History Will Absorb Me

Congratulaions was so shockingly beautiful. I never expected to hear anything like that after the outragously overrated Oracular Spectacular, but whatever. It’s so different and has become my favourite psychadelic album in a long time. Fuck you people who think it doesn’t deserve that label just because it’s “the band who made Kids”. I can see Congratulations being such a classic album in years to come. It so wonderful, there’s so many sides to the album. It’s like a Rubix cube, just twisting all the sides and corners and I just looking at it from millions of different angles. If you haven’t listened to the album yet, I hope I can convince you to, if it least just to form your own opinion instead of hearing stuff from haters. I know haters gonna hate, BUT STOP IT, YOU’LL MAKE ME CRY.

50. Lindstrom & Christabelle - Lovesick

49. Secret Cities - Color

48. Wavves - Baby Say Goodbye

47. The Books - A Cold Freezin’ Night

46.Grinderman - Heathen Child

45. The Love Language - Horophones

44. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

43. M.I.A. - Born Free

42. Born Ruffians - Retard Canard

41. Matt & Kim - Block After Block

40. of Montreal - Sex Karma

39. Deerhunter - Coronado

38. Titus Andronicus - Four Score and Seven

37. Kanye West - The Joy (feat. Pete Rock, Jay-Z, Charlie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield & Kid Cudi)

36. jj - Let Go

35. Harlem - Someday Soon

34. Best Coast - Crazy For You

33. High Places - On Giving Up

32. Gonjasufi - She Gone

31. The Roots - Right On (Feat. Joanna Newsom, STS)

30. Panda Bear - You Can Count On Me

29. Joanna Newsom - Soft As Chalk

28. TV Girl - If You Want It

27. Lawrence Arabia - Auckland CBD Part 2

26. Big Boi - Shutterbug (Feat. Cutty)

25. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round And Round

24. Flying Lotus - Do The Astral Plane

23. Gorrilaz - Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys & De La Soul)

22. Four Tet - Love Cry

21. Vampire Weekend - Diplomat’s Son

20. The Ruby Suns - Cranberry

19. Kanye West - Power Remix (feat. Jay Z, Swizz Beatz)

18. Girls - Broken Dreams Club

17. Liars - Scarecrows On A Killer Slant

16. Love Is All - Take Your Time

15. Wolf Parade - Cloud Shadow On The Mountain

14. Farah - Gay Boy (Lullaby)

13. Woods - Suffering Season

12. MGMT - Song For Dan Treacy

11. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean

10. Not a Thing to Believe In - Bugs Bunny

9. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

8. Frog Eyes - A Flower In The Glove

7. Kanye West - Lost In The World

6. Caribou - Jamelia

5. Beach House - Silver Soul

4. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

3. The Walkmen - Stranded

2. Not a Thing to Believe In - Don’t Kill Your Parents

1. Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul

This took so long. So many fucking good albums have been released this year. I’ve made a list of my favourite 25. Any more than that would be silly. Like I’ve said before, I think long lists are pointless and defeat the purpose of awarding your favourite albums. There’s nothing special about it if you do a top 50 and name half (or more) of the albums you’ve listened to that year. I have a total of around 130 albums (not including the 12 albums Madlib released and the dozens of mixtapes from lo-fi bands I’ve heard) and yes, I’ve listend to them all! Can’t wait to show you all my list. Gotta wait ‘till the 31st though. You know what’s not on the list from the almost daily honourable mentions lists I keep posting. But can you guess what is gonna be in there? What’s gonna be #1 hmm?

Also think I’ll be posting a top EPs list on the 31st too. YAAAY

I remember around three to four years ago me and my friend who first told me about Sufjan Stevens made a bet. The bet was which state his next album would be based on. We all know the first was Michigan and the last one was Illinois, but there was no news or hints on what the third would be. I bet New York and my friend bet Washington. Yes, they were the most obvious states ever, but we were young. Then two or so years had passed without any sign of a new album on the way. I didn’t know why, Stevens churned out albums pretty regularly. Then he announced he’s quitting the 50 states project and basically questioned music as a whole in an ultimately depressing statement. It looked like we weren’t ever going to get a new Sufjan album. But low and behold this year saw the release of both an hour long EP, All Delighted People and The Age of Adz, His first full length in five years.

So, what’s changed? There are many surprises on ‘Adz’, the most obvious one being the amount of electronic based instruments leading the orchestration. Not to mention an unhealthy amount of Annie Clark backing vocals. But that’s good. She has one of the sweetest voices on the Earth; I wish she was on it more. At this point, I think she deserves more recognition as her position on this album is more than just a guest. Her presence has always been apparent, but here it’s more than evident.

