Sunday, December 28, 2014

10 Year Vintage: The 75 Best Tracks of 2004



1. Air- Run



2. Vex'd- Lion



3. The Go! Team- Bottle Rocket



4. Destiny's Child- Lose My Breath



5. Kanye West- Jesus Walks



6. Various Productions-  Hater



7. Belbury Poly- The Willows



8.  Toasty- The Knowedge



9.  MIA- Galang



10.  Belle and Sebastian- I'm a Cuckoo (Avalanches Mix)

11. Skywave-Wear This Dress
12. Of Montreal-Disconnect the Dots
13. Ghostface Killah-Run
14. Lady Sovereign-Ch Ching
15. DJ Spinn and DJ Rashad-Girl Bust Down
16. Jaylib-Pillz
17. Nathan Fake-Outhouse
18. Black Moth Super Rainbow-Smile Heavy
19. Juvenile-Numb Numb
20. Modest Mouse-Float On
21. Digital Mystikz-Da Wrath
22. Slum Village ft MC Breed-Do You
23. cLOUDDEAD-Dead Dogs Two (Boards of Canada Mix)
24. De La Soul-Rock Co.Kane Flow
25. Legowelt-Pandamonium
26. Mathew Johnson-Followed By Angels
27. Tortoise-Crest
28. Oh No-Take Another
29. Carter Tutti-The Last Ride
30. Solvent-Think Like Us
31. Wagon Christ-Shadows
32. Snoop Dogg ft Pharell Williams-Drop It Like It's Hot
33. Ana De Silva-Friend
34. Thomas Brinkmann-Lovesong
35. Squarepusher-Iambic 9 Poetry
36. Prince Po feat Raekwon-Bump Bump
37. Shystie-Step Bac
38. Kelly Polar Quartet-Parlour Games
39. Theo Parrish-Dance Sing
40. Brandy ft Kanye West-Talk About Our Love
41. Kode9 and Daddy G-Sign of the Dub
42. DJ Koze-Let's Help Me
43. Slaughter Mob-L'Amour
44. Rex the Dog-Prototype
45. Scissor Sisters-Take Your Mama Out
46. Fennesz-Circassian
47. The Killers-All These Things That I've Done
48. Annie-Chewing Gum
49. LCD Soundsystem-Yeah (Crass mix)
50. Usher feat Lil Jon-Yeah
51. Subtle-FKO
52. Tomas Andersson-Numb
53. Lindstrom & Prins Thomas-Run
54. Superpitcher-People
55. Fabolous-Breathe
56. Metro Area-Nerves
57. Shackleton-Stalker
58. MF Doom-Rapp Snitch Knishes
59. Shed-Rainy Day
60. Justus Kohncke-Timecode
61. Janet Jackson-Strawberry Bounce
62. Slaughter Mob-L'Amour
63. Lil Wayne-Go DJ
64. Ada-Maps (Michael Mayer and Tobias Thomas Mix)
65. Dungen-Ta Get Lungt
66. NERD-Jump
67. Stars-Ageless Beauty
68. Dynarec-User Input
69. Kelly Clarkson-Since U Been Gone
70. Britney Spears-My Perogative
71. Brooks-Do the Math
72. Sonic Youth-I Love You Golden Blue
73. Phonique-The Red Dress (Tiefschwarz mix)
74. Black Mountain-Don't Run Our Hearts Around
75. Skream -Afrika

20 Year Vintage: The 75 Best Tracks of 1994

I know these lists are absurd, but it was actually hard to break it down to 75. I eventually just had to cut myself off from adding jungle tracks.



