en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal The Last.fm journal for t4exanadu. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2013/01/21/5q8zl0_my_favorite_albums_of_2012 Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:45:45 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2013/01/21/5q8zl0_my_favorite_albums_of_2012 Better late than never! Overall, I thought that 2012 wasn't as good of a year for new music than say. 2010 or 2011. There were many stellar albums, but nothing really revolutionary. This year's list reflects a change in my listening habits, as I moved back to listening to (indie) rock almost exclusively sometime in autumn. In general, my listening was split between techno/bass and various strains of indie rock, as the following lists reflect:

Favorite albums:

Beach House - Bloom
Landing - Landing
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Recondite - On Acid
Burial - Kindred EP
The Host - The Host
Christian Loeffler - A Forest
Marconi Union - Weightless [Ambient Transmission, vol. 1]
Goat - World Music
Martin Nonstatic - Cosmic Shapes EP


Runners Up:

The Time and Space Machine - Taste the Lazer
Belbury Poly - Belbury Tales
Deepchord Presents Echospace - Soundtrack For The Motion Picture 'Silent World'
Ultraista - Ultraista
Pye Corner Audio - Sleep Games

Human Teenager - Animal Husbandry
Mirroring - Foreign Body
Echo lake - Wild Peace
Hammock - Departure Songs
Tycho - Dive [Remixes]

Petar Dundov - Ideas From The Pond
Kane Ikin - Sublunar
Volor Flex - My Story
Jack Dixon - Above From The Below
Desolate - Celestial Light Beings


Best of years past:

Danieto - Cirugia Casual
Marconi Union - A Lost Connection (2008)
Nightlands - Forget The Mantra
Petar Dundov - Escapement
Deep Magic - Lucid Thought
The American Dollar - Atlas
Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
Spokane - Measurement
Area C - Sea of Rains


Top 5 Rock Albums:

Tame Impala - Lonerism
Belbury Poly - Belbury Tales
Goat - World Music
Ultraista - Ultraista
The Time and Space Machine - Taste the Lazer


Top 5 Electronic Albums:

Recondite - On Acid
Christian Loeffler - A Forest
Burial - Kindred EP
The Host - The Host
Pye Corner Audio - Sleep Games


Top 5 Ambient/Experimental Albums:

Deepchord Presents Echospace - Soundtrack For The Motion Picture 'Silent World'
Marconi Union - Weightless [Ambient Transmission, vol. 1]
Mirroring - Foreign Body
Kane Ikin - Sublunar
Hammock - Departure Songs]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2012/03/27/5e2jx4_favorites_of_2011 Tue, 27 Mar 2012 03:42:59 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2012/03/27/5e2jx4_favorites_of_2011 Just lists this year:

Best Albums (All, in order):

Tycho - Dive
Desolate - The Invisible Insurrection
Sepalcure - Sepalcure
Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise
Shlohmo - Bad vibes
Low - C'Mon
LV & Joshua Idehen - Routes
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
Grouper A I A: Alien Observer
Machinedrum - Room(s)


Best Electronic/Dance Songs (no order):

Graphics - OK Rainbow/Adjectival E [single]
Spectr - Dance 4 me
Zomby - Natalia's Song
vince watson - flux
Azari & II - Hungry for the power
george fitzgerald - Hearts
Lando Kal - Further
Mosca - Done me wrong / Bax
essay - Distance & Lights
Ghostek - Night & Low Light


Honorable Mentions (In no order):

Soft Metals - Soft Metals
Radiohead - King of Limbs
Burial/Four Tet/Thom Yorke - Ego/Mirror
Sepalcure - Fleur EP
SBTRKT - SBTRKT
BURIAL - Street Halo Ep
Vince Watson - Atom EP
Robag Whurme - Thora Vukk
Fourcolor - As Pleat
Bombino - Agadez
Hauschka - salon des amateurs
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - We're New Here
Mokira - time-axis manipulation
Emmanuel Errante - Time-Elapsing Handheld
Jack Dixon - Dead Man's Switch EP


Best Ambient Albums (no order):

