Music: Listening and Sharing

[algroth]

Carl Stone - Himalaya

This right here's an album of three parts: the first three shorter tracks features what can best be described as an attempt to stitch together sounds and portions of innumerable sources into a sound collage recreation of the more rhythmic, highly kinetic West African music styles like fuji music, Afrobeat and the likes, all resulting into an utterly insane and kaleidoscopic but rather harmonious pluralist soundscape, every bit as groovy as it is sonically intriguing. The next two tracks follow in this pluralist line but seem to take a step back: the electro-disco-esque beat of "Kikanbou" acting almost as a "Halleluwah" backdrop for the ongoing kaleidoscopic maelström to develop atop of it, whilst "Fujiken (Final Section)" could well be a lost third side to Holger Czukay and Rolf Dammers' Canaxis 5, prioritizing a more distended sonic landscape and giving several vocal recordings a change to breathe and create a rather nostalgic and evocative effect in the dialogue that ensues. The final, title track, however, is an absolute beast: a yearning vocal perfomance from Akaihirume alongside a wonderful set of muted textures that recalls the likes of Coil's "Batwings (A Limnal Hymn)" and is every bit as effective, absolutely beautiful and transcendent. Overall one of the best and most intriguing albums of the year.

 

[algroth]

3776 - Saijiki

Quite a lovely progressive/experimental pop album using the titular "saijiki" (per Wikipedia: list of kigo (seasonal terms) used in haiku and related forms of poetry) as a concept and as a springboard with which to fill the album with wordplays, puns, and a cadence across its 73-minute runtime that resembles the year cycle and so on. It's a near-equivalent of Boredoms and tommyfebruary6 collaborating on a J-pop Vision Creation Newsun. Just utterly delightful and creative.

 

[algroth]

Richard Dawson - 2020

Richard Dawson moves away from the neo-medieval avant-folk of Peasant to a prog and folk-induced rock with this release, detailing experiences from several characters of contemporary Britain so as to paint a portrait of the sociopolitical climate, of the current-day anxieties that abound today and the likes. As a non-British person I'm sure to be missing a number of subtleties in his writing and stories, but can't deny the power of some of his imagery, plenty of these same experiences translating well beyond the UK ecosystem. Another in a strong of strong releases from Dawsom, which further cement him as one of the finest songwriters of this period.

 

[algroth]

I figured that now that I've published all of my yearly lists for the 2010s, I might as well share my top 10/20s of each year of the 2010s right here:

2010:

1. Autechre - Oversteps
2. Honduras Libregrupo - Célula dormida
3. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
4. Yellow Swans - Going Places
5. Beach House - Teen Dream
6. Javiera Mena - Mena
7. Dälek - Untitled
8. Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
9. Rational Diet - On Phenomena and Existences
10. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

2011:

1. Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow
2. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
3. Cliff Martinez - Drive
4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
5. Thee, Stranded Horse - Humbling Tides
6. Tom Waits - Bad As Me
7. Natural Snow Buildings - Waves of the Random Sea
8. Auktyon - Yula
9. The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
10. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972

2012:

1. Max Richter - Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons (performed by Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin / André de Ridder / Daniel Hope)
2. Scott Walker - Bish Bosch
3. Áine O'Dwyer - Music for Church Cleaners
4. Death Grips - The Money Store
5. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
6. Swans - The Seer
7. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
8. El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
9. Swans - We Rose From Your Bed With the Sun in Our Head
10. Bat for Lashes - The Haunted Man

2013:

1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels
2. Bear Bones, Lay Low - Occultciti
3. Jon Hopkins - Immunity
4. Tim Hecker - Virgins
5. Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle - Perils from the Sea
6. Melt-Banana - Fetch
7. bvdub & Loscil - Erebus
8. Autechre - Exai
9. Fire! Orchestra - Exit!
10. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
11. Julia Holter - Loud City Song
12. Roly Porter - Life Cycle of a Massive Star
13. The Haxan Cloak - Excavation
14. Matt Elliott - Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart
15. Mélanie de Biasio - No Deal
16. Goldfrapp - Tales of Us
17. Alameda 3 - Późne królestwo
18. Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
19. Pharmakon - Abandon
20. Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus Seven

2014:

