Best of the decade: 2000-2009

Joanna Newsom
Ys
[Drag City, 2006]

This is likely my final piece of writing for Tiny Mixtapes, so I think it's important that the featured writing is on one of my favorite albums of not only the past decade, but of all time. If you want read me rhapsodizing about Joanna Newsom (and you do, right?!), Go Here. I guess I'm a fanboy.

If you don't own this record, at the very least in mp3 form, please go listen to it.

Record Review: Eno, Moebius & Roedelius

Eno, Moebius & Roedelius
After the Heat
[Sky, 1978; Bureau B, 2009]
3/5

The second collaboration between Brian Eno and Cluster (here credited as constituents Hans Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius) arrived only a year after the trio’s first collaboration, Cluster & Eno. By the time of their first meeting, Eno had released his first proper ambient album, Discreet Music, as well as a handful of pioneering pop records. Cluster had steadily moved away from the free-form ambient style marking their debut, Cluster ’71, to the slowly shifting, pulsating krautrock on landmark releases Zuckerzeit and Musik Von Harmonia (with Neu!’s Michael Rother). After hearing these releases, Brian Eno was eager to collaborate with Moebius and Roedelius.
Continue reading at Tiny Mixtapes.

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Record Review: Black Mold

Black Mold
Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz
[2009, Flemish Eye]
2.5/5

Read the full review at Tiny Mixtapes. Chad VanGaalen has certainly kept busy over the past few years. In addition to releasing several great albums, he’s produced music for Calgary’s Women, designed album art, and remained closely involved with the Flemish Eye label. The musician hinted at an affinity for warped electronic sounds on albums credited to his given name, but this interest always seemed one of exploratory curiosity than of studied proficiency, as he incorporated electronics into only a song or two on each album. VanGaalen subverts this notion under the Black Mold moniker, releasing a 19-song album complete with “100+ bonus minutes of glitchy oddities” on an included download card...

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In brief, there's some good material on Crystal Antz, but the Black Mold project doesn't even come close to VanGaalen's output under his given name. If you haven't heard him before, I highly recommend his last album, Soft Airplane. Or maybe you don't want to spend money/steal it from the internet? Well, here's a free and legal collection of Soft Airplane B-sides.

Record Review: Es

Es
Kesämaan Lapset
[2009, Fonal]
3.5/5

Read the full review at Tiny Mixtapes. There’s something magical and transcendent about the relatively nascent ‘New Weird Finland’ movement (or ‘Finnish freak-folk,’ or whatever other inane designation you prefer). Es, the recording name of Fonal Records head Sami Sänpäkkilä, continues to demonstrate this strange mysticism on Kesämaan Lapset. Translated as “Children of the Summerland,” Es’ latest pays homage to Finnish artist Pekka Streng’s album Kesämaa (“Summerland”), capturing the essence of summer through the innocent eyes of a child.

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I've been consistently impressed with the Fonal Records catalog. If you're unfamiliar with the label, though, I would recommend starting with Eleanoora Rosenholm or Paavoharju, two of my favorites.

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Fan mail!/Updates

This is not a post about the album of the same name from defunt 90s pop r&b queens TLC. Now that that's established, let us begin. I love receiving feedback for my reviews/commentary/etc. I Received a forwarded email from TMT's editor with something completely unexpected: a reaction to my review for Wino's anthology, A Bottle of Pills With a Bullet Chaser. The review was published in January, so I was pretty surprised to see a response letter so after-the-fact. It's certainly far from my best writing, but I am pretty proud of the line about the singer's lyrics, "about as profound as the brooding couplets scrawled into an angst-ridden high school student’s notebook cover." But enough self-congratulating, here's the letter I received:

Your so cool!

I know that's your opinion. The only thing you know of the band is this
cd.

From- WINO.

Glaring grammatical errors aside, I'd like to point out that A Bottle of Pills... is all that anybody (aside from those "lucky" enough to have witnessed the band's live show before their dissolution) could know about this band... it's their entire recorded output. So thank you, dear fan, for assuming the role of band spokesperson and taking the whole of fifteen seconds to share your feelings/embarrass the band you love. Or, if you're actually a former member of the band, you should consider editing yourself.

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I recently began working for the music department at WVFS. I will be writing brief reviews for albums entering rotation, so expect some capsule-style reviews here very soon. Currently reviewing BLK JKS's After Robots, David Bazan's Curse Your Branches, and Why?'s Eskimo Snow.

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Finally, I have a few reviews that I really want to finish, but haven't found time to, yet. A full review of Zoos of Berlin's great new album Taxis is coming soon(ish), but for now, check out this very elaborate track review for "Electrical Way" (not one of my favorite tracks, but a good one no less) and enjoy the song.

