 1905-1956)"" (Dust-to-Digital)

¬†

Boxed Set

Eliane Radigue, ""Adnos I-III"" (Important)
Cabaret Voltaire, ""#8385 Collected Works (1983-1985)"" (Mute)
Can, ""Can"" (Spoon)
Natural Snow Buildings, ""Daughter of Darkness"" (Ba Da Bing!)
Eleh, ""Homage"" (Taiga)
Akos Rozmann, ""Images of the Dream and Death"" (Ideologic Organ)
Skullflower, ""Kino I-IV"" (Dirter)
The Hafler Trio, "" A Cure For Kenophobia-an Empowerment In 4 Easy Stages At Very Reasonable Rates; Recordings 87-99 "" (Vinyl On Demand)
My Cat is an Alien, ""Psycho-System"" (Elliptical Noise)
Red Temple Spirits, ""Dancing to Restore an Eclipsed Moon/If Tomorrow I Were Leaving for Lhasa, I Wouldn't Stay a Minute More... "" (Independent Project)
Conny Plank, ""Who's That Man: A Tribute to Conny Plank"" (Grönland)
Dennis Johnson, ""November"" (Penultimate Press)
Greg Haines, ""2006-2012"" (Denovali)
Half Japanese, ""1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts"" (Fire)
Jandek, ""The Song of Morgan"" (Corwood)

¬†

Act of the Year

New Artist of the Year

Overlooked Staff Picks

¬†

Lifetime Achievement Recognition

¬†

Jason Molina

¬†

Worst Album of the Year

Arcade Fire, ""Reflektor"" (Merge)
Vampire Weekend, ""Modern Vampires of the City"" (XL)
The Men, ""New Moon"" (Sacred Bones)
!!!, ""THR!!!ER"" (Warp)
Darkstar, ""News from Nowhere"" (4AD)
Queens of the Stone Age, ""...Like Clockwork"" (Matador)
Smith Westerns, ""Soft Will"" (Mom + Pop Music)
Chvrches, ""The Bones of What You Believe"" (Glassnote)
Cut Copy, ""Free Your Mind"" (Modular)
Majical Cloudz, ""Impersonator"" (Matador)

¬†

22 December 2013

Administrator

Albums and Singles

The New Alchemy creates transformational music from simple elements: voices, guitars, organs, and saxophones. The music moves deliberately, contrasting an intense, blistering, squall one might associate with screams from human sacrifice, with an airy, spacious, psychedelia.

Subliminal Sounds

Per Svensson and Ebbot Lundberg share vocals, guitars, and keyboards throughout this album. Part of the charm of their vocals comes from stony repetition of phrases and some from the second-language "otherness" of their English. There are also passages of spoken word incantation which add genuine strangeness rather than unintentional hilarity. Guitars shift backwards and forwards, keyboards strike incongruent shapes, and Max Gustafsson‚Äôs saxophone at times closely resembles another fuzzed out guitar. The wildest sections are the short opening "Solar Eclipse" and the slowly evolving 24 minute closer "Extra Terrestrial Blues." Such an extended piece could easily be self-indulgent in the wrong hands but here is not a moment too long.

Between these extremes, several tracks reference very well known late 1960s psychedelia and 1970s space rock. "Creatures" resembles an energetic channeling of The Misunderstood or 13th Floor Elevators. Clay Ketter joins on drums for the title track; a stretched-out and bombastic piece with vocals that are sometimes repeated back in a slightly dumb and delirious fashion. (It reminds me of the creepy way the character of Dim in A Clockwork Orange repeats Alex's singing during the gang home-invasion scene.) "Silver Chain" has a more threatening atmosphere, including such found sound as church bells, with hints at the coming sonic, skin-blistering, wind-tunnelesque, weirdness of "Extra Terrestrial Blues."

Not that the music is doom laden or intensely dark and sludgy. Rather it is cathartic, ritualistic and invigorating. I shouldn‚Äôt be surprised if The New Alchemy take their name from Alan Watts‚Äô 1960 essay which discusses the quest to turn base metal into gold as being more a symbol of the quest for spiritual immortality. For Watts this may have been through a chemical elixir, and less literally about eternal life than the development of consciousness outside of the restrictive realm of time. On The Other Side of Light takes a different approach to something broadly similar.

