Chilly Gonzales - Advantage Points

The musical genius. Really enjoying his new album, and this is fantastic.

Hayden - Hey Love

This guy's still got it. One of the best.

Best of 2014 Part 3

Running a little late-ish today, but have no fear, I am here! Let's just take a quick minute to assess the final Hobbit movie, The Battle Of The Five Armies, that I watched last night. Quick summary: disappointing. Probably my least favorite of the six Peter Jackson Middle Earth films. It was entertaining, went by fast, but to me it felt sloppy, rushed, just a bit too messy. I liked the Lord of the Rings films. For me the pacing of the Hobbit trilogy was way off. It's a shame. The visuals were stunning as always, but didn't make up for the mediocre writing. Anyway go see it for yourself, at least there's some really cool action scenes. Dain's dwarves were pretty cool.

Music time.

#15

Pharoahe Monch

PTSD

Hip-hop is getting ever more divisive. People pulling in all kinds of different directions, both in terms of production and lyricism, and lots of different sorts getting into it. Even white Australian girls are into it, maybe I'll give it a try some day. My preference is more old-school classic styles. Tight lyrics, solid beats, nothing too whack. A little gangster, but never over the top.  

This album fills all the requirements and more. The Pharoahe is one of those few who can stand with the old school kings. Of course it makes sense since he's been around for more than 20 years, and yet only four solo albums are on his discography. This one might be his best. The production sounds like a Roots album (some of them were in on it) and the lyrics are unmistakably Monch. It's versatile with both big heavy grungy tracks and slower more thoughtful offerings. For me it's one of the best hip hop records of the last five years. 

Broken Again

Damage

Rapid Eye Movement

#14

Swans

To Be Kind

They`ve done it again. Why, god, why? Two years ago these deranged individuals put out a record that I described as "slow torture, a creeping dread, a shrouded evil", and I loved it. In my opinion this one isn't quite as good, but some have argued that it is in fact better. Either way, it's another astonishing adventure into introspective anarchy. You can't listen to this every day, or even once a week, unless your therapist really needs the money.

So why is this here? Look, the world isn't smiles and chocolates. You can't listen to Backstreet Boys all day. If that's you, fine, carry on living the lie. I moved out of the cave a long time ago (the allegory, not necessarily the place). Sometimes you need to expand your mind beyond its comfort zone, and this is the kind of record that does it. In fact let's take that a bit further. There is no other band on the planet who takes you through the metaphysical gauntlet like Swans. Nobody.

Just A Little Boy

Oxygen

To Be Kind

#13

Hey Rosetta!

Second Sight

Close to as completely opposite as it gets from that darkness is the gleaming light of these superb rockers from Newfoundland. It's been three years since their last record and it seems the years have been kind. I liked that last one, but this one is a significant step up in their evolution. The signature strings have largely been set aside for more guitars and a more expansive percussion section, and the rest is a more mature sound and some of their best song writing since "Plan Your Escape".

The first single sounded different at first, and by the time of writing this it's become one of my favorite tracks of the year. There are unmistakable hints of Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon throughout the album, and maybe even a little of The Drones, which is never a bad thing. Pedals and effects have never been overly prevalent, and again they're used sparsely, but they really enhance the ambiance on tracks like "Neon Beyond". It's an excellent album, and again one that could well rank higher on the list after a few more months of reflective absorption.

Kintsukuroi

What Arrows

Harriet

EP #5

Lusine

Arterial

I very nearly moved this up the list at the last second, but I'm going to live with my choices and move on. After hearing the first single from this one I had a feeling it would be there or thereabouts on my list, and sure enough it was a keeper. Jeff McIlwain is an accomplished and industrious producer who has kind of ghosted (pun intended) under the eyes of the mainstream for a while, and though this release is unlikely to change that, it's possibly his most refined work to date. This is more thinking music, glitch-hop IDM at its best. Highly recommended.

Eyes Give In

Quiet Day

Forks

Almost to half time... keep up!