Record Review: Choir of Young Believers

Choir of Young Believers
This is for the White in Your Eyes
[2009, Ghostly International]
2/5

Read the full review at Tiny Mixtapes. Jannis Noya Makrigiannis is a big deal in his native Denmark. Previous EPs from his Choir of Young Believers helped garner auspicious accolades overseas, including “Talent of the year” and “Hope of the year.” Ghostly International, a label who rarely — if ever — releases music so earthy or organic, signed the band for American distribution, hoping to capitalize on (as the awards would have you believe) Denmark’s greatest new musical export with This is for the White in Your Eyes.

I initially enjoyed the more immediate songs on this album (tracks 1, 4, 7), but after a few listens through, the quiet, subtle tracks really began to shine. A paragraph was omitted from this review, in which I discussed "Why Must it Always be this Way." The original appeared on the Burn the Flag EP, as a voice/guitar/cello song. It appears on the long-player with a small string section, and copious amounts of vocal reverb. It threatened to kill the sentiment of the original, but in my opinion, it's one of the better tracks on the album. If you're into orchestral pop, this is worth checking out, despite the low score I gave it.

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Record Review: Jónsi & Alex

Jónsi & Alex
Riceboy Sleeps
[2009, XL]
2.5/5

Read the whole thing at Tiny Mixtapes.
I recently came across a few “iTunes essentials” playlists that are unfortunately indicative of how “ambient” music has come to be perceived. The Indie Chillout playlist features Mogwai, Tortoise, and Sigur Rós. To many listeners, this dynamic (though arguably formulaic) music is “ambient” and “chill,” serving mainly as background to doing homework or falling asleep. While I think that labeling the music of Sigur Rós "ambient" indicates a gross misunderstanding of what ambient music is, the label is perfectly suited to Jónsi and Alex’s debut album/art project.

In short - this album is rather boring. It is, however, stunningly pretty, and very evocative. I really wish that the duo had structured more songs like "Boy 1904". As it is, I wouldn't recommend the record for active listening, but it's wonderful background music (it soundtracked nearly every study session before finals week a month ago).

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Record Review: Nomo

Nomo
Invisible Cities
[2009, Ubiquity]
3.5/5

Full Review Here. Although assuming regional distinctions might suggest a provincial worldview, I’ll be honest — when I first heard NOMO, I would never have imagined that they were from Ypsilanti, Michigan. Over the course of three full-lengths and two EPs, the band has cranked out consistent sets of dense, polyrhythmic grooves indebted to traditional African music. A companion album to last year’s Ghost Rock, Invisible Cities again finds the group in fine form, refining their sound and moving gradually further from revivalist afrobeat into a style all their own.

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Record Review: Bowerbirds - Upper Air

Bowerbirds
Upper Air
[2009, Dead Oceans]
3.5/5

Read the full review here. Upper Air finds this North Carolina folk group much more assured in their songwriting. Phil Moore is still passionate about the environment, but his lyrical focus has expanded to include personal relationships as well. If you liked the last one, you'll surely like this. And if you didn't, give Upper Air a chance; I think it's better overall than its predecessor.

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Record Review: Jono El Grande

Jono El Grande
Neo Dada
[2009, Rune Grammofon]
4/5

Full Review Here. Jono El Grande is not of Latin or Hispanic origin. Actually, Norwegian Jon Andreas Håtun would have difficulty picking a more absurd name under which to release his music. Given the nature of his songs, though, he couldn’t have picked a more appropriate moniker. Whether in a studio or live-slapstic-show setting, Håtun subverts convention through musical and physical humor. However, the levity that allows El Grande to connect so easily with some may alienate others.

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Record Review: Bibio

Bibio
Ambivalence Avenue
[2009, Warp]
4/5

Read the whole thing at Tiny Mixtapes. For those who got my first mixtape, you know that I love the title track to this album (and hopefully you do, too). The album definitely doesn't disappoint, either. Stephen Wilkinson has branched out from his hazy warped-folk style, and truly represents the broad spectrum of the Warp Records roster with this release. This is a great summer album, so check it out if you haven't yet.

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Record Review: Pontiak

Pontiak
Maker
[2009, Thrill Jockey]
3.5/5

Full review Here. Despite being recorded in the confines of a 12x12’ home studio by three brothers, Pontiak’s Maker avoids sounding overly jammy or excessive. And this is no small feat, particularly in the absence of a supervising producer. Even on the title track, the album’s 14-minute centerpiece, the siblings tastefully monitor both how long they allow each idea to gestate until it is realized and when to progress to a fresh one before driving old ideas into the ground through unrelenting repetition... continue reading

Side note: If you're in Tallahassee, go check out Pontiak at the Engine Room tonight!

