2006 already? What the fuck…
OK, so I guess that means it’s time for the second installment of my year-end music list. Everybody does them, and everybody who doesn’t do them complains about them. And often for good reasons. But they do help you reflect on things alittle, don’t they?
So, again, this is not a definitive Best Of list, nor is it strictly a Music of 2005 list (although it is predominantly that). Like last year, it’s more like a personal reflection on what I liked, disliked, listened to, and thought about during the year, heavily weighted to 2005 releases, but with a few outsider albums slipped in because it’s my list and I make the rules. If you don’t like it, write your own list, because as obnoxious and overdone as year-end lists can be, they’re still less tedious to read than most complaints about year-end lists. So here we go, in no particular order….
2005 Releases:
Venetian Snares: Rossz Csillag Allat Sz?letett
As I mentioned last year, Venetian Snares has never been a favorite of mine, despite his high volume of output. His 2004 Album, Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding, made my year-end list though, and I guess I can officially call myself a fan after being blown away by his second of 3(!!!) 2005 full-lengths. The combination of manic drill n’ bass and symphonic samples shoved together into actual song structures makes a compelling argument for Aaron Funk’s abilities as a producer. Detractors will point out that the hard part, compositionally speaking, was done by whoever arranged the original string parts that were sampled here, but I think that’s an oversimplification of the issues of authorship at hand here. In an age where even the lowly mash-up (and talk about a lazy, tired excuse for a musical revolution) can be considered an accomplishment , Rossz Cillag can surely be afforded the same consideration.
Beck: Guero (Expanded Edition)
Has Beck ever really made a throwback record? He’s flung himself into so many categories and genres over the course of the last decade-plus, but even when he’s revisiting similar styles, it seems he has something new to bring to the table. Odelay was not Mellow Gold II, despite borrowing from many of the same sources, Sea Change was not Mutations II or One Foot in the Grave II despite all three albums reliance on folk/country roots and an increasing use of narrative lyrics. And Guero, although criticized by some, is hardly Odelay II. Beck has brought a more considered lyrical approach and lessons from all his previous albums, regardless of their foundations, to bear on this strong collection of songs. The Dust Brothers are dependably adventurous in their role recycling cultural detritus into ass-shaking grooves. I give the expanded, limited edition version of this album the nod over the regular release due to the presence of several tracks that could easily have been included on the “official” version of the tracklist, and despite the fact the the DVD portion was a pretty weak collection of visual wallpaper.
Sufjan Stevens: Come on Feel The Illinoise!
What 2005 year end list would be complete without a nod to this one? Everyone in the dancing-about-architecture game seemed to wet themselves over the second of 50 state themed albums, paving the way for an inevitable post-year-end-list backlash, but really, how can you hate an album that brings together the delicate literacy of Simon & Garfunkel and the warm, sometimes orchestral pomp of Brian Wilson? The album is pervaded by a sense of wonder and grandeur, even when it dips into darker subjects like genocide, murder, and disease.
Meneguar: I Was Born At Night
Dark yet anthemic indie rock, with maybe a trace of hardcore for good measure. The album is short in a way that leaves you longing for more, rough and contrarian in it’s approach, but undeniably, fist-pumpingly good. Everything it lacks in technical accomplishment on the production end it more than repays in songwriting potency and sheer performance energy. It sounds raw and haphazard, like the band could barely be captured on tape. In a just world, “The Temp” would be a best-selling single.
13 & God: 13 & God
Like Hood’s Cold House, this collaboration album between German electro/rock hybrid the Notwist and Anticon’s Themselves (aka Doseone and Jel) blends off-kilter hip-hop and nasal rapping with forward thinking pop to excellent effect. Never relying too heavily on either groups strengths (except perhaps the Notwist-esque single, “Men of Station”), instead 13 & God forms a fully realized amalgamation of the two band’s sounds. Haunting, melancholic and cerebral work that comfortably straddles a number of genres without giving into the cliches associated with any of them.
Hanne Hukkleberg: Little Things
I sort of hesitate to put this on my list, because I only recently heard it, and part of the appeal may just be in the newness. I first heard of Ms. Hukkelberg on Sutekh’s recent remix collection, Born Again (see honorable mentions below). His remix of her track “Ease” is absolutely the standout track of that compilation, and her lyrics and delivery contain so much personality that I just had to seek out the original. I was not disappointed by what I heard: jazzy pop songs that capture a childlike sense of wonder and playfulness, with soft, unique backing (from members of Jaga Jazzist). Like a less dour M?m, or a more whimsical Bjork (yes, I said MORE whimsical).
John Vanderslice: Pixel Revolt
A little mellower than his previous album, Cellar Door, and a little more thoughtful and clever. Perhaps a little less lyrically unified than that album, too, focusing more on a series of first person narratives from the viewpoint of various characters, several related to the Iraq war (or is it the Iraq War?), and several less topical. As always, a vast assortment of instruments and sounds are used here, always incredibly crisp and well-chosen. This is an excellent album by a songwriter/producer who continues to grow and impress. Equally appreciated is the succinct User’s Guide to the album, a welcome extra in an age where liner notes have disappeared from album packaging without a trace.