22 December 2013

Administrator

Albums and Singles

cover image Mika Vainio's collaboration earlier this year with Joachim Nordwall was enjoyable, but this new release grabbed my attention immediately and did not relent for a moment. √Ñ√ÑNIP√Ñ√Ñ, with Stephen O'Malley on guitar, Eyvind Kang (viola), Moriah Neils (contrabass) and Maria Scherer Wilson (cello) has more in common with Vainio's work with Pan Sonic than his recent projects, and with Alan Dubin screaming the poetry of Anna Akhmatova on two of the pieces, it surprisingly resembles a Khanate revival.

Editions Mego

First paired together for a Suicide cover about five years ago, Vainio and O'Malley are very different artists, the former working mostly with clinically clean sources and the latter known for metal tinged guitar work.Through a Pre-Memory does not throw in any curve balls in that regard because both stick to what they do best, but the pairing of fractured electronic rhythms and noisy guitar works perfectly.

Opener "Muse" and closer "Watch Over Stillness/Matters Principle" are the two pieces that feature OLD/Khanate shrieker Alan Dubin and he is used to excellent effect.The former is a mix of mangled 909 kicks and snares while O‚ÄôMalley's guitar mimics the rhythm with slight variations to keep it from sounding stale.Later on the proceedings become more electronic and atmospheric, with the beat dropping and scrapes of viola settling in.Dubin's screams are the same tortured, pained squeals he is known for, and when linked with the fragmented guitar bits, it does sound like Khanate.

The closing composition has the project weaving the vocals in to the mix rather than having them stand sharply in the foreground, with a tasteful amount of electronics and processing to keep them from sounding too rigid.With the stop/start nature of the mix and emphasis on beats rather than guitars, there is distinctly different feel than "Muse" had but still feels cut from the same cloth.

"Toward All Thresholds" is more of a concrete electronic piece at first, with only bits of drum or guitar popping through the otherwise complicated electronic-centric mix and only the contrabass standing out clearly as a traditional instrument.The guitar becomes more forceful, as does the rhythm, with the closing minutes having more of an industrial flair to them."Mirror of Mirror Dreams" also has √Ñ√ÑNIP√Ñ√Ñ presenting drastic dichotomy, with raw feedback and electronics bouncing between more pleasant tones and the traditional instrumentation, bouncing everything between pastoral hills and post-apocalyptic wasteland.

One of the most surprising aspects of this album is that it does sound like Vainio and O'Malley jamming together.Both have become rather entrenched in the more esoteric world of musique concrete and experimental sounds, so hearing synthetic beats and overt guitar right from the start was comforting, as I am a fan of both of their most known projects.Amidst those touchstones lies a wealth of texture and sound, however, so their more abstract tendencies are never far behind.

samples:

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22 December 2013

Administrator

Albums and Singles

cover image Prurient has taken a backseat in the past few years in favor of Dom Fernow's more recent high profile projects. The last major Prurient releases too were somewhat baffling: the EBM noise of Bermuda Drain and minimalist techno of Through the Window screamed out as an identity crisis compared to the harsh historical releases. This 7" is a tentative step back into the world of more abrasive, but is not quite the Prurient of the early days.

Handmade Birds

There is nary a kick drum or synth bell to be heard on these two songs, but they do retain that digital clarity of those recent works, and sits in nicely with his half of the JK Flesh collaboration from last year."Doors Closed in Secrecy" is the harshest of the pair, although does not seem that way at first.What sounds like a programmed bass synth sequence is perhaps the most musical element here, with shrill electronics bathed in reverb and indecipherable bits of voice popping in and out.

For the most part, all of the pieces of early Prurient are here, but cleaner and executed with more restraint.Later on, noise shrouded rhythmic patterns appear, and the feedback becomes aggressive enough to dissolve everything into a wall of noise that is not as far removed from his old work as I had expected.

"Washed Against The Rocks" is more ambient in comparison, initially hinging upon a simple repetitive synth pattern that could have been lifted from a Vatican Shadow song.Noise lurks beneath, occasionally flaring up in the form of distorted blasts or clattering rhythmic textures but not to the extent as on the other side.Overall it calls to mind the softer, more structured material from Pleasure Ground.

