Deftones - Digital Bath

It's Monday... right? Yup, confirmed. It's Monday. Let's do metal. Surprised I haven't posted anything by these cats in ages, but then the new album isn't coming until early 2016. Really looking forward to it. This is one of my favs.

Best of 2012 Part 5

Into the top 10! Here we go!

#9

Deftones

Koi No Yokan

Much has been opined about the lull that came over Deftones for several years following their monumental album "White Pony", so let's just leave that alone for now. It's been a couple years since the excellent "Diamond Eyes" signaled a return to form, and this new album proves that the angst-driven sonic malevolence that we've come to know and love from them appears to be back for good. Thank goodness for that.

There isn't a lot of variety, per se, in the sounds on this album but Chino Moreno's vocals are at their brooding best in nearly every track. The album smashes into business from the opening chord and nearly every song features powerhouse guitars with even the rare moments of relative calm convalescing into crescendos of energy giving the album massive presence from start to finish. The result is an even better record than the last, and a reaffirmation of the faith of long-time fans.

Leathers

Tempest

Entombed

#8

Portico Quartet

Portico Quartet

I must bow to Anthony Fantano's superior virtual crate digging knowledge for this pick. If you haven't checked out his reviews on The Needle Drop, I highly recommend you do, he's the best in the biz at the moment. I examined out his best of list a week or so back and found several albums that we agreed on, and several that we didn't, but had never heard of this one before. A big thanks are in order because this is my find of the year bar none.

This isn't the first album by these London-based experimental jazz extraordinaires, but it's the first one I've heard and it's absolutely fantastic. They feature an undeniable electronic influence to the sound that incorporates little samples and synths with at times feels like a cross between Nujabes and Radiohead. Much of the album has a rhythmic ambiance interwoven with various repetitive patterns on a variety of different instruments. It's hard to account for all the truly amazing moments on this album with mere text, so you should just head straight to the music right about... now!

Ruins

Steepless

Line / Rubidium

#7

The Souljazz Orchestra

Solidarity

My favorite world music release of the year comes from Ottawa's own ensemble par excellence who should probably call themselves The AfroLatinSoulReggaeJazz Orchestra for accuracy's sake. Seriously, these cats are awesome. They combine all the best attributes of those genres into a funk-filled fusion of fantastical musicianship that makes you want to move. A lot.

This latest album is a real throwback not only in terms of the themes, but the production itself is intentionally lo-fi and gives it a really raw sound, which really just adds to the classic feel. I'd hazard a guess to say it sounds best on vinyl, which I have yet to acquire, or even better yet live. If you've ever felt yourself enchanted by the magical rhythms of Latin American or the a tropical island in the Caribbean, you will love this record. My favorite Canadian album of the year, challenged only by Montreal's Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Two thumbs way up.

Conquering Lion

Bibinay

Ya Basta

EP #3

Lindstrøm

Smalhans

For me this is the best purely electronic release of the year. Four Tet's "Pink" album is good, but is ultimately a collection of previously released singles, so it's hard for me to count it, and even still I prefer this little six track gem. Hans-Peter Lindstrøm hails from Norway and it's no surprise that his sound resembles Röyksopp, perhaps mixed with Booka Shade. It's analog synth heavy, organic and melodic thought-provoking disco pop. Just please don't ask me to pronounce the song titles.

Ęg-gęd-ōsis

Fāār-i-kāāl

Vōs-sākō-rv

Getting closer...

Best of 2010 Part 2

I made a mistake yesterday after posting part 1. I went to the Pitchfork site to see what their top 50 albums of the year were. It's always been about the independent music movement there, but I have to say what I heard was beyond what I had anticipated. Maybe it's just me, but I just don't understand their concept of good music. There were a few there that I agreed with, but most of it was decidedly average, and some even so bad that it's almost unlistenable. Seriously. That bad. I don't get it.

Do people really listen to that stuff? I mean, I have some strange tastes and I post some weird tunes sometimes, but this "indie" thing just all sounds the same to me. My brain just can't seem to comprehend why in the world anyone would want to listen to dried-out lo-fi static-charged flighty dribble. I like guts in my music, substance, good production and as much funk as possible.