Another change is that there aren’t any particularly short songs like previously although there are enough 10 minute epics to give Joanna newsom a run for her money. For me, this is both Adz’ weakness and strong point. Where the songs interchange between electronic synths and brass instruments and so on, in some points it can seem too layered, like the title track. I really don’t enjoy it, and this is where the length kills it. Although I can appreciate it being the well-crafted piece of musicianship that it is, I find it extremely hard to listen to, which is why I’ve always preferred his acoustic songs much more. They have a lot more impact without needing to have hundreds of instruments playing at the loudest volume. There are these type songs in here too, of course there are. In fact, the album opens and closes with Steven’s doing what he does best; using his whispery voice alongside plucking the strings of whatever he has in his magic hands, whether it’s a guitar or a uke, it’s always pleasant, especially after chaotic brass ensembles.

The most talked about subject about this album though isn’t Annie Clark’s beautiful voice, nor is it specific favourite songs. It’s a little something called auto-tune that appears for a couple of minutes during the 25 minute closing song, Impossible Soul. No, I don’t like auto-tune and I wouldn’t expect it from a prolific musician, especially Stevens. For the two minutes it lasts for the song isn’t enjoyable, but apart from it’s very much the most perfect song I’ve heard all year! I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss a 25 minute long song because of two minutes that are unforgivable. In a way it works like this year’s magnificent Siberian Breaks by MGMT, which is half the length but takes on the same purpose of conjoining numerous songs of different instruments but same subject matter. An older comparison would be Bowie’s classic Station to Station, Bowie’s longest studio recording. The song interchanges between drone, Bowie’s notorious yelps, catchy 60s pop, jangly piano and synthesisers. Structurally, the lyrics also repeat over and over, “It’s too late, It’s too late… It’s too late” much like two thirds of the way through Invisible Soul when Sufjan’s whole clique are singing to give it a very polyphonic and layered sound. “Boy we can do much more together” they all sing at the album’s happiest moment. It’s a glorious moment and the album’s greatest trick. Two minutes of auto-tune isn’t gonna stop me from singing along as loud as possible nor is it going to make me enjoy it less. Sufjan is just experimenting, like he always has, just with new technology. He’s just doing what he’s always done, there’s nothing wrong with that is there?

I think the record as a whole really does feel like the man’s first in five years. I have a feeling he’s been sitting on these songs for a long time too, they’re very similar to the epic Your Blood released on the Dark Was The Night compilation way over a year ago; the first time we heard Stevens combine heartfelt strings and dance beats. But although his musicianship has advanced, the rugged Age of Adz doesn’t come close to the flawless smooth Illinois. I know a lot of people will have expected a second Illinois, and admittedly I was one of them. I can imagine a lot of people also being disappointed. I am not one of those. As a whole it’s a far cry from his best work, but there are individual songs here that are powerful enough to rival “Chicago”. Although that doesn’t escape the fact that I just find it hard to ‘get into’ a two or three of the 11 songs. They aren’t bad, I’d understand if people would love it and I wouldn’t mock somebody for calling it the best album of the year, but with the amount of tracks leaving little to no impression on me, It isn’t going to be awarded the thrown on my list like Illinois achieved five years ago. But, I honestly think with time this album will grow and grow and grow. Or maybe I’m just angry because I haven’t won the bet yet.

73/100

Kanye West is known all over the world; some will know him for his dedication music which has been quintessential in keeping hip-hop from becoming a dead genre. But to the rest it’ll be because of his questionable outbursts. Within the last two years there have been more articles about Kanye in the news that chronicles a douchebag moment than congratulating the rapper for hitting number one in the charts. His unnecessary, unfair and harsh moment on-stage at the VMA’s has more YouTube hits than a lot of his songs. It might have been a douche move, but he’s honest. Am I wrong? The truth is none of that media bullshit matters. Musically, West is streets ahead, hip-hoppers are always not only steps but strides behind Ye. The VMA moment was a drunken mistake and it’s been a yearlong hangover that he doesn’t deserve. This is where it ends…

I’ve always preferred West as a producer than a rapper, let’s not forget his magnificent production work on Jay-Z’s opus, The Blueprint (2000), which got him all the attention, and since then that hard work has never dipped in quality. He’s a beat making genius and I know many will disagree when I say this but the hardest working man in music of the past decade. He’s continued to produce and feature on many great Jay-Z songs and helped start the careers of many rappers including Kid Cudi and is currently working with newbie Prince Cy Hi, a lot.