Emmanuel errante - time-elapsing handheld
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
Grouper A I A: Alien Observer
Marconi Union - Beautifully Falling Apart [Ambient Transmissions Vol. 1]
Diskjokke - Sagara
Fourcolor - As Pleat
Steve Hauschildt - Tragedy & Geometry
Jurgen Muller - Science of the sea
The Fabric - A sort of radiance
Lee Noble - Horrorism


Best Mixes/Compilations (no order):

Jackmaster - Fabriclive 57
Four Tet - Fabriclive 59
VA - Kompakt Total 12
Echocord: Jubilee
back and 4th
Futuresequence 2


Best of 2010 and before (best of pre-2011 music I found in 2011):

Pawel - Pawel
Efdemin - Efdemin
Bjorn Torske - Kokning
Burial / Four Tet - Moth/Wolf Cub
Bioluminescence [compilation]
Yagya - Rigning
The Fun Years - God Was Like No
sven weisemann - Leontica EP / Kiss of Abana [Single]
Jack Dixon - Substitute EP
Tamikrest - Adagh
The Black Dog - Music For Real Airports
Spektre - Casting Shadows Without Light
Ripperton - Niwa]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2011/07/11/4hbwk8_2010_revisited Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:30:32 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2011/07/11/4hbwk8_2010_revisited We're half-way through 2011, and it's already shaping up to be a great year for music (especially for House music). Having come across a plethora of excellent 2010 albums this year, I feel compelled to re-evaluate my list of favorite albums from 2010. Though I'm sure to come across more gems from 2010 in the future, I feel the following list is a much more accurate representation of the best music from 2010.

Loscil - Endless Falls
Pariah - safehouses
Jack Dixon -Substitute EP
Tamikrest - Adagh
The Fun Years - God Was Like, No
Bjorn Torske -Kokning
Scuba - Triangulation
Pale Blue Sky - Shades of Grey
Christopher Hipgrave - Slow, With Pages of Fluttering Interference
The Black Dog - Music For Real Airports]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2011/01/17/45v362_the_best_of_2010 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 02:12:07 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2011/01/17/45v362_the_best_of_2010 If 2009 was the year of Afrobeat, then 2010 was the year of Dubstep. In 2010, I (rather belatedly) discovered Dubstep and other genres (i.e. House/Deep House, IDM, etc.,) of electronic music. It was the perfect year for an in-depth introduction to electronic dance music, as many impressive albums were released. I also continued my obsession with ambient/drone. So, be forewarned that the lists that follow lean heavily towards electronica and ambient albums.

Andy's favorite albums & EPs of 2010 (in no particular order):

Loscil - Endless Falls (An instant ambient electronic classic. The last track is tremendous)

Pariah - Safehouses (Easily my favorite "Dubstep" album of the year)

Scuba - Triangulation (Anything Scuba touches results in greatness, this album being no exception)

John Roberts - Glass Eights (Amazing, innovative Deep House)

Christopher Hipgrave - Slow, with Pages of Fluttering Interference (Best ambient of 2010)

Pale Blue Sky - Shades of Grey (Tied with the previous album as best ambient of 2010)

Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here? (So many Emeralds albums, but this is their best)

Baths - Ceruelean (Only rock/pop album on here, but it's a gem)

Susumu Yokota - Kaleidoscope (Weirest and most interesting sounds of 2010)

Richard Davis - What You Are EP (RD continually makes the best Deep House music around)


Honorable Mentions:

Tim Hecker - Apondalifa
Weekend - Sports
Mark Mcguire - Tidings/Amethyst Waves
Scott Cortez - Twin Radiant Flux
Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers
Hammock - Chasing After Shadows... Living With The Ghosts
Current 93 - Baalstorm, Sing Omega
Brian McBride - The Efffective Disconnect
Andrew Thomas - Buildings & Trees
Bibi Tanga & The Selenites - Dunya

Honorable mentions are albums that I didn't listen to enough yet to give a definitive opinion, or are excellent but not enough so to make my 'best of 2010' list.