Given that Vatican Shadow and Christian Cosmos have become Fernow's projects of choice, I have wondered what the future of Prurient would be, because it seems like such a regression to just go back to his Macronympha worshipping ways.Washed Against the Rocks seems like the best direction to continue in, retaining the aggression and chaos of noise but with a more orderly and song oriented touch.

samples:

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22 December 2013

Administrator

Albums and Singles

cover image When I learned of this album, it seemed like a dream come true, as I love both Nina Simone and past Xiu Xiu covers (especially "Ceremony"). ¬†Consequently, it seemed like an entire album of Jamie Stewart interpreting Nina's songs could be amazing...if I did not think too much about it. ¬†As it turns out, it is not amazing. ¬†It is an interesting experiment with occasionally impressive results though: Nina sounds like Jamie Stewart making an art-damaged, wildly melodramatic cabaret album with some free-jazz elements thrown in. ¬†That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does not bear much resemblance to either Nina Simone or classic Xiu Xiu.

Graveface

While it has been several years since I have considered myself a serious Xiu Xiu fan, a project like this highlights what made me one in the first place: Jamie Stewart has always been an unpredictable and gutsy artist with great taste in influences. ¬†Unfortunately, tackling a full album of Nina Simone songs is a fundamentally doomed endeavor, particularly when married with Stewart's current aesthetic vision. ¬†For one, Simone's songs were great largely because she was the one singing them‚Äìnot many other singers can approach her sexiness, soulfulness, intensity, or style. ¬†The "intensity" part is not a problem for Jamie, obviously, but his hushed, quavering voice turns Nina's songs into something somewhat grotesque and Lynchian. ¬†Equally importantly, Xiu Xiu's best work was spectacular because Stewart combined great hooks with unconventional twists and a constant sense that things were on the verge of barreling completely out of control. ¬†On Nina, he seems intent on burying the hooks and melodies and compensating by making the surrounding music just sound a little "wrong" or "off."

Still another hurdle is that Nina is essentially a showcase for Jamie Stewart's trembling, anguished vocals and I always liked Xiu Xiu in spite of his singing rather than because of it. ¬†While Jamie surrounded himself with an eclectic and game batch of collaborators for this project (most notably guitarist Mary Halvorson), most of these songs are very much in the "torch song" vein, so the accompaniment is generally very minimal and jazzy. ¬†Which is a shame, because Stewart's ensemble kicks up quite a wonderful cacophony when they finally get a chance on "You'd Be So Nice" (the album's "single"). ¬†For most of the other songs, Stewart tends to be accompanied by little more than languid saxophone and some strummed jazz chords. ¬†There are some occasional bits of guitar or sax dissonance, which are nice, but otherwise the bulk of Nina could be considered surprisingly straightforward were it not for Stewart's quivering, on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown vocals.

One final problem that I have is that most of Nina's songs were not written by Nina Simone: they were merely popularized by her. ¬†Consequently, Stewart is basically doing radical re-interpretations of Nina's own wildly different interpretations of songs by Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, and others. ¬†That situation is perversely exacerbated by the two Simone originals that Stewart did choose to cover: "Four Women" and "Flo Me La," as both are bizarre, highly questionably forays into cultural appropropriation. ¬†"Flo Me La," for example, is based upon a traditional African warrior marching chant. ¬†"Four Women," on the other hand, features Stewart singing lines such as "my skin is black" and "whose little girl am I?," which I found quite cringe-worthy coming from a white male. ¬†Fortunately, Stewart did have the tact to avoid the line "my parents were slaves" and the clattering, lurching free-jazz accompaniment is one of the album's best moments.