1. Stereolab- Wow and Flutter



2. A Guy Called Gerald- Finley's Rainbow



3. The Suburban Knight- Midnight Sunshine



4. Massive Attack- Protection



5. Drexciya- Living on the Edge



6. Dillinja- Sovereign Melody



7. The Magnetic Fields- Strange Powers



8. Rave Creator- Thru Eternal Fog



9. Coil vs the Eskaton- First Dark Ride




10. Aphrodite- Shine
11. The Notorious BIG-Things Done Changed
12. Basic Channel-Quadrant Dub I/II
13. Portishead-Glory Box
14. Infiniti-Think Quick (Moritz Von Oswald mix)
15. Autechre-Basscadet (Seefeelmx)
16. Windy and Carl-Instrumental 1
17. Veruca Salt-Seether
18. Hole-Violet
19. Dred Dead-Dred Bass (Origin Unknown mix)
20. Weezer-Say It Ain't So
21. Bowery Electric-Drop
22. Baby Fox-Curly Locks
23. Cocteau Twins-Ice-Pulse
24. Smashing Pumpkins-Frail and Bedazzled
25. DJ Funk-Pump It
26. Goldie-Inner City Life
27. LFO-Tied Up
28. Gravediggaz-1-800 Suicide
29. Claude Young-Welfare Cheese
30. Palm Skin Productions-The Beast (Autechre Mix)
31. Doc Scott-Paradise Lost
32. Moby-Feeling so Real
33. Red House Painters-Shock Me
34. Foul Play-Music is the Key
35. ESG-Swangin' and Bangin (Screwed Version)
36. Olde Scottish-Martian Economics
37. Wedlock-IQ 190
38. Nas-It Ain't Hard to Tell
39. God-Detox
40. Surgeon-Move
41. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult-After the Flesh
42. Soundgarden -Fourth of July
43. Patrick Pulsinger -City Lights pt 1 & 2
44. Donna Regina-Driving in Your Car
45. Ween-Freedom of 76
46. Orbital-Are We Here
47. Tori Amos-Honey
48. Future Sound of London-Slider
49. Green Day-Burnout
50. Drax-Amphetamine
51. The Lady of Rage-Afro Puffs
52. Daft Punk-Assault
53. Low Key Movements-Makes Me Wanna
54. Glee Club-Remember the Years
55. Jawbreaker-Condition Oakland
56. Wizzard of Wax-Fantasy
57. Jawbox-Savory
58. Pale Saints-Under Your Nose
59. Cloud Nine-Blissful Ignorance
60. Beck-Beercan
61. The Dust Brothers-Chemical Beats
62. UNKLE-If You Find the Earth Boring
63. Curve-On the Wheel
64. Monster Magnet-Negasonic Teenage Warhead
65. DBX-Losing Control
66. Supergrass-Caught by the Fuzz
67. Outkast-DEEP
68. Sugar-My Favorite Thing
69. The Cranes-Pale Blue Sky
70. Sonic Youth-Superstar
71. DJ Krush-Dig This Vibe
72. Bomb the Bass-Bug Powder Dust (La Funk mob Mix)
73. Lush-Blackout
74. Elliot Smith-No Name #3
75. Bochum Welt-Phobos

Saturday, December 27, 2014

30 Years Vintage: The 75 Best Tracks of 1984



1. The Smiths- "William It Was Really Nothing"



2. The Cocteau Twins- "Ivo"



3. Gwendolyn- "Come to Me (Farley Funkin Keith mix)



4. Sonic Youth and Lydia Lunch- Death Valley 69



5. Cherelle- I Didn't Mean to Turn You On



6. Section 25- Looking From a Hilltop



7. Felt- The World Is As Soft As Lace



8. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam- I Wonder If I Take You Home



