A few things need to be dealt with first.
1. So for a while I was going back through my favorite albums from 2010, because I didn’t get a chance to write about them last year. Now though, I’m getting a little bored with the project, mainly because I feel I could address these albums and artists in a different, or even more effective fashion. So I’m discontinuing that series of articles. I’ll probably find a way to bring attention to the remaining albums and artists in a different way and I’ll post the last one of the series I wrote before I got bored with it, but that will be it. In the mean time, here’s the complete list of favorite albums from 2010.
20. Heligoland by Massive Attack
19. A Small Turn Of Human Kindness by Harvey Milk
18. Fences by Fences
17. The One Man Band Broke Up by Ceschi Ramos
16. How To Destroy Angels by How To Destroy Angels
15. Toward A Damaged Horizon by Sleepy Eyes Of Death
14. Brothers by The Black Keys
13. Sisterworld by Liars
12. Fallen House, Sunken City by B. Dolan
11. Tapestry Of Webs by Past Lives
10. They Can’t Hurt You If You Don’t Believe In Them by Post Harbor
9. Diamond Eyes by Deftones
8. Transit Transit by Autolux
7. Option Paralysis by The Dillinger Escape Plan
6. Heavy Breathing by Black Breath
5. This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
4. The Lonely Forest EP by The Lonely Forest
3. Grinderman 2 by Grinderman
2. Vessel by Dark Time Sunshine
1. My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky by Swans
3. I’m not sure what format my writing is going to take, but I’m getting annoyed with trying to bracket things certain ways because it sometimes makes it difficult to decide which kind of writing to apply to which piece of music. Or it is for me anyways (option paralysis…) Like I said, things are probably going to be different from now on and we’ll see how it goes.
4. If you’ve made it this far then, you get to read about more things I’m looking forward to in the coming year. Enjoy!
-TV on the Radio-
Confining TV on the Radio to one genre is an impossible task. Are they Neo-Soul? Indie Funk? Electronic Rock? Neo-Indie-Soulful-Funktronica- Rock? Who knows, they do it all so well it doesn’t even matter what kind of music they’re performing, if they’re doing it, it’s going to be solid. After taking a year off to work on various solo projects (such as Kype Malone’s fantastic Rain Machine and Dave Sitek’s sadly forgettable Maximum Balloon,) TV on the Radio have reconvened to record and release their new album, Nine Types Of Light, which will hit the streets on April 12th this year and quite frankly, I couldn’t ask for a better birthday gift. SHAZAM!
Considering TVOTR’s (OFFICIAL ACRONYM!) track record of albums that seemingly cater to everyone in the Indie circuit’s sonic needs, while maintaining their sterling sense of integrity and artistic vision, in one go, this new album has a lot to live up to. But considering the decompressing chill atmosphere of the album’s first single, “Will Do,” we probably don’t have much to fear about being let down.
-Bill Callahan-
There’s something intrinsically mysterious about Bill Callahan. He gives off a similar outsider feeling that you get from fellow Drag City Folkster Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and their mutual reclusive forefather Jandek. Callahan’s almost detached baritone doesn’t constantly fill up space like some of his contemporaries, but rather seems to mirror the minimalist nature of his music. He is a man of few words, and yet, Callahan is an impeccable storyteller. Couple that with his ability to channel the wonder of being lost in the wilderness into a simple Folk song, and you’ve got the recipe that has driven his last few records.
On April 5th, Callahan will unleash Apocalypse onto the unsuspecting world, his third album under his own name since dropping the Smog moniker. New music from Callahan usually means good times, and even though Apocalypse only boasts seven new songs, leading single “Baby’s Breath” is an indicator of a solid album.
-Krallice-
On April 26th the sky will black out. The planets will fall out of orbit and crash into each other. Cities will tremble and 100,000,000 ghosts will rise up from the ground and torment the living. There will be pandemonium and chaos and those in the know will pay homage by heading to their local record store and picking up their copy of Krallice’s third album Diotima. Because if the world is going to spiral into temporal limbo and red lightning is going to crack down from the sky, then we’re going to need to Blackest of Black Metal to listen to while we fend for ourselves in the wreckage of the 3rd dimension.
Krallice is tied for my favorite U.S.B.M. (That’s United States Black Metal) band, due in large part to it being one of the projects of hyper tech guitarist Mick Barr. They’ve got a sense of progressiveness to their music that most Black Metal bands simply fail to achieve or out right reject and this is what makes them interesting to listen to. Krallice is not for the feint of heart though and if you’re not already a Metal fan or one of those creepy people who live in their basement and only listen to Black Metal, you should probably skip this next track. If you’re feeling adventuresome though, check “The Clearing.” It’s 12:05 long.