I remember thinking about this years ago, thinking about where music was heading. I remember thinking how different the music I liked was from the music my parents liked. I wondered how weird some of my generation was. What would music sound like in twenty years? How weird would people be? I feel that so-called indie rock, certainly that represented on the Pitchfork chart, and dubstep are exactly what I was thinking of. I like to think that I'm flexible, that I'm open-minded and that I can see the beauty and attraction in most forms of art and music, but I just can't get into that stuff, and don't think I ever will.

I digress. On to the good. Here's part 2 of 7.

#18

Booka Shade

More!

A while back I posted "Teenage Spaceman", the first single off Booka Shade's new album. Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier are another DJ/producer duo from Germany who continue to write new rules in the electronic genre. Their productions really are a thing of beauty. Rarely overly complex, they just seem to blend simple soft synth sounds really nicely together, creating a smooth tapestry of sound that is almost unrivaled in the house genre.

Producing complete albums is almost old fashioned nowadays in the electronic world, but Booka Shade continues to put out complete albums of awesome music. This latest offering features tracks that keep that awesome vibe going, but still have a fresh sound to them. Whether it's the progressive grooves of "Teenage Spaceman", or the simplistic minimal funk of "The Door", it just keeps you moving forwards through their moments of musical brilliance. Can't wait to hear their next effort.

Regenerate

Donut (Interpretation)

The Door

#17

Gorillaz

Plastic Beach

I almost didn't include the new Gorillaz album on my chart. Almost. Then I gave my head a shake and here we are. When I posted "Stylo" I remember thinking how awesome it was that there was some fresh new tunes to get me through the summer. I've always been a fan of Damon Albarn's so-called side project, which has turned out to be more like a main project. I'm thankful for that, too, because he makes way cooler music with these guys than he did with Blur.

I don't think this album is front-to-back awesome, but it's really good and there are more than enough great tracks on it to make its acquisition a sensible decision. This album, more than their previous efforts, blended so many great styles together. Ambient, soul, hip hop, and what can only be described as synth funk all find a home here, and do it seamlessly. This, to me, is what the indie movement is supposed to sound like. No crappy white noise in the background, just nice, smooth, funky production to go with great vocals. I mean common. Snoop Dogg is featured on one track, what more do you need?

The World Of The Plastic Beach

Empire Ants

Broken

#16

Deftones

Diamond Eyes

Welcome back Deftones. After some decidedly average albums since the sonic juggernaut that was their 2000 release "White Pony", Chino and the boys returned with a vengeance with arguably the best rock album of the year. It just goes to show that you can never count out serious talent. "Rocket Skates" came out at the end of February and the second single "Diamond Eyes" shortly afterwards, and boy was it exciting to hear them back to form.

At their best, there are few bands that can match the sheer velocity of sound that throttles you backwards. It's almost like getting punched in the face, and liking it. It's what Fight Club would sound like if it were made into music. If there's a complaint to be made it's that they've been consistently inconsistent in the quality of their live performances, but when it comes to making seriously kick-ass studio cuts of pulsing edge-of-your-seat type hard rock, these dudes are the bee's knees.

You've Seen The Butcher

Sextape

Royal

BONUS BEATS!

EDX - Hoover

I'm already reconsidering my rankings. Meh. Part 3 tomorrow.

Deftones - Rocket Skates

When it comes to heavy rock with a dash of thrash and two bites of a metal sandwich, nobody does it quite like Deftones. These guys were really loud when they first came out, then absolutely ripped the music scene to pieces with White Pony ten long years ago. After fading a little into obscurity and releasing two cool but generally less awesome albums, and having their star bass player Chi Cheng badly injured in a car accident, they have pushed through the adversity and finished a new album, Diamond Eyes, tentatively scheduled for a May 18 release. Can't wait for this one. This song is the first release from the album, and I have to say it's pretty cool, sounds very White Pony-ish on first listen. Chino's unique vocal talents are, as usual, a focal point.

Teeth-gritting awesome.