9. Scratch Acid- Cannibal



10. Cybotron- Techno City

11. Laura Branigan-Self Control
12. Red Alert-Hip Hop on Wax Vol 2
13. Debbie Deb-Look Out Weekend
14. The Chills-Pink Frost
15. Depeche Mode-Master and Servant
16. Time Zone feat Afrika Bambaata and John Lydon-World Destruction
17. The Cars-Drive
18. Husker Du-Masochism World
19. Egyptian Lover-I Cry (Night After Night)
20. Martin Dupont-Just Because
21. Strafe-Set It Off
22. Barrington Levy-Here I Come
23. Killing Joke-The Eighties
24. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Avalanache
25. Meredith Monk-Candy Bullets and Moon
26. The Cure-The Caterpillar
27. Rebbie Jackson-Centipede
28. Prince-When Doves Cry
29. Arthur Baker-Breaker's Revenge
30. The Associates-Kites
31. Wham-Everything She Wants
32. Pretty Poison-Nighttime
33. Madonna-Into the Groove
34. Wish & Fonda Rae-Touch Me (All Night Long)
35. German Shepherds-THC
36. Solo-Girls Girls (ah ah)
37. Echo and the Bunnymen-The Killing Moon
38. The Jesus and Mary Chain-Upside Down
39. Arabian Prince-Strange Life
40. Slinky Gym School feat Rammellzee-Crazy Sneaker
41. Iron Curtain-The Condos
42. Schooly D-Gangster Boogie
43. Jesse Saunders-On and On
44. Dead Can Dance-Flowers of the Sea
45. The Flowerpot Men-Jo's So Mean to Josephine
46. Metallica-Creeping Death
47. Van Halen-Panama
48. REM-South Central Rain
49. Junior Murvin-Think Twice
50. Malcolm McLaren-Madam Butterfly
51. Jan Hammer-Crockett's Theme
52. Teddy & the Frat Girls-I Owe it to the Girls
53. Sun Ra-Nuclear War
54. U2-Bad
55. Master Plan-Pushin too Hard (Instrumental)
56. A Certain Ratio-Life's A Scream
57. Fresh-Dum Dum
58. Bronski Beat-Smalltown Boy
59. Marcel King-Reach for Love
60. Duran Duran-New Moon on Monday
61. Chakk-Out of the Flesh
62. The Fall-CREEP
63. The Style Council-My Ever Changing Moods
64. Animotion-Obsession
65. New Order-Thieves Like Us
66. Rockmaster Scott & the Dynamic Three-The Roof is On Fire
67. Crass-You're Already Dead
68. World Class Wreckin' Cru-Surgery
69. Belfegore-All that I wanted
70. The Go-Gos-Head Over Heels
71. Culture Club-The War Song
72. The Danse Society-Angel
73. Run DMC-Wake Up
74. Queen-Radio Gaga
75. Frankie Goes to Hollywood -Two Tribes

40 Year Vintage: The 40 Best Tracks of 1974



1. Kraftwerk- Autobahn



2. Queen- Killer Queen



3. Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson- The Bottle



4.  Lady June- Tunion



5. Richard and Linda Thompson- I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight



6. Guru Guru- The Girl from Hirschhorn



7. Nina Simone- Dambala



8. Kevin Ayers- The Confessions of Dr. Dream Part A: Irreversible Neural Damage



9. Miles Davis- He Loved Him Madly



10. Big Star- September Gurls

11. Syreeta-Cause We've Ended Now As Lovers
12. Lou Bond-To the Establishment
13. Junior Byles-Curly Locks
14. The Raspberries -Overnight Sensation
15. Fred Wesley and the JB's-Blow Your Head
16. David Bowie-Rebel Rebel
17. Brian Eno-Third Uncle
18. Sparks-Here in Heaven
19. King Tubby and the Upsetter-King Tubby and the Upsetter At Spanish Town
20. Bobbi Humphrey-San Francisco Lights
21. Ronnie Boykins-The Will Come, Is Now
22. The Hollies-The Air That I Breathe
23. Aerosmith-Seasons of Wither
24. Bettye Crutcher-Sleepy People
25. Bill Withers-Make a Smile For Me
26. Little Beaver-Party Down
27. Death-Freaking Out
28. Tomita-Snowflakes are Dancing
29. Average White Band-Pick Up the Pieces
30. Andy Mckay-Time Regained
31. Dolly Parton-Jolene
32. Bad Medicine-Tresspasser
33. George McCrae-Rock Your Baby
34. Todd Rundgren-Izzat Love
35. Mick Ronson-Only After Dark
36. Gladys Knight and the Pips-I Feel a Song (In My Heart Again)
37. The Commodores-Assembly Line
38. Grateful Dead-Unbroken Chain
39. William DeVaughn-Be Thankful for What You Got
40. Minnie Riperton-Loving You