Yes, he probably cared more about what his avatar on South Park was wearing than the mockery the writers made of him, but now I know that’s not true. The record is very self-obsessed.  But not how you’d expect a Yeezy album to be. Twisted Fantasy focuses relentlessly on the man’s flaws. West’s subversive character is very much a reprobate. He’s implemented voyeuristic touches that would cover the entire disc of any other rapper’s album. But West includes one key word that no other rapper has in their vocabulary; Love. Something everyone needs. But I’m no psychologist, just an interesting point. There are also direct references to the by now classic fish sticks joke among other moments we haven’t forgotten. I wouldn’t be hung up on the media surrounding a musician in a review but, considering West’s approach of cutting to the chase with practically no metaphors just straight up storytelling. And the South Park episode only encouraged Kanye to make a great album, fuck you, Trey Parker.

Of course there are the potential commercially successful songs on the album; All of the Lights and Hell of a Life are the most obvious, but I honestly don’t see this as a mainstream album. The final four minutes of Runaway is just drone, the final few minutes of Blame Game is spoken word read by Chris Rock and Lost in the World samples indie-folk prince Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). This can be seen as a mainstream album, but it’s the most artful mainstream album I’ve heard in my entire life. He sees the best in any musician; Exhibit A, Fergie in All of the Lights, a musician so disregarded from even the pop star culture. But that won’t stop Kanye from giving her the limelight for a couple of minutes.

Even when he’s not making the greatest hip-hop releases of the millennium or publicity stunts, he’s making 35 minute long music videos(ish), and if people have read into it or watched any videos (Kanye’s new Ustream, particularly), you’ll know how much work he put into making his vision come true. So you can despise him for being a total douche and not appreciating his fans (which is bullshit because he does), but you can’t fault what he’s doing. And you certainly can’t call him lazy. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is Kanye West’s greatest piece of work, his Sgt. Peppers.

92/100

Deerhunter are a band that has never pulled my heartstrings no matter how much they’ve tried tugging. I’ve never understood their music as much as everyone else. The overwhelming hype that’s surrounded them since their perplexed sophomore Cryptograms (2007) confused me. It’s not that I hated them; it’s just the attention from critics and kids and better known musicians alike was unclear from where it derived. I’m not going to say that Bradford Cox’s odd persona, on-stage actions, and his Marfan Syndrome (as awful as it is) created their fan base, but it helped. You can’t deny that it does set him apart from the average lead in an indie band.

But image and critical praise aside, their last effort, Microcastle (2008), was a great album with a couple of mind-blowing tracks, which showed potential for future releases. And I worship Cox’s last solo album, Logos (2009), greatly and lead to prolific, if a little overlooked, indie collaborations with Noah Lennox and Lætitia Sadier. Unfortunately no such collaborations feature on HD, but that doesn’t keep the album from feeling fresh and reigning supreme by welcoming new instruments such as the saxophone, which is the main focus in the highlight Coronado, among others. The album artwork reflects the abnormality of the interior perfectly. Cross breeds of genres and instruments span across the whole album. Whereas previous records were split in half with a more ambiance sounding theme on one side and a catchier 60s pop type structure on the other, Halcyon Digest alternates between the two but not straying too far from Deerhunter’s comfort zone.

I’ve never enjoyed the opening track on a Deerhunter/Atlas Sound record and Halcyon Digest keeps this factor consistent. Earthquake continues the experimental, slow burner stoner anthem opener I’ve learnt to expect from the band. But it’s not the experimentation I hate, it’s the almost perpetual simple melody that’s looped over and over and over and over and over and over. This is a lot of the time the reason I’m not fond of some of their shorter catchier songs. Although these typical songs conform to your expectations, there are moments you would never believe was Deerhunter. For instance, the single Helicopter sees Cox reaching vocal melodies I had no idea he was capable of and a magnificent array of lush beats that I haven’t heard in a long time. It’s so refreshing from a band I’d least expect it from.

The final song, He Would Have Laughed, is an ode to the late and great Jay Reatard, and the shining moment of the bands career. It’s one of their longer songs reaching seven minutes and never is there a dull moment. I’m not quite sure what it’s exactly about, but my interpretation based on the lyrics is that it’s just about being in Jay’s presence, and maybe Cox (a great friend of Jay’s)’s way of saying goodbye. On the note of lyrics, as primary song writer, Cox’s self-obsessed character seems to have disintegrated, and with much delight. There is as much lyrics open to interpretation as they are of Cox referencing himself and getting caught up in his lifelong tragedy, which has spread like a germ across every related Deerhunter release for the past five years.

There’s considerably less reverb. The quality is in fact as crisp as any album I’ve heard, and a thought to call this release lo-fi has neglected to cross my mind. This is nothing less than a re-imagined sound for the still developing band. Halcyon Digest has yanked those heartstrings hard. I finally understand that I’ve been sitting in the dark and what I found lifeless is the exact opposite.