Why?: Elephant Eyelash
Probably the most conventional sounding album that Anticon has released so far, but that’s not really saying a whole lot, as much of their catalog sounds to many people like aliens rapping. But Yoni Wolff has always been the sentimental, melodic one of the bunch, and by expanding his Why? project to a live, touring rock band he’s really embraced that role. There are still lo-fi, skittering beats and toy-keyboard sounds, nasal rapping, odd sampling and processing, and wildly inventive production, but they’re all given homes inside of (for the most part) traditionally structured songs, with melodies and vocal harmonies and choruses. For a record that sounds so sunny, the lyrics are surprisingly morbid and death-obsessed, when they’re not inscrutably weird. It’s like he couldn’t decide if he should write a California pop album or a suicide note, so he took the middle road and gave us Elephant Eyelash instead.
Santiago: The Long Dark Hours b/w Pretty Mess 7″
A Santa Rosa band that I never really took the time to check out until recently. This 7″ was released in two editions: one regular edition, and one limited edition of 50, with unique, handcrafted cover art by young local artists on each cover. The A-side is brilliant, a driving power pop anthem that digs it’s way into your head and stays there. The Crimpshrine cover on side B is good as well, sort of a slow-ballad take on the original. Their 2003 full length ain’t half bad either, with a few tracks that easily rival the catchy pop bliss of this single.
Non-2005 Releases
Joanna Newsom: The Milk-Eyed Mender
I’ve already wrote about this extensively on this site, but really, I think I listened to this album more than anything else in the first half of the year. And that’s pretty amazing considering that my first reaction to hearing her voice was “Oh jesus, I need to delete this folder.” Ultimately, I’m glad I gave this album more of a chance, and I can definitely count myself among the ranks of Joanna Newsom fanboys. Seeing her live at the Gorge this summer only solidified my love for her and her music.
Echo & The Bunnymen: Remasters (Porcupine/Crocodiles/Heaven Up Here/Echo & The Bunnymen)
Not a lot to say about theses really, just that it’s great to have a really classy presentation, cleaned sound, and loads of extra tracks from an all-time great band. Way to go Rhino Records, and thank you.
Battles: B EP and EP C
The best math rock records I heard this year. Now, I don’t really listen to a ton of math rock records, but that’s only because I’m not super in-tune with that scene. And don’t let that fact discourage you anyways. This is inspirational in it’s virtuosity, and like the best math rock, it has more than virtuosity going for it. The musicians come from diverse musical backgrounds, and the cross-pollination of various styles helps Battles carve out a unique sound in a genre that can often fall into creative ruts and soundalike-ism. Out of all the good shows I missed this year, I regret missing their opening slot for Prefuse 73 the most.
Neko Case: Blacklisted
It took a few listens for the production style to sit comfortably with me, before the overdrenching of reverb sounded natural, even somewhat classic. Records that sound like this don’t really get made much anymore, or at least, I don’t hear them. Ms. Case’s vocals are forceful and cut straight through to your heart, and her backing band plays with a restraint that allows her to really take charge of the sessions. A great collection of songs given a lovely, idiosyncratic presentation.
Disappointments and Near Misses:
Sleater-Kinney: The Woods
The word on the street had me super stoked about this album. Dave Fridmann, one of my favorite producers, responsible for great albums by stalwart bands like Mogwai and the Flaming Lips, combined with the dependable veteran rock band for an album that was rumoured to be their fiercest, rawest work to date? Count me in. But from the first listen, something wan’t right. Fridmann’s sonic sensibilities, which usually run towards the lush, detailed, and tastefully bombastic are here replaced by an EVERYTHING TO 11 GODDAMMIT MOTHERFUCKERS WHO CARES IF IT TURNS TO SONIC DOGSHIT AND WE LOSE THE NUANCE AND BEAUTY OF THE SOUND IN THE PROCESS philosophy. Sure, the album is loud, it’s raw, whatever. But it could’ve been loud and raw and NOT distorted to the point that it sounds like harsh digital static. This is one of the only albums I’ve actually sold back to a music store in recent years, and for good reason.
Fiery Furnaces: Rehearsing My Choir
I was lukewarm on Blueberry Boat, an ambitious and varied record whose best moments were all in the first half, but their more recent EP collection made me a convert by condensing their sprawling, sometimes awkward songs into sharp pop of the highest caliber. But anything good about this mess is overshadowed by the omnipresent Grandma Friedberger’s horrific vocal presence. Hopefully, rumors of a “real” Fiery Furnaces follow-up album are not just rumors.
Subcategory: Good, But Really Just More of the Same:
Boards of Canada: The Campfire Headphase
Prefuse 73: Surrounded By Silence
Lightning Bolt: Hypermagic Mountain
All fine, decent albums that suffer from sounding too much like their predecessors. I really don’t see much growth or any new ground being broken by any of these artists. I still like the albums, and I enjoy listening to them, but I can’t shake the knowledge that they could’ve been better, gone farther, tried harder.
Honorable Mentions:
Minus the Bear: Menos El Oso
John Yoko: Papa Was A Rodeo b/w The Morning Paper 7″
Sutekh: Born Again (Collected Remixes)
Autechre: Untilted
Gorillaz: Demon Days
Kid 606: Resilience
Doseone: Ha
Luke Vibert: Lover’s Acid