50 Years Vintage: The 35 Best Tracks of 1964



1. Nina Simone- "Mississippi Goddam"




2. The Beach Boys- "Don't Worry Baby"



3. The Staple Singers- "Masters of War"



4. The Supremes- "Where Did Our Love Go"



5. The Kinks- "All Day and All of the Night"



6. The Beatles- "Things We Said Today"



7. The Four Tops- "Baby I Need Your Lovin"




8. Gloria Jones- "Tainted Love"



9. Eddie Warner- "Night Fight"



10. The Shangri-La's- "Give Him a Great Big Kiss"

11. The Wailers-Simmer Down
12. France Gall-Laisse Tomber Les Filles
13. Hasil Adkins & His Happy Guitar-She Said
14. The Temptations-My Girl
15. Them-Baby Please Don't Go
16. Dionne Warwick-Walk On By
18. Bob Dylan-The Times They Are A Changin'
19. Dusty Springfield-Summer is Over
20. Simon & Garfunkel-The Sound of Silence
21. Marvin Gaye-How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
22. Little Anthony & the Imperials-Going Out of My Head
23. Sam Cooke-A Change is Gonna Come
24. Wendy Rene-After Laughter Comes Tears
25. The Sonics-Psycho
26. Julie London-Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
27. Marianne Faithful-As Tears Go By
28. The Bishops-Hollywood Scene
29. The Animals-House of the Rising Sun
30. The Novas-Crusher
31. The Searchers -Needles and Pins
32. Jerry Herman-Put on Your Sunday Clothes
33. The Dave Clarke Five-Anyway You Want It
34. Gerry and the Pacemakers-Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying
35. Roy Orbison-It's Over


Sixty Year Vintage: The 12 Best Releases of 1954




1. Pete Seeger-The Goofing Off Suite LP
2. Johnny Guitar Watson-"Space Guitar"
3. Edgard Varese-Deserts
4. Peter Schat-Adagio in Oude Stijl, op. 2"
5. Jean Ritchie-"A Pretty Fair Miss"
6. Big Joe Turner-"Shake, Rattle, and Roll"
7. Elvis Presley-"That's Alright Mama"
8. Les Baxter-The Passions LP
9. Archie Bleyer-"Hernando's Hideaway"
10. Howlin Wolf-"Evil is Goin On"
11. Frank Sinatra-Songs for Young Lovers LP
12. The Chordettes-"Mr Sandman"

Monday, December 22, 2014

Fifty Year Vintage: The Best Albums of 1964

Okay, so #1 is technically not an album. So sue me.



1. Delia Derbyshire/Barry Bermange-Dreams
2. The Beatles-Meet the Beatles
3. Nina Simone-Broadway Blues Ballads
4. The Staple Singers-This Little Light
5. Akira Ifukube-Mothra vs Godzilla Soundtrack
6. The Rolling Stones-England's Newest Hitmakers
7. John Barry-Goldfinger
8. Stan Getz /Joao Gilberto feat Antonio Carlos Jobim-Getz/Gilberto
9. Henri Dutilleux-Metaboles
10. The Impressions-Keep on Pushing
11. Ennio Morricone-A Fistful of Dollars soundtrack
12. The Ventures-In Space
13. The Kinks-Kinks
14. The Shangri-Las-Leader of the Pack
15. Quincy Jones-Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini
16. The Temptations-Meet the Temptations
17. Irma Thomas-Wish Someone Would Care
18. Simon & Garfunkel-Wednesday Morning 3AM
19. The Four Tops-The Four Tops
20. Albert Ayler-Spirits
21. Booker T & The MGs-Soul Dressing
22. The Animals-The Animals
23. The Beach Boys-Shut Down Vol 2
24. Odetta- It's a Mighty World
25. Bob Dylan-The Times They Are A-Changin'