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Record Review: John Vanderslice

John Vanderslice
Romanian Names
[2009, Dead Oceans]
3/5

FULL REVIEW HERE. To put it simply, I just wasn't very impressed with this album. To get more perspective on Vanderslice's work, I revisited Pixel Revolt and Emerald City. Romanian Names just doesn't come close to the greatness of either of those records. I saw that NPR is calling this album one of his best, but I have to respectfully disagree. If you're new to this great singer/songwriter, go check out one of his previous two albums first.

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Record Review: Mokira

Mokira
Persona
[2009, Type]
2.5/5

Full review HERE. Far too much ado is made about “analog warmth,” as if recording fidelity somehow equates to authenticity and overall quality. For those not convinced that warm, natural sounds can be generated with “cold” digital techniques, get yourself a copy of Gas’ Pop album or any of Christian Fennesz’ recent output, particularly his collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto. Certainly there is a different character to analog sound (not to mention the benefits in sound preservation and relative autonomy), but from a songwriting standpoint, reliance on analog equipment as a shtick will likely return less-than-satisfactory results...

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Record Review: St. Vincent

St. Vincent
Actor
[2009, 4AD]
4/5

FULL REVIEW HERE. First of all, the rating I think this album deserves is about an 8.5 (alas, the five star scale doesn't allow for that). Annie Clark's vocals are perfectly eerie and aloof, reflecting the uneasy nature of the lyrics (kids foaming at the mouth, kids with daddy's smith & wesson, etc.). I haven't heard such a good marriage of form and content in awhile, so fans of clever songwriting, take note. Though its highs don't quite surpass Marry Me's soaring climaxes, it's overall a much more cohesive effort, and one that you should really go check out. Now.

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Delorean Review: Dntel

Dntel
Something Always Goes Wrong/Early Works for Me if it Works for You/Early Works for Me if it Works for You II
[2009, Phthalo]
3/5

FULL REVIEW HERE. Life is Full of Possibilities, Dntel’s breakthrough work, is also his most fully realized. The album is remembered for its ideal marriage of somber, subdued vocals with Tamborello’s pensive, brooding soundscapes and glitchy programming. Yet it was the Ben Gibbard-featured standout, “This Is the Dream of Evan and Chan,” that drew attention to the producer and would serve as the impetus for The Postal Service. Although the duo’s only album Give Up is polarizing to say the least, I maintain that Gibbard’s effortless, languid melodies perfectly complemented, even tempered, Tamborello’s dense, occasionally frenetic arrangements.

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Record Review: Zak Riles

Zak Riles
Zak Riles
[2008, Important]
2.5/5

FULL REVIEW HERE. Zak Riles, lead guitarist for the prolific Grails, melds idioms and instrumentation of traditional American and Middle Eastern music in his main gig, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that he would adopt this approach on his self-titled debut. The results, however, are decidedly mixed: while the album finds Riles playing as assuredly as ever, it also shows him relying on unnecessary and awkward crutches that ultimately depreciate the record.

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Record Review: Lotus Plaza

Lotus Plaza
The Floodlight Collective
[2009, Kranky]
3.5/5

Well, this took long enough to get posted. I had my initial review mailed back to me because of the similarities it bore to marc hogan's pitchfork review. We had different arguments, but used a lot of the same examples, and he published his first. So, this is weaker than the original version I submitted. I was really torn on a 3.5 and 4 bubble rating...Read my thoughts on this album HERE

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Record Review: Seeland

Seeland
Tomorrow, Today
[Loaf, 2009]
3/5

Full review HERE. For fans of soft, kind of urbane pop music, this'll be right up your alley. Definitely not a bad album, and even a good one, but a lack of vivacity keeps it from being "really good," "great," "outstanding," etc. Any number of superlative adjectives, really. Opener "Burning Pages" is pretty cool, if you check out just one track.


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Record Review: DM Stith

DM Stith
Heavy Ghost
[Asthmatic Kitty, 2009]
4/5

Full review HERE. First off, if it were possible to give albums ".5" ratings on TMT, I would have given this 8.5. I've been anxiously waiting to post this one for quite awhile. I'll be brief, as the review is pretty thorough, but Heavy Ghost has been one of my favorite releases this year. If you listen to just one song, make it the beautiful "Braid of Voices." Does anybody else love this? Hate it? Let me know.

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