83/100

Out of the flame of Leather Jewels rose the band’s Panda Bear, Erik Hidde, the brain child of Not A Thing To Believe In. It’s music with a hybrid of synth pop and haunting Arthur Russell-esque vocals that seem as if they’re been echoed from a megaphone in pandemonium. And although it isn’t  a unique music type that’s being done for the very first time, it manages this cross breed better than any modern bedroom musician. The cheesy synths remind me of Pete Townshend’s solo work that soundtrack any flashback montage in movies, something that any Human Cloud track possesses the capability to do. The reason they can do this is because unlike the countless other lo-fi music out there, this has heart and personal attachment – like that of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. There’s no novelty about these songs, and that’s what divides this from any current music trend.

Although its flawless and smooth layering of synths go hand in hand with the equally masterful and passionate lyrics, we’ve already heard half of the album on the Don’t Kill Your Parents EP released not so long ago, which kind of makes this an extended EP (EEP?) But if you haven’t heard the EP (which you probably haven’t), dive straight in to Human Cloud, which will most likely be the most overlooked album of the year. There’s a lot of ambience throughout. It’s hard to escape. But unlike the frequent Washed Out copy cats, here there’s more than just a base. Layers, is a key term here without being too blatant. There’s a subtlety, a delicacy that you need to handle carefully. That’s exactly what this album is; Delicate.

What shouldn’t go without a mention is the dark, rough side of the innocent Human Cloud; the most obvious being the stand-out track In The Woods. Altering his voice and the whole mechanics of his songs that we think we’ve decrypted, Hidde goes off track with a creepy unsettling ghost story type technique. Human Cloud welcomes the mind of a 60’s tie-dye headband wearing hippie without forcing you to believe it’s something it’s not. Its kaleidoscopic sound creates just as fantastical visuals. And aside from track lengths, five songs that are on a previous EP and at times a repetitive flow, Human Cloud is nothing less than an outstanding debut album much different to the thousands of emerging lo-fi artists at the moment. Human Cloud is an ode to friends and the little things in life that you take for granted, whether it’s grieving over a loved one or taking a sick day to watch cartoons.

80/100

‘Sup yo. Haven’t blogged for the time of a bear! Moved into uni, having a blast. Haven’t stayed in once. That’s probably why feel dead as shit. But Tumblr still deserves my time. Once bad thing I don’t like about uni is that I’ve been so out of the loop with music since I’ve been here. Music has been leaked, music has been announced, etc. etc. etc. I need to catch up. It fucking sux so much that I can’t download leaks at uni.

I just watched Machete too. The new Rodriguez film if you don’t know. And I think I might actually write a review for it. Which would make it my very first film review (I think). I also need to write a review for Lisbon by The Walkmen (my fave of the year) and The Way Out by The Books (among the best) for Rebel magazine.

By the way, if you’re wondering how I can be such an idiot because of the heading, it’s a reference to one of the new Jake And Amir videos. WATCH IT

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1941500

Seriously, you’ll understand if you download and listen. Please, I beg you. So much to love. And if you know about Deerhunter you might shocked when you get to the penultimate song which features a sexy sax! Seriously, like, Megan Fox sexy. Cheryl Cole sexy. Sarah Chalke sexy. Need I go on. What I’m trying to say is, it’s sexy.

I haven’t connected with any other Deerhunter album after just one listen like I have with Halcyon Digest. It’s pretty different, too. A lot of it as the hooks you might hear in an Atlas Sound record. And the last song actually reminds me (A LOT) of the song Lisbon be The Walkmen, which I fucking love. I’ve always been very fastidious when it comes to Deerhunter, but my god, this album is blowing me away. It’s so powerful and emotional. AND THERE’S A SAX.

I dunno maybe it’s just that first listen adrenaline you get after an album you’ve been looking foreward to. It happened to me with the new Of Montreal which is just a huge failure, it happened to Arcade Fire, which is nowhere near as good as I or anybody else made it out to be (still good though). So yeah, time will tell.

I’ve never taken kindly to Weezer, I’ve hated pretty much everything they’ve put out. I kinda like the Blue Album, but to me, they’ve always seemed like a watered down shitty version of Pavement, for kids. Hate me all you want for thinking this. I know how many devoted Weezer fans there are out there. it’s just my opinion. But I’m gonna listen to the new weezer shortly. I probably won’t like it, but you never know, I could be blown away :/

The new Thermals album. Personal Life, has leaked. I totally forgot about this album even being announced, nevermind released. So this is sort of a pleasent surprise-ish. Can’t wait to listen to it, The Thermals are one of the few bands that don’t have to change their sound with every release to stay fresh. Although the last couple of albums are a lot calmer and more pop than their previous more chaotic and angry side, which I kinda preffered. Also, Hutch Harris looks a lot like Pavement’s Steven Malkmus, which makes both bands even more awesome. So yeah, I doubt this album is gonna have classic Thermals themes like politics and various other controversial shit against loud guitars and drums. But we’ll see.