Forty Year Vintage: The Best Albums of 1974


1. Kraftwerk-Autobahn
2. Nico-The End
3. Miles Davis-Get Up With It
4. Various-Greek Electronic Music Vol 1
5. Tobe Hopper & Wayne Bell-The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
6. Sparks-Kimono My House
7. Tangerine Dream-Phaedra
8. David Bowie-Diamond Dogs
9. Little Beaver-Party Down
10. Death-…For All the World to See
11. Mike Oldfield-Hergerst Ridge
12. King Tubby Meets the Upsetter-At the Grassroots of Dub
13. Sand-Golem
14. Charlemagne Palestine-Strumming Music
15. Heldon-Electronique Guerilla
16. Sun Ra-Space is the Place
17. Harmonia-Musik Von Harmonia
18. ABBA-Waterloo
19. Can-Soon Over Babaluma
20. Richard and Linda Thompson-I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
21. Nina Simone-It is Finished
22. David Shire-The Conversation Soundtrack
23. Brian Eno-Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy
24. Hawkwind-In the Hall of the Mountain Grill
25. Cluster-Zuckerzeit
26. Syreeta-Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta
27. Magma-Kohntarkosz
28. Klaus Schulze-Blackdance
29. Guru Guru-Dance of the Flames
30. Gong -You
31. Tomita-Snowflakes are Dancing
32. Basil Kirchin-Worlds Within Worlds
33. The Meters-Rejuvenation
34. Lady June-Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy
35. Aerosmith-Get Your Wings
36. James Brown-Hell
37. Gentle Giant -The Power and the Glory
38. Funkadelic-Standing on the Verge of Getting It On
39. Sweet -Desolation Blvd
40. Robert Wyatt-Rock Bottom
41. The Residents-Meet the Residents
42. David Axelrod-Heavy Ax
43. Karuna Khyal-Alomoni 1985
44. Billy Nicholls-Love Songs
45. Kevin Ayers-The Confessions of Dr. Dream
46. Roxy music-Country life
47. Stevie Wonder-Fullingness's First Finale
48. Alice Coltrane and Santana-Illuminations
49. Genesis-The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
50. Bill Withers-Adjustments

Thirty Year Vintage: The Best Albums of 1984


1. The Cocteau Twins-Treasure
2. Husker Du-Zen Arcade
3. This Mortal Coil-It'll End in Tears
4. The Smiths-The Smiths
5. Danielle Dax-Jesus the Egg Wept
6. Bruce Gilbert-This Way
7. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-From Her to Eternity
8. Soft Cell-This Last Night in Sodom
9. Scratch Acid-Scratch Acid
10. Manuel Gottsching-E2-E4
11. Cindytalk-Camoflauge Heart
12. Arto Lindsay/Ambitious Lovers-Envy
13. The Egyptian Lover-On the Nile
14. Harold Budd and Brian Eno-The Pearl
15. Dead Can Dance-Dead Can Dance
16. CTI-Elemental 7
17. R. Stevie Moore-Everything You Always Wanted to Know About R. Stevie Moore But Were Afraid to Ask
18. The Fall-The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall
19. Coil-Scatology
20. The Minutemen-Double Nickels on the Dime
21. Skinny Puppy-Back and Forth
22. Various-Decoder sdtrk
23. Ralph Lundsten-Strangers in Paradise
24. Meat Puppets-II
25. Eric Random & Bedlamites-Time-Splice
26. Bathory-Bathory
27. The Flying Lizards-Top Ten
28. Depeche Mode-Some Great Reward
29. A.T.R.O.X-Water Tales
30. Zoviet France-Oestre
31. KMFDM-Opium
32. Metallica-Ride the Lightning
33. The Replacements-Let it Be
34. Terry Riley-No Man's Land
35. The Butthole Surfers-Psychic...   Powerless... Another Man's Sac
36. General Strike-Danger in Paradise
37. Prince-Purple Rain
38. Public Image Limited-This is What You Want…This Is what You Got
39. Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel-Hole
40. Charles Bernstein- Nightmare on Elm Street Soundtrack
41. Swans-Cop
42. Van Halen-1984
43. The Ex-Blueprints for a Blackout
44. Frightwig-Cat Fam Faboo
45. Peter Gabriel-Birdy
46. Cabaret Voltaire-Micro-Phonies
47. Tangerine Dream-Flashpoint
48. The Fat Boys-The Fat Boys
49. Psychic TV-Pagan Day
50. Reagan Youth-Youth Anthems for the New Order

Twenty Year Vintage: The Best Albums of 1994

I may regret saying this later, but '94 may have been the all-around best year for music ever.