1. Swans - To Be Kind
2. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Zim Zam Zim
3. Africa Express - Africa Express Presents... Terry Riley's In C Mali
4. Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
5. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
6. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
7. Honduras Libregrupo - Cinco
8. Kasai Allstars - Beware the Fetish
9. Richard Dawson - Nothing Important
10. Angles 9 - Injuries
11. Huck Hodge - Life Is Endless Like Our Field of Vision (performed by Talea Ensemble / JACK Quartet / Huck Hodge)
12. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata
13. Widdly 2 Diddly - LISA Soundtrack
14. X.Y.R. - Arktika
15. Ian William Craig - A Turn of Breath
16. Fire! Orchestra - Enter
17. United Bible Studies - Doineann
18. Daniela Casa - Sovrapposizione Di Immagini
19. DJ Rozwell - None of This Is Real
20. The Body - I Shall Die Here

2015:

1. death's dynamic shroud.wmv - I'll Try Living Like This
2. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
3. Max Richter - From Sleep
4. Moa Pillar - Humanity
5. Áine O'Dwyer - Music for Church Cleaners Vol. II
6. Lil Ugly Mane - Third Side of Tape
7. Sons of Kemet - Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do
8. Charles Barabé & Wether - Huh?
9. In Media Res - Triginta Septem
10. Toby "Radiation" Fox - UNDERTALE Soundtrack
11. Elza Soares - A mulher do fim do mundo
12. Kamasi Washington - The Epic
13. Lil Ugly Mane - Oblivion Access
14. Rabit & Chino Amobi - The Great Game: Freedom From Mental Poisoning (The Purification of the Furies)
15. 2814 - Atarashī hi no tanjō
16. Holly Herndon - Platform
17. Aïsha Devi - Of Matter and Spirit
18. Elephant9 with Reine Fiske - Silver Mountain
19. Rob Mazurek / Exploding Star Orchestra - Galactic Parables: Volume 1
20. George Clanton - 100% Electronica

2016:

1. David Bowie - Blackstar
2. A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service
3. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 3
4. Charles Barabé - Cicatrices
5. Moor Mother - Fetish Bones
6. Swans - The Glowing Man
7. Angel-Ho - Red Devil
8. Fishmans - Long Season '96~7 - 96.12.26 Akasaka Blitz
9. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
10. Sofia Gubaidulina - Sonnengesang (performed by NDR Chor / ElbtonalPercussion / Philipp Ahmann / Christian Schmitt / Ivan Monighetti)
11. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
12. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Orphée
13. The Body & Full of Hell - One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache
14. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree
15. pilotredsun - Achievement
16. Roly Porter - Third Law
17. Angel Olson - MY WOMAN
18. Full Blast - Risc
19. Glenn Jones - Fleeting
20. Mari Kimura - Harmonic Constellations

2017:

1. Richard Dawson - Peasant
2. LINGUA IGNOTA - All Bitches Die
3. Blanck Mass - World Eater
4. Giant Claw - Soft Channel
5. Sly & The Family Drone & Dead Neanderthals - Molar Wrench
6. Ill Considered - Ill Considered
7. Kelela - Take Me Apart
8. Ama Divers - Shadow Seeking Sun
9. Jlin - Black Origami
10. Björk - Utopia
11. Impossible Nothing - Lexemenomicon
12. The Body + Full of Hell - Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light
13. Damien Dubrovnik - Great Many Arrows
14. Angles 9 - Disappeared Behind the Sun
15. Chino Amobi - Paradiso
16. Bedwetter - Volume 1: Flick Your Tongue Against Your Teeth and Describe the Present.
17. Iglooghost - Neō Wax Bloom
18. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
19. UUUU - UUUU
20. Kink Gong - Tibetan Buddhism Trip

2018:

1. Julia Holter - Aviary
2. Sons of Kemet - Your Queen Is a Reptile
3. JPEGMAFIA - Veteran
4. Koenjihyakkei - Dhorimviskha
5. Richard Devine - Sort/Lave
6. Tropical **** Storm - A Laughing Death in Meatspace
7. Niño de Elche - Antología del cante flamenco heterodoxo
8. Anguish - Anguish
9. Kali Uchis - Isolation
10. Current 93 - The Light Is Leaving Us All
11. Kink Gong - Dian Long: Soundscape China / Destruction of Chinese Pop
12. Khalab - Black Noise 2084
13. DjRUM - Portrait With Firewood
14. Anna von Hausswolff - Dead Magic
15. George Clanton - Slide
16. Debby Friday - Bitchpunk
17. Molchat doma - Etazhi
18. Iglooghost - Steel Mogu
19. Denzel Curry - TA13OO
20. Kasper Bjørke Quartet - The Fifty Eleven Project