All of that adds up to quite a flawed, perplexing album, but not one that I would consider a complete failure by any means. ¬†After all, "You'd Be So Nice" is spectacular. ¬†A whole album of this stuff is definitely numbing though. ¬†While I have seen Nina pilloried as one of the worst albums of the year elsewhere, I found it to be just an exasperating, overlong execution of a potentially great idea (and I would much rather see Jamie gamble and fall flat than re-tread familiar territory). ¬†If Steward had chosen some more fun songs ("Do I Move You?," for example), thought up some livelier and more adventurous arrangements, and stripped away all the more middling material, this¬†could have been a stellar EP. ¬†In its current state, Nina kind of resembles the work of a bumbling alchemist who transmutes gold into copper: it's definitely an interesting feat and the end result still has value, but it probably would have been better if he had just left the material alone instead.

Samples:

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22 December 2013

Administrator

Albums and Singles

cover image When she is at her best, Brooklyn-based experimental guitarist Sarah Lipstate is capable of creating work of almost breathtaking beauty. ¬†On this, her debut for Important, she is at her best exactly once. ¬†The rest of album is filled with perfectly likable, if unexceptional, forays into muted ambient soundscapes, but it is the Popul Vuh's Aguirre-meets-gnarled-guitar brilliance of the title piece that makes No Dreams an album worth hearing. ¬†I certainly wish the rest of the album were similarly spectacular, but it feels silly to complain that Lipstate only composed one must-hear masterpiece this year.

Important

Several years ago, when I was still an aspiring musician, I tried to record an album that I never finished. ¬†The problem was that every time I composed a new song, it made all of my previous songs seem comparatively inadequate, so I just kept endlessly starting over again with an increasingly unattainable baseline of quality. ¬†The reason I bring that up is because Lipstate seems to have encountered the exact same problem with No Dreams, but solved it by just putting out everything she had anyway. ¬†That is certainly a much more productive option than total, heartbreaking creative paralysis, but it means that No Dreams is essentially one sublime, stunning piece and a lot of vaguely pleasant (or sometimes ominous) ambient background. ¬†"No Dreams" is not just a centerpiece or highlight; rather, it feels like the entire album's sole reason for existing.

At least, that is how it sounds at a normal volume. ¬†When I play it loudly, No Dreams becomes significantly more compelling, as all of its many complexities and nuances come into sharper focus. ¬†Given the proper volume and attentive listening, songs like the throbbing "Manahatta," the slow-burning, roiling "Purchase," and warmly hissing and swelling "Fighting Sleep" all sound nearly as inspired as the title track. ¬†I guess that makes No Dreams a good headphone album and explains how it wound up as one of The New Yorker's Best Albums of 2013, but I truly wish Lipstate had not smoothed everything over into a gently pulsing and shimmering bliss-haze. ¬†The edges and quirks are what make Noveller unique and they rarely surface here, aside from the overdriven guitar howl of "No Dreams" and a few textures amidst the creepy dissonance of "The Fright."

Ultimately, No Dreams is a curious moment in Noveller's discography, as it arguably contains the single greatest piece she has ever recorded, but otherwise feels like a transitional effort. ¬†There are a few reasons for that, as Sarah has broadened her palette beyond guitar for the first time ever to embrace synthesizers, pianos, and muted beats. ¬†Also, she has spent a lot of time working on soundtracks recently, which seems to have influenced her work enormously. ¬†In fact, most of No Dreams would probably be an excellent soundtrack, as it evokes depth and mood without ever demanding my full attention. ¬†That is not what I want from a Noveller album though. ¬†No Dreams is like going to a renowned steak house and getting a salad‚Äìit might be a very good salad, but it kind of defeats the whole purpose of going there. ¬†Stone-cold masterpiece title track and compositional evolution aside, I would have liked this album much, much more if it had been more forcefully and uniquely "Sarah Lipstate."

Samples:

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16 December 2013

Administrator

Albums and Singles

cover image Following the recent lavish 7.10.12 box, the enigmatic :zoviet*france: have complied another release, albeit in a more conventional package, that continues the style of that set. Lush synthesizers, infrequent and erratic rhythms, and mysterious ambiences that shift from the delicate to the demonic make for another brilliant work in their long career.

Soleilmoon

This material is part of a score for the dance production Designer Body, in which seven dancers slowly remove their costumes as they stand on rotating platforms.This slow deconstruction from the most unnatural and decorated costuming to literal nudity is reflected in the music here, with the pieces building up and coming apart, all presented in a rotating and circular structure.