 
1. Nine Inch Nails-The Downward Spiral
2. Aphex Twin-Selected Ambient Works vol 2
3. Hole-Live Through This
4. The Magnetic Fields-Holiday
5. Joey Beltram-AonoX
6. Oval-Systemisch
7. Gravediggaz-6 Feet Deep
8. Disco Inferno-DI Go Pop
9. Lisa Germano-Geek the Girl
10. Main-Motion Pool
11. Portishead-Portishead
12. Vapourspace-Themes from Vapourspace
13. Prodigy-Music for the Jilted Generation
14. Redman-Dare iz a Darkside
15. Godflesh-Selfless
16. Tori Amos-Under the Pink
17. Autocreation-Mettle
18. Nas-Illmatic
19. Various-Headz
20. Weezer-Weezer
21. Massive Attack-Protection
22. TAGC-Iso-Erotic Calibrations
23. Locust-Weathered Well
24. The Notorious BIG-Ready to Die
25. Stereolab-Mars Audiac Quintet
26. Scorn-Evanescence
27. Insides-Clear Skin
28. Soul Coughing-Ruby Vroom
29. Various-The Crow Soundtrack
30. Claude Young-One Complete Revolution
31. Soundgarden-Superunknown
32. Bark Psychosis-Hex
33. Autechre-Amber
34. Method Man-Tical
35. Green Day-Dookie
36. God-The Anatomy of Addiction
37. Kenny Larkin-Azimuth
38. Ø -Metri
39. ESG-Ocean of Funk
40. Hun-Huur-Tu-The Orphan's Lament
41. Underworld-dubnobasswithmyheadman
42. Gang Starr-Hard to Earn
43. Robert Normandeau-Tangrams
44. L7 -Hungry for Stink
45. Orbital-Snivilization
46. Laika-Silver Apples of the Moon
47. Skullflower-Carved into Roses
48. Machine Head-Burn My Eyes
49. Pop Will Eat Itself-Dos Dedos Mis Amigos
50. Low-I Could Live in Hope

Ten Year Vintage:The Best Albums of 2004



1. Junior Boys-Last Exit
2. Various Artists-Grime
3. Kanye West-The College Dropout
4. Pan Sonic-Kesto
5. Animal Collective-Sung Tongs
6. Of Montreal-Satanic Panic in the Attic
7. Donnacha Costello-Color Series
8. Madvillian-Madvilliany
9. Coil-Black Antlers
10. Various Artists-Kompakt 100
11. Air-Talkie Walkie
12. Stereolab-Margerine Eclipse
13. cLOUDDEAD-Ten
14. Lil Wayne-Da Drought
15. Belbury Poly-The Willows
16. Philip Jeck & Janek Schafer-Songs for Europe
17. Alter Ego-Transphormer
18. The Go Team!-Thunder Lightning Strike
19. Cam'Ron-Purple Haze
20. Jesu-Jesu
21. The Arcade Fire-Funeral
22. Murs & 9th Wonder-0.136111111111111
23. Max Richter-The Blue Notebooks
24. V/VM-Stigma
25. Chromatics-Plaster Hounds
26. Der Zyklus-Biometry
27. Shystie-Diamond in the Dirt
28. Liars-We Were Wrong So They Drowned
29. Oh No-The Disrupt
30. The Mountain Goats-We Shall All Be Healed
31. Wolf Eyes-Burned Mind
32. Comets on Fire-Blue Cathedral
33. Smash TV-Bits for Breakfast
34. Mark Van Hoen-The Warmth Inside You
35. Ghostface Killah-The Pretty Toney Album
36. The Fiery Furnaces-Blueberry Boat
37. Electrelane-The Power Out
38. Solvent-Apples and Synthesizers
39. MF Doom-...mmm Food
40. Annie-Anniemal
41. To Rococo Rot-Hotel Morgen
42. De La Soul-Grind Date
43. Dizzee Rascal-Showtime
44. Subtle-A New White
45. Jon Brion-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
46. Black Moth Super Rainbow-Start a People
47. Modest Mouse-Good News for People Who Love Bad News
48. PJ Harvey-Uh Huh Her
49. Brooks-Red Tape
50. Erlend Oye-DJ Kicks

Friday, December 19, 2014

Zero Year Vintage: Tracks of 2014 (16-35)