Best albums of years past I discovered in 2010:

Burial - Untrue (One of my favorite albums, ever)
Burial - Burial
Jetone - Ultramarin (Great ambient techno from Tim Hecker)
Mount Kimbie - Sketch on Glass EP
Richard Davis - Details (Best Deep House album, ever)
Halogen - Baked (Fantastic ambient electronic from 2009)
Casino Vs. Japan - Whole Numbers Play The Basics (Another all-time favorite album)
Casino Vs. Japan - Go Hawaii
Plat - Compulsion (This and Halogen's Baked are two of the best albums almost no one knows about)
Floating Points - Vacuum Boogie EP (Puts all other Dubstep producers to shame)
Kangding Ray - Automne Fold (Intriguing and original experimental bass music)


And of course 2010 marked the year I finally finished my debut album, Osakan - Music For Astronauts, 7 years in the making. In 2011 it will be released digitally through various websites (including this one), so watch for it!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2010/02/02/3dwh65_favorites_of_2009 Tue, 2 Feb 2010 03:02:59 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2010/02/02/3dwh65_favorites_of_2009 Another year of musical discovery. These are my favorite albums of 2009:

Group Bombino- Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 2
Various Artists - Legends of Benin
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Echos Hypnotiques
Area C - Charmed Birds Against Sorcery
Tim Hecker - Imaginary Country

Honorable Mentions:

Black Math Horseman- Wyllt
Pan American - White Bird Release
Nomo - Invisible Cities
Cave - Psychic Psummer
Various Artists - Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968-1981
Various Artists - Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Nigerian Blues]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2008/12/30/2d3nmk_my_favorite_albums_of_2008... Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:31:55 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2008/12/30/2d3nmk_my_favorite_albums_of_2008... I listened to a ton of music this year, though most of it was not newly released. I discovered Fela Kuti, Venetian Snares, and Air this year, reaffirmed my love of The Flashbulb, Talking Heads, and Yo La Tengo, and overall loved every minute of my music listening experience.

Of the 2008 albums that I have heard, Venetian Snares' Detrimentalist is by far the best. Four other excellent albums worth mentioning include:

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Many Things
Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow
Retribution Gospel Choir - Retribution Gospel Choir
Sigur Ros - Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

Here's to (hopefully) another great year of music in 2009!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2007/12/22/1ee_my_favorite_albums_of_2007... Sat, 22 Dec 2007 04:20:42 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2007/12/22/1ee_my_favorite_albums_of_2007... Yet again it is time for my annual list of what I consider to be the best albums of the year. I know everyone and their grandmother publishes "best album" lists every year so mine certainly isn't special. However, years from now it will be interesting to see if I still feel as strongly about these albums as I do now. And so, without further ado, I present:

My favorite albums of 2007:

(1) Radiohead - In Rainbows

A lot of people seem disappointed by this album and I can't see why. Musically it is their most cohesive and consistent album since OK Computer. I was in India around the time Radiohead announced they would be selling the album via download so thankfully I missed all of the media coverage which let me focus on the music when I finally heard the album. It's lush, beautiful, and at times heartbreaking, and every time I listen to it I'm filled with joy.

(2) Rush - Snakes & Arrows

I'll admit I'm a Rush fan, and I thought Vapor Trails was a fantastic album (which most other fans seemed to dislike). It took me a good 10 listens to really appreciate Snakes & Arrows and, like In Rainbows, it is an excellent album precisely because it feels cohesive and consistent. I will never forget as I traveled through Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand this past autumn while listening to Snakes & Arrows, somehow the lyrics fit perfectly with my journey through the heart of Southeast Asia.

(3) Low - Drums & Guns

Low took a radically different approach on this album. When I saw them live during their second tour after The Great Destroyer (they had canceled part of the first tour due to Alan's psychological problems) they previewed songs from Drums & Guns but they sounded like they would fit on The Great Destroyer, so no revolution there. When Drums & Guns came out I was amazed, and admittedly, horrified at the stripped down electronic approach (now I think I know how Radiohead fans felt when Kid A came out) but in time I came to see the music for what it was, classic Low, and lyrically darker than ever. My only gripe about this album would be the stupid way the music was mixed making it virtually impossible to enjoy on headphones which is how I listen to most of my music.

(4) Melt Banana - Bambi's Dilemma

What can I say, another Melt Banana record. There was talk from the band that they were taking some sort of radical approach on the new album involving "bass and theremin" and unfortunately I think we were being fooled (or I missed the theremin). Musically it doesn't differ much from Cell-scape except that half of the songs are more pop-ish while the other half hearken back to older and crazier Melt Banana (think Speak Squeak Creak). I think it's precisely this dual approach that weakens the album. I have to admit I really do like the two techno-ish (if you can even call them that) tracks on the album and it makes me wonder where MxBx is heading in the future.