Also shifting quite a bit is the mood and atmosphere throughout, from terror to beauty.The massive subterranean rumble of "Moss Balls on Moss" has the band building to a frightening overdriven roar as robotic sounds and noisy loops darken the mood even more.The other extreme is "Amber Rose Hand," which features a similar bass drone, but melodic keyboard passages and what resembles a melody from an ancient music box ending on a placid, beautiful coda.

This parity continues throughout, and often defies first impressions from the instrumentation.For example, the brooding harpsichord sound that appears in "Green Air" would at first seem to lead to something much darker, but with the fragmented reversed bell tones and overall lighter sound, it makes for a rather sunny composition.Such levity is not apparent in "Sweeping Arbor Low," which instead has static laden layers of electronics and swelling bass, which is comparatively amusical.

Other pieces are not as polarized but instead transition between moods and atmospheres, akin to the performance they were composed for.The beginning parts of "Flam," with skittering synth patterns and deep bass mixed with sputtering bits of music are not too far removed from late 1990s minimal techno.However, the song builds and changes via processed and mangled sounds to become a mutated acoustic strings composition at the end.

The Tables Are Turning is one of those uncommon albums that wildly diverge in sound and mood from song to song, and sometimes within a single piece, yet still comes together as a consistent whole.Electronics that are comforting and then menacing; gentle chiming tones that become shrill and sharp as a scalpel, and always sounding like a perfect pairing.Even this far into their career, :zoviet*france: continues to be untouchable and unclassifiable in a field mired with poor knock-offs and weak pretenders.

samples:

¬†

03 December 2013

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Coil / Nine Inch Nails

Artist: Coil / Nine Inch Nails
Title: Recoiled
Catalogue No: CSR193CD / Barcode: 5060174956799
Catalogue No: CSR193LP / Barcode: 5060174956805
Format: CD in digipak / Ltd LP on coloured vinyl
Genre: Industrial / Experimental
Shipping: 23rd January

“Recoiled” is a rambunctious alchemy, of magikal Coil sensibilities and hi-tech home circa 90’s mixing technique, all fused in the cave-like early studios of Danny Hyde / Peter Christopherson. These were the unrestrained PRE- BIG studio- mix downs, of four songs which long time Coil admirer / collaborator Trent Reznor requested Coil to remix. Reznor sent over the original multi-tracks and DATs to Hyde / Christopherson, who independently mixed versions and then met to synch both creations, molding them into these master versions. ”Recoiled” includes a fuller, more opulent version of the track ‘Closer’, which eventually made it onto the opening credits to the movie “SE7EN“. These 5 lengthy compositions are pre-Ableton / laptop generation type priest song creations, with the use of baby alarms and numerous wires to create bespoke effects. These legendary tracks were always rumoured to exist and, only the due diligence of a dedicated NIN forum who hunted them down, are released/unleashed for your listening pleasure. 4 of the tracks were released on the download-only “Uncoiled”. A bonus, previously unheard track from the same sessions closes the album. Jhonn Balance is also manifest on this gilded constellation. Beautifully remastered for CD / vinyl. CD in digipak.

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2013 Readers Poll - The Results

Album of the Year

Single of the Year

Live album/vault recording/reissue (or otherwise not really a "new full-length album")

Various Artist Collection of the Year

Boxed Set

Act of the Year

Label of the Year

New Artist of the Year

Rashad Becker

Overlooked Staff Picks

Lifetime Achievement Recognition

Jason Molina

Worst Album of the Year

2013 Readers Poll - The Results

Album of the Year

Single of the Year

Live album/vault recording/reissue (or otherwise not really a ""new full-length album"")

Various Artist Collection of the Year

Boxed Set

Act of the Year

New Artist of the Year

Overlooked Staff Picks

Lifetime Achievement Recognition

Jason Molina

Worst Album of the Year

The New Alchemy, "On The Other Side of Light"

√Ñ√ÑNIP√Ñ√Ñ, "Through a Pre-Memory"

Prurient, "Washed Against The Rocks"

Xiu Xiu, "Nina"

Noveller, "No Dreams"

:zoviet*france:, "The Tables Are Turning"

Coil / Nine Inch Nails, "Recoiled"

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