Limit One Per Artist




16. Pusha T- "Lunch Money"



17. Gucci Mane ft Chief Keef- "Top in the Trash"



18. Aphex Twin- "minipops 67 [120.2] (source field mix)"



19. Taylor Swift- "Shake it Off"



20. Evian Christ- "Salt Carousel"



21. Demdike Stare- "40 years Under the Cosh"



22. Dark0- Amethyst



23. Andy Stott- Violence



24. Murlo Vertigo



25. Pharmakon- Body Betrays Itself



26. Holly Herndon- Chorus



27. Miss Modular- Reflector Pak (4 x 4)



28. Sophie- Lemonade



29. Nicki Minaj- Lookin Ass



30. Sky Ferreira & Ariel Pink- My Molly




31. Liars- Mess on a Mission




32. DAT Oven- Icy Lake (Total Freedom mix)



33. Tinashe- 2 On



34. Boxcutter &  Defcon ft Taidi Tatham- Skylights



35 Redinho- Playing With Fire

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Zero Year Vintage: Tracks of 2014 (1-15)

Since I'm no longer reviewing materials in any official capacity, I've been hearing more one off tracks than albums, so many of these may make their way over to the album list.  However, there's also something thrilling about hearing many of these without context- back to the mixtape early to a certain extent.  Hope you enjoy them too.  More to come...


1. Wave Racer- "Streamers"

2. Fatima Al Qadiri- "The Star Spangled Banner"

3. FKA Twigs- "Two Weeks"


4. Schoolboy Q feat Kendrick Lamar- "Collard Greens"



5. A.G. Cook- "Beautiful"



6. Paula Temple- "Deathvox"


7. Gazelle Twin- "Belly of the Beast"



8. CHVRCHES- "Dead Air"




9. DJ Paypal- "FM Blast




10. Bloom- "The Menagerie"




11. MESH- "Scythians"




12. St. Vincent- "Birth in Reverse"




13. Ynfynyt Scroll- "Drone Warfare"




14.  SD Laika- "Meshes"




15.  Charli XCX- "Boom Clap"


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Zero Year Vintage: Top Albums of 2014

1 FKA Twigs FKA Twigs
2 Mr. Mitch Parallel Memories
3 Gazelle Twin Unflesh
4 Various Next Life (Teklike tribute LP)
5 Starfoxxx Baby I'm off Drugs and I'm Ready 
to Marry You
6 Egyptrixx A/B Til Infinity
7 SD Laika That's Harikiri
8 Traxman Da Mind of Traxman 2
9 Burial Hex The Hierophant
10 Ekoplekz Unfidelity
11 Various Cambiare (Opal Tapes sampler)
12 Rome Fortune Small World/Beautiful Pimp II
13 The Bug Angels and Demons
14 Arca Xen
15 Run the Jewels RTJ2
16 Liars Mess
17 Retic Subculture Logic
18 Fatima Al Qadiri Asiatisch
19 Death Grips Niggas on the Moon
20 Aphex Twin Syro

Monday, December 15, 2014

TV Party: 8 Favorites from 2014



True Detective- A critique of men by men, not necessarily for men, but its problematic use of gender makes it a tricky one to champion.  But even with such a massive blinder (the women on the show basically fill in for male perceptions of them, though they frustrate these preconceived notions at every turn), it really is that good.  Plus the narrative's indebtedness to weird fiction, philosophical negation, and unbelievably erudite cinematism make it utterly unique on the broadcast landscape. 







The Americans- A riposte to both the Reagan era nuclear suburban dream and the Bush II "Hate us for our freedom" doctrine, the show would be worth it for these two alone.  Rarely is a show this overtly political, and on point to boot about the forgotten/scrubbed part of the historical recent past. Yet, the performances and storylines are also expertly executed and full of pathos.  Plenty of shows/films like this are also want to use the kids as props, a stand-in for peril, but for the Americans the children are not only the stakes but the battleground as well; the generation trapped between sides shielded by secrecy from forming their own opinions or allegiances. 





Informericals- Too Many Cooks- An art film masquerading as meme masquerading as horror film masquerading as an in-joke masquerading as an 80s sitcom masquerading as a...