(5) Calla - Strength In Numbers

This album didn't break any new ground but I found it infectious, and the amount of times I listened to it is a testament to that. I'm a huge fan of Calla's first two albums and while I understand, and have been disappointed by, their evolution away from that more experimental music I continue to listen to them because they make good music. I think Aurelio has some of the most distinctive vocals and guitar melodies in music and that is a huge appeal, though it may not justify a "best of" rating. In fact I can't really say why I like this album so much except that it's catchy, moody, and the undertones of violence make it just dangerous enough to be enjoyable.

Honorable mentions:

Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim

I'm obsessed with Sigur Ros. I'd been recording my own ambient-ish guitar music (inspired largely by Pink Floyd, Landing, Stars of the Lid, and Labraford) years before I heard Sigur Ros and when I finally heard them I knew that they had recorded what I'd been hearing in my head for years, the ideal music (these days I think Hammock has perfected it as well), the 'music of the spheres' if you will. So obviously, any new Sigur Ros album is of interest to me. I was disappointed to find that Hvarf/Heim breaks no new ground, but that doesn't entirely surprise as it was meant as a supplement to their documentary Heima and they have announced a new album in the works anyway. Despite the sameness of the sound of the new album, I find the first disc in particular lovely, and if Í Gær doesn't send chills down your spine then you're hopeless.

Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline

Another SoTL release and unsurprisingly it's a sonic continuation of their Tired Sounds album (though it bears a closer sonic resemblance to Brian McBride's solo work which I find superior to almost anything SoTL has ever released). I probably haven't listened to it as much as I should have and for that reason I can't say much more except that it is definitely worth a listen; in fact anything that makes you glow with warmth like SoTL does is worth a listen.

There are a number of album that I have listened to in bits and pieces that deserve a mention because they have potential but I did not give them a honest enough listen to really rate them relative to the ones above so here they are: Blonde Redhead - 23, Amiina - Kurr, Acid Mothers Temple - Crystal Rainbow Pyramid, Maserati - Inventions For a New Season, and finally Om - Pilgrimage, which I've just discovered last week.

If anyone actually reads this post and has any 2007 album recommendations that they think I would enjoy please let me know! Thanks, and have a happy new year!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2006/12/18/1ed_my_favorite_albums_2006... Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:02:52 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2006/12/18/1ed_my_favorite_albums_2006... Just thought I'd throw this out there, in no particular order:

Current 93 - Black Ships Ate The Sky
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Slayer - Christ Illusion
Hammock - Raising Your Voice... Trying To Stop An Echo
Burnt Friedman - Secret Rhythms 2

While these are my favorites they aren't necessarily the best, which is a designation I simply can't make because there are a number of albums that I suspect are excellent but haven't had time to listen to them such as the new albums from OOIOO and Yo La Tengo as well as the Tortoise box set, A Lazarus Taxon.

On the other hand I can say authoritatively that Black Ships Ate The Sky was the best album of 2006, unless you're willing to count the re-release of Pavement's Wowee Zowee as a "new" release in which case, it is by far the best.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2006/06/06/1ec_666 Tue, 6 Jun 2006 14:34:26 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2006/06/06/1ec_666 Today is the National Day of Slayer and I prepare to celebrate in style.

Death machine infest my corpse to be!!!

I urge everyone to listen to Reign In Blood immediately!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2005/12/21/1eb_best_albums_of_2005... Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:07:04 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/t4exanadu/journal/2005/12/21/1eb_best_albums_of_2005... I just want to mention a few albums that all those hip and cool music critics seems to have forgotten or ignored. Any one of the following albums is so much better than Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, or The Arcade Fire that I feel absolutely no need to explain why. It is obvious. Isn't it?

Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
Low - The Grest Destroyer
Alvarius B - Blood Operatives Of The Barium Sunset
Brian McBride - When The Detail Lost Its Freedom

Also, Acid Mothers Temple released 2 outstanding albums this year, Minstrel In The Galaxy and Just Another Band From The Cosmic Inferno. Of course, when your life revolves around acid-fueled jam sessions, you can do that.]]>