2019:

1. Magma - Zëss : Le jour du néant
2. Carl Stone - Himalaya
3. The Comet Is Coming - Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
4. LINGUA IGNOTA - Caligula
5. Hakushi Hasegawa - Air ni ni
6. Moor Mother - Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes
7. Sofía Rei and JC Maillard - The Book Beri'ah Vol. 1: Keter
8. Black to Comm - Seven Horses for Seven Kings
9. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
10. 33EMYBW - Arthropods
11. Sly & The Family Drone - Gentle Persuaders
12. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
13. Sadaf - History of Heat
14. Blanck Mass - Animated Violence Mild
15. Jenny Hval - The Practice of Love
16. 3776 - Saijiki
17. Swans - Leaving Meaning.
18. Richard Dawson - 2020
19. Yugen Blakrok - Anima Mysterium
20. Zonal - Wrecked

 

My overall trajectory as a music listener through this decade was an interrupted one following a general disappointment and saturation in the early 2010s which saw me take a step back and return to my comfort zone for a few years before slowly opening up to the new currents much later in time. What I felt back in the early 10s was that the music scene at large, both on a mainstream and underground level, were still figuring out what the next wave was, and in doing so latching on to several ideas and fads that ultimately remained that. I still have very little love for that period, as reflected by the fact that despite having listened to over 70 albums for each year from 2010 to 2012 I've struggled to build a top 10 I felt at all comfortable with for that period. I'm happy to have taken the time to explore the decade deeper since, as I feel the medium ultimately did find its course and I've found plenty to love since. Looking at this list I reckon all years from 2014 onwards are pretty even, but I'd probably reckon 2016 and 2019 landed the best lists.

 

Anyone here have a personal list of favorite albums of the decade?

[ShadySands]

 

[Gorth]

On 12/26/2019 at 6:52 AM, Raithe said:

Tim Minchin

I still remember seeing him live in Melbourne last year. A fantastic experience.(warning -profanity in the video lyrics)
 

Spoiler

 

 

[algroth]

 

[algroth]

Not music per se, mostly a case study on Robert Fripp's personality, and really, quite a neat watch. It very accurately describes why he's such a fascinating artist and at the same time such an oppressive personality.

[Raithe]

Because sometimes, you just have to return to those parodies..

 

[Sarex]

 

 

[Keyrock]

Classic Coldcut mix madness 

[Gorgon]

 

[Enoch]

On 12/29/2019 at 2:47 PM, algroth said:

3776 - Saijiki

I don't understand a word of Japanese, but I'm a half-hour into this and enjoying it immensely.

Anyhow, I noticed The Comet is Coming in your Best-of-2019 list, and I concur that they're pretty great.

 

[Keyrock]

 

[Gorgon]

Caution, might make you cry like a little girl. 

 

 

 

[algroth]

8 hours ago, Keyrock said:

 

I like that a band with a name like The Incredible Bongo Band is being republished by Mr Bongo. I don't think I own any records from the label but I do have a few DVDs they've put out.

[algroth]

This man is music's Ansel Adams.

[Lenny Deffell]

it makes me feel better 

 

[Lenny Deffell]

and that makes me sad 

[Raithe]

 

[Raithe]

Going back to my childhood...

 

 

[ComradeYellow]

 

This is American culture in a nutshell.

[Guard Dog]

This would have been one of the greatest rock shows of all time!

[Gorth]

I've already posted a few of these (might be a duplicate, who cares? Too good not to share)...

 

" Alhazred Said that is not dead which can eternal lie!
The Arab said that is not dead for even death may die.
For even death my die, my dear, for even death may die!
Alhazred said that is not dead which can eternal lie.

And on his own he penned a tome that is called the Al Azif!
The howling devils sang to him with fiendish songs of grief.
With fiendish songs of grief, my dear, with fiendish songs of grief!
The howling demons sang to him with fiendish songs of grief.

Then Unseen Demons killed him dead on a dry Damascus lawn!
His words live on for strange aeons, the Necronomicon.
The NECRONOMICON, he wrote the Necronomicon!
His words live on for strange aeons, the Necronomicon. "

 

 

[LadyCrimson]

Finally, I don't have to play that "find the fave Pentatonix in the song/video" game (not that I don't still love the group minus Avi, too).
That beautiful, deep voice all by itself.  And so far I love his style. I could lie in a grassy field or a forest and listen to it on headphones for a few hours...