Orange is the New Black- The best thing this show ever did was veer the focus of the story away from Piper, making it now a show not only about the female experience (a rare occurrence on TV) but other marginalized groups as well.  




Hannibal- It's still unbelievable that there's a show like this on a major network.  Not because of its pornographic celebration of violence as a thing of beauty, its detectives in each episode acting in full Situationist mode as art critics to the crime scene.  No, this seems a natural progression from the CSI era.  What's more brutally shocking is the way the show refuses to outright condemn these acts.  With Hannibal as the show's hero, it moral core is completely amoral and Will Graham's potential transformation into his nemesis (as part of his "therapy") throughout Season 2 was perhaps the most uncomfortable and fascinating of any character arc on TV (and way more ashen gray than Walter White's).  For what it's worth, an entire essay could also be penned on how it's the most vegetarian show on television as well.






Brooklyn Nine Nine- Community did alright in its return after the "gas leak" year, but the era for innovative comedy seems to have ended on the networks.  Luckily, there was Brooklyn 99, which, if not wholly originally was at least reliably hilarious each and every episode.  Also nice to see a show where the characters all like and respect one another in the post David Brent comedic landscape.





Last Week with John Oliver- In a perfect world, a 14 minute dissection of an issue's major bullet points and a few of its nuances would not be an "epic rant" to appear like clockwork in social media the next day, but rather "news".  You wouldn't need jokes and comic interludes to get people to watch or pay attention.  A decent #longreads will take you one or two hours.  A book will engross you for a week or more.  Taught to tease out our mediated information in blipvert increments though, the hunger for a more complete diagnostic than a news ticker or a twitter feed is large.  What we have televisually to fill that void is John Oliver, who luckily has a knack for explaining things in a way that is concise, accessible, and rational, without ever cheapening the stakes or cynically dismissing those working diligently to mend or reject, like many of Oliver's former colleagues so often do.




Louie- In a sense, the criticism that arose out of this season of Louie superceded the programming itself.  Season 4 goes dark, multiple times, and is mostly about Louie's failure, and often outright refusal, to understand women.  This most explicitly takes shape in the "Elevator" series where he falls for a woman whose language he literally cannot comprehend, who is trying repeatedly to let him down gently.   Then, there's grisly ending of "Pamela pt 1" where Louie goes out to do standup and talks frankly about the oppression of women, comes home and puts his children to bed in typical "good dad" mode, and then proceeds to pursue Pamela against her will.   The second two acts find the two connecting at long last, without speaking a word of what from the women's perspective could only be described as an attempted sexual assault.  Uncomfortable viewing for sure.  Was it a comment on how most would-be-rapists are not frothing evildoers hiding in the shadows, but people we know, even "good men", who are just too frustrated and broken to attempt to contemplate a woman's autonomy?  Or that it's a few simple steps from that aggressive male type (in "Elevator", a sexually frustrated Louie breaks a piano when he thinks he has been rejected) before he descends into complete horror?  Or maybe Louie, like his idol and somewhat fallen mentor Woody Allen, just isn't capable of recognizing that he can't make decisions for his mate (he is convinced Pamela still has feelings for him, but she keeps saying she doesn't and insults his manhood to boot)?

Perhaps time will tell if I'm giving Louie a pass for allowing this kind of ambiguity on an issue which has finally risen to the public spotlight the crisis calls for.   Louie may have said that "men are the greatest threat to women"  in his 2013 Oh My God comedy special, but he also seems to be giving explicit instructions throughout Season 4 to not trust him.  In the post-Cosby world, the world needs a voice willing to admit that the divisions that separate comedians from their audience is not some PC brigade unwilling to find the humor, but comedians unwilling to approach rough situations with anything but.  Louie continues to be groundbreaking for the ways in which it admits to itself that the laughline is not the ultimate achievement when living in a tragic world, but that there can be comedy in it sometimes too.



Slightly Falling Off the Wagon, but Worth the Effort:


American Horror Story, Community, Key & Peele, Mad Men

Consistent and Good, or somewhat inconsistent but frequently great:

Fargo, Game of Thrones, Helix, Veep, You're The Worst