Sloan - Carried Away

From the new album... could use a little more energy fellas!

Best of 2013 Part 4

Tonight is a big night for fight fans, myself being one of them. The Silva-Weidman rematch is a monstrous spectacle, one of the biggest in the history of mixed martial arts, and however it finishes it will be dramatic and exciting. Personally I hope Silva wins and retires immediately after. Since GSP has already virtually done just that, it's just about time for me to take a break from my almost fanatical following. It's time to focus on other endeavors Silva's retirement would make the decision a little less traumatic.

Back to music, the list so far hasn't taken too many unpredictable turns, so hopefully today changes that. There will likely be a couple of these discs that you haven't heard, or even heard of, which is a good thing, though not something done intentionally. I legitimately thought these releases were great, and I hope you find some enjoyment in them as well.

#12

Axel Boman

Family Vacation

From Stockholm comes this terrific house producer, his style mostly entrenched in minimal or ambient noise but with some really interesting use of samples. He uses a lot of repetition and plenty of reverb with some delay effects to give it a jazzy dub kind of feel. Everything is carefully weighted, and the breaks in the programming are subtle and clean.

There are a lot of similarities between the songs but at the same time they vary just enough to keep your interest peaked for the duration of the 86-minute presentation. It's a great album for a late night drive, if that's your thing, or just to groove out to with your headphones on. Super chill, masterfully built, highly recommended.

Fantastic Piano

Hello

Can't Find It

#11

Buke & Gase

General Dome

This pairing of souls from Brooklyn is a little strange. They have similar names (Aron & Arone), play handmade instruments, and make really odd music. I like it. Their EP "Function Falls" didn't quite make my best of last year, but their song "Misshaping Introduction" from that disc was one of my favorite songs of the year. With so much 'alternative indie' being favored by the hipsters of today it's a wonder to me that these guys aren't more popular, because to me they're way more progressive and politely awkward than most of the boring stuff being passed about.

This album is their actually their second LP, though I haven't heard the first, and it's really, really good. It was one of those that I mulled over placing higher on the list, and very well could enjoy a greater long-term appeal than some others. There's just something about it, the dissonant harmonies, the wacky time signatures, and the little intermittent passages of genius. More of this please.

Houdini Crush

General Dome

Hiccup

#10

Kixnare

Red

Of all my selections, this is probably the one most likely to get a 'wtf?' reaction. I haven't seen it on anyone else's list, nor did I expect to, and it's quite likely you've never heard of this guy. His name is Łukasz Maszczyński and he hails from Kraków, Poland. To be honest I'd never heard of him either before randomly coming across this disc, but I'm so glad I found it. It's a massive find.

The album is mostly downtempo bass beats, with really minimalist drum machine samples, basic patterns, and waves of dreamy synths and loopy vocal samples over top. It simple, uncluttered, and effective. The second track, "Gucci Dough", is probably my favorite electronic production of the year. I absolutely love this album and can't wait to hear more.

Gucci Dough

No More

Eraser

EP #4

Koreless

Yūgen

Another likely new to you, thank me later. On first listen I didn't know what to make of it, but it caught my attention enough for me to listen to it again. And again. And again. No kick, no snare, the only sign of any percussive elements are some tonal synthetic toms, but even they are more counterpoint than rhythmic. The main themes are repetitive and progression is achieved through overlapping loops and a liberal application of various distortion effects. It's pulsating and mechanical, and a great introduction to Glasgow's Lewis Roberts, one of the new stars on the experimental scene.

Sun

Never

Last Remnants

Tomorrow we head inside the top 10!

Buke & Base - Houdini Crush

This crazy duo have released a new LP and you can certainly bank on it being on my best of 2013 list as it's fantastic. I also enjoy the creativity of their live performances, like this one.

Arkells - John Lennon

These guys have come a long way in a couple years. The Arkells have won a CASBY, a Juno, and headlined the Burlington Sound of Music festival this year. Bigger things are surely in store. Here's probably their best-known song, live on Q.

Oh look it's Monday.