-Explosions In The Sky-
Austin, Texas’s Instrumental Rock quartet Explosions In The Sky have finally returned to gift us a new album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care which hits the street on April 26th. But from the sounds of their newest song “Trembling Hands,” things might be a little different this go around. The song has a much more straightforward structure than their usual long-form work, and it even feels kind of like there could be a singing part to it that went missing at some point.
The song actually does use vocals; the first time the band has used them since Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever. But unlike the spoken word piece used on that album, the vocals here are simple rhythmic loop that serves to add the propellant feel of them song. “Trembling Hands” is only 3:30 long, making it one of the shorter pieces in the Explosions cannon, but the song might be a serious exception to the rest of the album, being the lead single. Regardless, if you’re into uplifting Instrumental Rock, this album will probably be for you.
-Boris-
AWWWWWW YEAH. Japanese Doom Metal Experimentalists Boris have returned and on May 25th they aren’t releasing one, but two albums to amplifier worship your socks off. The 16th and 17th album by the group respectively, Boris has never failed to deliver the goods when it comes to the loud and the heavy and I have no doubt that May 25th will be the most Metal day of the year because of it. But the two albums are markedly different from each other. One is called Heavy Rocks, which is also the title of Boris’ 2002 album and, well, here’s the quote that explains why they’ve got the same title: “it’s fitting that the group’s new album sharing the same title and very similar artwork to that disc, this year’s Heavy Rocks seeks to redefine “heavy” music in a culmination of the band’s tireless efforts over the past two decades.”
While I don’t think the band has a need to “redefine heavy” at this point (they already did so with 2005’s album Pink,) if they think they can find new ways to blow my eardrums, I say go for it. But wait! What about the other album? Attention Please is going to be something worth paying attention to indeed as it is the first Boris album to feature incongruously tiny guitarist Wata on lead vocals for the entire album. Boris has shifted sounds a lot over the years but I’ve never heard them play anything like “Hope” the promo track from Attention Please. Because it sounds almost like a Pop Rock song. Now, Boris has proven that they can pretty much do anything that they set their minds to, but the contrast between “Hope” and “Riot Sugar” the thunderous promo track from Heavy Rocks, is startling.
I have no doubt that both records will be good, but I have no idea what form Attention Please will take. And that is kind of exciting.
-Battles-
For those of you who though Battles would sound less like evil mechanical elves coming to dismantle your brain after Tyondai Braxton (son of Avant-Garde 60’s Polar Bear, Anthony Braxton) left the band to focus on his solo music, “Ice Cream” the first promo off Gloss Drop, their sophomore album and first without Braxton, should prove you wrong. The Electronic Math Rock dementia induced by 2007’s Mirrored sounds like it’s going to be followed up splendidly when Gloss Drop hits the street on June 7th. And in order to replace the bizarre vocal antics of Braxton, the band has enlisted the help of a few guest vocalists on this new album, including Electronic Godfather Gary Numan (that track is obligated to be awesome) and Boredoms mastermind Yamataka Eye (that track is obligated to be insane.) But until June 7th we’ve only got “Ice Cream” which features Matias Aguayo on vocals, chopped and popped in supremely Battles fashion. Get ready.
Seattle’s most reclusive and enigmatic Hip-Hop act Shabazz Palaces signed to Sup Pop last year and on May 31st the local label will release their debut full-length album, Black Up. While there are defiantly warmer and more inviting Hip-Hop acts around the emerald city, few have ever risen to a place of such high regard as Shabazz have in their relatively short existence. And seemingly without much effort too. They’ve only played a handful of shows around town and have yet to really tour, but despite that, they landed a record deal with Sub Pop, no mean feat.
But Ishmael Butler (the genius behind the veil) has been in this game a long time, and his previous group Digable Planets even won a Grammy back in a time when that kind of meant something. But unlike the jazzified cool of Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces traffic in a heavy brand of introspective, afro-centric Shoegazy Hip-Hop that serves as a platform for Butler’s chill-as-you-please abstractions. Black Up’s leading single, the impressively titled “An Echo From The Hosts That Profess Infinitum” shows the continued development of the Shabazz sound and that Butler doesn’t give a shit for conventions, he’s happy doing whatever he pleases. When Black Up hits the record stores, get thee there and cop it. And remember. The beat will always save us.
Right. That’s the forecast. Interesting weather ahead. Until next time. Cheers.
Tracklist:
01: "Will Do" by TV on the Radio
02: "Baby's Breath" by Bill Callahan
03: "The Clearing" by Krallice
04: "Trembling Hands" by Explosions In The Sky
05: "Riot Sugar" by Boris
06: "Hope" by Boris
07: "Ice Cream" by Battles
08: "An Echo From The Hosts That Profess Infinitum" by Shabazz Palaces
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